Research News- October 24, 2014

ANNOUNCEMENTS

1. Animal Researchers - notice of the AAALAC Site Visit November 3

MGH will host a site visit team from the Association for Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care International (AAALAC) starting Monday, November 3 and ending Wednesday, November 5 for a triennial assessment of our entire laboratory animal care and use program.

There will be 4 members on the site visit team led by Cecile Baccanale, DVM. We expect them to visit the Boston and Charlestown campuses, Shriner’s Hospital, and our Grafton, Southbridge, and Cambridge sites.

In addition to the CCM-managed facilities, we anticipate that the site visit team will be particularly interested in inspecting satellite housing spaces and laboratory areas where research procedures using animals are performed. AAALAC's assessment will follow specifications in the Guide including regulatory compliance, personnel training and education, occupational health and safety, hazard identification and risk assessment, drug storage and control, veterinary care, animal transportation, record keeping, plus security and access control.

Please check your email for a notice from the IACUC on how to best prepare your animal use areas for this inspection.

Questions? Contact any CCM veterinarian or the IACUC office (aclancy1@mgh.harvard.edu; rminkel@mgh.harvard.edu) if you have any questions.

2. New process for purchasing Apple products at academic rates!

Effective Monday, October 27, 2014, you will need to obtain a proposal (or quote) from either Apple or PEAs before placing an order through eBuy. Harvard can no longer be used as a vendor and all orders will be processed by “APPLE INC”.

Please view the PEAS - Purchasing page for details and instructions on how to order products. There are also updates on purchasing devices for personal use.
In the coming months, we expect to have an improved purchasing solution that will streamline the procurement process. Details will be updated on the PEAS - Purchasing page as well as broadcast throughout the community.

If you have any questions about this interim solution, or need assistance with an order, please contact PEAS at peas@partners.org.

3. Core of the Week: Radiation Safety Core

Radiation Safety Core
Director: Rex Woodleigh
Location: Blossom Street, West End House Basement, Boston

The mission of the Radiation Safety Office/Core is to promote the safe and effective use of radioactive material and advise on policies and procedures to ensure compliance with state and federal regulations.

To learn more about the Radiation Safety Core, please click here.

4. Research Navigator is live!

Research Navigator is now available to the entire Partners research community, and old sites that were migrated into Research Navigator have been shut down. Research Navigator is a consolidation of Partners research websites, intranets and online resources into a streamlined web-based portal. Members of the research community are encouraged to log into Research Navigator each day, where you will find an abundance of resources related to research administration:

- A consolidated view of pending tasks in InfoEd and Insight
- Information, tools, forms, contacts, and resources for the entire grant lifecycle organized by business process
- The latest news and announcements from across the research community and Partners Research Management

Visit the Research Navigator!
There are two sides to Research Navigator. The public facing site provides research material for the general public, collaborators, and sponsors. The private site provides more robust content, integration with InfoEd, Insight, and other Partners applications, and requires logging in with your PHS credentials.

Logging In
If you work in research, chances are you already have access. Navigate to the public site at http://navigator.partners.org/ and click on Employee Login.

Then Log in with your PHS Credentials:

• You can log into the Navigator from any web browser in any location. All you'll need is your primary email address and Partners username and password.
• On the Office 365 Login page, enter your primary email address. If the first email address you enter doesn't work, try your alternate one (example: jdoe@mgh.harvard.edu instead of jdoe@partners.org)
• You will be directed to a Partners login page, and asked first for your user ID, followed by a page for your password
• Note: if you're unable to access the Research Navigator, please email your user ID to ResearchNavigator@partners.org and we will enable access.

Once you're logged in, we recommend that you bookmark the Research Navigator homepage and watch our tutorial videos to help you get started. We welcome your feedback at any time, which can be submitted using the feedback link on the homepage or at the bottom of any page.

Please help spread the word about Research Navigator.

5. The Latest from PCORI - Upcoming Peer Review and Engagement Awards Webinars

Please click here to read the latest news from the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute.

6. PHS Government Affairs Update - October 21, 2014

Please click here to read the latest update from the PHS Government Affairs office.

EVENTS

1. Sundaram Inaugural Lecture: "The BRAIN Decade"

Thursday, October 30, 2014, 7:00-8:00 am, Simches 3.110

"The BRAIN Decade"
Thomas R. Insel, M.D.
Director of National Institute of Mental Health
(The component of the National Institutes of Health charged with generating knowledge to understand, treat and prevent mental disorders)

2. MGH Research Council

Monday, November 3, 12:00-1:00 PM, Simches 3.110
with Broadcast to Isselbacher Auditorium (CNY-149, 7th floor), Lunch available at 11:45 AM

-Introduction of the Candidates for Elected ECOR Representatives

-ECOR Grants: An Overview
ECOR Director: Maire Leyne, MS, MBA
SRRP Co-Chairs: Iain Drummond, PhD; Robert Gerszten, MD;
Karen Klahr Miller, MD; Kristin White, PhD

All MGH Researchers welcome!

FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES

1. Howard M. Goodman Fellowship 2015

Applications are now being accepted by the Executive Committee on Research (ECOR) for the MGH Howard M. Goodman Fellowship.

What is it?
This is an endowed fellowship established by the MGH Department of Molecular Biology in honor of the founding Chief of the Department, Dr. Howard M. Goodman. The award is intended to further the careers of outstanding independent young scientists who have demonstrated the potential to rise to a leadership position in their chosen field. Independent Fellows, Instructors, and new Assistant Professors from any MGH Department are eligible to apply for this award.

How much is the award?
The award is for two years at $150,000, plus 15% indirect costs, per year and is effective April 1, 2015.

When is the deadline?
Tuesday, October 28, 2014 - 5:00 PM

How do I learn more and apply?

• Click here to read more and apply online.
• Click here to see a list of past recipients.
• Visit the ECOR website for other funding opportunities.

2. Center for the Human Immunology (CHI) Pilot Feasibility Program

The Center for the Human Immunology (CHI) invites investigators working in areas relevant to viral persistence or initiating a new area of research relevant to viral persistence to apply for support under the CHI's Pilot Feasibility Program. Pilot Feasibility Awards are one year awards for up to $50,000 direct costs.

The Center for the Human Immunology (CHI) is a multidisciplinary program funded by NIAID. CHI promotes the research of both basic and clinical scientists in areas related to the persistence of hepatitis C virus infection. These include, but are not limited to:

• Immune and Inflammatory Responses to Pathogens (including innate immune recognition and antigen presentation)
• Viral Pathogenesis (including virus-host cell interactions, but related to the immune response)

GOALS: Funds have been made available to support Pilot/Feasibility Study grants consistent with the overall goals of the Center. The goals of the CHI Program are to support:

• Young investigators (junior faculty or senior fellows*) working in areas that will improve our understanding of basic processes relevant to viral persistence.
• Established investigators initiating a new area of research in their laboratories relevant to mechanisms underlying viral persistence.

The objective of a Pilot/Feasibility Study grant is to enable an investigator to complete sufficient preliminary studies to enable successful application for more substantial funding from other sources. Pilot/Feasibility Study grants are not intended to supplement ongoing or currently funded projects.

FUNDING: The CHI will be funding grants of up to $50,000 direct costs through this program. Pilot/Feasibility Study awards are made for a one-year period; a second year may be considered on a competing basis.

APPLICATIONS: May be obtained by sending a request to Barbara Steele via telephone at 617-724-7554 or via email at bsteele@mgh.harvard.edu. The deadline for receipt of applications is December 1, 2014.

*Fellow must be in the final year of training and must have a documented commitment to a faculty appointment by the sponsoring unit or department.

3. Pilot Funding Opportunity: Early Clinical Data Support for Grant Submissions

We are pleased to announce a new pilot funding opportunity that will benefit clinical investigators, and in particular, senior fellows and junior faculty. This opportunity will offer $5,000 to $35,000 to support the acquisition of preliminary clinical data in anticipation of larger externally-funded grant applications. The application is available at http://catalyst.harvard.edu/services/pilotfunding/early-clinical-data.html.

As you know, junior investigators frequently fail to obtain NIH K and R funding often because their applications do not include sufficient or pertinent preliminary clinical data. To address this challenge, pilot funding will be made available to support the resources needed to generate preliminary data to be included in an application for NIH K or R funding, or equivalent federal or non-federal peer-reviewed sponsored research. Our goal is to have Harvard investigators leverage this support at this critical time in their careers so that they may compete successfully for federal and non-federal sponsored funding.

Preliminary translational/clinical data may include:
1) evaluation of human specimens
2) studies of living human subjects, or
3) more extensive analyses of existing clinical data
   
The application for this funding opportunity will open on October 21 and will close on November 20, 2014. Please direct your investigators to email grants@catalyst.harvard.edu with any questions.
   
Paul Anderson, MD, PhD, Brigham and Women's Hospital
Maurizio Fava, MD, Massachusetts General Hospital
Bruce Johnson, MD Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Lee Nadler, MD Harvard Catalyst
Vikas Sukhatme, MD, PhD, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
David A. Williams, MD, Boston Children's Hospital/Dana-Farber Cancer Institute

4. Request for Nominations: Harold Amos Faculty Diversity Award & Sharon P. Clayborne Staff Diversity Award

Deadline: Monday, November 10, 2014

Harvard Medical School is committed to the advancement of a work and educational environment that adds to diversity and sets the tone for inclusion. Through inclusion, we nurture diversity of thought, diversity in education and research, and diversity in areas such as culture, race, ethnicity, gender, socio-economic status, sexual orientation, age, and disabilities. In short, we raise the bar on excellence.

The detailed information you provide us about your nominee is vital to the award selection process. Nominations may include an individual or a group of individuals who have demonstrated a significant commitment to enhancing diversity above and beyond the routine role and responsibilities.

The Harold Amos Faculty Diversity Award was established to recognize HMS/HSDM faculty (clinical, pre-clinical, research, administrative) who have made significant achievements in moving HMS/HSDM toward being a diverse and inclusive community. Contributions might include: developing models to advance diversity, achieving outcomes, increasing employment, supporting promotion, providing career development, identifying funding, assisting in producing scholarly work, addressing issues of recruitment and retention related to diversity, etc.

Eligibility: Faculty (Professor through Instructor), who are in a clinical, pre-clinical, research, or administrative area, and who must be based at HMS/HSDM or an HMS-affiliated hospital or institution. Self-nominations are accepted.

The Sharon P. Clayborne Staff Diversity Award was established to recognize HMS/HSDM staff who have made significant achievements in moving HMS/HSDM toward being a diverse and inclusive community. Contributions might include: developing models, achieving outcomes, addressing issues of recruiting and hiring staff from diverse backgrounds, supporting promotion and advancement, providing career development, raising awareness, etc.

Eligibility: Staff who work directly for HMS or HSDM. Staff members must receive a Harvard paycheck to be eligible for this award. Self-nominations are accepted.

For information or to submit your nomination click here.

For questions contact Pinar Kilicci-Kret - (617) 432-1083.

5. 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 1-2 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.

6. 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 for 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.

• NINDS Neuroscience Development for Advancing the Careers of a Diverse Research Workforce (R25)
• The Midlife in the United States Study (U19)
• NINDS Institutional Center Core Grants to Support Neuroscience Research (P30) - NEW!
• Clinical and Translational Science Award (U54)

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.

7. Private Funding Opportunities

Please contact Corporate & Foundation Relations in the Office of Development at devcfr@mgh.harvard.edu 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.

• Research Grants, Whitehall Foundation, Inc.
• Policy-Related Insurance Studies, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF)
• Early Career Development Grants, Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation (PBTF)
• Eye Care Research, Lions Club International Foundation

Please click here for further details on these funding opportunities.

8. NIH Update for Week Ending October 24, 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

Bullock Postdoctoral Fellowship 
Application deadline:  November 3, 2014

The MGH Research Scholars Program 
Application Deadline: November 10, 2014

MGH ECOR Formulaic Bridge Funding
Application Deadline: 7th day of each month

Boston Biomedical Innovation Center (B-BIC) Accepting PILOT & DRIVE Grant Pre-Proposals

CRP Spotlight Series: CRC Discussion Group on Epic - October 27

Research Technical Lunch - October 30

The Warren Triennial Prize & Symposium - November 24

Introduction to Proteomics and Metabolomics - December 18

Save the Date! SAC 2015 - April 1 & 2, 2015

Executive Committee On Research (ECOR) Massachusetts General Hospital

50 Staniford Street, Suite 1001, Boston, MA 02114

ecor@partners.org