• Bridging Support
• External Limited Submissions
• Pilot Grants
• Other Opportunities

The National Science Foundation (NSF's) Small Business Innovation Research Program (SBIR) / Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) program aims to transform commercially promising scientific discovery into social and economic benefit. Federally-funded University researchers working with a startup or small business are encouraged to submit proposals. 

NSF solicitation topics include: 

• Smart Health and Biomedical Technologies
• Biological Technologies
• Chemical and Environmental Technologies
• Advanced Materials and Instrumentation
• Advanced Manufacturing and Nanotechnology
• Electronic Hardware, Robotics, and Wireless Technologies
• Information and Communication Technologies
• Educational Technologies and Applications 

Grants are split into two phases:

Phase I: $225,000, 12 months

Phase II: $750,000, 2 years

SBIR proposals are due Tuesday, June 10

Solicitation NSF 14-539

STTR proposals are due Wednesday, June 11

Solicitation NSF 14-540

To learn more about this opportunity, or for help developing a proposal, please contact the Fast Forward Medical Innovation team at the U-M Medical School Office of Research via email or phone at (734) 764-2695. 

Journal editors would agree that most individuals (sometimes even the most experienced researchers) need some education on writing scientific papers. Papers that lack clarity and focus, contain errors, or are poorly written seldom get a second look by journal editors and granting agencies. Given that publication is the generally accepted measure of scholarly research productivity, effective scientific writing is an essential skill.

The Michigan Institute for Clinical & Health Research (MICHR) is offering a scientific writing workshop to help address this concern. Intended primarily for post-doctoral fellows and graduate students, this two-part workshop will provide intensive, hands-on education to help participants learn to organize a manuscript. The workshop will be taught by Dr. Thomas Annesley, Professor Emeritus at U-M.

The workshop will be offered in a two-part series from 

1:00 PM - 4:00 PM on Tuesday, June 24 and Thursday, June 26. 

Attendance at both sessions is required.

Learn more or register. 

The Michigan Institute for Clinical & Health Research (MICHR) Mock Study Section is a unique and highly motivating experience that is ideal for fellows and junior faculty who are writing career development and R01 grants. Participants will learn what happens behind closed doors in a real grant review. It's a true-to-life simulation guaranteed to raise your score.

Participants will review actual twelve-page Career Development (K-series) and Research (R-series) grants as if they were participating in a real National Institutes of Health (NIH) study section, helping them think like a reviewer and improve grant writing skills.

This event will be held Wednesday, June 4 

from 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM at Palmer Commons Board Rooms. 

Requirements: 

As with the real NIH Study Sections in Washington, D.C., all participants are required to attend and participate fully.

Time commitment: 

Six to eight hours total -

• Pre-lecture: Monday, May 19 (1.5 hours)
• Review grants (1-3 hours)
• Exchange data and review instructions (1 hour)
• Event: Wednesday, June 4, 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM (2 hours)

For more details, including registration information, visit the event website.  

The Michigan Institute for Clinical & Health Research (MICHR's) Education and Mentoring Group is committed to making it easier for U-M research staff to become SoCRA (Society of Clinical Research Associates)-certified by offering 10 scholarships that will cover the cost of one SoCRA membership, plus the cost of one 2014 certification exam (valued at $270).   

The Society of Clinical Research Associates is a non-profit, professional organization dedicated to the continuing education and development of clinical research professionals.   

Winners will be randomly selected from entrants who meet the SoCRA guidelines and follow the scholarship rules. All entrants must be eligible for membership and certification per SoCRA guidelines.

Please read these requirements  carefully prior to entering the drawing. 

Entries must be received by Thursday, April 17. 

Click here to enter the drawing. 

The recently adopted U-M Medical School policy on minimum salaries for new Research Fellows must be, at a minimum, at the year 0 level on the National Institutes of Health (NIH) scale (currently at $42,000). Current Research Fellows who are below that rate must be brought up to at least NIH year 0 by January 1, 2016. 

The full text of the new policy is available here.

This policy change is reflective of the updated NIH Research Fellow salary guidelines, which became effective February 10, 2014.

Research Fellows play an integral role in the research mission and are key to its success, and we remain fully committed to following NIH guidelines for all Research Fellow salaries. Departments are of course free to offer salaries that exceed NIH guidelines and should continue to make strides to improve salary equity within their departments.

In order to help standardize Research Fellow hiring, a template for offer letters is available for download. Please ensure that offer letters issued by your department faculty follow this format. 

Please contact Lisa Gubaci, Administrative Director of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies at the U-M Medical School, via email or phone at (734) 615-0342 with any questions.

Beginning April 1, 2014, IRB-HSBS (U-M Central Campus IRB) will be taking on responsibility for processing some Exempt human research study applications submitted by UMHS or U-M Medical School faculty.  

Specifically, IRB-HSBS will review and issue the exempt determinations for Exempt Categories 1, 2, and 3, when study teams will not be accessing Protected Health Information (PHI).  

IRBMED will retain oversight for Exemptions 1, 2, and 3, when the study team will be accessing PHI, and for all Exemptions 4, 5, and 6 originated by UMHS or Medical School faculty.

IMPORTANTLY, default jurisdiction for UMHS faculty is not changing: if you normally submit to IRBMED (by choosing "IRBMED" in question 1.9 of an HUM application), please continue to do so.  

IRB staff will re-assign appropriate applications as necessary.

Please contact Lark Speyer, IRBMED Exempt/Not Regulated Coordinator, via email with general questions. Contact the IRB "Staff Owner" with questions about any specific application. 

The University of Michigan's IRBs are committed to providing educational materials online, as well as in the classroom.

The following four presentations have recently been developed as part of the U-MIC program: 

• Specialty Informed Consents: 
One-time Blood or Tissue Sample and Eligibility Screening - IRBMED has recently begun to offer specialty informed consent templates, tailored to specific study scenarios. This short presentation introduces two new specialty templates; click here to view the presentation: Specialty Consents


• IRB Regulatory Determinations - For each application it reviews, whether during a convened Board meeting or by expedited review, the IRB must make certain regulatory determinations. This slide show offers a summary; click here to view the presentation: Regulatory Determinations



• FDA Guidance: Investigator Responsibilities -
  In 2009, the Food and Drug Administration published guidance on the responsibilities of investigators conducting drug, biologic, and device trials. This short presentation provides an overview; click here to view the presentation: Investigator Responsibilities



• Expedited Review: Category 5 - For minimal-risk research that falls under one of nine categories, federal regulations allow review by an IRB Chair or designee, with no vote by the full IRB. This short presentation outlines category 5: research involving materials collected for non-research purposes. Click here to view the presentation: Expedited 5

• Mathew Becker, Ph.D., University of Akron
• Roger Day, Ph.D., Director of Corporate R&D, Lubrizol
• Bruce Gingles, Vice President of Global Technology Assessment & Healthcare Policy, Cook Medical
• Alan Portela, CEO, Airstrip (recently honored as one of the "Top 50 in Digital Health")
• Florian J. Schattenmann, Ph.D., Global R&D Director, Dow
• Kevin Ward, M.D., Executive Director, UMMS Fast Forward Medical Innovation

• Frederick Dombrose, Ph.D., President,
  The Hartwell Foundation
• Cristina Davis, Ph.D., University of California Davis
• Maria Figueroa, U-M Foundation Relations
• Betsy Myers, Ph.D., Program Director,
  Doris Duke Charitable Foundation

The Bioinformatics Core prides itself on providing high-quality analysis support to UMMS researchers.

Areas of expertise include high throughput DNA and RNA sequence data analysis, systems biology applications, analytical methods, data annotation and integration. The standard analysis services are summarized below: 

In order to make researchers aware of the variety of bioinformatics analysis support offered, the core is visiting multiple departments across campus over the next few months to give an overview of standard and custom services. To take advantage of this unique educational opportunity, and have the Core present their service offerings at your next research/faculty meeting, please contact Core Director Dr. Jim Cavalcoli (cavalcol@umich.edu).

To initiate projects with the Core, please contact: 

ccmb-core@ctools.umich.edu.

The Unit for Laboratory Animal Medicine (ULAM) is pleased to announce the launch of their new In-Vivo Animal Core (IVAC) at the North Campus Research Complex (NCRC).

This core serves as a research resource in support of early, preclinical stage, translational research and absorbs and expands upon the existing services performed by ULAM's Pathology Cores for Animal Research (PCAR) and Technical Services Team (TST).

Biomedical research has sustained a conceptual shift re-emphasizing translational research. Translation of bench side discoveries is often hampered by a lack of meaningful and predictive preclinical research (animal modeling). The design and interpretation of preclinical studies require specialized expertise which ULAM is now prepared to offer through enhanced facilities, staff, and faculty. 

The IVAC mission is to excel in project-specific preclinical       in-vivo studies. Using university resources and accomplished ULAM professionals specializing in diverse fields, IVAC can optimize the design, execution, interpretation, and reporting of in-vivo studies to guide projects through early translational milestones.

Services listed below can be utilized individually or combined as a full service, based on the needs of the investigator.

IVAC Scope of Services: 

• Project Consultation
• Animal Modeling Optimization
• Dose Range Finding Studies 
• Efficacy Studies
• Mode of Action Studies
• Carcinogenicity Studies
• In-vivo Lead Optimization
• Study Design
• Study Conduct
• Study Implementation
• Study Reporting
• In-vivo Animal Handling 
• Test Article/Substance Administration
• Blood Collection
• Terminal Procedure Support
• Animal ID & Genotyping Assistance
• Tumor Monitoring
• Euthanasia & Necropsy Service
• Clinical Pathology Evaluation
• Anatomic Pathology Evaluation (Paraffin & Frozen)
• Histopathology, Immunohistochemistry & Immunofluorescence
• Veterinary Pathology Reporting
• Peer Review Pathology Consultation  

The IVAC team is comprised of professionals with past experience in academia, toxicology, contract research laboratories and the pharmaceutical industry, in both Good Laboratory Practice (GLP) and non-GLP settings. ULAM's veterinary pathologists are in an     un-matched position within the university to provide translational research reviews through comparative pathology.

For additional information, or to set up an appointment to consult with the IVAC team on your preclinical research designs, please contact ULAM-IVAC@umich.edu or call (734) 647-0731. 

Do you require histology sample preparation as part of your research projects? 

We would like to hear from you! 

As part of an individual project for the Center for the Education of Women (CEW) by Carrie Schray, Manager of the Unit for Laboratory Animal Medicine (ULAM's) histology fee for service laboratory, and in conjunction with the U-M Medical School Office of Research, we would like to assess the needs of Principal Investigators in basic science, research, and translational laboratories across campus in their histology preparations and veterinary pathologist slide interpretations and reporting. 

Please consider taking a few minutes to provide this valuable input.

Access the survey. 

Each year, the U-M Office of the Vice President for Research honors a staff member from across the University with the Distinguished Research Administrator Award. This Award shines a spotlight on how research administration at the University, and beyond, has been advanced and enhanced by the awardee's contributions, especially impact beyond his or her home unit. 

This year's honoree is Teri Grieb, Ph.D., Senior Director for Research in the Medical School Office of Research and Managing Director of the Michigan Institute for Clinical & Health Research (MICHR). In his nomination, Senior Associate Dean for Research Dr. Steven Kunkel underscored that Grieb has been the strongest of champions for Michigan research endeavors and has advanced many of our University-wide research policies and activities. 

Dr. Kunkel pointed out that Grieb has the unique ability to set clear priorities with defined benchmarks and reasonable timelines, and adapt to the needs and expectations of faculty with the added value of under-promising and over-delivering. 

"Staff members who do terrific work are very valuable," noted Dr. Kunkel. "Staff who initiate, formulate, and break new directions are invaluable. Teri is invaluable."

A few highlights of the efforts and accomplishments of Teri Grieb, Ph.D., at the UMMS Office of Research: 

• Has been an innovator and partner with the U-M Office of Research and Sponsored Projects (ORSP) for all issues related to clinical trials, including developing the Medical School template, the confidentiality agreement process in eResearch, and parallel processing for contract negotiations through the Clinical Trial Routing Form.
• Partnered with the Medical School's Grants Office and ORSP to successfully delegate to the Grants Office the review and submission of Public Health Service (PHS) proposals directly to funding sponsors.
• Secured approval from University of Michigan Office of Research (formerly OVPR) for the use of commercial/central IRBs for multi-site, corporate-initiated clinical trials and partnered with IRBMED in implementing this new process.
• Originally implemented the Research Experts tool (SciVal faculty research profiles) to enable improved fingerprinting of research-related expertise of faculty, and has aided in its expansion to other health sciences schools, the College of Engineering, and other units across the University, including ISR, Kinesiology, UMTRI, Dearborn, etc. 
• Spearheaded the effort to build the business case for a UMHS central biorepository and received endorsement from the Research Board of Directors for its financing. The UMHS Biorepository is under an aggressive activation schedule and is expected to process its first sample by early summer. 
• Formerly lead committees that resulted in operational changes to the Unit for Laboratory Animal Medicine that changed how animal costs are accounted for in proposal budgets as well as the business case for, and build of, the eResearch Animal Management (eRAM) system.
• Contributes to university-wide activities by participating on numerous committees, such as IRB Council, Business Engagement Center Advisory Council, eResearch Leadership, Research Administration Advisory Council (RAAC), among others.

Shaomeng Wang, Ph.D., has been selected to receive the U-M Distinguished University Innovator Award for 2014.

Sponsored by the U-M Office of Research, the award honors faculty who have made important and lasting contributions to society by developing novel ideas and insights through their research, and then translating them to practice.

Dr. Wang is the Warner-Lambert/Parke-Davis Professor of Medicine and professor of internal medicine and pharmacology in the U-M Medical School, and professor of medicinal chemistry in the College of Pharmacy. He also is director of the Center for Discovery of New Medicines, funded by the provost, the Medical School, the College of Pharmacy, the Life Sciences Institute, the Comprehensive Cancer Center, and Departments of Internal Medicine and Pathology and Endowment for Basic Sciences of the Medical School, to promote research, education, and clinical translation of novel therapeutics. Dr. Wang is being honored for his pioneering work in the field of drug discovery, and his efforts to bring the fruits of this work to the marketplace.

"Shaomeng Wang's work demonstrates how groundbreaking scientific research at the University of Michigan can lead to practical applications in the marketplace," said S. Jack Hu, interim vice president for research. "It also underscores the importance of pursuing those opportunities so that society can benefit from research discoveries made in university laboratories."

As part of his research, Dr. Wang's laboratory has successfully developed several classes of anticancer drugs, which are designed to specifically kill tumor cells, while leaving normal cells unharmed. His work has led to 67 new invention disclosures resulting in 33 issued U.S. patents, and four license agreements. To date, Dr. Wang has advanced four novel cancer drugs into Phase I/II clinical development and several more drugs into late-stage preclinical development.

Established in 2007, the U-M Distinguished University Innovator Award is given by the vice president for research on the recommendation of a faculty selection committee, which reviews a pool of nominees each year.

This year's public award ceremony will take place at 4:00 PM on Thursday, May 1 in the Ford Amphitheatre at University Hospital.

After receiving the award, Dr. Wang will deliver a lecture focusing on the innovative work that led to his achievement. A reception will follow in the Ford Lobby.

The Medical School Dean's Office and the Office of Research are soliciting nominations for these three faculty research awards as part of the UMMS Dean's Award Program. These awards recognize outstanding faculty who demonstrate exceptional accomplishments in research and in the research community. 

This award is the highest honor bestowed by the Medical School upon a faculty member for research in the biomedical sciences. The recipient of this award is an exceptional leader in research, whose landmark contributions are recognized both nationally and internationally. Their contributions are usually linked to pivotal discoveries that have wide-ranging impact for the advancement of scientific knowledge. The recipient of this award also excels in teaching, mentoring, and service to our institution and to their colleagues in the scientific community at large. 

Nominees must be a full professor with their primary appointment in the U-M Medical School, including faculty from Biomedical Engineering (BME). Junior faculty are not eligible for this award; however, they may be eligible for the Basic Science Research Award. Please direct questions to Camille Mrozowski at 

(734) 615-8802 or cmrozow@umich.edu.

Basic Science Research Award

This award recognizes a scientist or group of scientists identified as having made outstanding contributions to the Medical School in basic biomedical science research. Nominees must be in the rank of Assistant or Associate Professor, or Assistant or Associate Research Professor in the U-M Medical School, which includes faculty from Biomedical Engineering (BME). Professors and Research Professors are not eligible for this award; however, they may be eligible for the Distinguished Faculty Lectureship Award in Biomedical Research. Please direct questions to Camille Mrozowski at (734) 615-8802 or cmrozow@umich.edu.  

This award recognizes a faculty member, or group of faculty members, who are identified as having made outstanding contributions to the Medical School in clinical or health services research. Nominees must be faculty of the U-M Medical School. Any rank or track are eligible. Please direct questions to 

Paula van Velden at (734) 764-2204 or paulavan@umich.edu. 

By Chris Black, M.L.S., Assistant Director for Research Development Support, 

Office of Research

(One in a series of tips published in UMMS Research News about writing proposals.)