Research News - January 22, 2016

The MGH Timilty Science Fair Program is seeking Science Fair Judges for the school-wide science fair on Tuesday, February 2 – no prior experience required!

In their twenty-sixth year of partnership, MGH and the James P. Timilty Middle School have a rich history of making a difference in the lives of Boston students by enhancing academic performance through science education. More than 100 students will present their projects in the school cafeteria.  With your help we will meet our goal of having all participating students meet with two judges to discuss their projects!

February 2, 8:30am - 11:30 am (the MGH Shuttle Service will provide round-trip transportation from MGH to the Timilty Middle School in Roxbury, MA and back to MGH). Breakfast will be provided!

To volunteer as a Science Fair Judge please complete the registration form at: http://tinyurl.com/jk755fu

For more information please contact Tracy Stanley at TSTANLEY2@mgh.harvard.edu

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

This is a new policy – announced in October, with implementation starting this month. Three elements of the policy (scientific premise, scientific rigor, and relevant biological variables such as sex) should be addressed within the Research Strategy section, as these elements are integral to the research plan. Since scientific premise will be reviewed and scored as part of the Significance review criterion, it is suggested that applicants address premise as part of their corresponding Significance section in the research strategy. Scientific rigor and relevant biological variables will be reviewed and scored as part of the Approach review criterion.

The 'Authentication of key resources' plan should be addressed in a separate pdf attachment, not to exceed one page in length.

Reviewers are directed to consider all the strengths and weaknesses associated with each of the review criteria and weigh them appropriately for the specific application assigned to them. Thus, the NIH policy on rigor and transparency will contribute to the criterion scores and overall impact score of each application, with the exception of 'Authentication of Key Biological and/or Chemical Resources' (a separate pdf attachment).

Reviewers will be instructed to evaluate scientific premise, scientific rigor, and consideration of relevant biological variables such as sex as part of the Significance (scientific premise) and Approach (rigor & biological variables) criteria, as well as in their assessment of overall impact.

Reviewers will comment on the proposed Key Biological and/or Chemical Resource Authentication Plan as an additional review consideration, but should not consider it in the overall impact score. Applications that do not address the new instructions for rigor and transparency will be reviewed.

The policy applies to most research grant proposals (mechanisms R, P, U, K). It will apply to institutional training grants and fellowships (T, F, & K12) in FY17. It does not apply to equipment or conference grants.

Rigor and Transparency must be addressed in Progress Reports (RPPR), due after January 25. (Section B - Accomplishments).

See the Rigor & Reproducibility policy site for policy details and implementation requirements.

http://grants.nih.gov/reproducibility/index.htm

Additionally, you can consult the Frequently Asked Questions for more insight: http://grants.nih.gov/reproducibility/faqs.htm

Monday, February 1, 12:00 - 1:00 PM, Simches Auditorium (3.110)
Broadcast to Isselbacher Auditorium (CNY-149, 7th Floor)

QUOSA Information Manager: Create your own fully searchable library of full text literature relevant to your research
Elizabeth Schneider, MLS, AHIP, Director, eTreadwell Virtual Library
Daniel McCloskey, Systems Librarian

 MGH Research Institute Strategic Alliance Initiative
Gabriela Apiou, PhD, Director of Translational Research Training & Development, MGH Research Institute

(Lunch available at 11:45 AM)

All MGH Researchers welcome!

Monday, January 25, 4:00 - 5:00 pm, CNY 149, Isselbacher Auditorium – 7th Floor

“Unique Isomerase Pin1 in Cancer and Alzheimer’s: from Gene Cloning to Drug Discovery”
Kun Ping Lu, MD, PhD.
Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School
Chief, Division of Translational therapeutics
Department of Medicine and the Cancer Center
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center

Registration at Lobby Security Desk may be required. Shuttle bus leaves MGH Main Campus (Blossom St) every 15 minutes.

Tuesday, January 26, 4:00 - 5:00 pm, CNY 149, Room 2.204

RASA1 Partners with EphB4 to Form Arteries and Veins
Joanne Chan, PhD
Associate Professor
Hampton University

Tuesday, February 9, 2016, 8:00 am - 4:30 pm, Simches Research Building, 3rd Floor Conference Facility

Please join us for the 6th Annual Research Administrators Retreat.  All MGH Department Administrators and Partners Central Administrators are invited to attend, as well as any interested investigators.  The retreat will be equally beneficial to those who are new to research administration and those who have been in the field for years, and will be a great opportunity to network with your colleagues.

For the first time, the retreat will feature a Networking Session to help build relationships throughout the research community. 

Please note that registration is required and is on a first come, first served basis as attendance is limited.  The deadline to register is Friday, January 29, 2016.  Please click here to register.

If you have any questions regarding the retreat, please email researchmanagement@mgh.harvard.edu.

Thursday, February 4, 12:00 - 2:00 pm, Location provided upon registration.

The Center for Faculty Development presents a seminar for MGH faculty with HMS academic appointments.

This seminar will provide faculty with tools for preparing and delivering constructive and regular feedback in their professional life. Participants will practice these skills during interactive exercises designed to improve inter-professional communication amongst colleagues.

Delivering Effective Feedback

Facilitator: Jo Shapiro, MD, FACS, Chief, Brigham and Women’s Hospital Division of Otolaryngology; Director, BWH Center for Professionalism & Peer Support; Associate Professor of Otolaryngology, HMS

Please click here to register by Mon, Jan 27.

Accreditation 
Partners HealthCare System is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education to provide continuing medical education for physicians. 

Partners HealthCare System designates this live activity for a maximum of 2 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Applications are now being accepted by the Executive Committee on Research (ECOR) for the Fund for Medical Discovery (FMD) Clinical Fellowship Awards!

What are they?
MD fellows, PhD postdoctoral research fellows and Instructors within 5 years of the start of their fellowship training at Massachusetts General Hospital are encouraged to apply.
The award may be used only for salary and fringe benefits. The awards are not transferable to any other institution and will be effective on or about July 1, 2016. The awards are unrestricted as to area of study. 

How much is each award?
The awards will include a stipend of $40,000 plus applicable fringe benefits and 15% indirect costs.

When is the deadline?
Monday, February 1, 2016 - 5:00 PM

How do I learn more and apply?
Click here to read more and apply online!

For a guide to help make your application more competitive click here. 

The 2016 Partners HealthCare $1 million Innovation Discovery Grants Program (IDG) seeks to accelerate the commercialization of PHS innovations, improve patient health and identify new innovators by providing 10 competitive grants of up to $100,000 to advance the commercial application of high potential research and innovative concepts.

The IDG program will fund prototyping, pre-clinical studies, software development and other approaches that can directly lead to a product which can be the basis for a commercial license and/or a spinoff company. The product can be a device, drug, diagnostic, software or care delivery enhancement. Only faculty and employees of Partners and its institutions are eligible to apply. The IDG program is managed by Partners Innovation and is in its second iteration. Please visit idg.partners.org  for additional information and access to the grant application.  Preliminary proposals are due 5:00PM February 19th, 2016.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) have recently announced an Accountable Health Communities Model RFA (https://innovation.cms.gov/initiatives/AHCM). CMS will implement and test a three-track model based on emerging evidence that addressing health-related social needs through enhanced clinical-community linkages can improve health outcomes and reduce costs. This is a 5 year initiative starting 1/1/17.

An organization may only receive one award. PHM will coordinate the application on behalf of Partners, BWH, MGH, and NSMC. In coordinating the application, PHM will work closely with community health, health equity, and research leaders.

An organization may apply for two tracks but must select only one of the following Tracks for participation:

• Track 1: Awareness – Increase beneficiary awareness of available community services through information dissemination and referral (12 awards total, up to ~$1M each)
• Track 2: Assistance – Provide community service navigation services to assist high-risk beneficiaries with accessing services (12 awards total, up to ~$1M each)
• Track 3: Alignment – Encourage partner alignment to ensure that community services are available and responsive to the needs of the beneficiaries (20 awards total, up to ~$1M each)

The non-binding Letter of Intent is due Feb. 8th  and the application is due March 31st.  Awards will be announced in Fall 2016; the initiative begins January 1, 2017.

A meeting for anyone who is interested in learning more about the Accountable Health Communities Model and participating in the development of the application will be scheduled for this week.

If you have any interest in being involved in this grant process, please contact Tim Ferris (TFERRIS@PARTNERS.ORG) and Meaghan Young (msyoung@partners.org).

The purpose of the NHLBI Outstanding Investigator Award (OIA) is to promote scientific productivity and innovation by providing long-term support and increased flexibility to experienced Program Directors (PDs)/Principal Investigators (PDs/PIs) who are currently PDs/PIs on at least two NHLBI R01-equivalent awards and whose outstanding record of research demonstrate their ability to make major contributions to heart, lung, blood and sleep (HLBS) research.

The NHLBI OIA is intended to support a research program, rather than a research project, by providing the primary and most likely sole source of NHLBI funding on individual grant awards. The NHLBI OIA will support the research program of NHLBI-funded investigators for up to seven years. The NHLBI OIA will provide investigators increased freedom to conduct research that breaks new ground or extends previous discoveries in new directions. It will also allow PDs/PIs to take greater risks and to pursue research that requires a longer timeframe. Research supported by the NHLBI OIA should be within the scope of the NHLBI mission, sleep disorders closely-coupled to HLB outcomes, or basic sleep and circadian regulation.

Eligibility to apply through this FOA is limited to PDs/PIs who meet all of the following criteria:

• Are currently PD/PI on at least two NHLBI R01-equivalent (defined here as R01, R37, DP1, or DP2) awards;
• Have received continuous R01-equivalent support from the NHLBI for at least the past four years as a PD/PI; and
• Can commit a minimum of 50% research effort (i.e., minimum of six calendar months) throughout the duration of the NHLBI OIA.

Investigators receiving NHLBI OIAs must relinquish their other NHLBI research grants, with a limited number of exceptions as outlined in Part 2, Section I.

Although MGH may submit more than one application to this program, provided each is scientifically distinct, an institutional review and a letter of nomination is required for applicants to this funding opportunity. Anyone interested in being considered for nomination to this program must contact ECOR at ecor@mgh.harvard.edu by Friday, January 29 at 12:00 pm (noon).

The purpose of the NHLBI Emerging Investigator Award (EIA) is to promote scientific productivity and innovation by providing long-term support and increased flexibility to Program Directors /Principal Investigators (PDs/PIs) who currently have two NHLBI R01 awards, of which one must be an NHLBI-funded NIH Early Stage Investigator R01 award, and whose outstanding record of research demonstrate their ability to make major contributions to heart, lung, blood and sleep (HLBS) research.

The NHLBI EIA is intended to support a research program, rather than a research project, by providing the primary, and most likely sole, source of NHLBI funding on individual grant awards. The NHLBI EIA will support the research program of NHLBI-funded investigators for up to seven years. The NHLBI EIA will provide investigators increased freedom to conduct research that breaks new ground or extends previous discoveries in new directions. It will also allow PDs/PIs to take greater risks and to pursue research that requires a longer timeframe. Research supported by the NHLBI EIA should be within the scope of the NHLBI mission, sleep disorders closely-coupled to HLB outcomes, or basic sleep and circadian regulation.

Eligibility to apply through this FOA is limited to PDs/PIs who meet all of the following criteria:

• Currently have two NHLBI R01 awards, of which one must be an NHLBI-funded NIH Early Stage Investigator (ESI) R01; and
• Can commit a minimum of 50% research effort (i.e., minimum of six calendar months) throughout the duration of the NHLBI EIA.

Investigators receiving NHLBI EIAs must relinquish their other NHLBI research grants, with a limited number of exceptions as outlined in Part 2, Section I.    

Although MGH may submit more than one application to this program, provided each is scientifically distinct, an institutional review and a letter of nomination is required for applicants to this funding opportunity. Anyone interested in being considered for nomination to this program must contact ECOR at ecor@mgh.harvard.edu by Friday, January 29 at 12:00 pm (noon).

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.

• Bridge to Success Award for Early Career Investigators, American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM)/American Sleep Medicine Foundation (ASMF)
• Physician Scientist Training Award (PSTA), American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM)/American Sleep Medicine Foundation (ASMF)
• Anesthesia Patient Safety Foundation (APSF) Grant Program, Anesthesia Patient Safety Foundation (APSF)
• Anesthesia Patient Safety Foundation (APSF) Grant Program, Anesthesia Patient Safety Foundation (APSF)
• Health:  Innovator Awards, Kenneth Rainin Foundation
• SFA Research Grants, Sarcoma Foundation of America (SFA)

Please click here for further details on these 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:

• Name of the Principal Investigator with appropriate contact information
• A descriptive title of the potential application
• Brief description of the project
• 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.

• Superfund Hazardous Substance Research and Training Program (P42)
• NIH Blueprint Training in Computational Neuroscience: From Biology to Model and Back Again (T90/R90) – NEW
• International Centers of Excellence for Malaria Research (U19)

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.

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

Massachusetts Eye and Ear Gliklich Innovation Scholars Program
Application Deadline: February 1, 2016

MGH ECOR Formulaic Bridge Funding Support
Application Deadline: February 7, 2016; 7th day of each month

The Nutrition Obesity Research Center at Harvard (NORC-H) Pilot Feasibility Project Grants in Nutrition, Obesity, or Related Research Fields
Application Deadline:  April 1, 2016

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

MGH ORCD RCR Series: Responsibilities of Mentors and Mentees – February 3

SAVE THE DATE! SAC 2016 - April 6 & 7

Innovation at Partners HealthCare: Fall Newsletter

Information Systems News - Fall 2015

Partners Office for Interactions with Industry’s FY15 Annual Report

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