Printer Friendly PDF July/August 2012
Did You Know . . . Graduate Enrollment in Science and Engineering is on the rise. First-time, full-time (FTFT) graduate student enrollment in science and engineering (S&E) programs increased 50% from 2000 to 2010. MORE . . . This Issue: A Fond Farewell GrantWatch Announcements Are Grantees Using Their Foundation Funders’ Social Media? Modification of Recent Changes made to IRB Policies and Procedures Clinical Research: Tools and Techniques Course Graduate School Sponsors Second Funding Boot Camp Change to SciQuest Research MarketPlace Helium Price Increases but Supplies to Remain the Same Current and Future RT-PCR Core Customers: Consolidation of Cores IACUC UPDATES: Semiannual Inspection and Training Update New Fringe Benefit Rates FY2013 Certified Research Administrator Exam Review Course TSBR Conference September 12-13 CPRIT Conference and Regional Meetings House, Senate Announce Deal to Punt Spending Bills to March Funding Opportunities Invited Opportunities DOD Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury Research Program Instrument Development for Biomedical Applications NIH Director's Transformative Research Awards NIH Pioneer and New Innovator Awards International Collaborations in Organismal Biology Between US and Israeli Investigators (ICOB) Calendar of Events Past issues Submit a Calendar Event Submit an Announcement The Yellow Sheet is published monthly by the Office of Research Education Managing Editor: Christy Taylor Contributing Editor: L. Crumpler Production Editor: Heidi Lutz Contact Us Back to top		A Fond Farewell By Linda Crumpler, Editor As I approach my impending retirement, I was asked to write a few words about my long-standing association with the UTMB Yellow Sheet.  The Yellow Sheet began when I started working at UTMB in 1994 and the publication, as we know it, will be put to rest when I leave. Don’t panic however, it will transform into a new version this fall.  I often think I was hired only because I knew how to use Ventura Publisher, a complex publishing program used to lay out those early issues.  The Yellow Sheet was created by the Office of the Assistant Vice President for Research (AVPR) after review by an advisory group of faculty.  The major stimulus for its creation, I think, was a need for a centrally compiled calendar of events. The calendar was front and center of the early issues, replacing the calendar of seminars and meetings that was mailed weekly to all faculty.  However, it also included a grant watch of current awards, a Washington update section and a funding opportunities section.    The funding opportunities section, which took up over half of the issue, was a major component that expanded the funding opportunities formerly carried in Research Notes, a monthly publication of Research Administrative Services. The first issue, which you can view here, included instructions on how to use the funding fax-on-demand system.  This system, called STAR, or Services to Academic Researchers, was state-of-the-art back then, and a major element in the vision held by the Assistant Vice President for Research, Dorothea Wilson.  She often spoke of her vision of providing a link or a button on every investigator’s computer to funding opportunities, expertise, and shared resources tailored to individual needs. The Yellow Sheet was printed on yellow or buff paper; hence, I suppose, its name, and was mailed by snail mail to every faculty member on campus every week for the next seven years. At that point, the pdf version on the website became the only format until a web page version was designed in 2003.  The content hasn’t changed much since those early days.  The calendar moved to the end of the publication and announcements and an occasional feature article took its place at the front.  A piece highlighting a Researcher of the Month was added in 2006. Contributors over the years included Anne Brasier, who selected the early funding opportunities, Dorothea Wilson, who contributed the Washington Updates, Sarah Toombs Smith, who compiled a section called Check it Out, and Dave Konkel who allowed us to reprint his column, “Research Coordinator’s Corner”, --among others. The biggest changes over time were in the funding opportunities section, but they were so subtle that no one probably noticed.  The fax-on-demand system was replaced by 2001 with the online STAR database, STAR Search.  The funding opps were linked to a fund code in the database so user could open the file immediately online.  Then, in 2003, the custom database was discontinued and the links went instead to SPIN funding database in InfoEd.  Another re-design in 2007 adopted the current format of including fewer but longer summaries of funding opportunities, and the publication became a monthly publication after Hurricane Ike. The new Yellow Sheet will incorporate most of the same content in a more dynamic way.  A news web page will provide news about research grants and policy changes as they are announced. It will continue to provide a link to a report on new awards coming to UTMB, i.e., GrantWatch in a more usable format.  The Calendar of Events will include all of the educational activities hosted by OSP’s Office of Research Education and the Institute for Translational Sciences.  More information will be available soon.  To make sure you are informed of the changes, join the UTMB Research Listserv.  All members of the listserv receive an alert when the Yellow Sheet information is posted. And so, I bid adieu.  Me? I am ready for another chapter in my life; and the Yellow Sheet, regardless of whether it continues to be yellow, will turn over a new leaf as well. Are grantees using their foundation funders’ social media? (blogs, Facebook, Twitter, and video sharing e.g., YouTube ) A new report by the Center for Effective Philanthropy finds that the majority of both foundations and nonprofits in the survey are using social media; however, few grantees use social media from their foundation funders or their funders' staff.  Of the small percentage of grantees that do use foundations' social media, the majority of them aren't doing so to interact with foundations: They simply want information about their funders and content that is relative to their work.  See the report at http://www.effectivephilanthropy.org/assets/pdfs/CEP_Social%20Media%20Report.pdf Modification of Recent Changes made to IRB Policies and Procedures and to InfoEd System:  Conflict of Interest Office will confirm required COI training As discussed in the memo dated August 10 (https://ispace.utmb.edu/xythoswfs/webview/_xy-3386471_1), changes were made to the IRB policies and procedures as a part of working toward re-accreditation with the Association for the Accreditation of Human Research Protection Programs (AAHRPP). The changes were well received. After evaluating feedback from UTMB Research Community regarding the changes made to the CITI training and COI training/reporting processes with the IRB, the Offices of Compliance, Clinical Research and the IRB have modified the new procedures to ease the workload burden of the investigators and their staffs. Effective immediately, investigators and their staffs will NOT have to upload confirmation COI training/ reporting with the protocol submissions. Instead, InfoEd will route these submissions through the Conflict of Interest office, which will confirm completion. Please note that the date of submission to the IRB office will not be active until everyone associated with the protocol has completed this requirement. CITI training certificates of completion will continue to be the responsibility of the submitter. However, access to a tool that will contain CITI certificates of completion for all UTMB personnel and affiliates will be made available to Research Faculty and staff in the near future. The UTMB Research Community will be notified once this tool available. If you have any questions regarding these changes, please contact the IRB Office at 266- 9475.

Clinical Research:  Tools and Techniques Course 2012-2013

Clinical Research:  Tools and Techniques is a series of 35 weekly sessions offered to faculty, fellows, residents, graduate students and others interested in clinical investigation by the Institute for Translational Sciences – Education Office (Karl E. Anderson, M.D. Course Director).  This course began August 13, and continues Mkondays, 5:15 p.m., Children’s Hospital, Room 2.312.  The one-hour sessions provide an overview of ethics, methods, and issues in the conduct of research involving human subjects.  Click here for a brochure further describing the sessions.  Risk Education and GME credits are available for selected sessions.  The course also is offered to students enrolled in the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences as PHS 6135.

To register, complete and submit the registration form on the brochure or on the course website. Those who register may choose to attend any or all sessions and may make up missed sessions the next year.  Upon request, participant attendance and self-assessment results may be reported to training program directors. 

For information contact the Institute for Translational Sciences Education Office at 772-1484.  The course fee of $55 covers registration, letter of completion, Risk Education and GME credit, and refreshments. 

The Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences will sponsor its second Funding Boot Camp, featuring a more intensive hands-on component than last year. The boot camp is styled for graduate students and postdoctoral scientists at UTMB who wish to seek their own funding to jump-start their research careers. General, all-hands sessions and smaller group breakout sessions will be held through December or February, depending on type of award.

The series begins Tuesday, Sept. 11, 3 to 5 p.m. in 3.320 Levin Hall.  The introduction, led by Dr. David Niesel, will provide an overview of the boot camp and will center on why one should apply for a fellowship or a grant and what type of grant to apply for at what stage of the career. The focus will be on F-series fellowships, career or K-awards, and on other individual awards from sponsors other than National Institutes of Health (NIH).  Learn where to look for funding support, including opportunities for international researchers.

Hear success stories from a student who obtained a NIH F31 fellowship, a postdoctoral fellow who won the Kempner Scholar award, an intramural award for UTMB fellows, and a junior faculty member with a NIH K01 career development grant.  Each will talk about their experiences applying for three very different types of individual awards. Refreshments will be served.

The second session, 3-5 pm, Sept. 25, will focus on themes common to all grant applications: the all-important training plan, ethics and responsible conduct of research, time management and the application process. From this point on, participants will be guided in preparing an application for the type of award they decide to pursue, right up to the point of submission.  In the second hour, participants will divide into breakout groups, depending upon the types of applications they intend to submit (internal, F, K or other/international). A faculty facilitator will lead each group and assignments will be distributed.

The series will continue every two weeks in the small groups until the December 5 deadline for fellowship applications and into January for the career development awards, due February 12. In the small group meetings, assignments from the previous sessions will be reviewed and discussed so participants may benefit from the suggestions provided by facilitating faculty and grant writers/editors.

The series is free, with contributions from the Graduate School, Office of Postdoctoral and Postgraduate Affairs (OPA), Office of Research Services and Sealy Center for Structural Biology and Molecular Biophysics.

Faculty who wish to facilitate the small groups or students and postdocs with questions may contact Jo Bremer, director of the OPA, at 772-2684 or jobremer@utmb.edu.
Back to top

Change to SciQuest Research MarketPlace

Effective August 10, 2012, due to the merger of Applied Biosystems and Invitrogen, all items previously available for purchase from the Applied Biosystems' hosted catalog within SciQuest will be available for purchase via the Life Technologies (Invitrogen) punch-out site from the Research MarketPlace.

If you have any questions or concerns regarding this, please contact Christine Bradford via e-mail cmbradfo@utmb.edu or Andy Correa at 772-5545.

New Research eCatalog – BioExpress Corporation

A new eCatalog for BioExpress Corporation has been added to the SciQuest Research MarketPlace.  UTMB will still receive the same special discounted pricing when ordering from this punch-out eCatalog.

For assistance in processing your eProcurement punch-out requisition, please contact the Purchasing Help Desk at 74 7-8000.

For additional questions/comments, please contact one of the following individuals:
Christine Bradford, Purchasing Supervisor at x6-1092 or via e-mail cmbradfo@utmb.edu
UTMB Supplier Enablement Team – Andy Correa at x2-5545 or email ancorrea@utmb.edu
Back to top

Helium Price Increases but Supplies to Remain the Same

Praxair Healthcare Services, the leading supplier of helium for UTMB researchers, announced a price increase effective August 15, 2012.  The increase is due in part to the current supply/demand imbalances of helium worldwide; however, as of September 1, the company will provide up to 100% of our average monthly volume in April.

The new pricing is:
HE LT60                                 $966/CYL
HE LT100                              $1,610/CYL
HE LT250                              $4,025/CYL
HE LT500                              $8,050/CYL

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact your Praxair representative, Margaret Ledergerber, at 281-216-9051 or email: Margaret_Ledergerber@Praxair.com .
Back to top

Current and Future RT-PCR Core Customers: Consolidation of Cores

The Sealy Center for Cancer & Cell Biology (SCCCB) Real-Time PCR (RT-PCR) core has recently been consolidated into the Molecular Genomics (MG) Core facility.  The MG Core offers both Taqman and SYBR based assays. RT-PCR services include assay design, preparation of reactions and data analysis. Information on service costs, protocols and turn-around is available by contacting the core director.

Should you have questions, please contact the director of the facility,  Dr. Tom Wood, at 747-0387 or  tgwood@utmb.edu.

IACUC UPDATE:

SEMIANNUAL INSPECTION:  In September, the IACUC will be performing its semiannual inspection of all animal facilities and laboratories that perform surgery or satellite house animals.

TRAINING UPDATE:
All Animal Users
 In order to ensure a UTMB campus-wide uniform standard in ABSL2-level training, please see the upcoming changes and requirements below for ABSL2 users, effective September 1, 2012.

NOTE:  Individuals that are qualified for ABSL3 or ABSL4 are considered to have met the below requirements and are exempt.

New ABSL2 Users
NEW personnel requesting to be placed onto an animal use protocol with an ABSL2 component must complete the Laboratory Biosafety Training Program ABSL2 course, which includes an 4-hour ABSL2 theory class, passing the post class written test, and a competency assessment.

Current ABSL2 Users
 All personnel already listed on protocols (as of August 31, 2012) with an ABSL2 component will be required to complete the Laboratory Biosafety Training Program ABSL2 class for experienced users (2-hours), including passing the post class written test.  Personnel will have until August 31, 2013 to complete this requirement.

  Registration forms:

1. Registration form for ABSL 2 training program (complete and return to EHS) NEW
2. Registration form for ABSL2 - Established User (complete and return to EHS) NEW

 Please feel free to contact the Laboratory Biosafety Training (LBT) program for more information about registration. 409-772-8472.
Back to top

New Fringe Benefit Rates FY2013

Below are the fiscal year 2013 Fringe Benefit rates to be used for all sponsored projects.  Please note these rates are slightly different from the strata factor posted on Finance's web site. 

The rates for projects established in the PeopleSoft Grants Module by the Office of Sponsored Programs (OSP) include an additional 1.5518% for accrued leave payout.  The budget templates on the OSP web site have been updated:

http://research.utmb.edu/AskForFunding/Forms.shtm

Fringe Benefit Rates Effective 09/01/12 for FY 2013
(posted at http://research.utmb.edu/AskForFunding/Fringe.shtm)

Back to top

Fall 2012 Certified Research Administrator Exam Review Course

The Office of Sponsored Programs will present a Certified Research Administrator (CRA) Exam Review beginning Tuesday, September 18, 2012, and will continue Mondays through November 26. All classes will be held from noon – 1:00 p.m. in the Research Services Conference Room 4.302 of Rebecca Sealy.

What is a Certified Research Administrator?

The designation of Certified Research Administrator (CRA) means that an individual has met the eligibility requirements of the Research Administrators Certification Council and has demonstrated a level of knowledge necessary for the individual to be a professional research or sponsored programs administrator.

Qualifications/Credentials:

Candidates applying to sit for the Certified Research Administrator’s Examination must possess:

1. Bachelor’s degree and 3 years of professional experience in research or sponsored programs administration either in a sponsoring or recipient organization, or the equivalent in a self-funded organization; OR
2. An Associate’s degree and 5 years of professional experience in research or sponsored programs administration either in a sponsoring or recipient organization, or the equivalent in a self-funded organization; OR
3. No degree and 6 years of professional experience in research or sponsored programs administration either in a sponsoring or recipient organization, or the equivalent in a self-funded organization (this optionrequires completion of a Petition Application, which can be found at www.cra-cert.org/whatiscertification.html). For more information or to download the CRA Candidate Handbook, go to http://www.cra-cert.org/.

Register to attend the introduction of this course at https://my.utmb.edu/PStraining.

For information contact: Christy Taylor, CRA, 266-9431, cjtaylor@utmb.edu
Back to top

TSBR CONFERENCE September 12-13:  Changing Lives:  Translational Research in the Lone Star State

Presented by the Texas Society for Biomedical Research
September 12-13, 2012, AT&T Conference Center, Austin

The creation of the National Center for Advancing Translational Science (NCATS) by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) affords an historic opportunity to catalyze, enable, and implement ground-breaking advances in translational sciences – innovations that will benefit all invested in improving human health.

This conference will highlight the lessons learned from the 4 Texas CTSAs as well as the following session topics:  Building the Research Workforce, Drug Development: Preclinical Studies to Clinical Trials, Biomedical Informatics, Regulatory Knowledge & Support, Leveraging the CTSAs in Grant Applications. 

Allan Brasier, Director, Institute for Translational Science, UTMB and Toni D’Agostino, Assistant Vice President Sponsored Programs and Pre-Award Management, UTMB will be speaking at this event.

Limited Seating – Register Now!  http://www.tsbr.org. For more information call the TSBR office (512) 370-1660 or email  tsbr@realtime.net
Back to top

CPRIT Conference and Regional Meetings, September and October 2012

CONFERENCE:
Innovations in Cancer Prevention and Research Conference, October 24-26, 2012, Austin

CPRIT Conference early bird registration deadline extended to September 10

Quick Links:

• Register NOW and SAVE at https://www.cprit2012.org/register/
• View the program schedule – 3 unique session tracks http://schedule.cprit2012.org/

Session Topics:

• Cancer Genetics: Risk assessment and risk reduction
• Lung cancer screening: Is it ready for prime time?
• Where are pharmaceutical companies spending time and money?
• Cancer genomics: Improving cancer treatment
• Building Texas' life science infrastructure: Three Texas-based initiatives
• Financing drug discovery: Views from life science investment community
• Improving cancer control
• Community health workers: Best Practices
• Pediatric cancer survivorship issues
• U.S. Preventive Services Task Force: Report from the Chair
• Colorectal cancer screening: What we know, what's on the horizon
• Recommendations from CPRIT's Future Directions Initiative
• CPRIT grantee showcase: Research, Prevention, & Commercialization

REGIONAL MEETINGS
CPRIT will ALSO host four regional meetings where participants can share insights and suggestions with members of the Future Directions workgroup. The meetings will be held:

• September 5 in Dallas
  (Baylor Sammons Cancer Center, 11:00 AM - 2:30 PM)
• September 6 in Lubbock
  (Texas Tech Health Science Center, 10:00 AM - 1:30 PM)
• September 27 in Houston
  (Trevisio Restaurant, Texas Medical Center, 11:00 AM - 2:30 PM)
• September 28 in San Antonio
  (The Cancer Therapy and Research Center, 10:00 AM - 1:30 PM)

All stakeholders in Texas with an interest in cancer prevention, research and commercialization are welcome to attend. Lunch will be provided, so RSVP today at http://www.surveygizmo.com/s3/983605/RSVP-Future-Directions-Regional-Meetings  to allow staff to plan accordingly.

Volunteers, representing a broad spectrum of backgrounds and Texas geographic areas, will distill participant insights and recommendations from the meetings into actionable recommendations that will be presented at CPRIT’s 2012 annual conference.

Back to top

House, Senate Announce Deal to Punt Spending Bills to March

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and Speaker of the House John Boehner (R-Ohio) each issued July 31 statements announcing a bipartisan, bicameral agreement to craft a six-month continuing resolution (CR) that Congress reportedly will approve in September to avert an Oct. 1 government shutdown. If enacted, the measure would set the stage for an FY2013 spending showdown in March 2013, under a new Congress and three months after $109 billion in automatic, across-the-board budget cuts are scheduled to take effect due to sequestration.

--AAMC Washington Highlights August 3, 2012 https://www.aamc.org/advocacy/washhigh/highlights2012/300646/housesenateannouncedealtopuntspendingbillstomarch.html
Back to top

FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES

Reminder:  All research applications should go through the Office of Sponsored Programs prior to submission.  Please contact your pre-award analyst (http://research.utmb.edu/aboutus/prepostspecialists.shtm) if you plan to apply for these opportunities.

SMARTS FUNDING ALERTS AVAILABLE SMARTS/GENIUS is an automatic funding opportunity e-mail alert service, a subscription provided to the UTMB campus by the Office of Research Services. Contact the GENIUS administrator at ext.69440 for assistance. SIGN UP HERE: http://rdhs.utmb.edu (restricted to UTMB) Back to top

INVITED OPPORTUNITIES Funding opportunities listed in this section are restricted and require special coordination of applications. To see a table of invited opportunities and other opportunities that limit the number of applications accepted by a sponsor, go to: http://research.utmb.edu/FindFunding/LimitedCompetitionsTable.xls. Limited Competition: Pew Scholars Program in the Biomedical Sciences Internal deadline: September 4, 2012.  External deadline:  November 1, 2012

UTMB has been invited to nominate one candidate for the 2013 Pew Scholars Program in the Biomedical Sciences award (http://info.pewtrusts.org/site/R?i=TosNecUeSgjdnM9hB3-pHw). The Pew Scholars Program supports assistant professors of outstanding promise in science relevant to the advancement of human health. The award provides $240,000 in flexible support - $60,000 per year for a four-year period.  In 2013, the Pew Charitable Trusts will name 22 Pew Scholars. 

The Pew Scholars Program is open to candidates with a doctorate in biomedical sciences or medicine. As of November 1, 2012, nominees must hold full-time appointments at the rank of assistant professor or equivalent. On July 1, 2013, they must not have been in such an appointment for more than three years, whether or not such appointments were on a tenure track.  The program does not monitor or restrict percent effort.

The online application (http://apply.pewscholars.org) opened August 1, 2012.  The chosen nominee should email Anita Pepper to obtain their username and password, as well as instructions for submitting their application.  A guide to completing the 2013 application can be found here http://info.pewtrusts.org/site/R?i=L9Qe9prHaoKArKaLNstzdA (PDF). The application deadline is November 1, 2012.    

The UTMB Research Advisory Committee will review the applicants and make a recommendation.  The external deadline for applications is November 1, 2012. If you are interested in applying for this award, please submit the following information to Research Advisory Committee, c/o Ericia Huff, via email (in PDF format) at: ehuff@utmb.edu, by Tuesday, September 4, 2012: 

     *  a letter of nomination the candidate’s Department Chair or Director,
     *  your curriculum vitae, and
     *  a summary of the proposed research.  

To see other limited competitions go to:  https://ispace.utmb.edu/xythoswfs/webview/_xy-3443577_1
Back to top

Limited Competition: Investigators in the Pathogenesis of Infectious Disease

INTERNAL DEADLINE:  September 17, 2012
Application Deadline:  November 1, 2012
Accepting electronic applications only.

Five-year awards provide $500,000 to support accomplished investigators at the assistant professor level to study pathogenesis, with a focus on the interplay between human and microbial biology, shedding light on how human and microbial systems are affected by their encounters. The awards are intended to give recipients the freedom and flexibility to pursue new avenues of inquiry and higher-risk research projects that hold potential for significantly advancing the biochemical, pharmacological, immunological, and molecular biological understanding of how microbes and the human body interact.

A U.S. or Canadian institution— including its medical school, graduate schools, and all affiliated hospitals and research institutes—may nominate up to two candidates. To encourage applications from veterinarians, institutions that nominate a researcher who holds the D.V.M. will be allowed three nominations. Institutions may have a single additional nomination if they nominate a researcher working in pathogenic helminths, mycology, or reproductive science.

Eligibility:
Candidates will generally have an MD, DVM., or PhD degree.
Candidates must have an established record of independent research and hold a tenure-track position as an assistant professor or equivalent

For further details, see the sponsor’s guidelines and take the eligibility test online to see if you qualify http://www.bwfund.org/pages/105/Investigators-in-the-Pathogenesis-of-Infectious-Disease/

Preliminary Screening:
Please submit the following via email to the Research Advisory Committee, c/o Ericia Huff, ehuff@utmb.edu, by 5:00 PM Monday, September 17, for internal review:

• A letter of nomination from the nominee’s Department Chair or Director and
• A summary abstract of the proposed research, and
• A current curriculum vitae of the nominee

To see other limited competitions go to:  https://ispace.utmb.edu/xythoswfs/webview/_xy-3443577_1

Limited Competition: NIH Director’s Early Independence Award – Call for Applications

Internal Deadline:  October 31, 2012
External Deadline:  January 30, 2013
The NIH Common Fund announces the highly selective NIH Director’s Early Independence Award Program to provide a mechanism for exceptional, early career scientists to omit traditional post-doctoral training and move into independent academic positions at U.S. institutions directly upon completion of their graduate degrees (Ph.D., M.D., or equivalent). The NIH expects to issue 10 awards through this program in fall 2013.

Early Independence Awards are targeted to exceptional junior investigators with the intellect, scientific creativity, drive, and maturity to flourish independently without the need for traditional post-doctoral training. 

Early Independence Award projects will receive up to $250,000 in direct costs each year for up to 5 years. Junior scientists may identify a host institution and contact them directly to negotiate a position.  Alternatively, institutions may actively recruit exceptional junior scientists to apply for these positions.  In either case, the institution must be willing to nurture the investigator as an independent researcher including the provision of independent lab space.  An institution may elect to host an applicant for this program with the commitment to a position being contingent upon receipt of the award.

Eligibility:  Any individual(s) with the skills, knowledge, and resources necessary to carry out the proposed research as the Project Director/Principal Investigator (PD/PI) is invited to work with his/her organization to develop an application for support. Individuals from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups as well as individuals with disabilities are always encouraged to apply for NIH support.

At the time of application, the individual either 1) within the preceding twelve months must have received a terminal doctoral degree or completed medical residency, or 2) within the following twelve months must complete all the requirements for a doctoral degree or complete a medical residency.

At the time of funding to the grantee Institution, the Early Independence investigator must have received a PhD, MD, DO, DC, DDS, DVM, OD, DPM, ScD, EngD, Dr PH, DNSc, ND (Doctor of Naturopathy), PharmD, DSW, PsyD, or equivalent doctoral degree from an accredited domestic or foreign institution.  (It is the responsibility of the sponsoring institution to determine if a foreign doctoral degree is equivalent). Certification by an authorized official of the degree-granting institution that all degree requirements have been met is also acceptable.

A PD/PI is permitted only a single application for an Early Independence Award. 

Each institution may only submit two applications.  The deadline for submitting Early Independence Award applications is January 30, 2013.  Letters of Intent are due December 30, 2012.  See the instructions in the  RFA  (http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-RM-12-018.html)

Additional information, including Frequently Asked Questions about the Early Independence Investigators Award Program is available at  http://commonfund.nih.gov/earlyindependence.  Send questions to earlyindependence@mail.nih.gov. 

The UTMB Research Advisory Committee will review the applicants and make a recommendation.  The external deadline for Letters of Intent is November 1, 2012. If you are interested in applying for this award, please submit the following information to Research Advisory Committee, c/o Ericia Huff, via email (in PDF format) at ehuff@utmb.edu, by Wednesday, Otober 31, 2012: 

• a letter of nomination the candidate’s Department Chair or Director,
• the candidate’s curriculum vitae, and
• a summary of the proposed research.  

To see other limited competitions go to  https://ispace.utmb.edu/xythoswfs/webview/_xy-3443577_1
Back to top

DOD Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury Research Program

Funding Opportunities for Fiscal Year 2012

Pre-Application: September 21, 2012
Application: November 26, 2012
Applications to the Fiscal Year 2012 Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury (PH/TBI) Research Program (RP) are being solicited for the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs, Defense Health Program (DHP) by the United States Army Medical Research Acquisitions Activity (USAMRAA).  The PH/TBI Research Program was established in FY07 for the purpose of complementing ongoing Department of Defense (DoD) efforts toward promoting a better standard of care for PH (including post-traumatic stress disorder [PTSD]) and TBI in the areas of prevention, detection, diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation.  This includes research to benefit Service Members, their family members, Veterans, and other beneficiaries of the Military Health System (MHS).

See http://cdmrp.army.mil/funding/phtbi.shtml

Award Mechanism:
Traumatic Brain Injury Research Award

• Eligibility Information: Independent investigators at all academic levels (or equivalent).
• Preproposal is required by Sept. 21; application submission is by invitation only and will be due Nov. 26.
• Key Mechanism Elements:
  • Clinical trials are NOT allowed.
  • Applications MUST specifically address the following research area:
  • Identify and Characterize Mechanisms of Traumatic Brain Injury-related Neurodegenerative Diseases, including chronic traumatic encephalopathy, with emphasis on those mechanisms of injury that may be amenable to targeted therapy approaches, including biomarkers that would identify mechanistic targets of therapeutic approaches.

Applications that include meaningful and productive collaborations between two investigators are encouraged.

For additional information regarding eligibility, application submission, and questions about the program itself please contact the CDMRP helpdesk at help@CDMRP.org or (301)682-5507

For information about the PH/TBI or other CDMRP-administered programs, please visit the CDMRP website (http://cdmrp.army.mil).
Back to top

Instrument Development for Biomedical Applications (R21): RFA-GM-13-010

SOURCE: National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS)

APPLICATION DEADLINE: October 30, 2012.

$ AVAILABLE: NIGMS intends to commit approximately $2 million in FY 2013 to fund 10-15 new awards.

PURPOSE: The National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) encourages innovative applications for the development of new or improved instrumentation for biomedical research. Projects should propose tools that can be used by a wide range of biomedical or clinical researchers, and not limited to a specific organ or disease.

CONTACT: Please see URL for multiple contacts: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-GM-13-010.html

Back to top

Funding 2013 NIH Director's Transformative Research Awards

NIH announced a funding opportunity for the 2013 NIH Director's Transformative Research Awards (formerly known as the Transformative Research Project (TR01)). This Common Fund initiative supports unconventional high risk/high impact projects with strong potential of crating new or shifting existing  paradigms in clinical, basic, and/or behavioral/social science. Applications should be relevant to the NIH mission, and could be submitted by individuals and teams.
While searching for bold project ideas, the NIH is piloting a novel approach to the applications process: the applicants are expected to focus on innovation strategy and significance without an expectation of submitting any preliminary data.  Awards will support budgets up to $25 million total costs per year for up to five years. The deadline for submitting Transformative Research Project applications is September 21, 2012 with Letters of Intent were due by August 21, 2012.  The instructions can be found in the RFA-RM-12-017, http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-RM-12-017.html.

Back to top

Request for Applications Announced for NIH Pioneer and New Innovator Awards

The request for applications for the 2013 National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director’s Pioneer and New Innovator awards programs were released Aug. 7.  Both awards are under the Common Fund program, designed to encourage transformative biomedical research and collaboration across institutes or centers.  The funding opportunities are part of the Common Fund’s High Risk-High Reward research program, which addresses challenges in biomedical research through support of scientists who submit creative and innovative proposals with high-impact potential.

Links: 

• Pioneer Award Program:  https://commonfund.nih.gov/pioneer/  Due October 9, 2012
• New Innovator Award Program:  http://commonfund.nih.gov/newinnovator/ Due October 17, 2012

Back to top

International Collaborations in Organismal Biology Between US and Israeli Investigators  (ICOB)

Preliminary Proposal Deadline Date:  September 4, 2012
Full Proposal Deadline Date:  December 3, 2012
The National Science Foundation (NSF) is partnering with the United States-Israel Binational Science Foundation (BSF) to support collaborative research between US and Israeli investigators in areas of biology supported by the NSF Division of Integrative Organismal Systems. The Division of Integrative Organismal Systems (IOS) supports research aimed at an integrative understanding of organisms.  The goal is to predict why organisms are structured the way they are, and function as they do. Projects that innovatively apply systems biology approaches, i.e. approaches that combine experimentation, computation, and modeling, and which  lead to new conceptual and theoretical insights and predictions about integrated organismal properties that may be experimentally verified, are particularly encouraged.

Solicitation  12-577: http://www.nsf.gov/publications/pub_summ.jsp?WT.z_pims_id=504768&ods_key=nsf12577
Back to top

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 10
5:15 PM-6:15 PM
Institute for Translational Science - Education Office Clinical Research: Tools & Techniques Seminar. MOLECULAR METHODS IN CLINICAL RESEARCH (PART 1). Speaker(s): Adrian Recinos, PhD. Children's Hospital 2.312. (Info: 409-772-1484) Faculty, fellows, residents and members of research teams welcome. More information: http://www.its/utmb.edu/learning/courses_seminars/courses_and_seminars.html#ToolsTechniques.

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 11
3:00 PM-5:00 PM
GSBS Workshop First in a series. GSBS Funding Boot Camp. Speaker(s): David Niesel. 3.320 Levin Hall.  (Info: 22684) For Graduate Students and Postdocs who wish to jump-start their research careers with funding.

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 12
8:30 AM-11:30 AM
Research Services Effort Reporting and ECRT Training for Effort Coordinators. For all Effort Coordinators who have NOT previously completed the Effort Reporting and ECRT Training. Speaker(s): Research Services Staff. Rebecca Sealy West 1.148.  (Info: 69432) Class size is limited-Register at http://my.utmb.edu/PStraining. For more information, visit http://research.utmb.edu/comp-effort/training.shtm.

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 13
1:30 PM-4:30 PM
Research Services Effort Reporting and ECRT Training for Effort Coordinators. For all Effort Coordinators who have NOT previously completed the Effort Reporting and ECRT Training. Speaker(s): Research Services Staff. Rebecca Sealy West 1.148.  (Info: 69432) Class size is limited-Register at http://my.utmb.edu/PStraining. For more information, visit http://research.utmb.edu/comp-effort/training.shtm.

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 17
5:15 PM-6:15 PM
Insitute for Translational Science - Education Office Clinical Research: Tools & Techniques Seminar. MOLECULAR METHODS OF CLINICAL RESEARCH (PART 2). Speaker(s): Adrian Recinos, PhD. Children's Hospital 2.312. (Info: 409.772.1484) Faculty, fellows, residents and members of research teams welcome. More information: http://www.its/utmb.edu/learning/courses_seminars/courses_and_seminars.html#ToolsTechniques.

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 18
10:30 AM-11:30 AM
Research Services Workshop. Conflict of Interest Training (New Employees). Speaker(s): Research Services Staff . Rebecca Sealy East 4.302/304.  (Info: 266-9431) To receive credit for this training you must attend the entire session. Late arrivals may not receive credit for the session. Register at https://my.utmb.edu/PStraining/.

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 18
11:00 AM-12:00 PM
Psychiatry Grand Rounds. “Neurocognitive Sequelae of Sleep Disruption”. Speaker(s): Sajid A. Haque, M.D., D.ABSM, Assistant Professor, Critical Care Division of Anesthesiology and Critical Care, UT M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas . Shriners Hospital for Children, Auditorium 7th FL. (Info: 409-747-8302) 

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 24
5:15 PM-6:15 PM
Insitute for Translational Science - Education Office Clinical Research: Tools & Techniques Seminar. BIOINFORMACTICS TOOLS IN THE TRANSOMICS ERA. Speaker(s): Bruce A. Luxon, PhD. Children's Hospital 2.312. (Info: 409.772.1484) Faculty, fellows, residents and members of research teams welcome. More information: http://www.its/utmb.edu/learning/courses_seminars/courses_and_seminars.html#ToolsTechniques.
Back to top

This site published by Research Services. 
Copyright ©  2011  The University of Texas Medical Branch.
Please Review Our Site Policies & Required Links.