The NIH will be implementing a new Simplified Review Framework for Research Project Grants, beginning with applications received on or after January 25, 2025.

The goal of the new review framework is to improve how peer reviewers evaluate research project grants, enabling them to:

• Better focus on answering the key questions necessary to assess scientific and technical merit
• Mitigate the effects of reputational bias
• Reduce reviewer burden

by focusing their attention on three main questions:

• Should the project be done?
• Can it be done?
• Will it be done?

The new framework reorganizes the previous five review criteria - Significance, Investigators, Innovation, Approach & Environment - into three factors that align with these questions.

Factor 1 - Importance of the Research (Should the project be done?)

This factor:

• Aligns with previous review criteria Significance and Innovation
• Receives a score of 1-9 and comments by reviewers

Factor 2 - Rigor and Feasibility (includes Human Study or Clinical Trials study timelines) (Can it be done?)

This factor:

• Aligns with previous review criterion Approach
• Receives a score of 1-9 and comments by reviewers

Factor 3 - Expertise and Resources (Will it be done?)

This factor:

• Aligns with previous review criteria Investigators and Environment
• Is evaluated as a binary choice - either "appropriate" or "additional expertise/resources needed" with respect to the work proposed - in an effort to reduce reputational bias
• Does not receive an individual score, but if gaps are identified, reviewers will provide an explanation.

Reviewer burden will further be relieved by not requiring peer review of select additional considerations that aren't directly related to scientific merit. These considerations do not affect overall impact score and reviewers will be asked only to comment on two out of the five considerations - Authentication of Key Biological & Chemical Resources and Budget & Period of Support. The others - Applications from Foreign Organizations, Select Agent Research and Resource Sharing Plans - will be shifted to NIH administrative staff review.

Reviewers will still provide an overall impact score, reflecting their judgment of scientific merit based on an integration of the evaluations of each factor listed above, as well as the additional review criteria, such as human subject protections. As with existing scoring methods, reviewers will weigh these factors as they see fit when arriving at an overall score.

For a detailed overview of the new Simplified Review Framework, including how NOFOs will be updated, please view this video.

American Cancer Society

Grant Opportunities

APPLICATION DEADLINE - TODAY

RFA: Leukemia Exploration and Prevention Grant Program (LEAP) | American Cancer Society



Who Can Apply: Independent investigators at all career ranks

Purpose: To enable the discovery of cancer interception or prevention therapies for RUNX1-FPD hematologic malignancies.

Funding: Awards are for up to 4 years. $215,000 per year direct costs plus 10% IDC for RSG award; $430,000 per year direct costs plus 10% IDC for Team award.

Attention Cancer Biology Research Program Members

State of the University Address:

President Michael A. Fitts

Thursday, October 31 - 9:00 - 10:00 AM

Uptown Campus

Kendall Cram Lecture Hall

Lavin-Bernick Center for University Life

Open Season 2025

This business pitch competition is open to all Tulane students, faculty, staff, and recent alumni!

Win $3,000! Plus mentorship from the Tulane Innovation Institute.

APPLICATION DEADLINE:

Thursday, October 31

Apply Here

Call for Letters of Intent: Research Centers of Excellence

The Office of Research is pleased to announce a Request for Proposals for a competition for additional Tulane Research Centers of Excellence awards. 

LETTER OF INTENT DUE - NOVEMBER 1, 2024

The highest quality applications will be awarded $200,000 per year for three years. The Office of Research will provide $100,000 per year with additional matching funding required from the Schools/TNPRC with faculty participating in the Center.

A Research Centers of Excellence Peer Review Committee will review of the initial Letters of Intent and make decisions by December 1 about finalists who will be invited to submit Full Applications.

Full applications are due February 15, 2025.

Deep South Mentored Career Development Program K12 Scholars

PRE-APPLICATIONS DUE - NOVEMBER 1

The CCTS K12 Award program prepares early-career faculty who have recently finished a research or health professional doctorate for a career in translational research. The program culminates in lead-author manuscripts and an extramurally funded research grant submission (e.g., K23, R01) for scholars.

Scholars receive:

• 75% salary support for two years
• Support for tuition and travel
• Individualized skills and knowledge development via didactic and hands-on trainings
• Research apprenticeship with an experienced primary mentor who has an excellent training record and who commits to extended, close interaction with the scholar
• Access to the large and diverse pool of experienced translational research experts within the CCTS Partner Network

Questions - Andy Barton (abarton1@tulane.edu) or Jeanne Merchant (jsmerchant@uabmc.edu) 

MORE INFORMATION

2024 Michael F. Priceman Memorial Grant

APPLICATION DEADLINE: NOVEMBER 1 - 10:59 PM CDT

GRANT AMOUNT – Up to $500,000 over 2 years

INDIRECT COSTS – 15%

MORE INFORMATION

The RFA is for pre-clinical or translational work for gastroesophageal cancer that will lead to a clinical trial within two years. This is to accelerate drug development and to bring new therapies to patients as quickly as possible. Up to two grants will be awarded with a completion date of two years. Grants may be supported in full or partially based on the aims of the project, novelty and feasibility.

Questions? Contact sarah@degregorio.org.

5th Annual Essentials in Internal Medicine Conference

Saturday, November 2, 7:30 a.m. to 5:45 p.m.

Murphy Building, 131 S. Robertson St., New Orleans

The conference is designed to equip internal medicine and subspecialist professionals with the most current diagnostic and treatment options available in internal medicine and its subspecialties.

Register

NIH Two-Part Virtual Event, NIH Grants Process Primer: Application to Award

November 13 & 14, 2024

If you are a grant administrator or investigator with limited knowledge of the grants process and are eager to start building a better foundation in your role of working with the NIH, register for this two-part virtual event today!

Doing Business With ARPA-H Industry Day

Wednesday, November 14

ZOOM - REGISTER BY NOVEMBER 8

The event aims to provide information on the agency’s overall mission, current projects, and business processes for interested parties within the health innovation ecosystem, including universities, research institutions, small and large businesses, and nonprofit organizations. The agenda includes sessions on ARPA-H’s contracting authority and contracting preferences for research and development projects, how to find specific funding opportunities, and initiatives related to the ARPA-H customer experience. Breakout sessions throughout the day will focus on topics such as intellectual property, international collaborations, teaming, program transition, and navigating Other Transactions as a funding mechanism. 

SAVE THE DATE:

Inaugural Dream Symposium -

Innovating Solutions for DEI in Digestive & Liver Diseases

December 6-7, 2024

Hutchinson Building, 1st Floor

Please join Dr. Sarah Glover, DO, AGAF, Chief of Gastroenterology & Hepatology, and Dr. Stefan Grant, MD, JD, MBA, Tulane Cancer Center Director, for this symposium aimed at addressing health disparities in care outcomes in gastroenterology, liver disease and cancers related to the digestive tract.

This symposium brings together clinician research leaders from across the Gulf South to address the challenges of a rising GI and liver cancers in our region - specifically in the Latino and Black communities - and is ideal for researchers interested in microbiome, genetics of GI diseases, and environmental exposure’s impact on gut health.

This Activity has been approved for AMA PRA Category 1 Credit ™

Register

Notice of Special Interest: Administrative Supplements to Active NIH Awards to Support Replication Studies Using Independent Contract Resources

APPLICATIONS DUE - NOVEMBER 15, 2024

The purpose of this NOSI is to provide administrative supplements to active NIH-funded awards to conduct preparatory activities that enable high-fidelity replication studies using independent contract research resources, which will be supported by the Common Fund. This is open to any awardee who meets the below requirements:

Additional funds may be awarded as supplements to parent awards using any Activity Code that is listed in PA-20-272, with the following exceptions: Small business activity codes (e.g., R41, R42, R43, R44, U43, U44, Fast Track, SB1, UB1, UT1, and UT2) are NOT ELIGIBLE. Note that not all participating NIH Institutes and Centers (ICs) support all the activity codes that may otherwise be allowed. Applicants are therefore strongly encouraged to consult the program officer of the parent grant to confirm eligibility. 

More Information

NSF 24-598: Mid-Scale Research Infrastructure-1

PRELIMINARY PROPOSAL DUE DATE: NOVEMBER 18, 2024 - 5:00 PM CDT

AWARD AMOUNT:

IMPLEMENTATION PROJECTS - $4M - $20M

DESIGN ACTIVITIES - LESS THAN $4M ($400K MINIMUM)

MORE INFORMATION

***Full proposal is by invitation only***

The Foundation-wide Mid-scale Research Infrastructure opportunity is intended to provide NSF with an agile, Foundation-wide process to fund experimental research capabilities in the mid-scale range between MRI and Major Multi-user Facilities.

There are no limits to the number of preliminary proposals submitted as the lead organization. Full proposals are to be submitted only if/when invited by NSF. There is no limit to participation as a partner organization or sub-awardee.

CARES Center Pilot Project Funding

Full Application Due: November 18

Grant Amount: $100,000

Project budgets may not exceed $50,000 per year in total costs. Funding is for one year, with a possibility to apply for an additional year contingent upon availability of funds.

VIEW RFA here.

The Cancer Awareness, Research, Engagement, and Support Center invites applications for pilot and feasibility studies to address disparities across the cancer control continuum in areas characterized by persistent poverty - census tracts with ≥20% of residents living in poverty for ≥30 years.

If interested, please submit a letter of intent (LOI) to Kaitlyn Waugaman, kjwaugaman@uabmc.edu.

NIH Loan Repayment Programs (LRP) Award

APPLICATION DEADLINE - NOVEMBER 21

AMOUNT: $100,000 IN REPAYMENT OF QUALIFIED EDUCATIONAL LOAN DEBT OVER A TWO-YEAR LRP AWARD PERIOD

Explore the LRP website and watch the overview video to learn more.

Summer 2025 Fellowships for Graduate Students at Sandia National Laboratories

APPLICATION DEADLINE -

DECEMBER 1, MIDNIGHT EST

Universities Research Association (URA) is seeking applications for paid Summer 2025 Fellowships for graduate students at Sandia National Laboratories. Detailed information about the program and the application process is available at https://ura-hq.org/fellowships-awards/sandia-graduate-student-summer-fellowship/.

URA anticipates making up to ten appointments within Sandia’s participating Research Foundations, including Bioscience, Computing and Information Science, Earth Science, Engineering Science, Material Science, Nanodevices and Microsystems, and Radiation, Electrical, and High Energy Density Science. Applicants must be full-time master’s or doctoral graduate students and US Citizens. 

Call for Proposals:  FY25 Office of Research Bridge Fund Support

APPLICATION DEADLINE: DECEMBER 1, 2024

Purpose

To sustain competitively funded research projects that have temporarily lost extramural support, the OoR Bridge Fund provides one‐time support to eligible Principal Investigators to assist with re‐establishing external funding.

A primary objective of the support is to keep experienced research teams together; thus, priority will be given to retain project staffing temporarily. Also, special consideration will be given to multi‐investigator, convergent, and center‐type projects.

Eligibility

Bridge Fund support is intended for those Principal Investigators who have experienced a substantial reduction from extramural sources, and who can reasonably anticipate regaining competitive support in the upcoming year.

MORE INFORMATION

Gilead’s Research Scholars Program in Oncology Solid Tumors

APPLICATION DEADLINE: DECEMBER 6, 2024, at 11:59 PM PST

AWARD AMOUNT: UP TO $180,000

Apply here: Research Scholars Program Solid Tumors Portal 

Gilead’s Research Scholars Program selects junior faculty researchers pursuing an academic career at an institution at the time of application. The Program supports any basic and clinical research limited to breast, bladder, upper gastrointestinal, or lung cancer that addresses an unmet medical need in the field of Oncology Solid Tumors.

Ladies Leukemia League Call for Applications

The Ladies Leukemia League (LLL) - an organization dedicated to raising funds for leukemia and lymphoma research in the Gulf South region - is presently seeking applications for their 2025-2026 grant program.   

GRANT AMOUNT - $35,000

APPLICATION DEADLINE – December 13, 2024

Instructions for preparing your research grant application and other submission documents are available on the Ladies Leukemia League website at Ladies Leukemia League, Inc. of the Gulf South Region - Research Grants

Please note, if your project has been previously funded by another organization or institution, it is not eligible to be funded by the Ladies Leukemia League.

Request for Applications - Predoctoral Clinical/Translational Research Program (T32 Program)

APPLICATION DEADLINE - DECEMBER 16, 2024 - 5:00 PM CST

This one- or two-year fellowship offers:



• NRSA stipend (currently $28,224) for full-time multidisciplinary mentored research training

• $1,500 Travel Support for ACTS national meeting

• $3,000 Childcare reimbursement

• Up to $16,000 Tuition Support towards Master’s degree/certificate/coursework

• Training-related expenses available to support health insurance & research related costs

https://www.uab.edu/ccts/training-academy/research-fellowships/tl1

The mission of the Center for Clinical and Translational Science (CCTS) is to address disparities and/or diseases disproportionally represented in the Deep South. Full-time doctoral students at CCTS partner institutions seeking an MD, PhD, DDS, DMD, DVM, and dual-degrees and who will have completed the first two years of their doctoral degree by July 2025 are invited to apply. Candidates must be U.S. citizens or have permanent residency status and must be able to demonstrate a commitment to full-time research training.

Clinical and Translational Science Training Program Now Accepting Applications for 2025

APPLICATION DEADLINE - NOVEMBER 15, 5 PM

CTSTP is a six-month program that provides training in clinical and translational research, with sessions representing the following modules: Clinical Trials, Epidemiology, Biostatistics, Ethics, Behavioral Research, Outcomes Research, and Dissemination of Results. Sessions are presented by experienced clinical and translational researchers and individuals with special expertise in grants, regulatory issues, and more. 

WHEN: Wednesdays, January 8 to June 4

TIME: 8:00am – 10:00am

WHERE: Online via Zoom

See the Call for Applications and learn more by visiting the CCTS website.

The Tulane Innovation Institute has released the Startup Guide, a practical, step-by-step guide to developing inventions or technologies created by Tulane University innovators. The guide is designed to support your ideas and discoveries. If you'd like a physical copy mailed to you, please email jexnicios@tulane.edu. 

Please visit Tulane Cancer Center on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn and follow us for all the latest news in cancer research, education and patient care.

You can access our profile pages by clicking on the icons below.

Tulane Cancer Center now has an institutional subscription to The Cancer Letter, an independent weekly newsletter that is the leading source of information on:

• National Cancer Institute
• cancer research funding
• cancer legislation and policy
• the pharmaceutical industry

Our institutional subscription allows anyone with a Tulane IP address to be automatically logged in when visiting www.cancerletter.com. For more information, please click here.

Acknowledging Tulane Cancer Center Support in Publications

We suggest using the following wording when acknowledging Tulane Cancer Center support: "This work was supported by the Tulane Cancer Center, part of Tulane School of Medicine, and a consortium partner of the Louisiana Cancer Research Center."

One of the responsibilities of membership in the Tulane Cancer Center is acknowledgement of Cancer Center membership and/or use of shared resources, salary support or other Tulane Cancer Center funding in presentations and publications

Tulane Cancer Center Branded Assets

Please use the following for your external presentations, external-facing meetings and emails:

1. A Tulane Cancer Center-branded PowerPoint Slide Master
2. A Tulane Cancer Center-branded Scientific Poster Template (sized at 4 feet x 3 feet)
3. Tulane Cancer Center-branded Zoom Backgrounds
4. Tulane Cancer Center’s updated logo
5. Tulane Cancer Center-branded Email Signature Blocks

All Tulane Cancer Center Members should have received these files via a recent listserv email (Subject: Tulane Cancer Center Branded Assets). If you did not receive the email but would like to begin using these templates, please contact Melanie Cross at mcross@tulane.edu. 

Thank you for your assistance in helping us to expand our visibility while showcasing the depth and breadth of our outstanding basic, translational and population science research and clinical care.  

Next Generation Sequence Analysis Core

The Tulane Cancer Center NGS Analysis Core team assists investigators with furthering their research through comprehensive processing and analysis of data obtained from widely used high-throughput sequencing applications.

More Information 

Cell Analysis Core

The Cell Analysis Core Facility is designed to collaborate with investigators and contribute to all aspects of the research process, including consultation in experimental design, data analysis and storage, troubleshooting, interpretation of results, and the preparation and production of presentation graphics.

More Information

Tulane Cancer Center & LCRC Membership

Any Tulane University faculty member whose research relates to or could potentially relate to cancer – directly or indirectly – should become a member of the Tulane Cancer Center (TCC). As a member, you have access to TCC's funding opportunities, research collaboration events, and shared resources. Please click here for our membership guidelines and our online application form.

Cancer-focused faculty are also encouraged to become members of the Louisiana Cancer Research Center, a partnership between the State's foremost cancer research institutions - Tulane University School of Medicine, LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans, Xavier University of Louisiana and Ochsner Health. Membership in the LCRC provides access to additional funding opportunities exclusively offered to LCRC members. Please click here for the LCRC's membership guidelines and online application form.

Trainee Membership in the Tulane Cancer Center

Tulane graduate students, medical students, postdocs, medical school-affiliated residents or fellows, and some undergraduates who are engaged in cancer-focused research can now apply to become Trainee Members of the Tulane Cancer Center.

Trainee Member applicants must be sponsored by a current Tulane Cancer Center Member and, once their membership is approved, will benefit through association with Tulane Cancer Center Research Programs and Disease-Oriented Teams, as well as access to shared resources for cancer-focused projects and invitations to scientific retreats, seminars and special events.

Please share this opportunity with your lab teams and other trainees/mentees.

To access the Trainee Membership Sponsor Nomination Form as well as the online membership application, please click here.

Subscribe to Nexus

If you know someone who is interested in subscribing to Nexus, a weekly round-up of news and information for Tulane cancer researchers, please have them contact Melanie Cross at mcross@tulane.edu.

Please share your feedback. Is this newsletter helpful? What other information should we include? And send us your news and announcements regarding seminars, workshops, funding opportunities, new grants, recent publications or events by emailing Melanie Cross at mcross@tulane.edu.