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Dear Colleagues,
As we move into the summer months, we want to acknowledge all the incredibly hard work of our research community during these challenging times. As we are aware, awards continue to be delayed, we are submitting more grants, and we are being faced with new formatting requirements for NIH proposals and new grant mechanisms (e.g., PF5) that put additional burden on investigators. That being said, we want to highlight the incredible talent, dedication, and spirit of the UCSF research community. Our research community is continuing to make important contributions to health science and to support our early-stage investigators. Among Departments of Medicine around the country, we have the second-highest NIH funding support, and our work is continuing to shape important advances in basic science, clinical medicine, and population health.
All the best,
Diane and David
Diane Havlir, MD
Associate Chair for Clinical Research
David Erle, MD
Associate Chair for Biomedical Research
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Neil Powe, professor of medicine and vice chair of the UCSF Department of Medicine, received the Uwe Reinhardt Distinguished Career Award from Academy Health.
The Uwe Reinhardt Distinguished Career Award is Academy Health’s highest honor, recognizing leaders who have made significant and lasting contributions to the field of health services research (HSR).
His research has advanced the understanding of optimal provision of health care, especially for the most vulnerable, by using health services research to interrogate medical practices, payment policies, and health disparities. He has studied coverage, access, utilization, costs, and financial incentives in Medicare and Medicaid, particularly for persons with kidney disease; technology coverage by health insurance plans; digitization of health records; healthcare disparities, including access to transplantation; and the relation between burden of disease and NIH funding.
In addition, Dr. Powe received a Distinguished Graduate Award from the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine. The award celebrates the graduate’s notable achievement — in either biomedical research, clinical practice, or medical education — which has already garnered national or international acclaim.
| | American Society for Clinical Investigation (ASCI) Honorary Member | | |
Joel Ernst, professor of medicine in the Division of Experimental Medicine at ZSFG, was elected as an honorary member of ASCI in recognition of his scientific contributions to the understanding of immunity and immune evasion in tuberculosis, and for his mentoring contributions emphasizing a diverse workforce.
His work on tuberculosis focuses on building innovative new tools and using them to determine mechanisms that limit the efficacy of CD4 T cell responses to M. tuberculosis infection to inform vaccine design.
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We’re excited to celebrate the accomplishments of our faculty. If you know of recent awards, honors, or recognitions that we should highlight in future newsletters, please share them with Ilona Paredes—we’d love to spread the word!
| | Report Back: AI Grant Writing Seminar | | |
Seth Blumberg, Vincent Chan, Erica Farrand, Peter Washington (pictured left to right).
The Department of Medicine recently hosted a virtual panel discussion on the use of AI tools in grant preparation, with more than 100 attendees. Panelists shared practical examples of how AI can support grant development, including identifying funding opportunities and collaborators, reviewing literature, refining proposal messaging, addressing review criteria, generating schematic figures, reformatting applications for different sponsors, and evaluating responses to reviewer critiques.
A consistent theme throughout the discussion was that AI functions best as an assistant to improve efficiency, organization, and iteration rather than replace investigator judgment. Panelists emphasized the importance of verifying outputs, protecting confidentiality, and following NIH guidance regarding appropriate AI use in grant applications. The discussion also highlighted the importance of preserving opportunities for trainees and junior investigators to develop grant-writing skills directly.
Participants expressed strong interest in continued programming and shared resources, including practical use cases and guidance documents to support responsible and effective AI use in research workflows. The Associate Chairs for Research are currently organizing future workshops focused on hands-on applications of AI in grant preparation.
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MoFo Cell & Gene Therapies Series
The five-week virtual course is designed to help cell and gene therapy (CGT) innovators navigate the critical legal, regulatory, and business considerations from early discovery through commercialization.
Key topics include:
- Crafting strong patent strategies for CGT innovations
- Moving from lab to license, including spinouts and partnerships
- Fundraising fundamentals and IP diligence
- Navigating FDA regulatory pathways for CGT products
- Minimizing future litigation risks, including CRISPR-related considerations
The course will run from Thursday, May 21, through Thursday, June 18, from 12 PM-1 PM. A Zoom link will be provided to those who register. Please use this same link to join each session.
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Office of Research Town Hall
Join Vice Chancellor for Research Harold Collard at the next Office of Research Town Hall on Tuesday, July 21 at 1 PM for the latest updates on federal research policy and key operational priorities, including important updates and information from the Office of Sponsored Research.
| Research Support Programs | | |
School of Medicine Talent Connect
We want to remind all researchers that UCSF offers a system to help support your research staffing needs, including study coordinators, data analysts, managers, and other research staff. The SOM Talent Connect is a place where you can identify staffing support that may be available for your research projects on a temporary or part-time basis. This “marketplace” also allows you to share the availability of your own research staff who may be able to support colleagues across UCSF.
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PRE-Proposal Application REview (PREPARE) Program
Get expert NIH-style feedback on your R, K, and U proposals with the PREPARE Program, which provides free, high-quality application review services to help you strengthen your submission and achieve your funding goals.
| | Office of Sponsored Research (OSR) Updates | |
“The Research Resource” newsletter is packed with important information this month. We wanted to highlight updates below:
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For applications due on or after May 25, 2026, Basic Experimental Studies with Humans (BESH) will no longer be classified as clinical trials. Review the updated requirements. (NOT-OD-26-067)
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NIH will continue temporary peer-review modifications, including reducing the percentage of applications discussed through the October 2026 Advisory Council to address review backlogs resulting from the 2025 federal funding lapse (NOT-OD-26-069).
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Effective July 1, 2026, the Office of Clinical Trial Activation (OCTA) will implement a new technology fee for new industry-sponsored studies and applicable protocol amendments, in addition to a 5% increase in the Clinical Research Billing Compliance Fee. Read more here.
| To help ensure timely proposal development and submission, investigators are encouraged to notify the Office of Sponsored Research (OSR) as early as possible when planning new grant applications. The table below summarizes UCSF OSR’s recommended advance notice timelines for various proposal types. | |
IRB Is Moving to Research Gateway
UCSF is replacing the iRIS IRB submission system with a new system called Research Gateway IRB. This page outlines the change, key transition dates, how to prepare, newly posted guidance, and what to expect during the transition.
Key information:
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Submission freeze (Saturday, June 13-Tuesday, June 30): No submissions can be made in iRIS during this period. Research Gateway IRB will launch on Wednesday, July 1, 2026.
- Submissions in progress: Studies submitted before June 13 that are not approved by June 24 must be resubmitted in Research Gateway IRB starting July 1.
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During the freeze: Reportable new information that may affect whether a study can continue should be submitted using the Ask Andy form.
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JIT submissions: Additional guidance for Just-In-Time (JIT) submissions received before or during the freeze is available here.
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Daniel Broadhurst Addiction Research Award
Applications are due by Tuesday, June 30
The UCSF Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI) Pilot Awards program is announcing a new one-year funding opportunity. The Daniel Broadhurst Addiction Research Award was established to support innovative addiction research with projects focused on the treatment of adults addicted to illicit and/or prescription drugs.
This award aims to fuel transformative innovation and discoveries that expand our understanding and treatment of addiction among adults aged 18 and over. It will support a wide range of research approaches that address the complex challenges of addiction from basic cellular and molecular mechanisms through testing clinical therapeutic interventions and ensuring long-term effectiveness.
UCSF Faculty in any series (ladder rank, in residence, clinical, health sciences, and adjunct) at all ranks (instructors, assistant professors, associate professors, and full professors) are eligible to apply.
To apply, please complete a REDCap form, which includes submitting a grant application by 3 PM on Tuesday, June 30, 2026. CTSI anticipates awarding up to two proposals, each receiving $100,000 in direct funds for a one-year period.
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Nancy E. Adler Seed Grant Program
Applications are due by Wednesday, September 9
The Center for Health and Community in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences is pleased to share a request for pilot research proposals. The Nancy E. Adler Seed Grants Program (ASG) will support projects focused on social and behavioral determinants of health. Annual budgets should not exceed $25,000, and total budgets should not exceed $35,000. Proposals will be considered on a competitive basis through Wednesday, September 9, 2026.
UCSF-appointed assistant professors from any academic series and postdoctoral fellows with faculty mentorship are eligible to apply for internal funding.
Proposals should be submitted via email to Dina Dudum Freij by 5 PM on Wednesday, September 9, 2026. View the full call for proposals here.
| | If you'd like to contribute to future newsletters, please send your items to Ilona Paredes. | | Informational Resources for the Research Community | | |
Copyright © 2026, University of California, San Francisco, All rights reserved.
Please send comments, suggestions, and questions to:
diane.havlir@ucsf.edu and david.erle@ucsf.edu
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