OPPORTUNITY FUNDING ALERT

Disease-related Funding

The Epilepsy Foundation
The Epilepsy Foundation supports a series of grants to advance the understanding of epilepsy that will lead to better treatment, more effective prevention, and ultimately to a cure. Our grants fund a wide range of researchers including students, junior level and senior level investigators. For researchers intending to apply for a grant, please download the information and instructions for each program listed below. Fall deadline: Aug. 2009. Go to http://www.epilepsyfoundation.org/research/grants.cfm

Alliance for Lupus Research

(For more lupus research, look also under Dept. of Defense (DOD) funding to the Peer Reviewed Medical Research Program).

“Target Identification in Lupus Grant” The Alliance for Lupus Research (ALR) is pleased to announce that the applications for the ALR’s Target Identification in Lupus (TIL) grants are now available online. Access the site directly at https://proposalcentral.altum.com. Investigators seeking to submit grants applications will be eligible to receive a 2-year award for up to $500,000 with an opportunity to apply for continued funding.

The ALR funds research that will accelerate the development of new treatments of lupus. As such, grant proposals should be innovative in direction and utilize state-of-the-art techniques. Fundamental studies in genetics, immunology, cell biology and molecular biology to identify and characterize molecular systems must be oriented towards the development of drugs that would prevent and/or ameliorate clinical signs and symptoms of lupus.

Individuals with doctoral degrees (MD, PhD or equivalent) are eligible to apply. Scientific independence, as evidenced by direction of a research program or a publication record or other experience that establishes scientific leadership, is necessary to apply. The ALR does not impose geographic restrictions on its applicants and investigators working anywhere in the world are eligible and encouraged to apply. The ALR is willing to appropriately support research in industry or collaborations between academia and industry.

Deadlines: Letter of Intent: May 20, 2009; Full Proposal: July 30, 2009. Go to: – http://www.lupusresearch.org

Other Disease-specific Funding Sources
• Alzheimer’s Association – http://www.alz.org
• Pediatric Cancer – http://hopestreetkids.org/grants_research/what_we fund.php
• Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation International – http://jdrf.org
• Melanoma Research Alliance – http://www.melanomaresearchalliance.org
• Muscular Dystrophy Association – http://mda.org/research/guidelines.html
• Paralyzed Veterans of America – http:///pva.org
• Simons Foundation Autism Research Initiative – http://sfan.org/grants/sfari-rfa
• The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society – http://www.lls.org

Florida Shiptime

Florida Institute of Oceanography
The Florida Institute of Oceanography (FIO) is accepting proposals from member institution faculty for teaching and research cruises aboard the RV Bellows for the 2009 - 2010 fiscal year (July 1, 2009 - June 30, 2010). FIO funded Shiptime may be awarded as a fully funded grant to any member faculty on a competitive basis. All funded ship-time proposals require a 10% match from the member institution. The current day rate on the RV Bellows is $3100.

The FIO has established a policy requiring certification from each proposer that the State of Florida will not be providing state-funded shiptime for federal, state or private granting agencies. It is not the intention to penalize funded researchers, but limited state allocated ship days cannot be used to accommodate grant funded programs requiring shiptime.

Priority will be given to proposals that clearly support the teaching and research mission of the FIO and the Florida Department of Education. Proposals involving data collection for class work, class demonstration cruises, training and M.S./Ph.D. programs will have priority consideration on the basis of educational and scientific merit. Faculty research programs for seed data collection for use in preparing grant/contract proposals will also be considered on the same basis. Requests for state shiptime to support grant or contract programs, which are already funded, will not be considered.

Education/training proposals should include a brief outline of the targeted courses and how the proposed shiptime is integrated and important to the curriculum.

Research shiptime proposals should include a clear explanation of the significance of the proposed work. The Review Panel does not include expertise in all eligible disciplines, and although every effort will be made to obtain a peer review for specific disciplines, the proposal should explain the project in terms and in adequate detail to be readily understandable to a colleague outside the disciplinary field.

Review panels have generally concluded that 3-4 days are adequate for general demonstrations of oceanographic equipment, procedures, and instruction at sea. Because the Bellows accommodates only 10 scientific personnel on overnight cruises, it may be necessary to split larger teaching cruises into several 10 person legs. Under no circumstances can more than 10 member scientific parties be accommodated on overnight cruises.

The vessel is not generally used for continuous underway programs of more than six days, or for more than 10 days on start-stop (low fuel consumption) operations.

Costs associated with facilitating cruises in foreign water have risen dramatically. Cruises in foreign waters require clearances from the country concerned and require the FIO to hire an agent to process clearances in and out of the U.S. and foreign ports. All agent fees, port charges and incidental costs are the responsibility of the funded institution.

Go to: http://www.marine.usf.edu/FIO/ or contact Florida Institute of Oceanography, 830 First Street South, St. Petersburg, Florida 33701; Phone: (727) 553-1100; Fax: (727) 553-1109.

Science Education

National Science Foundation – “NSF Graduate Stem Fellows in K-12 Education (FK-12)”
This program provides funding for graduate students in NSF-supported science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines to bring their leading research practice and findings into K-12 learning settings. Through collaborations with other graduate fellows and faculty from STEM disciplines, teachers and students in K-12 environments, and community partners, graduate students can gain a deeper understanding of their own research and place it within a societal and global context. The GK-12 program provides an opportunity for graduate students to acquire value-added skills, such as communicating STEM subjects to technical and non-technical audiences, leadership, team building, and teaching while enriching STEM learning and instruction in K-12 settings. Deadlines: Letter of Intent: May 19, 2009; Full Proposal: June 29,2009. Go to: http://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=503369&govDel=USNSF_39

National Science Foundation – “Cyber-Enabled Discovery and Innovation (CDI)
Cyber-Enabled Discovery and Innovation (NSF 08-604) is NSF’s bold five-year initiative to create revolutionary science and engineering research outcomes made possible by innovations and advances in computational thinking. Computational thinking is defined comprehensively to encompass computational concepts, methods, models, algorithms, and tools. Deadline: May 20, 2009. Deadline: May 20, 2009. Go to: http://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=503163&govDel=USNSF_39

National Science Foundation “Course, Curriculum, and Laboratory Improvement (CCLI) Program”
The Course, Curriculum, and Laboratory Improvement (CCLI) program (09-529) seeks to improve the quality of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education for all undergraduate students. It especially welcomes proposals that have the potential to transform undergraduate education in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) for all students. The program supports efforts to create, adapt, and disseminate new learning materials and teaching strategies to reflect advances both in STEM disciplines and in what is known about teaching and learning. It funds projects that develop faculty expertise, implement educational innovations, assess learning and evaluate innovations, prepare K-12 teachers, or conduct research on STEM teaching and learning. It also supports projects that further the work of the program itself, for example, synthesis and dissemination of findings across the program. The program supports projects representing different stages of development, ranging from small, exploratory investigations to large, comprehensive projects.

This program provides educational opportunities for Undergraduate Students. This program provides indirect funding for undergraduate students or focuses on educational developments for this group such as curriculum development, training, or retention. To inquire about possible funding opportunities not directly from NSF, please look at the active awards for this program. Deadline: May 21, 2009. Go to: http://www.nsf.gov/publications/pub_summ.jsp?ods_key=nsf09529

For Type 1 proposals from submitting organizations located in states or territories beginning with A through M.

Full Proposal Deadline Date: May 22, 2009

For Type 1 proposals from submitting organizations located in states or territories beginning with N through W.

Full Proposal Deadline Date: January 13, 2010

For Type 2 and 3 proposals and for CCLI Central Resource Project proposals. However, CCLI Central Resource Project proposals for small focused workshops may be submitted at any time after consulting with a program officer.

Traumatic Stress

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration - Center for Mental Health Services (CMHS) - National Child Traumatic Stress Initiative – Category II Treatment and Services Adaptation Centers
The purpose of this program (RFA SM-09-005, CFDA No.: 93.243) is to provide national expertise on specific types of traumatic events, population groups, and service systems and support the specialized adaptation of effective treatment and service approaches for communities across the country thereby improving treatment and services for children and adolescents in the United States who have experienced traumatic events.

As of April 2008, approximately 1.64 million men and women have been deployed to serve in Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) and Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) in support of the Global War on Terror. Individuals returning from Iraq and Afghanistan are at increased risk for suffering post-traumatic stress and other related disorders. Experts estimate that up to one-third of returning veterans will need mental health and/or substance abuse treatment and related services. In addition, the family members of returning veterans have an increased need for related support services. To address these concerns, SAMHSA strongly encourages all applicants to consider the unique needs of returning veterans and their families in developing their proposed project. Deadline: May 13,2009. Go to: http://samhsa.gov/grants/2009/sm_09_005.aspx

Send comments to Camille Coley, Executive Assistant Vice President or Penny Ashwanden, Content Editor.

Prior Opportunity Alerts

April 2009