NIGMS grantees have one final opportunity to introduce new collaborations into their ongoing research projects through the Supplements for Collaborative Science (SCS) program. The submission deadline in response to NOT-GM-11-105 is May15, 2014. Investigators can request supplements of up to $90,000 per year in direct costs for two collaborating labs or up to $135,000 per year for three collaborating labs.

The proposed research must be within the original scope of the project and should propose approaches not used previously by the principal investigator. All collaborators should be able to make significant intellectual contributions, and we especially encourage proposals that involve less commonly combined areas of expertise.

To be eligible, an NIGMS parent R01 or R37 award must be actively funded through November 30, 2015. Proposals may request support to cover a period up to the end of the parent project. The application now requires that collaborating investigators provide a letter of commitment and “other support” page countersigned by their institutional official. Send any additional questions to me at andersonve@nigms.nih.gov or to Sue Haynes at hayness@nigms.nih.gov.

The SCS program is very competitive, so if you are interested in submitting an application, we recommend that you first discuss your potential proposal—and its new and novel aspects—with the program director of your grant.