Research News- February 21, 2014

ANNOUNCEMENTS

1. Core of the Week: Biostatistics Core

Biostatistics Core
Directors: Dr. Dianne Finkelstein & Dr. Hang Lee
50 Staniford Street, Suite 560

The Biostatistics Core provides support to MGH investigators in the design and analysis of research studies. This includes assistance in the preparation of proposals and protocols by calculating the required sample size of the study as well as preparing an analysis plan. Also, assistance is provided in performing the analyses as well as providing database and statistical computing support (including tasks involving website applications), and preparing data reports. The staff includes biostatisticians, data managers, project managers, research assistants, and computing staff.

To learn more about the Biostatistics Core, please click here.

2. Partners Research Management Message - February 20, 2014

Please click here to read the Partners Research Management Message.

• Partners Conflict of Interest Update
• Upcoming Research Management Training Classes
• Partners Researchers Eligible for Boston Biomedical Innovation Center (B-BIC) Grant Programs
• HMS Foundation Funds: Opportunities for Faculty and Fellows
• Partners Innovators Forum, March 6, Accelerating Innovation in the Electronic Era of HealthCare
• Update from Partners Government Affairs
• Potential Grant Fraud Warning from COFAR

3. Innovation Comes to MGH

Continuous and spontaneous support for our researchers is paramount to nurturing an innovative culture. In order to foster convenient access to the research community, the Innovation Team will begin staffing an on-site office located at the Simches Research Building, 2nd Floor. During regular business hours, Licensing Managers and members of our Transactional Affairs Group will be available to brainstorm, problem solve, and answer general questions regarding our office and the innovation process. We encourage you to stop by or arrange an on-site meeting with the team.

This on-site rotation of staff will not impact your current point of contact. This is an extension of resources for executing innovation and commercialization.

Please join us for an open house breakfast on Monday, February 24 from 8A-9A at our new space. Directions provided below.

Directions: Upon arriving at Simches, enter the second set of doors just past the security guard. Take the elevator to the 2nd floor and go through the doors on your left hand side. Walk towards the desk then turn left at the end of the desk. Follow the hall past the restrooms and take your first right. The Innovation Team's three workstations on the left, and office 2.130 is straight ahead.

EVENTS

1. Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC) 2014: April 2 & 3, 2014

The 67th Annual Meeting of the MGH Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC) is being held on April 2 & 3, 2014. The agenda for SAC 2014 is now available online! We hope that you will be able to attend at least part of the SAC events on April 2 & 3!

2. MGH Seminar Series in Cell Biology

Tuesday, February 25, 2014, 3:00 PM, Conference Room A, CNY Bldg. 149-West, 1st Floor (behind security desk)

Sponsored by the Division of Nephrology

"Sensing and Signaling DNA Damage by the Checkpoint Kinases"
Lee Zou, Ph.D.
Professor of Pathology
Harvard Medical School
Associate Scientific Director
MGH Cancer Center

Host: Roy J. Soberman, M.D.
Contact: Christine Plouffe, cplouffe@partners.org, 617-724-1502

3. QI Roundtable: Study Start-Up

Thursday, March 20, 12:00pm - 1:00pm, Garrod/Mendel Conference Room

The MGH Clinical Research Program, the Partners Human Research Office (IRB) and the Partners Human Research Quality Improvement Program (QI) are sponsoring this program. 

Congratulations on your IRB protocol approval - now what?! Are your study management tools in place? In this session, Michele Gomez will discuss how to get your study up and running and how to successfully manage it. Federal Regulations, Partners Institutional policies and Good Clinical Practice will be reviewed, as well as study management tools like the regulatory binder and resources such as self assessment checklists. This session will be useful for both the new and experienced coordinator/research staff. The presentation will include a hypothetical protocol/case study and its applicable regulatory binder. This session is limited to 25 participants to facilitate interaction. Registration is required. Please contact Kelsey Gay with any questions.

4. CRP Spotlight Series: Bio-Specimen Processing Basics

Wednesday, March 12th 12:00pm - 1:00pm, Simches 3.110

Patrick Sluss, PhD, Co-Director of MGH Clinical Laboratory Research Core (CLR)

In this course, participants will receive instruction on best practices for collecting biological samples from research subjects and for processing those samples. Emphasis will be placed on common mistakes which occur during collection and processing.

This program meets the requirements of the Board of Registration in Nursing, at 244 CMR 5.00, for 1 contact hour of nursing continuing education.

Registration is required. Contact Jillian Tonelli with questions about this session.

5. Orientation Program: Clinical Research Resources at MGH

Thursday, March 27, 11:15am - 4:00pm, Simches 3.120

Sponsored by the MGH Clinical Research Program

Are you new to clinical research or planning a research project at MGH?
Orientation Program: Clinical Research Resources at MGH will provide valuable information about the clinical research system at MGH. New investigators and research coordinators/assistants are invited to meet with representatives from Research Management, Partners Clinical Research Office, Partners Human Research Committee, Partners Quality Improvement Program, Clinical Research Program, Clinical Research Center, Research Compliance, Investigational Drug Service and Clinical Research Laboratory Core. It is highly recommended that attendees complete the CRP's "Introduction to Clinical Research" and "Good Clinical Practice and Study Management Basics" online modules before attending this course. Topics covered in the online training courses will be reviewed during this session. Please come prepared with your questions.

Lunch will be provided. Registration is required. Please contact Kelsey Gay with any questions.
 

FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES

 

1. MGH ECOR Deliberative ISF and Sequestration Relief Funding

The Executive Committee on Research (ECOR) is accepting applications for the April 1st deadline for the Deliberative Interim Support Funding & Sequestration Relief Funding. April is the first of three standing deadlines for these awards in 2014. The next two deadlines will be August 1st and December 1st.

What are they?
Deliberative Interim Support Funding
This is open to Principal Investigators during a lapse or delay in their research funding from the NIH or another Federal agency (e.g., the National Science Foundation, the Department of Defense). Investigators must have applied for independent, long-term support (R01, R21, U01 and P01). The Deliberative Interim Support process is open to:

1. Investigators whose grants were not scored or whose scores were not transferred into a percentile ranking.
2. Investigators whose grants received scores >20th percentile.
3. Investigators who were awarded Formulaic Bridge Funding (grants with scores < or = 20th percentile), and are now requesting additional financial support (in excess of $75,000 for RO1s, and $37,500 for R21s).
4. A PI who has already received Formulaic Bridge Funding or Deliberative Interim Support on their A0 grant application must apply through the Deliberative Interim Support process for their A1 resubmission regardless of the score they received on their A1.

Sequestration Relief Funding
This is open to Investigators that have experienced a funding shortfall as a result of sequestration and do not qualify for either Formulaic Bridge Funding or Deliberative Interim Support.
For eligible applicants:

1. The total funded amount, if awarded, will be sourced 50:50 with the Department. For example, if a PI applies for $100,000, then $50,000 will be sourced from ECOR funds and $50,000 will be sourced from Departmental funds.
2. All applications for additional funds must include the Chief's Letter of Support & Cost Sharing Authorization Form for ECOR Funding.

When is the deadline?
Tuesday, April 1, 2014 - 9:00 PM

How do I learn more and apply?
Deliberative Interim Support Funding - Click here
Sequestration Relief Funding - Click here

2. HMS Foundation Funds: Opportunities for Faculty and Fellows

Information on funding opportunities offered through the HMS Foundation Funds will be available online on February 19 at: www.hms.harvard.edu/foundationfunds

Each year several foundations invite HMS junior faculty members and postdocs to apply for their fellowships and grants, which serve as critical funding at the early stages of a research career. For awards that limit the number of applicants from Harvard, interested investigators must first apply for the HMS nomination through the HMS Foundation Funds, and a committee will select the final candidates to submit applications to the foundations.

The following opportunities may be applied to via HMS:

• Brain Research Foundation Scientific Innovations Award
• Burroughs Wellcome Career Award for Medical Scientists
• Burroughs Wellcome Investigators in the Pathogenesis of Infectious Diseases
• Greenwall Faculty Scholars Program
• Grunebaum Cancer Research Fellowship
• Microsoft New Faculty Fellowship Program
• Searle Scholars Program
• W.T. Grant Scholars Program

Researchers interested in applying for any of the awards listed above can apply for the HMS nomination by submitting an application online no later than April 1, 2014 at 5:00PM.

Please join us for an informational forum:
March 11 12:00-1:00pm at HMS in the Armenise Amphitheater. Lunch will be provided.

Please direct all inquiries to Betty Carbunari, Office of the HMS Dean for Academic and Clinical Affairs, 617-432-7463, Betty_Carbunari@hms.harvard.edu

The selection process for the following opportunities is handled by MGH ECOR. To view MGH’s internal process on applying for limited submission funding opportunities, please click here.

• ADA Pathway to Stop Diabetes: Diabetes Research Accelerator Award
• ADA Pathway to Stop Diabetes: Diabetes Research Career Initiator Award
• Smith Family Award for Excellence in Biomedical Research
• Jose Carreras International Leukemia Foundation E.D. Thomas Fellowship
• Edward Mallinckrodt Jr. Foundation Grant
• Pew Scholars Program in Biomedical Sciences

If you have any questions regarding applying for a limited funding opportunity through MGH, please contact Erin McGivney at 617-643-6471.

3. The Boston Biomedical Innovation Center (B-BIC) Launches PILOT and DRIVE Grants

Pre-proposals are now being accepted on a rolling basis. Visit B-BIC.org for more information.

B-BIC provides support for the development of devices, diagnostics, and therapeutics related to heart, lung, blood, and sleep disorders. PILOT grants provide up to $50,000 for direct costs for 1 year and DRIVE grants provide up to $200,000 for direct costs for milestones achieved over 1.5 to 2 years. It's recommended that you contact your institutional site miner before submission. B-BIC is a consortium of academia, government, venture capital, non-profit, and industry designed to accelerate translational research.

4. Limited Submission Funding Opportunities

We ask that all MGH Investigators interested in applying for any limited submission award submit a Letter of Intent (see detailed instructions below) to the MGH Executive Committee on Research (ECOR) by the deadline indicated for each award to be considered to receive an institutional nomination.

Process
Submit a one- to two-page Letter of Intent (LOI) to the MGH Executive Committee on Research (ECOR) via email to ecor@partners.org. In addition to your LOI, please include an NIH Biosketch.

The letter of intent should include:
1. Name of the Principal Investigator with appropriate contact information
2. A descriptive title of the potential application
3. Brief description of the project
4. Brief description of why you specifically should be selected to receive institutional nomination for this award

In the event that there is more than one MGH investigators interested in applying each limited submission award, the LOIs will be used to assess candidates and a review and selection process will take place.

Current Limited Submission Funding Opportunities
Please click here for more information and for our internal deadlines.

• Superfund Hazardous Substance Research and Training Program (P42)
• Environmental Health Sciences Core Centers (EHS CC) (P30)
• Botanical Dietary Supplement Research Centers (BDSRC) (P50)
• Alzheimer's Disease Core Centers (P30)
• Alzheimer's Disease Research Centers (P50)
• Jointly Sponsored Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award Institutional Predoctoral Training Program in the Neurosciences (T32)
• Edward Mallinckrodt Jr. Foundation Grant - NEW!
• Cystic Fibrosis Research and Translation Core Center (P30)
• American Diabetes Association Pathway to Stop Diabetes Research Awards

If there is a limited submission funding opportunity you do not see listed above or you have any additional questions, please contact Erin McGivney at 617-643-6471.

5. Private Funding Opportunities

Please contact Corporate & Foundation Relations in the Office of Development at devcfr@partners.org if you wish to submit a proposal in response to any of these funding opportunities. Note that proposals are still routed through the standard InfoEd/Research Management process.

• Phillip Bennett and Kyle Bryant Translational Research Award, Friedreich's Ataxia Research Alliance
• Fritz J. and Dolores H. Russ Prize, National Academies/National Academy of Engineering (NAE)
• 'A' Award, Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation for Childhood Cancer (ALSF)
• McKnight Memory and Cognitive Disorders Awards, McKnight Endowment Fund for Neuroscience
• Nielsen Psychosocial Research Grants - Neilsen PSR Proof of Concept Grant, Craig H. Neilsen Foundation
• Nielsen Psychosocial Research Grants - Neilsen PSR Pilot Grant, Craig H. Neilsen Foundation
• Research and Intervention Investigator Awards for Parkinson's Disease - How Parkinson's Spreads from Cell to Cell, National Parkinson Foundation
• Research and Intervention Investigator Awards for Parkinson's Disease - Cognitive Change in Parkinson's Disease, National Parkinson Foundation
• Research and Intervention Investigator Awards for Parkinson's Disease - Database Studies, National Parkinson Foundation
• Health Impact Project, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF)

Please click here for further details on these funding opportunities.

6. NIH Update for Week Ending February 21, 2014

For the latest National Institutes of Health notices, requests for applications, and program announcements, follow this link: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/WeeklyIndex.cfm

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

Reminders of recently posted funding opportunities, deadlines and events

Rabkin Fellowship in Medical Education
Application Deadline: February 28

MGH Claflin Distinguished Scholar Awards
Application Deadline: March 4

Pilot Funding: Up to $500,000 for Novel Approaches to Crohn's Disease Proposals
Application Deadline: March 13

Study Electronic Data Capture: REDCap and StudyTRAX - February 26

Hands-on MORA Training: Managing Monitor Online Record Access - February 28

Genetic Literacy: A Guide to Understanding the Language and Concepts of Modern Genetic Research - March 4

Partners Innovators Forum: Accelerating Innovation in the Electronic Era of HealthCare - March 6

Problem-Based Biostatistics for Clinical Investigators - March 6, 13, 19, 27

Introduction to Survey Design - March 6, 13, 19, 26

Connecting Immunologists across Harvard: Junior Faculty Retreat - March 31

Executive Committee On Research (ECOR) Massachusetts General Hospital

50 Staniford Street, Suite 1001, Boston, MA 02114

ecor@partners.org