Research News - October 30, 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. Core of the Week: Endocrine Histology Core

Endocrine Histology Core
Directors: Marie Demay, MD & Dorothy Hu MSc, HTL (ASCP)
Location: 50 Blossom Street, Thier building 11th floor

The Histocore's services include processing, sectioning, and staining of paraffin sections, frozen sections, non-decalcified sections of bone (plastic and frozen) as well as consultative services for immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridization analyses.

To learn more about the Endocrine Histology Core, please click here.

3. The Latest from PCORI - Upcoming Webinars on Peer Review, Engagement Awards

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

EVENTS

1. 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!

2. Mass General/Samsung Healthcare Hackathon

Friday & Saturday, November 7-8, 2014

Mass General and Samsung, in cooperation with MIT Hacking Medicine, will host a one-and-a-half-day Hackathon for the use of wearable and other mobile devices in healthcare.

The kick-off event will challenge hackers (YOU!) to create the latest solutions and apps for mobile devices in health care. Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. will be bringing the latest hardware offerings and software development tools, as well as expert engineering mentors to help teams build their applications.

Remember to apply soon because spots fill up quickly.

For more information and how to register: http://www.mghinnovationchallenge.org/

FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES

1. NIH Institutional Nomination Grant - NIH Director's Early Independence Awards (DP5)

The NIH Director's Early Independence Award Program supports exceptional investigators who wish to pursue independent research directly after completion of their terminal doctoral/research degree or clinical residency, thereby forgoing the traditional post-doctoral training period and accelerating their entry into an independent research career.

We ask that all MGH Investigators interested in applying for this or 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 with an emphasis on how appropriate experience, training, and skills obtained will enable you to conduct highly innovative research
4. Brief description of your current scientific environment and how it will foster independent research and contribute to the probability of success

In the event that there are more than two MGH investigators interested in applying for this award, the LOIs will be used to assess candidates and a review and selection process will take place.

NIH Director's Early Independence Awards (DP5)
MGH LOI Deadline: December 1, 2014
NIH LOI Deadline: December 30, 2014
NIH Deadline: January 30, 2015
Award Budget: Awards will be for up to $250,000 in direct costs per year, plus applicable Facilities and Administrative (F&A) costs.
Award Project Period: The project period is limited to five years.

2. NIH Loan Repayment Programs (LRPs)

Participants in the NIH Loan Repayment Programs (LRPs) receive up to $70,000 of qualified educational debt repayment with a two-year contract.

Approximately 1,500 researchers benefit from the more than $70 million the NIH invests each year. The application cycle closes on November 17. Help us spread the word! Now is the ideal time to inform your colleagues about the many benefits of the LRPs.

Click here for more information and to apply!

3. 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)
• Clinical and Translational Science Award (U54)
• NIH Director's Early Independence Awards (DP5) - NEW!

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.

4. 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.

• Gund-Harrington Scholar Awards, Foundation Fighting Blindness (FFB)
• RPB Unrestricted and Challenge Grants, Research to Prevent Blindness (RPB)
• Klingenstein Fellowship Awards in the Neurosciences, Esther A. and Joseph Klingenstein Fund, Inc.
• Emerging Leader Award, Bay Area Lyme Foundation
• Rita Allen Award in Pain, Rita Allen Foundation and American Pain Society

Please click here for further details on these funding opportunities.

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 4, 2014

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

Pilot Funding Opportunity: Early Clinical Data Support for Grant Submissions
Application deadline: November 20, 2014

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

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