MGH Research News for June 28, 2024

June 28, 2024

Announcements, events, funding opportunities and more news for the Mass General Research Institute community.

In this edition:

(Scroll down for more info and click on the links for additional details)

Funding Opportunities

NEW Interim Support Funding 24-3
Chong Jin Park Innovative Pilot Award, Aging and Palliative Care
Innovative Treatments for Disorders of Consciousness
Support for Early Career Investigators
Limited Submission Funding
Foundation Funding Opportunities

Announcements:

NEW The Connell Nursing Research Scholarship Program
Financial Planning 10-week Class
Grant Writing for Early-Stage Investigators
Clinical Research Survey, Survey to assess need for qualitative resources
Clinical Research Day Call for Abstracts
Software Offering - ChemDraw

Events:

REDCap eConsent Functionality
NEW Parenting Series 2023-2024
NEW Learn Something New
Town Hall MGB Research Strategic Planning Process 2024
NEW RCR: Academic Medicine, Industry, and Collaborative Research in the Era of Emerging Technologies and Precision Health
NEW RCR Program: Managing Problems with Co-Authors
NEW LSN: Planning for IRB Submission of a New Protocol and Using Insight
10th Annual World Medical Innovation Forum
4th Annual Conference on Precision Psychiatry
Two Meditation Sessions available every week

NEW Interim Support Funding 24-3

The Interim Support Funding (ISF) Program is open to Principal Investigators during a lapse or delay in their research funding from the NIH or another Federal agency (e.g., the National Science Foundation, the Department of Defense). Investigators must have applied for independent, long-term support (R01, R21, U01, P01, equivalent federal research grant). The intent of the program is to rescue strong scientific programs that are in need of bridge funding in order to sustain their research. Applications will be accepted regardless of percentile or score, including applications that were not discussed.

Deadline - Thursday, August 1, 2024 - 5:00 PM

Learn more

Chong Jin Park Innovative Early Career Pilot Award in Aging and Palliative Care

This grantwill support research focused on health equity and improving the lives of older people and or those with serious illness through research in population and health care delivery science.

The Ki Sub Joung Innovative Junior Faculty Pilot Award in Aging and Palliative Care

will support research focused on improving the lives of older people and or those with serious illness, with an emphasis on vulnerable populations.

Each award is $50,000 per year, plus 20% indirect costs.

Project Period: 12 months

Learn more

Innovative Treatments for Disorders of Consciousness

Spaulding Rehabilitation, in collaboration with the Curing Coma Campaign, announces the following funding opportunity to generate and initiate disruptive ideas in the treatment of patients with disorders of consciousness. This award funds projects that create infrastructure to enable prospective multicenter RCTs (including adaptive platform trials) and/or evaluate biologically plausible treatments. Acquisition of pilot data for larger multicenter studies is a key aim of this initiative.

Applying for this opportunity is a two-step process. Applicants first submit a brief Letter of Intent (LOI). Applicants will then be advanced to the next round and invited to submit a full proposal. The LOI submission window opens June 3, 2024, with a submission deadline of July 15, 2024. Visit the website and email SRNOutcomesCenter@partners.org for more details.

Learn more

Support for Early Career Investigators at the Translational and Clinical Research Center

The TCRC at Massachusetts General Hospital will support two early career investigators each year to perform their pilot and feasibility studies or studies related to their early career awards on the TCRC.

Awardees will not be charged for nursing, nutrition, or sample processing time, the TCRC annual fee or the TCRC per visit fee for research conducted on the TCRC (for up to $10,000 per year for two years). Coordinator support will not be available through this program.

Awardees will be supported via consultation with the TCRC Medical Resource Officer in protocol development, building of budgets, grant writing, filing of INDs/IDEs, and study implementation. They will receive guidance regarding participant recruitment and retention in the study, and other support as necessary for successful completion of the proposed project. Awardees will be encouraged to participate in Catalyst supported resources such as the C/T Academy and the GRASP program.

Deadline for Submission: July 1st

Learn more

Limited Submission Funding Opportunities

We ask that all MGH Investigators interested in applying for any limited submission award submit a Letter of Intent (see detailed instructions below) to the MGH Executive Committee on Research (ECOR) by the deadline indicated for each award to be considered to receive an institutional nomination.

CURRENT OPPORTUNITIES:

See full details for all awards on our website.

Limited Competition: Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA) Postdoctoral Research Training Grant for the Clinical and Translational Science Awards (CTSA) Program (T32 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) – NEW!

MGH LOI Deadline: 7/17/24

Learn more

Foundation Funding Opportunities

Please contact Corporate & Foundation Relations in the Office of Development at devcfr@mgh.harvard.edu if you wish to submit a proposal in response to any of these opportunities. Note that proposals are still routed through the standard InfoEd/Research Management process.

For all open foundation funding announcements, see the MGB Innovation External Funding Database

CURRENT OPPORTUNITIES:

See this week’s full foundation funding announcements (including eligibility, RM deadlines, and IDC) on our website.

Treat FTD (Frontotemporal Degeneration) Fund, Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation. $2.5 million (No IDC). LOI Deadline: September 30
Merit Award, American Heart Association (AHA). $1 million (10% IDC). LOI Deadline: September 10
Community Sleep Health and Public Awareness Grant (multiple funding levels), American Sleep Medicine Foundation (ASMF). $50,000 (8% IDC). Application Deadline: July 29
Therapeutic Catalyst, Cancer Research UK (CRUK). ≈$317,000 (No IDC). Application Deadline: October 25
Seed Grant Program, Hirshberg Foundation for Pancreatic Cancer Research. $75,000 (No IDC). Application Deadline: August 15
Catalyst Awards for Transformation in Graduate Medical Education, Josiah Macy Jr. Foundation. $100,000 (Unspecified IDC). Application Deadline: September 20
Faculty Research Grants (multiple opps), National Ataxia Foundation (NAF). $100,000 (No IDC). LOI Deadline: September 6
Post-Doctoral Fellowship Award, National Ataxia Foundation (NAF). $35,000 (No IDC). LOI Deadline: September 6

Do you want to learn more about identifying external funding opportunities? Please click here to request a research consultation with Amy Robb or see ECOR’s website for information on the Pivot database.

NEW The Connell Nursing Research Scholarship Program

The Connell Nursing Research Scholars (CNRS) program is a Post-Doctoral 18-month research intensive experience, designed to promote the advancement of interdisciplinary patient/family care at the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) through nursing research.

Connell Nursing Research Scholars will work over the course of 18 months to build nursing science through the investigation of issues that influence the delivery of cost effective, safe, efficient, high-quality patient/family-centric care as well as care redesign and health policy. Participation in the CNRS program as an Early or Mid–Career Nurse Researcher offers each scholar the time and active mentoring needed to generate and disseminate knowledge to advance interdisciplinary health care for all.

Proposal due: August 15, 2024

Learn More

Financial Planning 10-week Class

The Center for Faculty Development is excited to partner with Her Personal Finance to offer a 10-week online financial planning class for all faculty at MGH (not only women)! The course is targeted to early career faculty but is open to faculty at all career stages.

Have questions about how much to save for retirement or how much you should invest in a single asset like a house? Unsure if you should pay off your student loans first or save more for retirement?

This class is designed to answer those questions while helping you navigate common pitfalls which trip up professional faculty in academic medicine. This is a unique opportunity, and space is limited.

Facilitated by Eryn Schultz, MBA, Founder of Her Personal Finance.

Classes will take place every Wednesday from 4-5pm from July 17 to September 18, 2024.

Learn More

Grant Writing for Early-Stage Investigators

Now in its second iteration, C/T Research Academy First Grant Bootcamp is a training program designed for early-stage investigators who are ready to write their first grant application.

Over the course of 15 weeks, participants will prepare a competitive grant application via self-paced grant-writing instruction, live webinars, and faculty-led small groups focused on feedback and editing.⁠

Participants will receive resources and a grant-writing timeline to guide them through the process of writing the main sections of their grant application. Throughout the program, participants will meet every other week with a group of peers led by a faculty member. During these meetings, they will receive personalized grant-writing guidance and feedback. Participants will also learn how to provide effective peer-to-peer grant writing feedback, have access to a toolbox of grant-writing resources, and join live webinars on grant writing and career development topics.

Learn More

Clinical Research Survey, Survey to assess need for qualitative resources

DCR Course Offerings Survey

The Division of Clinical Research wants to know what you think about our courses and curriculum. Please take a few minutes to fill out this survey. Thank you!

Qualitative and Mixed Methods Research Unit Interest Survey

The DCR's Qualitative and Mixed Methods Research (QMMR) Unit provides consultations with investigators and research teams on qualitative and mixed methods research, including study design, data collection, data coding, analysis and interpretation, dissemination of results, and the development of research proposals and protocols. The Unit also offers educational lectures and a monthly drop-in investigator working group.

We want to hear from you about your interest in current and additional services from the QMMR Unit! Please fill out this 15-20 minute survey https://redcap.partners.org/redcap/surveys/?s=P4M3M3CLYWW49PM9.

Clinical Research Day, Call for Abstracts

We are excited to announce that this year’s Clinical Research Day will be hosted on Thursday, October 10, 2024! At this time, the Event Portal is open for abstract submissions! Abstract submissions will close on July 1, 2024. Submission guidelines are available within the portal.

The event topic this year is Gene and Cell Therapy: Current challenges for implementation. Our keynote speaker is Roger Joseph Hajjar, MD, Director of Mass General Brigham Gene and Cell Therapy Institute. Abstract submission topics are not limited by the event topic.

We are excited to offer a number of hospital wide awards, departmental awards, and recognition awards.

See these events and more on the calendar of events

REDCap eConsent Functionality

June 28, 2024, 10:00 am - 11:00 am

REDCap eConsent Functionality Speakers: Daniel Foley, Applications Analyst II, and Jeremy Alphonse, Project Analyst II, Research Information Science and Computing (RISC) Applications and Services When: Friday, June 28 | 10:00 – 11:00 am Location: Virtual via Zoom Description: Mass General Brigham (MGB) has developed a REDCap eConsent Framework that will turn the paper-based informed consenting processes into an electronic informed consent process that researchers can use for Institutional Review Board (IRB) reviewed and approved studies. The MGB REDCap eConsent Framework will allow users to combine the validated components to design and customize an eConsent Project to their Use Case and workflow. Learning Objectives:

Understand eConsent technical requirements
Learn how to program REDCap for electronic consent

Target audience: Researchers evaluating electronic consent options for research studies.

NEW Parenting Series 2023-2024

The Phenomenon of College Student Isolation and Disengagement: Insights and Advice from Experts

June 30, 2024, 12:00 am - 1:00 pm

Understand eConsent technical requirements
Learn how to program REDCap for electronic consent

Target audience: Researchers evaluating electronic consent options for research studies.

NEW Learn Something New: Where to Start During Study Start-up?

July 8, 2024, 11:00 am - 12:00 pm

Learn Something New: Where to Start During Study Start-up? Speaker: Grace Ha, Sr Clinical Research Project Manager, Cardiovascular Research Center, MGH When: Monday, July 8, 2024 | 11:00 am-12:00 pm Location: Virtual via Zoom Description: So, your new study has been approved by the IRB. Now what? Even after IRB approval, there are a lot of pieces and parts to getting a brand-new research study up and running. This session will give you tips and tricks for getting your study started and ready to enroll subjects.

Zoom Link

Town Hall MGB Research Strategic Planning Process 2024

July 11, 2024, 12:30 am - 1:30 am

One of the current MGB system goals is to create a 10-year strategic plan for the MGB research enterprise.

We are embarking upon this strategic planning exercise in FY24 to ensure sustainable growth, address operational and organizational challenges, and maintain our reputation as a world leader in biomedical research. You can learn more here.

Input from our MGB research community is critical to the development of the strategic plan. Please join us at this town hall to learn about the plan's progress and contribute your thoughts. The town hall will be led by Paul Anderson, MD, PhD – MGB Chief Academic Officer – and Allison Moriarty – SVP, Research Planning & Operations, and Innovation.

Zoom Link

NEW RCR: Academic Medicine, Industry, and Collaborative Research in the Era of Emerging Technologies and Precision Health

July 11, 2024, 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm

RCR: Academic Medicine, Industry, and Collaborative Research in the Era of Emerging Technologies and Precision Health Speaker: Dr. Samia Mora, MD, MHS When: Thursday, July 11 | 12:00-1:00 pm Location: Virtual via Zoom Description: Responsible conduct of research (RCR) training is required of students, trainees, and investigators with career development awards who are supported by NIH funds. In addition, the National Science Foundation (NSF) requires RCR training of undergraduates, graduate students, and postdoctoral fellows with any NSF support. In order to fulfill the RCR training requirement MGB developed a curriculum that must be completed by all awardees.

NEW RCR Program: Managing Problems with Co-Authors

July 11, 2024, 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm, Virtual

RCR Program: Managing Problems with Co-Authors Speaker: Edward T. Ryan, M.D., DTM&H, Director, Global Infectious Diseases; Division of Infectious Diseases When: Thursday, July 11 | 2:00 – 3:00 pm Location: Virtual via Zoom Description: In this interactive seminar, participants will learn how to become responsible authors through discussing scenarios. Students will workshop management and conflict resolution regarding publication disagreements. The simulation addresses the authors' ethical responsibilities and establishes author team roles to mitigate and solve problems. Sponsored by the MGRI Division of Clinical Research

NEW LSN: Planning for IRB Submission of a New Protocol and Using Insight

July 12, 2024, 11:00 am - 12:00

LSN: Planning for IRB Submission of a New Protocol and Using Insight Speaker: Grace Ha, Senior Clinical Research Project Manager, Cardiovascular Research Center, MGH When: Virtual via Zoom Location: Friday, July 12, 2024 | 11:00 am-12:00 pm Description: Insight is the MGB-built website that houses all things research management. In this session, we will cover the steps for submitting a brand-new protocol to the MGB IRB using Insight as well as some tips and tricks for new protocol submissions.

10th Annual World Medical Innovation Forum

September 23-25, 2024

Presented by Mass General Brigham and Bank of America, the 2024 World Medical Innovation Forum will focus on three major investment and scientific growth areas—oncology, rare disease, and immunology and inflammation. At the Forum, you’ll have direct access to speakers and peers including dozens of leading CEOs, senior investors, entrepreneurs, government officials, and prominent Harvard clinicians and scientists.

We look forward to welcoming you to Boston—the hub of biotech—and the state-of-the-art meeting center at the top-rated Encore Boston Harbor September 23–25.

4th Annual Conference on Precision Psychiatry

Innovation to Implementation

September 26-27, 2024

The Annual Conference on Precision Psychiatry, hosted by the MGH Center for Precision Psychiatry, is becoming a leading venue for showcasing advances in the application of precision medicine approaches to psychiatric research and clinical practice. The Conference will be held virtually over the course of two days: Thursday, September 26th and Friday, September 27th, 2024.

Earn 7 continued education credits for participating this year!