You may be interested in these recent funding opportunity announcements (FOAs): NIH Research Evaluation and Commercialization Hub (REACH) Awards (U01) (RFA-OD-14-005) Purpose: Facilitate and accelerate the translation of biomedical innovations into commercial products that improve patient care and enhance health Letter of intent due date: May 26, 2014 Application due date: June 26, 2014 NIH contact: Kurt W. Marek, 301-443-8778 Limited Competition: Centers of Biomedical Research Excellence (COBRE) Phase III - Transitional Centers (P30) (PAR-14-178) Purpose: Transition the core resources and biomedical research activities of Centers of Biomedical Research Excellence (COBRE) into independence and sustainability Application due dates: June 30, 2014; May 26, 2015; May 26, 2016 NIGMS contact: Rafael Gorospe, 301-435-0832 Enabling Resources for Pharmacogenomics (R24) (PAR-14-185) Purpose: Support critical enabling resources that will accelerate new research discoveries and/or the implementation of research discoveries in pharmacogenomics Letter of intent due date: 30 days prior to the application due date Application due dates: September 25, 2014; September 25, 2015; September 25, 2016 NIGMS contact: Rochelle Long, 301-594-3827 Administrative Supplements for Research on Dietary Supplements (Admin Supp) (PAR-14-201) Purpose: Provide supplemental funding to investigate the role of dietary supplements and/or their ingredients in health maintenance and disease prevention Application due dates: October 15, 2014; January 15, 2015; April 15, 2015 NIGMS contact: Scott Somers, 301-594-3827

You may be interested in the following announcements: Undiagnosed Diseases Gene Function Research (R21) (RFA-RM-14-005) Purpose: Investigate the underlying genetics, biochemistry and/or pathophysiology of newly diagnosed diseases in association with the respective gene variant(s) identified through the Undiagnosed Diseases Network Letter of intent due date: May 23, 2014 Application due date: June 23, 2014 NIGMS contact: Donna Krasnewich, 301-594-0943 NIH Blueprint Program for Enhancing Neuroscience Diversity through Undergraduate Research Education Experiences (R25) (RFA-NS-14-010) Purpose: Enhance biomedical research workforce diversity through the development of creative educational activities primarily focused on research experiences, skills development courses and mentoring activities Letter of intent due date: April 28, 2014 Application due date: May 28, 2014 NIH contact: Michelle D. Jones-London, 301-451-7966 Request for Information: Current Clinical Questions in Post-Resuscitation Hypothermia (NOT-GM-14-112) Purpose: Provide feedback on the clinical research questions that need to be answered surrounding post-resuscitation therapeutic hypothermia Response due date: May 30, 2014 Send responses to: Jeremy Brown, 301-594-2755

As part of our efforts to develop and sustain a highly skilled and diverse biomedical research workforce, we have introduced a new mechanism to complement or enhance research training activities. The Innovative Programs to Enhance Research Training (IPERT) will support creative and innovative research educational activities through courses for skills development, structured mentoring activities and outreach programs. We expect the scope, purpose and objectives of IPERT applications to be as varied as the potential applicants. Both institutions and organizations are eligible to apply. An IPERT program should address a documented need, problem or challenge in research training and include measurable goals and objectives. Applications should explain the balance of effort and resources dedicated to each activity and how the activities will integrate. Proposals should also align with the NIGMS Strategic Plan for Biomedical and Behavioral Research Training, which recognizes that:

• Research training is a responsibility shared by NIH, academic institutions, faculty and trainees.
• Research training must focus on student development, not simply the selection of talent.
• Breadth and flexibility enable research training to keep pace with the opportunities and demands of contemporary science and provide the foundation for a variety of scientific career paths.
• Diversity is an indispensable component of research training excellence and must be advanced across the entire research enterprise.

The IPERT program may be of particular interest to institutions and organizations with current or past support from the MARC Ancillary Training Activities program (T36), which has lapsed and will not be reissued. Conference and meeting programs previously supported by the T36 mechanism may be more appropriately supported through the NIH conference grant mechanism (R13/U13). While a letter of intent is not required, we strongly encourage anyone who is interested in submitting an IPERT application to consult with me or other staff of the NIGMS Division of Training, Workforce Development, and Diversity to determine if this is the best mechanism to support their ideas and plans.

Registration is now open for the 2014 Postdoctoral Preparation Institute: Career Transitions, a workshop we’re funding for postdoctoral fellows who will soon be seeking positions in a variety of career sectors. The workshop, which is being run by FASEB, will take place near NIH on June 5-6. It follows two successful prior NIGMS postdoc workshops in 2010 and 2012.

The meeting will cover a range of topics related to making a successful transition to the next career stage, including career planning; communication, leadership and other interpersonal skills; grant-writing; applying for positions; and navigating the interview and negotiation processes. Participants will also have an opportunity to learn about a number of scientific career options.

Among the featured speakers are NIGMS director Jon Lorsch and NIH’s first chief officer for scientific workforce diversity, Hannah Valantine.

If you know of postdocs who would benefit from this career development event, please encourage them to visit the registration page (link no longer available) for details about eligibility, travel support and application materials. Applications are due by April 18.

While the event is open to all eligible postdocs, we especially encourage applications from members of groups that are underrepresented in the biomedical or behavioral sciences. If space is available, the FASEB meeting organizers will also consider applications from new assistant professors who are within 1 year of the completion of their postdoctoral training and 5th-year Ph.D. students who are near degree conferral.

We are now supporting two additional Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award individual predoctoral fellowships in basic biomedical sciences relevant to our mission: the F30 fellowship for M.D.-Ph.D. or other dual-doctoral degree students and the F31 fellowship for Ph.D.-degree students. We will continue our support of the F31 fellowship to promote diversity in health-related research. NIGMS predoctoral fellowships, which generally provide up to 3 years of support, promote fundamental, interdisciplinary and innovative research training and career development leading to independent scientists who are well prepared to address the nation’s biomedical research needs. An applicant for an NIGMS predoctoral fellowship should:

• Be an advanced Ph.D. or M.D.-Ph.D. student.
• Demonstrate high academic performance in the biomedical sciences and independence in his or her research.
• Have identified a research sponsor and a dissertation project that includes a novel approach to the problem and has strong training potential.
• Demonstrate a commitment to a career as an independent scientist.

We expect the funding for F30 and F31 fellowships to be highly competitive, and we anticipate funding only a very limited number of these applications in any year. We will give priority to outstanding applicants with sponsors who are currently supported by NIGMS research grants. In addition, we strongly encourage F30 applications from students in combined M.D.-Ph.D. (or other dual-doctoral degree, such as D.O.-Ph.D., D.D.S.-Ph.D. and D.V.M.-Ph.D.) programs at institutions that are not currently supported by our Medical Scientist Training Program. For more details on F30 and F31 awards, see the NIGMS NRSA Individual Predoctoral Fellowships Web page or contact Peggy Schnoor.

You may be interested in these recent funding opportunity announcements: Postbaccalaureate Research Education Program (PREP) (R25) (PAR-14-076) Purpose: PREP provides support for well-designed courses for skills development and extensive research experiences aimed at preparing individuals from diverse backgrounds to complete doctoral degrees. Application receipt dates: March 31, 2014; January 25, 2015; and January 25, 2016. NIGMS contact: Michael Bender, 301-594-0943. Empirical Research on Ethical Issues Related to Central IRBs and Consent for Research Using Clinical Records and Data (R01) (RFA-OD-14-002) Purpose: This program furthers NIH’s commitment to enhanced protections for human subjects by encouraging research on the use of central Institutional Review Boards and on the use of clinical records and data. Application due date: April 18, 2014. NIGMS contact: Jeremy Brown, 301-594-2755. Innovative Technologies and Assays in Support of HIV Cure Research (ITAS-Cure) (PA-14-101) (R43/R44) (PA-14-102) (R41/R42) Purpose: ITAS-Cure encourages Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer grant applications focusing on the development of sensitive and quantitative assays, methods or imaging techniques with commercial potential that can be applied to the measurement of residual HIV reservoirs in HIV-positive individuals on effective antiretroviral therapy. Application due date: Standard AIDS application due dates apply NIGMS contact: Mike Sakalian, 301-594-0829.

Broadening the definition of a “successful scientific career” is a key theme of the NIGMS training strategic plan as well as the NIH Biomedical Workforce Working Group Report. To help graduate students, postdocs and even faculty become more familiar with the range of opportunities available to those trained for research, I participated in a 2013 ASCB meeting panel discussion with ASCB Executive Director Dr. Stefano Bertuzzi about science careers outside academia. We had a lively Q&A session about our reasons for leaving bench science, how our previous experiences have helped us in our current positions, and what one needs to do to prepare for careers in science policy and research administration. Not too long ago, some might have considered me a science “dropout” because I left academia for federal work as a program director. I may no longer have my own lab, but I think about science every day and help researchers obtain funding for their work. I’m happy that I made the transition. If you’re considering a science administration career in the federal government, here are a few tips to help you find available opportunities. Job vacancies for individuals at all career stages are posted on USAJOBS.gov. The Overview section of each announcement will tell you how many vacancies the job announcement intends to fill. Without going too far into the minutiae, the site has an advanced search feature that lets you find open positions by salary, location, keyword and more. One search field is Occupational Series. The series that may be of most interest to Feedback Loop readers are 0601 – General Health Science, which includes most scientific administration jobs at NIH, and 0401 – General Natural Resources Management and Biological Sciences, which includes science administration jobs at NSF. Both the 0601 and 0401 job “families” include bench science positions, as well. As of today, the 0601 and 0401 series offered more than 80 open positions. While not all of the jobs may be relevant to you, this gives you an idea of the scope of the federal science and health mission. Last year, Mitzi Kosciulek of NIH’s Office of Human Resources wrote about applying for scientific administration jobs at NIGMS. Some of the general principles she outlined are applicable to any federal job search. For example, as part of an effort to speed the hiring process, many USAJOBS postings are open for only 5 days. For that reason, consider creating a profile, building a resume in the system and uploading your academic transcripts so you’re ready to roll when the right job opportunity presents itself. Once you have a profile, you can save your most pertinent search specifications and then ask the system to send you new “hits” by e-mail.

Data reproducibility is getting a lot of attention in the scientific community, and NIH is among those seeking to address the issue. At NIGMS, one area we’re focusing on is the needs and opportunities for training in areas relevant to improving data reproducibility in biomedical research. We just issued a request for information to gather input on activities that already exist or are planned as well as on crucial needs that an NIGMS program should address. I strongly encourage you and your colleagues to submit comments by the February 28 deadline (no longer available). The information will assist us in shaping a program of small grants to support the design and development of exportable training modules tailored for graduate students, postdoctoral students and beginning investigators. UPDATE: NIGMS and additional NIH components have issued the Training Modules to Enhance Data Reproducibility (R25) funding opportunity announcement. The application deadline is November 20.

Clifton “Clif” Poodry, Ph.D., director of the NIGMS Division of Training, Workforce Development, and Diversity, retired earlier this month. Although he’s left federal service, Clif is continuing to pursue his long-held interest in improving science education as a senior fellow at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. Throughout his nearly 20 years at NIGMS, Clif championed—and in many cases, led—activities to build the biomedical research workforce of the future. This included initiatives for training and mentoring students from groups that are underrepresented in biomedical and behavioral research and advising on NIH-wide programs, such as the newly announced Building Infrastructure Leading to Diversity program. Clif has long been committed to using scientific approaches to understand interventions that promote interest in and pursuit of research careers. He consistently encouraged staff and colleagues to read the scientific literature on training and workforce diversity in order to develop a better understanding of biomedical workforce issues and challenges so that we could create and/or modify programs accordingly. Clif’s long and distinguished career includes time as a biology professor, department chair, associate vice-chancellor for student affairs, and NIGMS grantee at the University of California, Santa Cruz. In the early 1980s, he served a 2-year stint at the National Science Foundation, where he helped create a program that later became a model for the NIH diversity supplement program. Clif is a great and natural mentor who has touched the lives of numerous students and colleagues across the country, as well as those of us here at NIGMS and NIH. Many of those he mentored have gone on to positions in academia, government and the private sector. Clif has had a huge impact in many areas, including the education and training of students from underrepresented groups, and we look forward to building on his legacy.

You may be interested in these recent funding opportunity announcements (FOAs):

Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies (BRAIN) Initiative

The first funding opportunities for the BRAIN Initiative, a large-scale effort aimed at revolutionizing our understanding of the human brain, are now available. To view the FOAs, visit http://braininitiative.nih.gov/funding_active.htm.

Common Fund Opportunities

The NIH Common Fund has issued FOAs under both the Single Cell Analysis and the Enhancing the Diversity of the NIH-Funded Workforce programs. A Webinar for potential applicants to the diversity FOAs will be held in January.

Career Development (K) Awards

K awards help transition new investigators to research independence.

• NIH Pathway to Independence Award (Parent K99/R00)
  (PA-14-042)
  

  Purpose: Help postdoctoral researchers complete mentored training and transition to an independent, tenure-track or equivalent faculty positions and launch a competitive, independent research careers

  
  
• Mentored Clinical Scientist Research Career Development Award (Parent K08)
  (PA-14-046)
  

  Purpose: Provide individuals with clinical doctoral degrees with intensive, supervised career development experiences in biomedical and behavioral research, including translational research

  
  
• Mentored Quantitative Research Development Award (Parent K25)
  (PA-14-048)
  

  Purpose: Attract individuals with quantitative and engineering backgrounds to bring their expertise and skills to address NIH-relevant research questions

  
  
• Mentored Patient-Oriented Research Career Development Award (Parent K23)
  (PA-14-049)
  

  Purpose: Support individuals with a clinical doctoral degree who have made a commitment to focus their research endeavors on patient-oriented research

  
  

Application due dates: Standard dates apply.
NIGMS contact: Michael Sesma, 301-594-3900.