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Funding Opportunities: NIH Big Data to Knowledge, Research Centers for Pharmacogenomics in Precision Medicine

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You may be interested in these recent funding opportunity announcements:

NIH Big Data to Knowledge (BD2K)

NIGMS is participating in additional BD2K programs, an NIH-wide initiative that enables the biomedical research community to use various types of big data for research:

  • Development of an NIH BD2K Data Discovery Index Coordination Consortium (U24)
    (RFA-HL-14-031)
  • BD2K-LINCS-Perturbation Data Coordination and Integration Center (U54)
    (RFA-HG-14-001)
  • Mentored Career Development Award in Biomedical Big Data Science for Clinicians and Doctorally Prepared Scientists (K01)
    (RFA-HG-14-007)
  • Courses for Skills Development in Biomedical Big Data Science (R25)
    (RFA-HG-14-008)
  • Open Educational Resources for Biomedical Big Data (R25)
    (RFA-HG-14-009)

Research Centers for Pharmacogenomics in Precision Medicine (P50)
(PAR-14-075)

Purpose: This program will support a limited number of large-scale centers to conduct cutting-edge research studies designed to push the boundaries for understanding and predicting therapeutic drug responses.
Letters of intent due date: 30 days before the application due dates
Application due dates: September 25, 2014; September 25, 2015; and September 25, 2016.
NIGMS contact: Rochelle Long, 301-594-3827.

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Advisory Council Meeting: Attend, Watch, Comment

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The National Advisory General Medical Sciences Council will have its winter meeting on January 23-24, 2014. Although the first day is a closed session for the review and discussion of grant applications, Friday’s portion of the meeting is open to the public. The agenda includes presentations on NIGMS programs and policy changes as well as a public comment period.

You may attend the open session in person or watch the presentations and discussions live or later.

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Wanted: Biomedical Technology; Bioinformatics and Computational Biology Branch Chiefs

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We’re recruiting for two outstanding individuals to serve as branch chiefs within our Division of Biomedical Technology, Bioinformatics, and Computational Biology (BBCB), where they will oversee the scientific and administrative management of either the Biomedical Technology Branch or the Bioinformatics and Computational Biology Branch. In addition, they will be responsible for advising, directing and evaluating program activities for a portfolio of research grants in one of the branch areas.

The vacancy announcement, which includes detailed descriptions of the job requirements and application procedures, is scheduled to post this weekend on USAJOBS.gov and remain open for a short period. We’ll update this post early next week with a link to the announcement and the closing date. In preparing an application, Applying for Scientific Administration Jobs at NIGMS may offer other useful information.

Now is a particularly exciting time for the division. In previous posts, I’ve talked about our efforts in big data and open science. But these are just two areas of BBCB interest. The main focus of the Biomedical Technology Branch is supporting the research and development of new or improved instruments, methods and approaches that have broad application to biomedical research. The Bioinformatics and Computational Biology Branch is primarily focused on funding basic biomedical research that leads to an integrative understanding of biomedical systems, as well as funding research to create or maintain databases and to develop methods to manage, visualize and analyze data.

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Bolstering Our Commitment to Investigator-Initiated Research

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As part of an ongoing examination of our grant portfolio to ensure that we invest taxpayer money as effectively and efficiently as possible, we recently analyzed changes over time in the distribution of investigator-initiated research compared to research funded through targeted funding opportunity announcements (FOAs).

Changes over time in NIGMS investments in investigator-initiated research (research grant funds not associated with targeted FOAs) (right axis) and research funded through targeted FOAs (left axis). The analysis does not include fellowship, career development and training awards; programs transferred to NIGMS from the former National Center for Research Resources; and some other programs. For more details about the analysis, which was performed by Jim Deatherage, chief of our Cell Biology Branch, see the NIGMS Funding Trends Web page.

The figure shows that in the early 1990s, 99% of NIGMS’ grant budget supported investigator-initiated research, compared to 80% today. During the budget doubling in Fiscal Years 1998-2003, the Institute’s investment in research funded through targeted FOAs increased dramatically, then continued to increase at a slower rate during Fiscal Years 2004-2009.

As I discussed in a previous post about our large-scale research initiatives and centers, there were many good reasons for using FOAs to target specific areas of research with some of the funds made available by the budget doubling. For example, FOAs allowed the Institute to experiment with catalyzing the development of such new and emerging fields as structural genomics, pharmacogenomics and systems biology.

Since the budget doubling ended, however, maintaining steady support for our targeted research portfolio has made it difficult to maintain steady support for investigator-initiated research project grants (RPGs). Partly as a result, the success rate for RPGs (the number of funded RPGs divided by the number of RPG applications) fell below 20% in Fiscal Year 2013. Although a number of factors have contributed to the declining success rate, a significant one is that targeted and investigator-initiated research grants compete directly with each other. To bolster the success rate, we need to decrease our commitment to targeted FOAs. Furthermore, because none of us knows where the next major advances will arise, the soundest investment strategy is to have a distributed portfolio in which researchers investigate a wide range of scientific questions. History strongly suggests that letting scientists “follow their noses”—which involves a combination of curiosity, expertise, creativity and serendipity—is the most productive route to findings that will eventually translate into medical and technological breakthroughs.

To rebalance our portfolio in order to renew and reinvigorate our commitment to investigator-initiated research, we will be reducing our use of targeted FOAs, generally reserving them for cases in which they are likely to have a major impact on a large segment of the biomedical research enterprise. These cases could include promoting the rapid development of accessible, cost-effective new technologies that enable major advances in understanding biological systems; more efficiently organizing the Nation’s basic biomedical research resources to provide scientists throughout the country access to high-end instrumentation and technical expertise; and, in some instances, using targeted FOAs with defined lifetimes to catalyze the rapid development of emerging research areas.

It is important to note that we are making a distinction between investigator-initiated research and targeted research, not between investigator-initiated research and team science. We strongly support team science, which can certainly be investigator-initiated, and we expect such collaborative efforts to increase as research probes more deeply into the complexities of living systems. Currently, team-based, investigator-initiated research can be funded through multi-PI R01s and can also occur through groups of individually funded PIs working together. In special cases, program project grants (P01s) may be appropriate, particularly for long-term, interdisciplinary collaborations that require dedicated core facilities. As we move forward with our strategic planning process, we will be exploring additional ways to support investigator-initiated team science. I invite you to send us ideas you have for how best to do this.

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Funding Opportunities: Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies, Common Fund Opportunities, Career Development Awards

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You may be interested in these recent funding opportunity announcements (FOAs):

Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies (BRAIN) Initiative

The first funding opportunities for the BRAIN Initiative, a large-scale effort aimed at revolutionizing our understanding of the human brain, are now available. To view the FOAs, visit http://braininitiative.nih.gov/funding_active.htm.

Common Fund Opportunities

The NIH Common Fund has issued FOAs under both the Single Cell Analysis and the Enhancing the Diversity of the NIH-Funded Workforce programs. A Webinar for potential applicants to the diversity FOAs will be held in January.

Career Development (K) Awards

K awards help transition new investigators to research independence.

  • NIH Pathway to Independence Award (Parent K99/R00)
    (PA-14-042)

    Purpose: Help postdoctoral researchers complete mentored training and transition to an independent, tenure-track or equivalent faculty positions and launch a competitive, independent research careers


  • Mentored Clinical Scientist Research Career Development Award (Parent K08)
    (PA-14-046)

    Purpose: Provide individuals with clinical doctoral degrees with intensive, supervised career development experiences in biomedical and behavioral research, including translational research


  • Mentored Quantitative Research Development Award (Parent K25)
    (PA-14-048)

    Purpose: Attract individuals with quantitative and engineering backgrounds to bring their expertise and skills to address NIH-relevant research questions


  • Mentored Patient-Oriented Research Career Development Award (Parent K23)
    (PA-14-049)

    Purpose: Support individuals with a clinical doctoral degree who have made a commitment to focus their research endeavors on patient-oriented research


Application due dates: Standard dates apply.
NIGMS contact: Michael Sesma, 301-594-3900.

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Fostering Open Science

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Recently, I participated in a workshop on Open Science: Driving Forces and Practical Realities. The idea to make scientific research, data and information accessible to the public isn’t new and arguably has historical roots dating back to the late 1600s, when academic journal publishing began. But it’s particularly timely today in light of the rapid increase in the volume of data and the value it has to the public.

During the workshop, we explored the technical, financial, political and cultural forces that drive open science and how these forces impact information sharing, re-use, interoperability and the preservation of the scientific record. I also talked about NIH’s ongoing commitment to open science.

In 2003, NIH created a Data Sharing Policy, and, in 2008, it issued a Public Access Policy for publications. A Genomic Data Sharing Policy is currently in draft form. All of these documents communicate the need to ensure public access to the relevant biomedical data, information and publications that are a result of federally funded biomedical research.

In addition to establishing these guidelines, NIH funds projects that foster open science, including the RCSB Protein Data Bank, The Cancer Genome Atlas, The Cancer Imaging Archive, the Neuroimaging Informatics Tools and Resources Clearinghouse and PhysioNet. NIH is also playing a role in crowdsourced projects, such as the systems biology-related Dialogue for Reverse Engineering Assessments and Methods challenges (no longer available), as well as projects to develop common languages for research, such as the Common Data Element Resource Portal. Another exciting NIH-funded initiative is the Medical Device “Plug and Play” Interoperability Program, which aims to create cost-effective and innovative third-party medical “apps” for clinical diagnosis, treatment, research and safety.

In preparing my presentation for the recent workshop, I recalled the day when I heard about the biomedical community taking a quantum leap forward into open science. It was the early spring of 1996, and I was eating lunch with my graduate student and postdoc colleagues. We were discussing the International Large-Scale Sequencing Meeting and the resulting “Bermuda principles” for the release of data generated by the Human Genome Project. We were particularly excited to learn that scientists associated with that project had unanimously agreed that all genomic sequencing data should be freely available and in the public domain prior to publication.

Nearly 20 years later, the move toward open science continues to offer a forum for scientists–from fields that range from astronomy and physics to medical and clinical research–to discuss policies and practical tools for collaboration. It also allows the community to come together and tackle the challenges and unique opportunities of sharing science in a truly collaborative way. I invite you all to join me in the discussion and in furthering progress in this important area.

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NIH’s Sally Rockey on PubMed Comments, 2013 Success Rates, Lead Time for Inviting NIH Staff to Meetings

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Within the last week, NIH’s Sally Rockey has published posts that may be of interest to you:

PubMed Gets Interactive: The broader public now can view opinions and information shared by authors on scientific publications in PubMed.

Application Success Rates Decline in 2013: An early analysis of 2013 competing research project grant applications and awards at NIH shows a downward trend for success rates. NOTE: We at NIGMS are currently working on our annual funding trends post.

Understanding Lead-time for NIH Staff Participation in Scientific Meetings: Invitations for NIH program, review or other staff to speak at or attend a meeting need to be made as early as possible due to approval requirements and budget constraints. NOTE: Sally Rockey’s post suggests at least 4 months advance notice, but at NIGMS, we recommend at least 6 months.

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T32 Application Changes

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NIH has issued a new parent announcement for the Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA) Institutional Research Training Grant (T32) that incorporates many of the “mandatory special requirements” previously in an NIGMS T32 predoctoral grant application. As a result, eligible institutions applying for an NIGMS training grant with a due date on and after January 25, 2014, will no longer need to include this material as a separate section at the end of the background section but should instead address each of these requirements throughout the document.

Changes in the new T32 announcement are based on recommendations of the Biomedical Workforce Working Group of the Advisory Committee to the Director, NIH. As stated in a related NIH Guide notice, T32 programs are now encouraged to make available career development advising as well as learning opportunities so that trainees obtain a working knowledge of various potential career directions and of the steps required to transition successfully to their next career stage.

NIGMS-funded predoctoral training programs should provide support for trainees in their early years (e.g., years 1-3) to prepare them for subsequent, more differentiated research and for a variety of research careers. NIGMS predoctoral T32 programs are not intended to support students in the dissertation/independent phase of their doctoral research training.

Each NIGMS T32 application must clearly:

  • State the objectives of the proposed program and how they are distinct from or relate to other training programs at the same institution.
  • Identify the faculty involved, describe their roles and responsibilities, and indicate whether they participate in other training programs at the same institution.
  • Demonstrate access to a pool of highly promising scholars, including those who are underrepresented in the biomedical and behavioral sciences and individuals with disabilities.

In addition, NIGMS strongly encourages its programs to develop mathematical fluency among all trainees by integrating quantitative biology and/or advanced statistical approaches. NIGMS also expects funded training programs to evolve in response to changes in the field of science and to respond effectively to student needs and outcomes. The Institute is always interested in innovative approaches to training that will prepare a strong and diverse biomedical and behavioral research workforce for the 21st century.

For more details, see our predoctoral T32 training grant Web page, which includes a link to slides on NIGMS predoctoral training program guidelines for 2014 (no longer available), as well as our postdoctoral T32 information. Prospective applicants are welcome to contact me or one of my colleagues who manage training grants with questions, comments or suggestions.

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Funding Opportunities: Support of Competitive Research Program; Modeling the Scientific Workforce; Centers of Biomedical Research Excellence

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You may be interested in these recent funding opportunity announcements (FOAs):

Support of Competitive Research (SCORE) Program, which offers three funding opportunities based on career level that are designed to increase the research competitiveness of faculty at minority-serving institutions and institutions with a historical mission of training students from backgrounds underrepresented in biomedical research

  • SC1 Research Advancement Award
    (PAR-14-019)

Purpose: Conduct high-quality research and increase research competitiveness by progressively enhancing the pace and productivity of projects
Career level: Advanced formative stage

  • SC2 Pilot Project Award
    (PAR-14-017)

Purpose: Test a new idea or gather preliminary data to establish a new line of research
Career level: Early academic career

  • SC3 Research Continuance Award
    (PAR-14-018)

Purpose: Continue engaging in meritorious biomedical or behavioral research projects of limited scope in a given biomedical or behavioral area within the NIH mission
Career level: Intermediate stage

Application due dates: January 25, 2014; May 25, 2014; January 25, 2015; May 25, 2015; January 25, 2016; May 25, 2016
NIGMS contact: Hinda Zlotnik, 301-594-3900

Modeling the Scientific Workforce (U01)
(RFA-GM-14-011)

Purpose: Develop computational models and systems approaches to better understand the underlying dynamics that produce successful scientists, to examine strategies for increasing the diversity of the scientific workforce, to identify factors that influence participation in scientific training and questions in need of research, and to guide the collection and analysis of data used to develop these models
Letter of intent due date: January 4, 2014
Application due date: February 4, 2014
NIGMS contact: Michael Sesma, 301-594-3900

Centers of Biomedical Research Excellence (P20)
(PAR-14-035)

Purpose: Establish a thematic, multidisciplinary center in an IDeA-eligible state and enhance the ability of investigators to compete independently for NIH or other external peer-reviewed support
Application due dates: February 26, 2014; January 28, 2015; January 28, 2016
NIGMS contact: Yanping Liu, 301-594-3900

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Support for Scientific Meetings

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To ensure that we are using our resources in the most effective and efficient way possible, we are examining all of our funding mechanisms. One area that we have recently focused on, in part due to the current fiscal situation, is our support for scientific meetings, conferences and workshops. We understand the importance of these meetings, but we receive a large number of requests to support them and have concluded that it is not cost-effective to consider most of these requests. The numerous applications for small conference grants are costly to process and review, and the funds used for them compete directly with research project grants, including R01s. Our priority is to use our resources in the ways that most directly promote research and training, which already include mechanisms to allow students and fellows to attend scientific meetings.

In general, we will only support meetings that:

  • Are closely aligned with our central mission and interests;
  • Are non-recurring, unless they focus on training or workforce development in areas pertinent to our mission;
  • Include participants who do not frequently interact in other venues.

Simply because a meeting falls within the general areas of science we support does not mean that we will consider it for funding.

We therefore anticipate that we will accept very few R13 or U13 applications in the future. We strongly encourage potential applicants to contact us before requesting approval to submit an application. For a list of contact people and more information on the application process, see http://www.nigms.nih.gov/Research/Mechanisms/Pages/
SupportScientificMeetings.aspx