In this edition:

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

Funding Opportunities

• NEW Diabetes Research Connection
• NEW Lubin Family Foundation Scholar Award
• NEW The Dorothy A. Jones Endowed Research Fund
• NIH Instrumentation Grant Programs 2024
• Breast Cancer Alliance 
• 2024 Charles A. King Trust Postdoctoral Research Fellowship Award
• Massachusetts Center for Alzheimer and Dementia Research
• Fund for Medical Discovery Research Fellowship Awards 
• Center for Suicide Research and Prevention
• Mass General Neuroscience Transformative Scholar Awards
• Mass General Brigham Precision & Genomic Medicine T32
• MGH Physician and/or Scientist Development Award 2024
• Limited Submission Funding
• Foundation Funding Opportunities

Announcements:

NEW Updates regarding the 2023 NIH Data Management and Sharing Policy

• NEW IACUC Policy Updates
• NEW MGB Healthcare Innovation Bootcamp Course: MESH Core 2024
• MGB Research Strategic Planning Process 2024: Invitation to Contribute 
• Celebration of Science 2024 Virtual Poster Session
• Discounted Stata Licenses

Events:

• REDCap Getting Started
• NEW Fun Fridays: Eight Active Ingredients of Tai Chi
• New Insights into the Pathogenesis of Psoriasis
• Navigating ARPA-H
• NEW 2024 Anne Klibanski Visiting Lecture Series 02
• Two Meditation Sessions available every week

NEW Diabetes Research Connection

DRC is funding more research than ever and encourages any early-career scientists to apply. We have immediate funds available for type 1 diabetes (T1D) cure and care research grants ranging from $25,000 up to $75,000. 

DRC will accept grant applications during the following window:

RFA 2024-1: January 22nd to February 25th, 2024.

If you have any questions, please email us at Research@DiabetesResearchConnection.org.

NEW Lubin Family Foundation Scholar Award

Created and funded by the Richard K. Lubin Family Foundation, the Lubin Family Foundation Scholar Award will combine opportunities for enhanced mentoring with financial assistance for gifted physician-scientists who aspire to serve as pioneers and champions of academic oncology and seek funding to propel their careers to a new level of mentored research.

Award Amount: $150,000 per year for 4 years

Key Eligibility: Applicants must be MD or MD/PhD fellows or Category 4 Instructors (or equivalent appointment at the applicant’s institution) who have completed no less than 18 months, and no more than 36 months, of laboratory research on July 3, 2024. Eligible researchers at all HMS and MIT affiliated institutions are encouraged to apply. See RFA for additional criteria.

Application Deadline: February 5^th, 2024 by 5pm

NEW The Dorothy A. Jones Endowed Research Fund

The Dorothy A. Jones Endowed Nursing Research Fund (sponsored by Frances and Stephen Foster) is a grant award designed to support nurse researchers (Ph.D. prepared) who are advancing a program of research exploring the nurse-patient relationship, a holistic approach to nursing assessment and clinical reasoning to uncover the patient and/or family's response to illness and life pattern that guides actions to promote health and well-becoming.

• PROPOSAL DUE:  March 31, 2024
• RECIPIENT NOTIFIED: May 1, 2024
• Grant awarded on Nursing Research Day 2024

To set up an appointment to learn more about The Dorothy A. Jones Endowed Nursing Research Fund please email: Dottie Jones, Ed.D, ANP, FAAN

NIH Instrumentation Grant Programs 2024

The NIH ORIP's Shared Instrumentation Grant (S10) program, also known as a SIG, supports the purchase of research equipment in the $50,000 to $600,000 price range. Examples of instrumentation supported by SIG funding include nuclear magnetic resonance systems, electron and light microscopes, mass spectrometers, protein and DNA sequencers, biosensors, X-ray diffractometers and cell sorters. For research equipment exceeding the $600,000 price range, investigators may apply for the High-End Instrumentation (HEI) Grant Program.

The MGH Executive Committee on Research (ECOR) has again committed funding to provide institutional support this year for Shared Instrumentation Grant (S10) and High-End Instrumentation (HEI) Grant  proposals. ECOR has made this commitment because it recognizes that institutional support greatly increases the likelihood that an application will be funded. 

When is the deadline?

ECOR Pre-application Deadline:  Tuesday, March 12, 2024, 5pm

NIH Application Deadline: Monday, June 3, 2024

Breast Cancer Alliance 

Young Investigator Grants



The mission of the Breast Cancer Alliance (BCA) is to improve survival rates and quality of life for those impacted by breast cancer through better prevention, early detection, treatment and cure. This grant is intended to help advance the careers of young researchers who do not yet have their own major grant support but who design and conduct their own independent research projects.

MGH is eligible to nominate two candidates.

How much is the award?

The grant provides salary support and project costs for a total of $125,000 (distributed over the two-year period.) Indirect costs, which are included in the $125,000 award, must be limited to 8% of total direct costs.

When is the deadline?  

MGH letter of intent deadline: Monday, February 12, 2024 at 5:00pm

BCA letter of intent deadline: March 31, 2023

Exceptional Project Grants

The Breast Cancer Alliance invites clinical doctors and research scientists at any stage of their careers whose primary focus is breast cancer to apply for an Exceptional Project Grant. This award recognizes creative, unique and innovative research.

MGH is allowed to submit a maximum of 2 LOIs to the sponsor.

How much is the award?

The award is $100,000 for one year. Administrative costs, which are included in the $100,000 award, must be limited to 8% of grant funds. ECOR policy states that for MGH investigators selected through a competitive process as the institutional nominee in which the grant will bring in less than 20% indirect cost (IDC), ECOR will cover the IDC gap up to a maximum of $50,000 per year.

When is the deadline?  

MGH internal preliminary application deadline: Tuesday, February 13, 2024 at 5:00pm BCA letter of intent deadline: March 31, 2024

2024 Charles A. King Trust Postdoctoral Research Fellowship Award



What are they?

The purpose of the fellowship award is to support research that focuses on the causes of human disease with the mission of improving its treatment. The program provides funding to postdoctoral fellows and clinician scientists in the mid to late stages of their research training in basic and preclinical science, and clinical, health services, population health, and implementation research to help them achieve their goals of becoming independent investigators in biomedical research.

This opportunity is open to senior postdoctoral researchers and mentored clinician-scientists (MD, DO or equivalent) who work in the state of Massachusetts. 

How much is the award?

Two-year grants ranging from $194,100 to $215,000 total, inclusive of stipend, fringe, and a $25,000 annual flexible expense allowance will be awarded October 1, 2024.

When is the deadline?  

Wednesday, February 28th, 2024 at 12:00 PM ET

There will be an informational session on Tuesday, January 16 from 11:00am – 12:00pm ET. Click here to register.

Massachusetts Center for Alzheimer and Dementia Behavioral Research in Minority Aging Pilot Funding and Training Opportunity



Funding and Training Opportunity: MASS-ENVISION is seeking to fund 4 pilot studies of behavioral interventions, $40,000 each, for one year. The awardees will be provided resources, rigorous training, and sustained mentorship in ADRD-related behavioral interventions following the NIH Stage Model, the Science of Behavior Change (SOBC), and the NIA Health Disparities Research Framework.

Eligibility

• Early career investigators or mid-career investigators who are transitioning to ADRD research.
• Underrepresented in medicine (UiM) backgrounds (e.g., racial and ethnic minorities, immigrants, first generation college students, individuals from rural areas, those with disabilities and women) as defined by the NIH.
• Must reside in the Boston area or be willing to relocate.

Applications are due by February 15, 2024.

For questions, email massenvisionrec@mgb.org

Fund for Medical Discovery Research Fellowship Awards 



What are they?

The FMD Awards are intended to support the salary of junior investigators (MD and PhD Research fellows, Clinical Research Fellows, Instructors), during a one-year period at MGH, who are in the training phase of their research. We recognize that research at MGH integrates the full translational spectrum of discovery from "bench to bedside to community and population.” To ensure that all areas of research conducted at MGH are included and eligible for FMD fellowship awards, ECOR is offering 3 types of training awards: fundamental research fellowships, clinical research fellowships, and population health care sciences fellowships.



How much is each award?

The award will include a stipend of $67,781 plus applicable fringe benefits and 20% indirect costs.

When is the deadline?

Friday, March 1, 2024 - 5:00 PM

Your copy should address 3 key questions: Who am I writing for? (Audience) Why should they care? (Benefit) What do I want them to do here? (Call-to-Action)

Create a great offer by adding words like "free" "personalized" "complimentary" or "customized." A sense of urgency often helps readers take an action, so think about inserting phrases like "for a limited time only" or "only 7 remaining"!

CSRP Pilot Grant Program

The Center for Suicide Research and Prevention (CSRP) is launching its Pilot Grant Program to support burgeoning research in the space of suicide prediction and prevention.  

Award amount

Selected projects will receive $50,000 (inclusive of indirect costs) to advance their research for one (1) year. Funds can be used flexibly to support salary or research costs.

Deadline

Applications will be accepted until Thursday, February 15, 2024 @5:00 PM EST

CSRP Scholars Program

The Center for Suicide Research and Prevention (CSRP) is launching its Scholars Program to support innovative early-career and advanced investigators with an interest in suicide prevention research.

Award amount

The Scholars Program provides a stipend up to $50,000 (inclusive of indirect costs). 

Deadline

Thursday, February 15, 2024 @5:00 PM EST.

Mass General Neuroscience Transformative Scholar Awards



Thanks to generous philanthropic donations, Mass General Neuroscience (MGN) will provide up to seven (7) Neuroscience Awards to encourage and support young investigators in conducting laboratory and/or clinical research in Neuroscience and Brain Health, Tinnitus, Neurodegeneration, and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (new this year). Interdisciplinary research across 2 or more of the 4 departments representing Neurosciences is encouraged but not required.

Each award will consist of a commitment of $150,000 total costs ($75K annually total costs for two years, inclusive of 20% indirect costs) intended to support salary and/or research expenses of the junior investigator during a two-year period at Mass General.

Application Deadline Extended: Friday, February 16, 2024

Mass General Brigham Precision & Genomic Medicine T32



The MGB Training Program in Precision & Genomic Medicine, co-led by Jordan W. Smoller, MD, ScD, and Heidi Rehm, PhD, brings together three outstanding components to build a world-class training program in precision and genomic medicine:

1. An internationally-recognized faculty with expertise in precision and genomic medicine across a broad range of disciplines.
2. Outstanding institutional resources bridging clinical, genomic, and data sciences.
3. Deep engagement with cutting edge, collaborative initiatives at the regional, national, and international levels to provide rich training experiences.

Funding is for 2-years and awards cover salary, travel to professional meetings, and other training-related expenses. Trainees will perform research in their respective Mentor’s lab but will participate in all T32 training related requirements (meetings, journal club, etc.) throughout the Mass General Brigham Healthcare System.

Application materials are due February 23, 2024 at 5:00 PM, and the fellowship term begins July 2024. Please direct any inquiries to Program Manager, Marina Wilson (mwilson49@mgh.harvard.edu). 

MGH Physician and/or Scientist Development Award 2024

The MGH Physician and/or Scientist Development Award (PSDA) is designed for MD and/or PhD investigators at MGH who are considered underrepresented in academic medicine (UiM). This Award is intended to provide transitional funding for support in the development of physicians and scientists underrepresented in academic medicine, and thereby increase opportunities for UiM researchers to advance to senior positions in academic medicine at MGH. This award is a key faculty initiative of the CDI. 

How much is the award?

$180,000 plus 20% indirect costs will be awarded to be spent over a three or four-year period, with a maximum of $60,000 plus indirect costs per year for 3-year awards and a maximum of $45,000 plus indirect costs per year for 4-year awards. 

When is the deadline?

Wednesday, February 7, 2024– 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.

Assessment of Climate at Institutions (Act) Award (RC2 – Clinical Trial Not Allowed)

MGH LOI Deadline: 4/01/24

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.

1. (Pre-Clinical) Reach Awards, Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation for Childhood Cancer (ALSF). $250,000 (No IDC). Application Deadline: March 25
2. NEW! Ralph L. Sacco Scholars Program in Brain Health (postdoctoral fellowship), American Heart Association. $150,000 (IDC Exempt). Application Deadline: April 9
3. Young Investigator Awards, Bladder Cancer Advocacy Network (BCAN). $75,000 (No IDC). Application Deadline: February 22
4. NEW! Pilot Projects in Neuroscience & Society, Dana Foundation. $150,000 (No IDC). LOI Deadline: February 16
5. Shark Tank Competition, Epilepsy Foundation. $200,000 (Unspecified IDC). LOI Deadline: May 20
6. Postdoctoral Fellowships in Down Syndrome and Co-Occurring Disorders, Fondation Jérôme Lejeune. €130,000 (≈$142,000) (IDC Exempt). Application Deadline: February 26
7. Primary Immunodeficiency C.H.I.L.D.R.E.N!® (Child Health Initiative to Lessen Disease through Research and Education Now) Grants, Jeffrey Modell Foundation. $50,000 (No IDC). Application Deadline: Continuous
8. Primary Immunodeficiency Specific Defect Research Grants, Jeffrey Modell Foundation. $50,000 (No IDC). Application Deadline: Continuous
9. Primary Immunodeficiency Translational Research Program, Jeffrey Modell Foundation. $250,000 (No IDC). LOI Deadline: March 13
10. Career Development Awards for Translational Research, LUNGevity Foundation. $300,000 (15% IDC). LOI Deadline: February 9
11. Rising Tide/LUNGevity Team Award Program to Target Mechanisms of Resistance Award, LUNGevity Foundation. $1.5 million (No IDC). LOI Deadline: February 9
12. CDKL5 Program of Excellence Pilot Grant Program, Orphan Disease Center (ODC). $150,000 (10% IDC). LOI Deadline: February 16

Your copy should address 3 key questions: Who am I writing for? (Audience) Why should they care? (Benefit) What do I want them to do here? (Call-to-Action)

Create a great offer by adding words like "free" "personalized" "complimentary" or "customized." A sense of urgency often helps readers take an action, so think about inserting phrases like "for a limited time only" or "only 7 remaining"!

NEW Updates regarding the 2023 NIH Data Management and Sharing Policy



• Remember to use our NIH DMS Policy Resources on Navigator
• Dataverse- What can I share?
• NEW: DMPTool has single sign-on (SSO) functionality
• Consultations with Joint Committee for DMS Plans are available
• FDP Slides Provides Feedback on NIH DMS Policy Rollout- Tips and Best Practices
• Incoming subawards require coordination with collaborators on DMS plans.

Remember to use our NIH DMS Policy Resources on Research Navigator

We have a variety of resources on Research Navigator to help you prepare your NIH DMS plans in compliance with both NIH and Mass General Brigham Requirements. 2023 NIH Data Management & Sharing Policy (sharepoint.com)

Be sure to use the template language for Element 6 of your plan from the Mass General Brigham template, regardless of whether you are using a different template for the rest of your plan. Mass General Brigham template.

NEW IACUC Policy Updates



The following revised policy was approved by the MGH IACUC and is available for review on the MGH IACUC website.

Effective January 17, 2024:

• Policy on the Use of Drugs and Medical Materials, Version 3.0

Please review this policy to ensure that you are following current requirements and be sure to update any relevant documents and practices you may have in your laboratory. 

If you have any questions, please contact the MGH IACUC Office or MGH IACUC Compliance.  

NEW Mass General Brigham's Healthcare Innovation Bootcamp Course: MESH Core 2024 – May 20-21

MESH Core is a two-day intensive, in-person, hands-on healthcare innovation course in the mecca of biomedical innovation – Boston. Building on decades of cutting-edge innovation on the fringes - often in the dark and limited to a select few - this official curriculum of fundamental knowledge and lessons learned from healthcare trailblazers from Harvard, Mass General Brigham, and industry will arm new innovators with key knowledge on their lifelong journey of pushing the limits of what is possible.

Suitable for physicians, researchers, allied health professionals, students, MBAs, executives, and the public. A combination of lectures, hands-on cases, networking, roundtables, and scientific sessions.

Date: May 20-21, 2024.

Location: MGB HQ. Assembly Row, Somerville, MA.

MGB Research Strategic Planning Process 2024: Invitation to Contribute 

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. For those who are interested in contributing, please complete this short survey. The information you provide in the survey will be shared with the Working Group for each of the strategic focus areas that you select within the form. The Working Group is charged with determining how to gather input from those who have expressed interest in contributing. In the meantime, if you have immediate ideas or feedback to share, there is an opportunity to do so within the survey. 

Celebration of Science 2024 Virtual Poster Session

A Celebration of MGH Trainees 

The Celebration of Science 2024 Virtual Poster Session gives researchers the opportunity to create a compelling visual display of their work and present it to some of the best scientific minds in the nation. The poster session is an essential part of the Scientific Advisory Committee meeting, which highlights excellence in research at MGH. Posters of Distinction will be chosen to receive a $1,000 travel award to a scientific meeting.

A review panel will select a group of finalists from the submitted abstracts. Those finalists will be required to present their poster in order to be considered for the travel award.

ELIGIBILITY

Awards will be restricted to trainees (fellows and graduate students) and research staff (research coordinators, research technicians, etc.) The abstract submitter must have a full-time appointment at MGH.

QUESTIONS

If you have problems or questions please email sac@partners.org

Discounted Stata Licenses

The Research Computing Core offers Stata licenses to the Research Community at a discounted rate via rcservices.partners.org. Stata is a statistical software package that provides tools for analysis, data management and graphics. Interested in learning new tips or looking to learn about new functionality with Stata 18? Check out the Stata Webinars, which are offered free of charge via the vendor's website.

See these events and more on the calendar of events

REDCap Getting Started

Friday, January 26, 11:30 am – 12:30 pm

REDCap Representatives: Dan Foley and Jeremy Alphonse

Description:

In collaboration with the Harvard Catalyst, REDCap is a free, secure, web-based application hosted by Partners Research Computing and designed to support electronic data capture for research studies. 

This course will provide a high-level overview of the REDCap tool. Learn about study start-up, project life cycles, data management, and how to program data fields and branching logic. There will be time devoted to user’s Q&A and design questions.

NEW Fun Fridays: Eight Active Ingredients of Tai Chi

Friday, January 26, 2024, 12:00 – 1:00 pm

Fun Fridays offer a refreshing mid-day break from work to indulge in physical, mental, or creative activity.

Join Eight Active Ingredients of Tai Chi^© certified teacher Barry Friedman in exploring the traditional principles of Tai Chi in a relaxed, informal and experiential session. Regular practice of this gentle “meditation in motion” leads to more vigor and flexibility, better balance and mobility, and an overall sense of well-being.

Presenter: Barry Friedman is a long-term committed practitioner of tai chi, teaches regularly to his own classes as well as at the Tree of Life tai chi studios in Watertown, and brings his experience as a life-long soccer goalkeeper coach to bear in providing a welcoming environment for the cultivation of fitness, health and mental well-being.

New Insights into the Pathogenesis of Psoriasis

Monday, January 29, 2024, 4:00 - 5:00 pm

CBRC SEMINAR SERIES VIRTUAL PRESENTATION

Speaker: 

Johann E. Gudjonsson, MD, PhD.

Professor

University of Michigan

Department of Dermatology

Department of Internal Medicine

Arthur C. Curtis Professor of Cutaneous Immunology

Ann Arbor, MI

Navigating ARPA-H

Wednesday, January 31, 12:00 - 1:00 pm



ARPA-H will award $2.5 billion of translational funding in the next year. Being successful as an applicant and performer requires new approaches and skills. Mark your calendar for expert led MGB workshops on the ARPA-H essentials --- programs, priorities, funding mechanisms, performance expectations and program oversight.

• Expert-Led Insights: Learn from seasoned professionals from Mass General Brigham and Battelle to learn more about agency mission, business development, strategic partnering, and proposal development.
• Customized Content: Sessions are crafted especially for MGB and address the special requirements of collaborating with ARPA-H.
• Interactive Format: Engage in meaningful dialogues, participate in Q&A sessions, and apply your learning through practical exercises.

NEW 2024 Anne Klibanski Visiting Lecture Series 02

Thursday, February 1, 12:00 - 1:00 pm



"Role of branched-chain amino acid catabolism in healthy and injured kidney"

The Anne Klibanski Visiting Lecture Series was created to support and advance the careers of women. These lectures offer the opportunity for women faculty from outside institutions that have hosted Anne Klibanski Scholars to present on their expertise, either alone or in tandem with an Anne Klibanski Scholar.

Presenter:

• Sian E. Piret, PhD, Assistant Professor, Division of Nephrology and Hypertension Renaissance School of Medicine, Stony Brook University

Two Meditation Sessions available every week

SESSION 1: Meditation Mondays with Dr. Darshan Mehta 

Every Monday, 8:00 – 8:30 am, Zoom, next session, Monday, January 29!

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, next session, Wednesday, January 31!

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

Join guest leader, Diane Cocca-Spofford, BSN, RN, Cardiology Division, for next Wednesday’s guided meditation session.

Register and add to calendar

See these events and more on the calendar of events

Research Institute website

Bench Press Blog

MGH Research Intranet