In this edition:

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

Funding Opportunities

• NEW! The Smith Family Awards for Excellence in Biomedical Research
• ADDF Harrington Scholar Award
• Harrington Scholar-Innovator Award
• NIH Director’s Early Independence Awards
• Home Base FY 2024 Innovation Award
• Lubin Family Foundation Scholar Award
• The 2023 Raynor Cerebellum Project Research RFA
• MGH Screening Technologies in Primary Care Innovation Fund (PCIF)
• K12/Catalyst Medical Research Investigator Training Award
• ISCCCE Pilot Funding RFA
• Limited Submission Funding Opportunities
• Foundation Funding Opportunities

Announcements:

• Call For Applications! Anne Klibanski Visiting Scholars Award
• MathWorks Training
• SAS license renewals 
• BioRender licenses
• NEW! Software Offering: ChemDraw
• Research Tech Talks

Events:

• MGB World Medical Innovation Forum
• Lab Managers’ Discussion Group Meeting
• The 24th Annual Harvard Nutrition Obesity Symposium
• Meditation Sessions available every week

NEW! THE SMITH FAMILY AWARDS

FOR EXCELLENCE IN BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH

What are they?

The mission of the Awards Program is to launch the careers of newly independent biomedical researchers with the ultimate goal of achieving medical breakthroughs. The three‐year Award supports newly independent faculty engaged in basic or translational biomedical research. Investigators in the physical sciences (physics, chemistry and engineering) whose projects focus on biomedical science are also encouraged to apply. While basic research projects involving human subjects, data, and samples are eligible, clinical trials research is beyond the scope of this program.

“In recognition of the importance of research collaboration by the scientific community, collaboration is an additional, but not required, positive ancillary factor. These projects may involve researchers within and/or outside MGH.”

This opportunity is open to full-time faculty at MGH who received or will receive their Assistant Professor appointment on or between 10/1/20 and 4/1/24. The award is $400,000 over three years, inclusive of 5% institutional overhead. 

The foundation now has a two-stage application process, and there are no limits on the number of applications from an institution. An internal selection process is no longer required. All eligible faculty at MGH should apply directly to the sponsor.

Please contact Foundation Relations in the Office of Development at devcfr@mgh.harvard.edu if you wish to submit a proposal in response to this opportunity. They will be able to advise you on the application process.

Initial proposal deadline: Tuesday, June 20, 2023 at 12:00 Noon (Those applicants who make it to the second stage will be invited to submit a full proposal in early October).

ADDF-HARRINGTON SCHOLAR AWARD

What are they?

Harrington Discovery Institute and the Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation (ADDF) invite you to submit a letter of intent (LOI) for the 2023 ADDF-Harrington Scholar Award.

This grant is designed to accelerate the translation of academic discoveries into medicines for treating, preventing, or curing patients with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias. Of particular interest are targets related to neurovascular health and glymphatic clearance.

Researchers working on drug development programs that are relevant to, but not presently focused on, the Alzheimer’s field are strongly encouraged to apply. In addition to grant funding, Harrington Discovery Institute provides guidance and oversight in all aspects of drug development, while taking no rights to intellectual property, which is retained by you/your institution.  

PhD or MD or equivalent required for eligibility. Open to researchers in the U.S., U.K. and Canada.

Letters of Intent (LOI) Due: May 29, 2023

HARRINGTON SCHOLAR-INNOVATOR AWARD

What are they?

Harrington Discovery Institute (HDI) invites you to submit an LOI for the 2024 Harrington Scholar-Innovator Award. The award offers successful applicants multiple opportunities for funding in addition to expertise from pharma-experienced leaders with a track record of bringing drugs to market. Intellectual property rights are retained by the award recipient or their institution.

Up to 12 Scholar-Innovators will be selected to receive:

• $100,000 guaranteed grant award;
• Drug and business development support from Harrington’s Therapeutics Development Center advisors; 
• Opportunity to compete for acceleration funds up to $300,000;
• Opportunity to qualify for investment funds typically up to $2MM;

Selection criteria include innovation, creativity and potential for impact on human health. Applicants must have a doctorate in medicine. Award recipients will be selected by Harrington Discovery Institute’s Scientific Advisory Board and announced in the second quarter of 2024.

**MD or MD/PhD required for eligibility. Open to physician-scientists in the U.S. and Canada.

Call Opens: April 10, 2023

Letters of Intent (LOI) Due: June 5, 2023

NIH Director’s Early Independence Awards

What are they?

“The NIH Director’s Early Independence Award Program supports exceptional investigators who wish to pursue independent research directly after completion of their terminal doctoral/research degree or clinical residency, thereby forgoing the traditional post-doctoral training period and accelerating their entry into an independent research career. The Early Independence Award is intended for these select junior investigators who have already established a record of scientific innovation and research productivity and have demonstrated unusual scientific vision and maturity; typical post-doctoral training would unnecessarily delay their entry into independent research.”

MGH is eligible to nominate two candidates for the NIH Director’s Early Independence Award.

When is the deadline?  

MGH internal pre-proposal: Tuesday, June 20, 2023 – 5:00 PM

Home Base FY 2024 Innovation Award to Catalyze Military-Connected Research

Home Base, a Red Sox Foundation and MGH Program, is providing catalyst funding to be used toward innovative and novel military-focused research. The purpose of this grant funding is to stimulate the entry of new ideas and exciting approaches to research designed to yield meaningful impact for Veterans, Active-Duty Service Members, and Military-Connected Families. 

Proposals should relate to advancing one or more of the following areas of clinical or translational research: 

• Post-traumatic stress and its most common comorbidities including but not limited to depressive, anxiety, and substance use disorders. 
• TBI and its most common comorbidities including but not limited to depressive, anxiety, and sleep disorders. 
• The impact of invisible wounds on the service member’s or veteran’s family relationships, as well as interventions to improve these relationships. 
• Interventions to improve wellness among service members and veterans, irrespective of specific clinical diagnoses. 

We plan to provide $150,000 in total funding, distributed according to project merit, timeframe and number of awards. 

The application deadline is Friday, June 2, 2023 at 5:00 pm

MGH Screening Technologies in Primary Care Innovation Fund (PCIF)

There is great promise for the development of new technologies to detect disease or disease risk factors at an earlier stage in the primary care setting. However, innovative screening technologies are frequently difficult to get off the ground due to challenges conducting research in the primary care setting and difficulties translating and commercializing technologies that need to be implemented in a cost-effective manner and on a large scale.

Due date for proposals is May 31, 2023

Proposals will be reviewed by an internal committee with expertise on primary care screening technology development, clinical translation, and commercialization.

Funding will begin on July 1, 2023

K12/Catalyst Medical Research Investigator Training Award

The K12/CMeRIT program offers advanced training through educational activities and mentored research for senior fellows and junior faculty in clinical and translational research. The award provides two years of salary support at 50-75% of the awardee’s institutional salary base withn NIH guidelines. Please see the website for application instructions and detailed eligibility requirements.

The application process opens March 9 and applications are due May 26.

Contact us if you have questions. 

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.

Population Dynamics Centers Research Infrastructure Program FY 2024 (P2C Clinical Trial Not Allowed)

The NIH Research Education Program (R25) supports research education activities in the mission areas of the NIH. The overarching goal of this R25 program is to support educational activities that encourage individuals from diverse backgrounds, including those from groups underrepresented in the biomedical and behavioral sciences, to pursue further studies or careers in research. 

To accomplish the stated over-arching goal, this FOA will support creative educational activities with a primary focus on:

• Courses for Skills Development
• Research Experiences

This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) provides support to eligible, domestic institutions to develop and implement Postbaccalaureate Research Education Programs in Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolic Diseases (DEM).

These post-baccalaureate research programs will incorporate extensive research experiences and well-designed courses for skills development to prepare recent college graduates from diverse backgrounds, including those from underrepresented groups, to transition into and complete rigorous, research-focused biomedical doctoral degree programs (e.g., Ph.D. or M.D./Ph.D.).

The long-term goal of post-baccalaureate participants admitted to the program should be pursuing a career focused on DEM-related research.

Eligible applicants for the R25 must be research-intensive doctoral degree-granting institutions with a research base in DEM science of at least $3 million in direct costs of peer-reviewed research projects, and research opportunities for students admitted to the program must be in DEM science.

MGH LOI Deadline: 6/07/23

NIH LOI Deadline: 6/28/23

NIH Application Deadline: 7/28/23

Learn more

G. Harold & Leila Y. Mathers Foundation Grants

The G. Harold & Leila Y. Mathers Foundation seeks to advance knowledge in the life sciences by supporting scientific research that will benefit humanity. The Foundation primarily supports basic science, ideally with broad translational applications. It tends not to fund overly disease-focused research. Immunology, microbiome, genomics, structural biology, cellular physiology, and neuroscience are some noteworthy examples of current research support. 

Foundation Guidelines:

·      Grants are typically up to $750,000, inclusive of 10% indirect costs.

·      Grant duration must be 3 years.

·      The budget should be reasonable (based on the aims of the project, the number of researchers involved, type of animal models used, etc.).

·      Grant funds may be used only to support the actual investigation (no capital equipment).

·      Requests for funding previously federally supported research, and/or applications pending federal approval will not be accorded priority consideration.

·      The Foundation does not support clinical trials or drug discovery.

·      The Foundation will not support projects which it considers pre-clinical drug development.

·      Covid-19 related research projects (aims or sub-aims) and medical imaging technology related projects will not be considered for support.

·      LOIs or Formal Proposals that have been declined should not be resubmitted at a later date for consideration. 

MGH LOI Deadline: 6/21/23

Sponsor LOI Deadline: 7/28/23

Sponsor Application Deadline: 9/29/23

Learn more

Postbaccalaureate Research Education Program in Diabetes, Endocrinology, and Metabolic Diseases (R25 – Independent Clinical Trial Not Allowed)

The NIH Research Education Program (R25) supports research education activities in the mission areas of the NIH. The overarching goal of this R25 program is to support educational activities that encourage individuals from diverse backgrounds, including those from groups underrepresented in the biomedical and behavioral sciences, to pursue further studies or careers in research. 

To accomplish the stated over-arching goal, this FOA will support creative educational activities with a primary focus on:

• Courses for Skills Development
• Research Experiences

This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) provides support to eligible, domestic institutions to develop and implement Postbaccalaureate Research Education Programs in Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolic Diseases (DEM).

These post-baccalaureate research programs will incorporate extensive research experiences and well-designed courses for skills development to prepare recent college graduates from diverse backgrounds, including those from underrepresented groups, to transition into and complete rigorous, research-focused biomedical doctoral degree programs (e.g., Ph.D. or M.D./Ph.D.).

The long-term goal of post-baccalaureate participants admitted to the program should be pursuing a career focused on DEM-related research. Eligible applicants for the R25 must be research-intensive doctoral degree-granting institutions with a research base in DEM science of at least $3 million in direct costs of peer-reviewed research projects, and research opportunities for students admitted to the program must be in DEM science.

MGH LOI Deadline: 9/05/23

NIH LOI Deadline: 9/25/23

NIH Application Deadline: 10/25/23

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.



CURRENT OPPORTUNITIES:

See full details for all awards on our website.

1. Innovations Program, American Association of Anatomy (AAA). $50,000. LOI Deadline: June 6

2. Bridge to Success Award for Early Career Investigators, American Sleep Medicine Foundation (ASMF)/American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM). $100,000. Application Deadline: June 26

3. Bridge to Success Award for Mid-Career/Senior Investigators, American Sleep Medicine Foundation (ASMF)/American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM). $100,000. Application Deadline: June 26

4. Physician Scientist Training Award (PSTA), American Sleep Medicine Foundation (ASMF)/American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM). $100,000. Application Deadline: June 26

5. Collaborative Pairs Pilot Project Awards in Neurodegenerative Disease and Fundamental Neuroscience, Chan Zuckerberg Initiative. $200,000. LOI Deadline: June 22

6. Science and Technology Awards (multiple opps), CooperVision. $400,000.

LOI Deadline: June 23

7. Linda and Les Vinney Scholar Program in Alzheimer's Disease, Harrington Discovery Institute/University Hospitals (UH). $150,000. Application Deadline: December 29

8. Smith Family Awards Program for Excellence in Biomedical Research, The Medical Foundation/Health Resources in Action (HRiA). $400,000. LOI Deadline: June 20

9. NEW! Hevolution Foundation Geroscience Research Opportunities (HF-GRO), Hevolution Foundation. $2.5 million (25% IDC). LOI Deadline: June 15

10. Request For Research Proposals, Histiocytosis Association. $50,000. Proposal Deadline: June 2

11. Brian D. Novis Research Grants (multiple opps), International Myeloma Foundation (IMF). $80,000. Application Deadline: August 28

12. Biostatistics/Informatics Junior Faculty Award, National Multiple Sclerosis Society (NMSS). $60,000. Pre-Application Deadline: August 9

13. Clinical Care Physician Fellowship, National Multiple Sclerosis Society (NMSS). $75,000. Pre-Application Deadline: August 9

14. Clinician Scientist Development Awards, National Multiple Sclerosis Society (NMSS). $241,468. Pre-Application Deadline: August 9

15. Harry Weaver Neuroscience Scholar Awards, National Multiple Sclerosis Society (NMSS). $180,000. Pre-Application Deadline: August 9

16. NEW! Institutional Clinician Training Award, National Multiple Sclerosis Society (NMSS). $264,000. Pre-Application Deadline: August 9

17. Postdoctoral Fellowships, National Multiple Sclerosis Society (NMSS). $208,618. Pre-Application Deadline: August 9

18. Sylvia Lawry Physician Fellowship Program, National Multiple Sclerosis Society (NMSS). $195,000. Pre-Application Deadline: August 9

19. NEW! OREF/JRGOS Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Disparities in Orthopaedic Health Care Research Grant, Orthopaedic Research and Education Foundation (OREF). $150,000. LOI Deadline: June 8

20. Steven A. Rosenberg Scholars Award, Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC). $150,000. Nomination Deadline: July 15

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.

Software Offering: Chem Draw

Time to renew your ChemDraw license through the ERIS Research Computing Core. Annual ChemDraw licenses expire each year on May 25th. Your license will automatically cancel, and you will need to order again at rcservices.partners.org (MGB login required).

ChemDraw licenses are $70/year per User and new licenses can be ordered and accessed today.

ChemDraw is a powerful, yet easy-to use, tool for producing chemical and biological drawings. You can create your own drawings or use those provided in the library of available templates. For more information on ChemDraw go to the Research Computing Core's software page. All questions may be directed to rcc@partners.org.

MathWorks Training

Online training is available, offered by MathWorks.

SAS license renewals 

SAS licenses expire each year on April 30th and will automatically renew. No action is required, unless you no longer need your license. To cancel your SAS license, log into your account at rcservices.partners.org to cancel.

BioRender licenses



BioRender Software: Annual License Renewal and Signup:

If you have a BioRender license through the Research Computing Core, it's time to renew. BioRender licenses expire each year on April 30th and can be renewed, starting May 1st. Request a software license through the ERIS Research Computing Core Service Catalog. The annual fee is $185/license. More information about BioRender, and other software offerings are on the ERIS Research Computing Core Service Catalog site.

Virtual Research Tech Talk

Thursday, May 25, 2023

Scott Devonshire, Senior Manager of MGB Digital’s Collaborative Media will give a comprehensive update on his department’s services and resources of interest to researchers.



Matthew Leming, PhD, Research Fellow with the MGH Center for Systems Biology will discuss using Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology in an innovative new way – to spot signs of Alzheimer’s in patients using routinely collected clinical brain images. Learn more.

MGB World Medical Innovation Forum

June 12-14, 2023

Boston's Top Healthcare Innovation Gathering

Join leading healthcare and financial experts at the World Medical Innovation Forum as they assess the impact of the latest innovations in three of today’s fastest breakthrough areas.

Network with industry disruptors and executives, including top Harvard clinicians and scientists from Mass General Brigham, the premier academic research organization and medical system in the U.S., and financial experts from Bank of America, manager of one of the largest healthcare portfolios in the industry.

Lab Managers’ Discussion Group Meeting

Tuesday, May 23, 2023, 4:00 – 5:00 pm, Zoom 

The next Lab Managers’ Discussion Group meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, May 23, from 4:00 – 5:00 pm.

If you have any questions or comments you would like to submit in advance of the next meeting, please fill out the form.

Join Zoom Meeting

https://partners.zoom.us/j/89339890422

Meeting ID: 893 3989 0422

The 24^th Annual Harvard Nutrition Obesity Symposium – Adiposity, Immunity, and Inflammation: Interrelationships in Health and Disease

Date: June 7, 2023

Time: 8:30am to 4:30pm EST 

The Nutrition Obesity Research Center at Harvard (NORCH) invites you to attend our 24th Annual Symposium, featuring the latest research on a wide range of topics including nutritional regulation of immunity, immunometabolic drivers of heart failure, and immunological landscape of adipose tissue. The George L. Blackburn Keynote Lecture, "Obesity and Immunometabolism," will be given by Dr. Lydia Lynch of Harvard University School of Medicine.

Additional event info and speaker information can be found here.

This event will be held virtually. All are welcome!

Registration is free for all attendees. Register now

Two Meditation Sessions available every week



SESSION 1: Meditation Mondays with Dr. Darshan Mehta 

Every Monday, 8:00 – 8:30 am, Zoom à next session, Monday, April 10!

Co-sponsored by the Center for Faculty Development’s Office for Well-Being and the MGPO Frigoletto Committee

Join Darshan Mehta, MD, MPH, Director, Office for Well-Being, for a guided meditation session on Monday morning. 

Register and add to calendar

SESSION 2: Midweek Meditation with Guest Leader 

Every Wednesday, 8:00 – 8:30 am, Zoom à next session, Wednesday, April 12!

Sponsored by the Center for Faculty Development’s Office for Well-Being

Join guest leader, Alyssa Adreani, Newton-Wellesley Hospital Spiritual Care Department, for next Wednesday’s guided meditation session on April 12^th!

Register and add to calendar