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April 2023

Dear Colleagues,


First off congratulations to two of our Department of Medicine colleagues on their first time NIH R01 and R21 grants, as well our Department of Medicine Academic Senate awardee for receiving the Academic Senate Distinction award for faculty at the rank of associate professors.


Second, this month’s newsletter is packed with funding opportunities, so make sure to check out that section below.


And last, as a reminder, one of the many exciting funding opportunities listed in this issue is the DOM Cohort Grant, which supports the initiation or enhancement of patient cohorts for junior investigators aimed to generate data for future larger proposals. Proposals are due May 1, so there's still time to submit one! Best of luck to all applicants.



All the best, 

Diane and David


Diane Havlir, MD, Associate Chair for Clinical Research

David Erle, MD, Associate Chair for Biomedical Research

First Time R01s or Equivalent Awards

Babak Javid, PhD, associate professor in the Division of Experimental Medicine at ZSFG, received an R21 from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases for a project entitled, "Antibiotic tolerance as a stepping stone to tuberculosis drug-resistance."

Sara Suliman, PhD, MPH, assistant professor in the Division of Experimental Medicine at ZSFG, received an R01 from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases for a project entitled, "The role of tyrosine metabolism in tuberculosis pathogenesis."

**Please let Ilona Paredes know if we missed your first R01 or equivalent award in this issue of the newsletter. We will make sure to feature your award in our next issue.**

Academic Senate Awardee

Congratulations to Jennifer Lai, MD, MBA, associate professor in the Division of Gastroenterology at UCSF Health, for receiving the Academic Senate Distinction in Mentoring Award for faculty at the rank of associate professors.


The UCSF Academic Senate will host an event to recognize Jennifer and other 2023 Academic Senate Distinguished Faculty awardees on Monday, May 15 from 3 to 5 p.m. at the Parnassus Campus, room N-225, or you can join via Zoom, passcode: 532088.

Career Development Resource

UCSF Principal Investigator Research Operations Bootcamp



Clinical Research Operations Training is now available for UCSF PIs! Join us on Monday, May 8, 2023 via Zoom for one or more modules including Hiring and Managing Research Staff, Pre- and Post-Award Tasks, Recruitment and Informed Consent, and IRB and Safety Reporting. The first module is scheduled to start at 9:10 a.m. To view the full schedule, click here.


To register, please email CTO@ucsf.edu.

Access More CRC Bootcamp Trainings

PRE-Proposal Application REview Program

DOM PREPARE Program

Requests for grant reviews are accepted on an ongoing basis


Hundreds of applicants have benefited from this program to date. Check out what one of our faculty members had to say about their experience with this program:


"I am really grateful to the reviewers for providing an in-depth critique. It has helped me to identify weaknesses and risks in my grant." - Mallar Bhattacharya, MD, Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care, Allergy and Sleep Medicine at UCSF Health.

Request PREPARE Review

Funding Opportunities 

UCSF Institute for Human Genetics Basic & Clinical Science Seed Grants Initiative

Applications are due by May 1


The UCSF Institute for Human Genetics is pleased to announce the launch of an exploratory grants program to help seed small research projects that foster collaboration between basic science researchers and clinicians. This funding aims to encourage new collaborative research projects focused on solving unmet needs in the clinic using genetics/genomics.


To read more about eligibility criteria and application instructions, click here.To apply, email your application as a single PDF file to Arnetha Whitmore.

Read more about the Institute for Human Genetics 

Extramural Mercury Project

Applications are due by May 1


The Social Science Research Council, a nonprofit that mobilizes policy-relevant social and behavioral science for the public good, has issued a call for proposals (with funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation) for the Mercury Project, which seeks to evaluate the causal impacts of online or offline interventions designed to increase demand for vaccinations consistent with national priorities, including childhood vaccines, HPV, polio, measles, and COVID-19 vaccinations, in low- and lower-middle income countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Caribbean.

 

The average grant size in the first cohort is $650,000. Applicants are encouraged to consider the Mercury Project’s research framework in developing proposals. Preference will be given to projects that:

 

  • Evaluate the effects of interventions on behavioral outcomes, including vaccination uptake
  • Evaluate interventions that are designed and delivered in collaboration with governmental, NGO, and/or corporate partners
  • Demonstrate potential to be cost-effective at scale
  • Include researchers/research institutions located in the countries which the study is being conducted

 

To read more about eligiblity criteria and application instructions, click here. For questions, please contact mercury@ssrc.org.

Apply for Mercury Project

REMINDER DOM Cohort Grant

Applications are due by May 1


Each year, the UCSF Department of Medicine offers grants of up to $100,000 for a period of 12 to 24 months either to initiate the development of new UCSF patient cohorts or to expand the use of existing UCSF cohorts into new areas. The goal is to develop cohorts that could be widely used by both clinical and bench investigators. 


All UCSF faculty members with a primary appointment in the Department of Medicine at any site are eligible to apply. Special consideration will be given to new or junior investigators with mentors who have relevant experience in the design, creation, and/or maintenance of patient cohorts. To read more about eligibility criteria and application instructions, click here.

Apply for DOM Cohort Grant 

UCSF Center for AIDS Research (CFAR) Bioinformatics for Deep Support Collaboration Awards

Applications are due by May 12


The UCSF-Bay Area Center for AIDS Research coordinates a robust program focused on interdisciplinary research in HIV disease. As part of their most recent successfully funded renewal application was the addition of a Bioinformatics sub-core to enhance support for data analysis and integration, pipeline and methods development, and foster a community of learning among HIV/AIDS investigators. Led by Drs. Gabi Fragiadakis and Sulggi Lee (co-directors), along with senior data scientist Al Latif (computational lead), they are putting forth a new model for CFAR Bioinformatics that employs a multi-tiered approach to maximize the core’s impact. 


This RFA is soliciting applications for investigators to work collaboratively with CFAR Bioinformatics on projects that have a compelling bioinformatics/computational need and have an impact in the field of HIV/AIDS. Eligible investigators include faculty at all levels, though priority will be given to early-stage investigators. Awardees must be UCSF or UCSF-affiliated.


To read more about the RFA guidelines, click here. Full CFAR Bioinformatics proposals should be submitted to Al Latif as a Word document. Applicants are encouraged to reach out ahead of the due date for project consultation. 

Apply for CFAR Bioinformatics Program

SOM Bridge Funding Program

Applications are due by May 29


Faculty in the School of Medicine are invited to apply for the 2023 summer cycle of Bridge Funding. The Bridge Funding program provides up to 12 months of support for full-time faculty members, with independent research programs, who are experiencing a temporary loss of significant funding.


The program is intended to support applicants who face a funding gap between two extramural research grants (usually R01 or equivalent). Typically, applicants have been unsuccessful in a recent attempt to renew or replace a federal grant but are likely to be funded upon submission of a revised application, based on scores and reviewers’ comments. Applicants must demonstrate that their research program is jeopardized due to lack of extramural funding, that they have one or more rounds of well-scored but unfunded federal applications, and that they will have exhausted all available discretionary or start-up funds within one year of applying for bridge funding.

 

To read more about eligibility criteria and application instructions, click here. For questions, please contact SOMbridgefunding@ucsf.edu.

Apply for Bridge Funding Program

UCSF AIDS Research Institute (ARI) Call for Bold, New Ideas in HIV Research

Applications are due by June 2


The UCSF AIDS Research Institute (ARI) is calling for applications from investigators who need to generate data for bold new research ideas, that will lead to new and high-impact avenues of investigation in HIV research.


The award amount is up to $220,000 total, and can be spent over a period of 1 to 2 years. UCSF faculty in any series are welcome to apply.


To read more about eligibility criteria and application instructions, click here. To apply, email your applications as a single PDF file to ari2@ucsf.edu. For questions, please contact Lauren Sterling.

Read more about ARI Call for Bold, New Ideas in HIV Research

Extramural Harrington Discovery Institute Harrington Scholar-Innovator Award

Letter of intent submissions are due by June 5


The Harrington Discovery Institute is committed to supporting the work of physician-scientists. The flagship Harrington Scholar-Innovator program recognizes physician-scientists whose research has the potential to

advance the standard of care. Successful applicants will receive a $100,000 guaranteed grant award, drug and business development support from Harrington's therapeutics development advisors, an opportunity to compete for an acceleration fund up to $300,000 and an opportunity to qualify for investment funds typically up to $2 million. Applicants must have an MD or MD/PhD.


To read more about eligibility criteria and application instructions, click here. Letter of intent submission deadline is June 5, 2023. Full application deadline for those invited is August 7, 2023. For questions, please contact Questions@HarringtonDiscovery.org.

Apply for Harrington Scholar-Innovator Award

Extramural NIH High-Risk, High-Reward Research Program

Various deadlines, see below


The NIH Common Fund announces FY 2024 funding opportunities for the NIH Director’s New Innovator Award, Transformative Research Award, and Early Independence Award in the High-Risk, High-Reward Research program. The program provides unique opportunities for exceptionally creative scientists to pursue highly innovative approaches to address major challenges in biomedical or behavioral research. Any research topic relevant to the broad mission of NIH is welcome.


NIH strongly encourages applications from women and members of groups that are underrepresented in NIH-funded research and from individuals from diverse backgrounds and from the full spectrum of eligible institutions in all geographic locations. In addition, applications in all topics relevant to the broad mission of NIH are welcome.


New Innovator Award: Supports exceptionally creative early career scientists proposing unusually innovative and high-impact projects. To read more about this award see the New Innovator Award website. Applications are due by August 18, 2023.


Transformative Research Award: Supports individuals or teams proposing unusually innovative research projects that are inherently risky and untested but have the potential to create or overturn fundamental paradigms. To read more about this award see the Transformative Research Award website. Applications are due by September 1, 2023.


Early Independence Award: Enables outstanding junior scientists with the intellect, scientific creativity, drive, and maturity to bypass the traditional postdoctoral training period and launch an independent research career. Applicants must have recently completed or will soon complete their doctoral degree or clinical training and have the support and guarantee of an independent research position from a host institution. To read more about this award see the Early Independence Award website. Applications are due by September 6, 2023.


For more information about NIH and its programs, click the button below.

Visit NIH Website

NIH Update

Extramural NIH A Rule Change for Preliminary Data as Post-Submission Materials


As announced in a March 31, 2023 Guide notice, NIH will allow applicants to submit preliminary data as post-submission materials if the notice of funding opportunity (NOFO) uses the R01, R03, or R21 activity codes and allows preliminary data. This rule applies to new applications (Type 1) including resubmissions, but not renewal applications (Type 2) or competitive revisions (Type 3).


You may be wondering: Wasn’t that already the policy?



To clarify, as a special exception to ease applicant burden during the COVID-19 public health emergency, NIH allowed preliminary data as post-submission materials for all applications using any activity codes, so long as the corresponding NOFO allowed preliminary data.


When the public health emergency announcement expires (anticipated date of May 11, 2023), this exception will as well; applications submitted for the Cycle I Review and Award Cycle will be the last eligible.


For instructions on submitting post-submission materials after you apply, refer to Allowable Post-Submission Materials and Policy on Post-Submission Materials. To check out the treatise on the value of preliminary data, click here.


For help navigating NIAID's grant and contract policies and procedures, please contact deaweb@niaid.nih.gov.

Read more about A Rule of Change
If you'd like to contribute to future newsletters, please send your items to Ilona Paredes.
In Case You Missed It
ReSearch ReSource Newsletter

The Office of Research delivers a monthly communication of news and resources dedicated to the research enterprise, a helpful companion to DOM Research News! Read the newsletter here.
Resources for Space Planning Updates

For updates on work space projects, be sure to check out the UCSF Space websites for Parnassus Heights and ZSFG. Also, check out the Parnassus Vision website, maintained by a group of Parnassus-based research faculty.

Copyright © 2023, University of California, San Francisco, All rights reserved.


Please send comments, suggestions and questions to:

Diane Havlir, MD, Associate Chair for Clinical Research (diane.havlir@ucsf.edu)

David Erle, MD, Associate Chair for Biomedical Research (david.erle@ucsf.edu)