In this edition:

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

Funding Opportunities

• NEW 2023 Center for Aging and Serious Illness (CASI) Pilot Awards 
• ADA Pathways to Stop Diabetes
• BIRCWH: Building Interdisciplinary Research Careers in Women's Health Training Grant
• The Smith Family Awards for Excellence in Biomedical Research
• NIH Director's Early Independence Awards
• Limited Submission Funding Opportunities
• Foundation Funding Opportunities

Announcements:

• NEW Abstract Submission for MGH Clinical Research Day 2023
• NEW Research Management Training Courses
• Sumner Tunnel Closures This Summer
• Call for Abstracts for the 2023 Women in Medicine and Science Symposium
• Call for Summer Research Training Program Abstract Reviewers & Final Presentation Panelists
• ChemDraw Software
• Mathworks Training

Events:

• NEW Research Administrators Retreat
• 2023 Virtual Tumor Course: Registration Now Open
• The Chester Pierce Research Society: Digital Innovation and Quality Improvement in Research Settings
• Research Tech Talk
• Meditation Sessions available every week

NEW: 2023 Center for Aging and Serious Illness (CASI) Pilot Awards

The 2023 Center for Aging and Serious Illness (CASI) Pilot Awards include:

1. The Chong Jin Park Innovative Early Career Pilot Award in Aging and Palliative Care, and;
2. The Ki Sub Joung Innovative Junior Faculty Pilot Award in Aging and Palliative Care

ELIGIBILITY

• Applicants must have a full-time MGH appointment at the time of application and during the entire award period.
• Applicants must not yet have reached the level of Associate Professor (e.g., Instructors and Assistant Professors) at the time of the award start date.
• Applicants from any MGH Department are eligible to apply.
• Faculty, including those who will be expecting an MGH appointment by the anticipated award start date of September1, 2023, are invited to apply.
• Collaboration across Departments, Divisions, Research Units, and the Hospital, as well as partnerships with community-based organizations are strongly encouraged.
• At Mass General Hospital, we believe that because of diversity we excel. Therefore, women and URM candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.

Applications Due: July 13, 2023, 5PM EDT

Funding Decision Announced: August 2023

Anticipated Funding Start Date: September 1, 2022

ADA Pathways to Stop Diabetes 2023

What are they?

The Pathway to Stop Diabetes Program intends to attract brilliant scientists at the peak of their creativity to diabetes research, and to accelerate their research progress by providing the necessary resources and support for conducting transformative science. 

This call for nominations is prioritizing exceptional investigators that aim to advance existing knowledge and discovery gained from the basic sciences to its eventual translation into patient and population benefit. The ideal applicant will propose innovative translational research that will be an important step towards the eventual goal of improving the lives of people at risk of diabetes or living with the disease - and the pathway to this impact is clear. 

MGH is eligible to nominate one candidate. This award will be up to $1,625,000 with a project period of up to 7 years. MGH Letters of Intent will be reviewed and assessed by a panel of senior MGH faculty members.  

When is the deadline?  

MGH Letter of Intent Deadline: Friday, June 16, 2023 – 5:00pm

Full application to sponsor: August 1, 2023 (5:00pm ET)

How do I learn more and apply?

Please click here to submit a letter of intent through our online grant management portal 

BIRCWH: Building Interdisciplinary Research Careers in Women's Health Training Grant

What are they?

The Harvard-wide BIRCWH training grant is titled, "Hormones and Genes in Women’s Health: From Bench to Bedside." We are pleased to invite applications for MD or PhD/ScD scholars to develop an academic career in women’s health and sex differences in medicine.

Specifically, this NIH-sponsored training grant will support scholars involved in investigating the impact of hormones and/or genes in understanding sex differences in vulnerabilities to clinical disorders and those disorders specific to women.

Scholars will be sponsored (up to $100,000/year in salary support plus associated fringe benefits, with additional funds for research expenses) for 2-3 years of mentored research with Harvard faculty in basic, translational, or clinical aspects of research in women’s health, which can be combined, if applicable, with clinical work in the Scholar’s specialty.

Applications will be accepted until June 15, 2023. 

Submit application materials to Mara Hampson at mhampson1@bwh.harvard.edu.  

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.

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).

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

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.

Grief Research Grants (National Alliance for Grieving Children) – NEW! 

Limited submission: There are multiple grant amount opportunities included in this RFP. Each organization will only be eligible to apply to one.

There are two separate 2-year grant opportunities included in this RFP. Each program will only be eligible to apply to one of these grant opportunities, as explained below:

• $100,000 OVER 2 YEARS GRANTS: grant award of $50,000 per year for two years. Only organizations with minimum annual organizational budgets of $250,000 will be eligible to apply for this grant level.
• $50,000 OVER 2 YEARS: grant award of $25,000 per year for two years. Only organizations with minimum annual organizational budgets of $125,000 will be eligible to apply for this grant level.

MGH LOI Deadline: 6/21/23

Sponsor Application Deadline: 7/17/23

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. 

MGH LOI Deadline: 6/21/23

Sponsor LOI Deadline: 7/28/23

Sponsor Application Deadline: 9/29/23

Learn more



Limited Competition: Collaborative Partnership to Advance Global Health Research (U01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) – NEW!

The goal of this notice of funding opportunity (NOFO) is to develop, establish, implement, and maintain a successful collaborative partnership to advance NIH priorities, support NIH collaboration on global health, and advance biomedical research internationally. This program will support a partnership between the NIH and the recipient(s) with the commitment and capacity to help extend NIH research-related programs worldwide. 

MGH LOI Deadline: 7/10/23

NIH LOI Deadline: 8/01/23

NIH Application Deadline: 9/01/23

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. 

MGH LOI Deadline: 9/05/23

NIH LOI Deadline: 9/25/23

NIH Application Deadline: 10/25/23

Learn more

EPSCoR Collaborations for Optimizing Research Ecosystems Research Infrastructure Improvement Program (National Science Foundation)

The Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) fulfills the mandate of the National Science Foundation (NSF) to promote scientific progress nationwide.

MGH LOI Deadline: 10/09/23

Sponsor Application Deadline: 12/06/23

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. NEW! Assistive Technology Grants, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Association (ALS Association). $400,000. LOI Deadline: July 13
2. NEW! Digital Assessment Tools for FTD and ALS, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Association (ALS Association). $400,000. Application Deadline: July 14
3. Arnold O. Beckman Postdoctoral Fellows Award Program (multiple opps), Arnold and Mabel Beckman Foundation. $650,000. LOI Deadline: September 6
4. Beckman Young Investigators (BYI) Program, Arnold and Mabel Beckman Foundation. $600,000. LOI Deadline: August 1
5. NEW! Cryo-Correlative light and Electron Microscopy (cryo-CLEM) Labels RFA, Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (CZI). $165,000. Application Deadline: July 20
6. Clinical Investigator Career Development Award, Lymphoma Research Foundation (LRF). $225,000. Application Deadline: September 7
7. Postdoctoral Fellowship Grants (multiple opps), Lymphoma Research Foundation (LRF). $195,000. Application Deadline: September 7
8. Research Fellowships, Myotonic Dystrophy Foundation (MDF). $105,000. Proposal Deadline: September 15
9. NEW! Career Development Award in Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias (AD/ADRD), NIA Impact Collaboratory. $100,000. Application Deadline: September 15
10. NEW! LTC Data Cooperative: Real World Data Scholars Program (electronic health records), NIA Impact Collaboratory. $50,000. Application Deadline: August 4
11. Edward J. Stemmler Medical Education Research Fund, National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME). $150,000. LOI Deadline: July 28
12. Research Grants, National Headache Foundation. $100,000. Proposal Deadline: June 30
13. Career Development Award, Sleep Research Society (SRS)/Sleep Research Society Foundation (SRSF). $50,000. Application Deadline: August 27

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 Abstract Submission for MGH Clinical Research Day 2023

All information on MGH Clinical Research Day 2023 can be found on this portal.

Submit your novel clinical research projects to share with the MGH research community at the annual Clinical Research Day coming up on October 12, 2023! Abstracts must be about clinical research or educational research conducted at MGH. All abstracts that present novel results published or accepted for publication between September 2022 and July 2023 from a clinical research or clinical education project will be considered for the hospital-wide awards: Clinical & Outcomes Research, Translational Science, Team Science, Health Professions Education Research, and Sex and Gender. MGH Departments will also be giving monetary awards.

Abstracts Due: July 15, 2023

Clinical Research Day: October 12, 2023

NEW Research Management Training Courses

June/July 2023

There are some upcoming in person research management training courses. Information can be found in the website below.

Call for Abstracts 2023 Women in Science Symposium

The Women in Medicine and Science Symposium will highlight the achievements of women faculty and trainees at Brigham and Women’s and Mass General Hospitals.

The Symposium will celebrate the accomplishments of women faculty and trainees across different disciplines - including basic science, clinical and translational research, clinical innovation, and education - with the goal of strengthening the BWH, MGH and MGB community. Visit the website to learn more

Please contact womens.careers@partners.org with any questions. 

Traffic alert:

Sumner Tunnel closed July 5 to Aug. 31

The Sumner Tunnel, which runs from East Boston to Downtown, will be closed for repairs July 5 to Aug. 31. Patients and employees are encouraged to take public transportation. If you choose to drive in, please adjust your commute times accordingly. More information.

Call for Summer Research Training Program

Abstract Reviewers & Final Presentation Panelists

The MGH Center for Diversity and Inclusion (CDI) is preparing for the 2023 Summer Research Trainee Program (SRTP) and seeking clinical, fundamental, and population health faculty researchers to serve as SRTP student Abstract Reviewers or Final Presentation Panelist. If you would like to get involved and support our SRTP students this year, please consider being a SRTP student abstract reviewer or final presentation panelist. Please click here to see details and to provide your availability.

Abstract Reviewers:

Review 3 – 4 abstracts and discuss feedback with students via Zoom

Zoom meeting options (1 hour/15 min per student):

July 12: Anytime between 8 am to 1 pm or 4:30 pm to 6:30 pm

July 13: Anytime between 8 am to 1 pm or 4:30 pm to 6:30 pm

Provide your availability

Final Presentation Panelists:

Listen and score student presentations, and provide written feedback

Student final presentations schedule:

July 11 (1 student) – 5 pm to 6 pm

July 26 (13 students) - 11:30 am to 5:30 pm

July 27 (13 students) - 7:30 am to 1:30 pm

August 3 (3 students) - 1 pm to 2 pm, 4 pm to 5 pm, or 5 pm to 6 pm

Provide your availability

Mass General Women in Leadership Group

Seeking Membership Applications

The Mass General Women in Leadership Committee is now welcoming applications for new member-at-large positions for a two-year term beginning October 1, 2023.

Committee membership is open to all MGH female-identified administrative, clinical leaders and research staff. We ask members to regularly attend monthly meetings, participate in WIL events and serve on at least one subcommittee. Reaffirming MGH’s dedication to creating an inclusive community, we hope that people of diverse backgrounds and career paths will apply to maintain and foster a supportive professional network.

To apply, please complete the application form linked here by Friday, June 30. The first eight questions on page one request contact and demographic information. The four questions on page two are listed below for your reference. Applications can be submitted by selecting “done” on page three. Please note that all submissions will go through a de-identification process.

1. Please describe your particular interest in becoming a member of the WIL Committee and what you hope to gain from the experience.
2. Please describe ways in which you have demonstrated inclusive leadership in your role at MGH, regardless of your formal position.
3. Please describe how you can contribute to the advancement of the MGH female-identified professional network and your proposed level of involvement.
4. Is there anything else you would like the WIL selection committee to know? 

To learn more about WIL, please visit our website at https://apollo.massgeneral.org/wil-committee/. We will also host a Virtual Open House on Tuesday, June 13 from 10:30am-12:30pm via Zoom. You can register here. We have no formal agenda and invite you to drop in when you can to ask questions and learn more about WIL. If you have any questions, please email us at MGHWIL@mgb.org. 

ChemDraw Software

ChemDraw licenses are offered at a discounted rate through the ERIS Research Computing Core. 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.

This is a subscription service with an annual fee, which must be renewed each May 25th, to continue access. Once ordering you will receive an email with installation instructions (new users) or an activation code (renewals). Request through the ERIS Research Computing Core Service Catalog.

MathWorks Training

Online training is available, offered by MathWorks.

Research Administrators Retreat

Thursday, July 20, 8:30AM – 4:00PM

Keynote Speakers

1. Lindsey Baden, MD – VP, Clinical Research, BWH

2. Claire-Cecile Pierre, MD – Associate CMO, VP of Community Health, BWH

Where:

Assembly Row – MGB Headquarters

Target Audience:

MGB research and grant administrators, compliance professionals, protocol administrators, and other research administration staff.

We welcome those in the above roles across all MGB institutions.

Please note that there will be no virtual option for this event.

2023 Virtual Tumor Course

Tuesday, Oct. 24 to Friday Oct. 27, 2023

38TH CRITICAL ISSUES IN TUMOR MICROENVIRONMENT, ANGIOGENESIS, METASTASIS AND IMMUNOLOGY

The 38th Annual Critical Issues in Tumor Microenvironment: Angiogenesis, Metastasis and Immunology course will continue to offer the best in critical analysis of what is currently known about the tumor microenvironment, angiogenesis, metastasis, immunology. This will include chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapies, tumor metabolism, and the role of microbiome.

The internationally recognized faculty speakers will present their latest findings from the clinic and the lab and highlight key gaps in the knowledge of cancer and outline future directions for research at the bench, in the clinic, and in drug development.

The course will continue its four-day online webinar-based live lecture format. Learning formats will include didactic lectures, Q&A and group case discussions.

The faculty will encourage an open discussion and will provide critical comments on challenges and future opportunities in research in cancer and in establishment of novel therapy approaches and biomarkers to guide treatment. The aim of this course is to analyze and synthesize the most up-to-date findings.

Faculty will present valuable information in a systematic and comprehensive framework, along with a critical review of the latest techniques. This course is dedicated to helping to improve clinical translation of this knowledge and competence, leading to improved cancer treatment.

Research Tech Talk

Thursday, June 29. 2023

12:00 pm to 2:00 pm

• Sara Silacci, Director, MGB Hospital Integrated Research Organization and Chief Strategy Officer, MGH Center for Innovation in Digital HealthCare will present, "Hospital Integrated Research Strategy for Leveraging Innovation and Digital Healthcare Technologies".
• Samson Schoerning and Paul Raines, IT Systems Managers of the MGH Martinos Center, will offer a full update on the Center's infrastructure, current projects and initiatives.

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, June 5!

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, June 7!

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

Join guest leader, Sara Lazar, PhD.

Register and add to calendar