EVENTS 
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Tuesday, April 12
8:00 AM - 10:00 AM
BSRB Seminar Rooms
Breakfast provided
Ann Arbor Marriott Ypsilanti at Eagle Crest Tuesday, April 19 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM Ballroom, Michigan Union Thursday, April 21 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM Room 5000, Taubman Health Sciences Library Lunch provided Wednesday, April 27 8:30 AM - 4:30 PM Founders Room, Alumni Center Metabolomics WorkshopMonday, May 9 - Thursday, May 12 Four-day workshop 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM Kellogg Eye Center Tuesday, May 10 Forum Hall, Palmer Commons This event is free and open to the public.
Tuesday, May 17 (breakfast provided) or (lunch provided) BSRB Seminar Rooms
Wednesday, May 18
9:00 AM - 1:00 PM
NCRC Bldgs. 10 & 18
RSVP required. Monday, June 6 7:30 AM - 5:00 PM Ann Arbor Marriott Ypsilanti at Eagle Crest
SAVE THE DATE! Wednesday, August 31 11:00 AM - 2:00 PM Circle Drive in front of Med Sci I |
RESEARCH NEWS
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QUICKLINKS
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IN THIS ISSUE
Leadership
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Funding
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Training & Professional Development
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Announcements
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Accolades & Milestones
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Select Research Funding &
Award Opportunities
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External Limited Submissions
Bridging Support
Other Opportunities
Featured Foundation Grants
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Award
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Deadline
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Friday, April 15
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Friday, April 22
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Monday, April 25
| Takeda Pharmaceuticals, U.S.A.
Medical Education Grant -
Inflammatory Bowel Disease | Friday, April 29 | | ASTS Improving Transplant Center Metrics Research Grant | Sunday, May 1 | |
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Wednesday, May 11
| Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation -
Reach Grant | Friday, May 27 | Vilcek Prizes for
Creative Promise in Biomedical Science | Friday, June 10 | Burroughs Wellcome Fund -
Investigators in the Pathogenesis
of Infectious Disease Award | Friday, July 15 |
Visit the UMHS Corporate and Foundation Relations website for more foundation funding opportunities.
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U-M Regents Approve New Assistant Dean for Clinical Research
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Anna Lok, M.D., to lead ongoing transformation
of the clinical trials enterprise
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| | Anna Lok, M.D. |
In 2014, U-M Medical School leadership identified an enterprise-wide goal of transforming clinical trials by 2018. Part of the Strategic Research Initiative, "Fast Forward Clinical Trials," is engaging the entire Medical School in creating the new knowledge needed to improve clinical care, value, and health outcomes by successfully executing a diverse portfolio of high-quality clinical trials. Senior Associate Dean for Research Steven Kunkel, Ph.D., is excited to announce a new leadership position for this important initiative at the U-M Medical School.
At their meeting on Thursday, March 17, the U-M Regents approved the appointment of Anna Lok, M.D., the Alice Lohrman Andrews Research Professor in Hepatology, as the Assistant Dean for Clinical Research. Reporting to Dr. Kunkel, Dr. Lok is now the principal in the Medical School Office of Research responsible for leading and implementing the processes of Fast Forward Clinical Trials across the entire UMHS. She will be responsible for the overall leadership, management, and oversight of the newly created network of clinical trials nodes and key aspects of the supporting central administrative structure.
"Anna Lok is one of our stellar trialists and researchers, with over 20 years of experience," noted Dr. Kunkel. "Her passion for excellence and deep understanding of the clinical trial process make her an outstanding choice to lead us through the big changes ahead with Fast Forward Clinical Trials."
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UMOR Names New Executive Director of Translational Research
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| | George Mashour, M.D. |
George Mashour, M.D., has been named Executive Director of Translational Research in the U-M Office of Research (UMOR). The new position is in addition to his roles as Associate Dean for Clinical and Translational Research in the Medical School Office of Research, Director of the Michigan Institute for Clinical & Health Research (MICHR), and varied faculty appointments.
In this new role, Dr. Mashour will work closely with UMOR leadership and faculty in advocating for translational research in its many forms across schools, colleges, and campuses of U-M, including serving as chair of the Translational Research Council, which will be created and charged with coordinating translational activities across campus. He will also help educate faculty and staff colleagues about the value and methods of translational research, while collaborating with other members of the UMOR team to exchange knowledge, develop shared vision and strategies, and enhance synergies between UMOR and MICHR in community engagement, compliance, education, and training.
CLICK HERE to read the full announcement.
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Stay on the Cutting Edge of Research at the BRCF Technology & Services Showcase
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Thursday, June 2 at Palmer Commons
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Thursday, June 2
11:30 AM - 2:00 PM
Great Lakes Room and Forum Hall
4th Floor, Palmer Commons
FREE lunch from Zingerman's
(with entry ticket)
RSVP for this free event:
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Speaking sessions featuring top experts in research will be held in Forum Hall, across the hall from the vendor area, including:
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10:00 AM:
| Core Expert User Award Winner
Karin Hardiman, M.D., Assistant Professor of Surgery in the Division of Colorectal Surgery, will present on her work with colorectal cancer, tumor heterogeneity, and subclonality
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11:00 AM:
| "Identification of Low Abundance Proteins
in a Highly Complex Sample"
from Proteomics & Peptide Synthesis Core Director Henriette Remmer, Ph.D.
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1:30 PM:
| A discussion on STED Depletion Microscopy with Linda Barthel,
Microscopy & Image Analysis Laboratory
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2:00 PM:
| CRISPR/Cas9 Genome Modification Pipeline with Thom Saunders, Ph.D.,
Director of the Transgenic Animal Model Core and Sigma-Aldrich Biotechnology Specialist Heather Hargett, Ph.D.
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For more information on participating units and vendors, please visit the event website.
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Kickoff!
New Therapeutic Innovation Fund
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The Michigan Center for Therapeutic Innovation (MCTI) and Fast Forward Medical Innovation (FFMI) to offer five-year, $2.5M fund
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The MCTI Therapeutic Innovation Fund is a five-year, $2.5M fund created to accelerate the discovery and translation of therapeutic candidates at the University of Michigan.
The fund will support the discovery and optimization of small molecule lead compounds for projects with a specific, novel, and testable drug discovery hypothesis. Selected projects will receive funding and resources from MCTI in the areas of: assay development, drug design, cell biology, medicinal chemistry, structural biology, and pharmacology (up to $100K in value for each award for one to two years). The fund will be jointly administered by MCTI and FFMI. MCTI was recently launched to accelerate the discovery and translation of new small molecule therapeutics for the treatment of human disorders through innovation and scientific collaboration at the University of Michigan.
An advisory committee of recognized drug discovery and development experts will review and select projects for funding. MCTI and FFMI will partner to assign funded teams with experienced mentors to guide each individual project.
Applications are encouraged from investigators from across the University of Michigan.
A Request for Proposals is coming soon.
Questions?
Contact Dr. Ester Fernández-Salas, MCTI Managing Director, at [email protected] or (734) 998-8301, or Casey Wegner, Senior Business Analyst, at [email protected] or (734) 764-2695.
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U-M Names 2016 Distinguished University Innovator Award Winner
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UMMS faculty member James A. Shayman, M.D.,
to be honored at May 9 ceremony
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Dr. Shayman is the Agnes C. and Frank D. McKay Professor of Internal Medicine and professor of pharmacology at the Medical School. He is being honored for his innovative work that has led to a simpler and more effective approach to treating lysosomal storage diseases, a group of 50 related genetic disorders. In these diseases, cells and body tissues are damaged by fatty substances that build up to toxic levels in lysosomes, structures within cells that process cellular waste.
Established in 2007 by the U-M Office of Research, the Distinguished University Innovator 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 into practice. This year's public award ceremony will take place at 4:00 PM on Monday, May 9 in Forum Hall at Palmer Commons. After receiving the award, Dr. Shayman will deliver a lecture titled "Why I Study Rare Diseases," which will be followed by a reception. Learn more about Dr. Shayman's innovative research here. |
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Trio of Research Awards Available Through Annual Dean's Program
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Nominations due Monday, May 2
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 The Medical School Dean's Office
is accepting nominations of candidates for three research awards through its annual Dean's Awards Program.
Nominations are due Monday, May 2 for the following awards: Details on these awards, and others, are available here. All nominations should be made through UMMS Competition Space.
The 2016 winners will be honored in the fall during the annual Faculty and Staff Awards Dinner.
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RFA for Innovation Faculty Champions
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Applications due Friday, May 6
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The Faculty Champions represent FFMI's four vertical market areas of devices, diagnostics, healthcare IT, and therapeutics, and collaborate closely with other faculty and leadership to create strategies for driving innovation and commercialization across campus and beyond.
Each Champion will be supported at 10 percent of his/her base academic salary by the Medical School Dean's Office in exchange for 10 percent effort to this position, with a two-year term beginning on July 1, 2016.
Interested faculty should CLICK HERE for more details and the RFA. Applications are due by 5:00 PM on Friday, May 6.
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UMMS Central Biorepository
Receives Comprehensive Certificate
of Confidentiality
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Learn what that means for your research
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The National Institutes of Health, through the National Human Genome Research Institute, has issued the UMMS Central Biorepository (CBR) a Certificate of Confidentiality to protect research data.
The Certificate protects all data associated with, or derived from, Central Biorepository biospecimens. It also permits the CBR and collaborating investigators to refuse compelled disclosure (such as by subpoena) of data or information that would identify CBR research subjects.
As a result, all investigators who deposit specimens
into the CBR, and also those who conduct studies
on any CBR specimens, will be protected and will not need to acquire their own Certificates.
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The CBR currently contains DNA, plasma, serum, urine, and tissues from over 50,000 individuals. Each specimen is linked to clinical data, and many are already annotated with genomic information.
Investigators can apply to store specimens and/or propose research uses of CBR specimens on the CBR website.
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Experience the HTG EdgeSeq at the DNA Sequencing Core
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Hurry, Limited Time Only!
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 The DNA Sequencing Core is pleased to announce a two-month demo of the HTG EdgeSeq. The EdgeSeq automates novel target capture and library prep in an effort to reduce turnaround time and simplify the process. "This really opens up a whole new ball game for us," explained Jeanne Geskes, Assistant Director of Core Technology at the DNA Sequencing Core. "It's a wonderful opportunity for researchers at the University of Michigan. Not only does the EdgeSeq automate the entire library prep process, but it targets 2,600 RNA transcripts from a variety of samples we couldn't sequence before." The instrument will be available through the end of May. |
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Collaboration Opportunity with Ford
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RFP for In-Vehicle Health Research
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Ford Motor Company, as part of its research alliance with U-M, has an open call for proposals. Ford is open to any idea that could be beneficial to both Ford and U-M, including in-vehicle health and wellness and the user experience.
The research alliance includes overhead-bearing (indirect cost) research projects for up to two years and up to $100,000 per year from Ford. Projects are co-developed with a Ford Principal Investigator (PI), provide pre-negotiated intellectual property rights, and have a 25-40 percent win rate.
First draft proposals are due between Friday, April 1 and Wednesday, June 8, with final proposals due Monday, August 15. Tentative approval will be communicated by December, with payment disbursed in the first quarter 2017.
To identify a Ford PI for your area of research, please contact Susan Shields in the U-M Business Engagement Center at (734) 615-3533 or [email protected].
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Register for CBSSM Lunch and Research Colloquium on April 27
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| | William Dale, M.D., Ph.D. |
Registration is now open for the
This year's event will be held on Wednesday, April 27 in the Founders Room of the Alumni Center, located on U-M's central campus in Ann Arbor.
The CBSSM Research Colloquium features presentations focusing on bioethics and social sciences in medicine across multiple disciplines.
The keynote address is the Bishop Lecture in Bioethics, an endowed lectureship made possible by a gift from the estate of Ronald C. and Nancy V. Bishop. William Dale, M.D., Ph.D., will present this year's Bishop Lecture with a talk entitled: "Why Do We So Often Overtreat, Undertreat, and Mistreat Older Adults with Cancer?"
Dr. Dale is Associate Professor of Medicine and Chief, Section of Geriatrics & Palliative Medicine & Director, SOCARE Clinic at the University of Chicago.
Individuals interested in attending the event are strongly encouraged to RSVP by Friday, April 22 in order to ensure accurate numbers for catering and lunch. This event is free and open to the public.
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Rise of the Cellular Machines Coming Soon to 15th Annual LSI Symposium
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This year's theme is "Chemical Biology: Rise of the Cellular Machines." This year's keynote, entitled "The Split Personality of Human O-GIcNAc Transferase," will be given by Suzanne Walker, Ph.D., Professor of Microbiology and Immunobiology, Harvard Medical School.
Additional details, including speaker bios and a full Symposium schedule, are available here.
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15th Annual LSI Symposium:
Rise of the Cellular Machines
Tuesday, May 10
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Forum Hall, Palmer Commons |
This event is free and open to the public.
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Library Announces Beta Launch
of Institutional Data Repository
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In 2006 the University Library launched Deep Blue, the institutional repository that preserves and provides access to the scholarly and creative work of U-M researchers.
Today, the Library is happy to announce the beta launch of Deep Blue Data, an expansion of Deep Blue optimized for research data preservation and access. Deep Blue Data was created as a strategic initiative of the Library with significant funding from the Provost.
Deep Blue Data will help many researchers to make their datasets discoverable and citable by their peers, and to comply with federal data sharing mandates. Deep Blue Data is currently accepting data deposits. The repository is not configured to accept sensitive data or any other data under the purview of U-M Research Compliance Programs.
During the beta phase, the Library's Research Data Services unit will be working with depositors and gathering information that will help us improve the upload, description, and discoverability processes prior to the public launch in September.
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Depression Center Announces
Two Funding Opportunities
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Proposals due Wednesday, June 1
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Applications for either award must be submitted by Wednesday, June 1 and should be submitted via UMMS Competition Space.
Rachel Upjohn Clinical Scholars Award
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Award Amount:
| $50,000 | |
Number of Potential Awardees:
| One | |
Research Focus:
| This award supports research in the etiology
and treatments that will impact future care of depression, bipolar, and related disorders.
This includes a wide range of themes such as the biological, sociological, and psychological aspects of these illnesses. | |
Eligibility:
| Early career U-M faculty members, including research faculty members, lecturers, or any rank up to Assistant Professor who are members of the Depression Center.* | |
More Information:
| Available here |
Strategic Translational Research (STAR) Awards
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Award Amount:
| $10,000 | |
Number of Potential Awardees:
| Two | |
Research Focus:
| Funds may be used to gather additional and new quantitative or qualitative pilot data, refine methodology, test tools, analyze data, or further any aspect of depression-related research.
Preference will be given to proposals containing innovative and original research ideas brought forth by the trainee, and are not incremental to an extant research program. This could be an independent project or a new specific aim to an existing project.
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Eligibility:
| Awards are available to Depression Center members who are students, residents, fellows, or post-doctoral candidates.*
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More Information:
| Available here |
*Those who are not currently Depression Center members can review criteria for membership here. Questions about either award should be directed to Kim Weber in the Depression Center at [email protected]. |
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Expand Your Research
with Metabolomics Workshop
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Four-day workshop happening May 9-12
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to explore primary concepts in metabolomics, data processing,
and statistical analysis.
After attending this four-day workshop, you'll be able to:
- Understand the principles of the analytical methodologies and data analysis techniques used in metabolomics
- Use this knowledge to incorporate metabolomics
into your research - Understand the reasoning behind data processing
and statistical analysis - Gain a working familiarity with bioinformatics tools
for exploratory analysis
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Metabolomics Workshop
Monday, May 9 - Thursday, May 12
Kellogg Eye Center
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A sample schedule from the 2015 workshop is available for PDF download. Visit the MRC2 website for more information about this and other learning opportunities in metabolomics.
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Connect with Life Science Suppliers
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Join Procurement Services on Tuesday, April 19
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Click on image to view and download event flyer.
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Join U-M Procurement Services at their upcoming Life Science Suppliers Show for lunch and to learn more about how research supply vendors can help your unit save money! Participating vendors include: - Bio-Rad
- Dot Scientific, Inc.
- Envigo (formerly Harlan)
- Integrated DNA Technologies (IDT)
- Millipore Sigma (formerly EMD Millipore)
- QIAGEN
- Sigma-Aldrich
- Thermo Fisher Scientific
And don't forget to enter a drawing to win one of four great prizes!
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Life Science Suppliers Show
Tuesday, April 19
11:00 AM - 1:30 PM
BSRB Seminar Rooms |
For more information, please contact Life Science Procurement Agent Kelly Pavlica at [email protected] or (734) 615-8767.
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Featured Foundation Grants
for Biomedical Research
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Takeda Pharmaceuticals, U.S.A. Medical Education Grant - Inflammatory Bowel Disease
Takeda Pharmaceuticals, U.S.A. is currently accepting grant applications for its Medical Education Grant Program in the area(s) of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). The purpose of this grant is to support activities designed to enhance the knowledge and skills of health care professionals and patients surrounding IBD and related issues.
Improving Transplant Center Metrics Research Grant
The Laura and John Arnold Foundation (LJAF), the American Society of Transplant Surgeons (ASTS), and the American Society of Transplantation (AST) are seeking research proposals for developing and testing new transplant center performance metrics that are intended to reduce undue risk aversion among centers, incentivize innovation, and protect patient safety.
Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation - Reach Grant
The purpose of the Reach Grant is to advance the mission of the Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation by removing one of the significant barriers that impede the translation of innovative and important ideas to the clinic as they pertain to cures and treatments for childhood cancers. Specifically, this grant seeks to remove one of these barriers by providing support for important pre-clinical projects that are necessary to move a study from the pre-clinical arena into a clinical trial.
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Award
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Amount
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Deadline
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| $125K* | Friday, May 27
by 11:59PM EST |
*A maximum of $125K in total costs may be requested per project year
Vilcek Foundation -
Prizes for Creative Promise in Biomedical Science
The Vilcek Foundation will award three prizes of $50,000 each to young foreign-born biomedical scientists who demonstrate outstanding early achievement. Eligible work may be in basic, applied, and/or translational biomedical science.
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Award
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Amount
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Deadline
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| $50K |
Friday, June 10
by 5:00 PM EST
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Questions about these award opportunities should be directed to Joe Piffaretti in UMHS Corporate and Foundation Relations via email at [email protected] or phone at (734) 763-1318.
If you are interested in receiving weekly funding announcements that include opportunities such as those listed above, please contact Joe Piffaretti to be added to the faculty/staff email circulation list.
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UMMS Seeking Applications, Nominations for New CBSSM Director
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The CBSSM at U-M is the intellectual home for clinicians from a diverse range of specialties (including internal medicine, oncology, surgery, and obstetrics, among many others), social scientists, psychologists, bioethicists, and all others interested in improving individual and societal health through application of social science and bioethics methods to health research, education, and public outreach.
Candidates* for the director position must have: - Shown scholarly distinction in bioethics and/or social science-oriented health services research,
- A strong track record of developing programs of
sustained extramural funding and of mentoring junior faculty and trainees, - A demonstrated commitment to education,
- An M.D., Ph.D., or equivalent doctoral degree, and
- Be eligible for tenure at the rank of associate professor
or professor eligible for a faculty appointment at U-M.
Interested candidates should submit their cover letter and CV as one electronic attachment to Courtney Godfrey in the Medical School Dean's Office at [email protected].
*The University is a non-discriminatory/equal opportunity employer. |
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Review Criteria for New NIH
Rigor & Reproducibility Standards
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Sharpening Your Focus:
Tips on Grant Proposal Preparation
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By Jill Jividen, Ph.D., Senior Manager
for Research Development Support,
U-M Medical School Office of Research
(One in a series of tips published in UMMS Research News about writing proposals.)
In the next cycle of study sections, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) reviewers will newly assess four areas of proposals for attention to rigor and reproducibility as described in these updated instructions. The first three have the potential to affect scores in Significance and Approach.
New reviewer instructions are described below:
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1.
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Scientific Premise is a measure of the strength of the body of evidence supporting your proposed research questions. Your Significance section should include analyses of published research or preliminary data crucial to the support of your application (e.g., the rigor of prior experiments, methodology or interpretation, biological variables, and/or authentication of key resources).
Reviewer instructions: "Is there a strong scientific premise for this project?"
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Scientific Rigor is the strict application of scientific method to ensure robust and unbiased experimental design, methodology, analysis, interpretation, and reporting of results (i.e., full transparency and reproducibility); rigor should be reflected in Approach.
Reviewer instructions: "Have investigators presented strategies to ensure a robust and unbiased approach, as appropriate for the work proposed?" | |
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Relevant Biological Variables: For basic, preclinical and clinical research in vertebrates and humans, explain how relevant biological variables (e.g., sex, age, weight, etc.) are factored into research design and analyses. Studies using only one sex should provide strong justification from scientific literature or preliminary data. This should appear in your Approach section.
Reviewer instructions: "Have the investigators presented adequate plans to address relevant biological variables, such as sex, for studies in vertebrate animals or human subjects?"
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Authentication of Key Resources: Key biological or chemical resources are generally those that may differ from lab to lab or over time, have qualities that could influence results, and are integral to the proposed research (e.g., cell lines, specialty chemicals, antibodies, other biologics, etc.). The new attachment should transparently report how you will authenticate these resources.
Reviewer instructions: "Comment on the brief plans proposed for identifying and ensuring the validity of key biological and/or chemical resources."
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If you are interested in learning more, join the Medical School Office of Research for the following workshop:
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"Understanding the New NIH
Rigor & Reproducibility Standards"
Tuesday, April 26
3:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Danto Auditorium, CVC
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Additional recommended training resources:
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