November 28, 2012

Feature Articles

Opportunities and Resources

In The News

Advice Corner

Moving Out, Moving In: Changing Your Institution
Reader Questions
- I'd like to work at NIAID as a researcher. Do I need to apply for a grant first?
- Does NIH or NIAID offer any grantsmanship workshops for investigators in foreign countries?

New Funding Opportunities

See the list

Put Our Newsletter in Focus—Join Our Focus Group

NIAID Funding Newsletter has been a fixture of our Web site for over a decade. Now we're opening it up for your feedback.
If you have ideas for how to make it better, or if you’d like to receive your NIAID funding information using different media tools (e.g., eTOC, Facebook or Twitter, or RSS news feeds), join a forthcoming focus group we're putting together to find out:

What you like and would like to see more of.
What you don’t like and would like to see less of.
What we can do to better deliver news and advice that helps you apply for and manage your grants.

We’re open to comments on anything—our content, choice of topics, editorial style, publication schedule...even our color scheme. We'll put no limits on the scope of the conversation.
Whether you think we need tinkering or an overhaul, or even if you think everything should be just as it is, we welcome your participation. Email us at deaweb@niaid.nih.gov to volunteer.
Once we have you on our list of those interested, we'll provide details about where, when, and how the group will meet.
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This Is the Last Issue of 2012

With the publication of today's issue, we're closing up the Funding Newsletter shop for 2012.
You can always sign up for email alerts about paylines, funding opportunities, and policy changes at NIAID Email Alerts Subscription Center.
We will pick up again on January 9, 2013. See you then!
Header: Opportunities and Resources.

TB Researchers, Unite!

NIAID remains committed to finding new ways to better understand, diagnose, treat, and ultimately prevent tuberculosis (TB), a disease that claimed 1.4 million lives around the world last year. That is why our Division of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (DMID) has issued the Tuberculosis Research Units (U19) funding opportunity announcement (FOA).
This FOA will support two or three multinational, multidisciplinary TB Research Units (TBRUs) and will expand NIAID’s longstanding TBRU program to tackle what remains a very difficult area of science in TB.
The TBRUs will collaborate to study TB latency and persistence—phases of the disease that are very difficult to study since only few bacteria can be found—and their relation to active TB in humans. These studies are expected to help redefine the state of the science in this challenging area of research, and also contribute new animal models of TB.
If you are considering applying for this FOA, be aware that your research is expected to be clinically relevant and yield information directly applicable to human TB.
For full details, including application eligibility and application deadlines, read the November 6, 2012, Guide notice.
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Seeking Applications for Collaborative Network on Immune Tolerance

With a recently published funding opportunity announcement (FOA), NIAID continues the long-standing Collaborative Network for Clinical Research on Immune Tolerance.
Following a multipronged research agenda and strategic plan, the Network aims to develop new tolerogenic approaches for treating and preventing asthma and allergic diseases; autoimmune diseases; and immune-mediated rejection of transplanted solid organs, tissues, and cells.
The Network's research scope includes:

Designing and conducting clinical trials at all phases to evaluate the safety and efficacy of investigational products and approaches for the induction and maintenance of immune tolerance in humans.
Designing and conducting mechanistic studies as well as developing tolerance assays as integral components of the clinical trials undertaken.
Providing bioinformatics, data collection, and validation and analysis resources.

A Leadership, Clinical Operations, Core Laboratory, and Bioinformatics Group will oversee and carry out the Network's activities.
If you are interested, read the November 5, 2012, Guide notice for complete details. Pay close attention to the application instructions and page limits for the Research Strategy, which has multiple components.
The deadline for optional letters of intent is February 7, 2013, with applications due March 7, 2013.
To learn more about the Network, go to Immune Tolerance Network

Let’s Talk About Sex and Gender Differences

Here's a chance to build research on sex and gender differences into your funded grant.
Apply for an administrative supplement to support a project that meets one of the goals announced in the NIH Strategic Plan for Women’s Health Research.
See the November 13, 2012, Guide notice for more about the funding opportunity, including a list of activity codes that qualify for a supplement.
Then speak to your program officer before you apply to make sure your proposal fits within NIAID's program goals and does not expand the scope of your project.
Also note: to be eligible for this opportunity, you need to have at least 18 months remaining on your parent grant.
Applications are due January 11, 2013.
Header: Other News.

Coming Soon: Supervisory Job Opportunity in NIAID's Division of Extramural Activities

Keep your eyes peeled for a job vacancy announcement for a senior-level, supervisory position in our Division of Extramural Activities.
This position will be responsible for designing, developing, delivering, and managing knowledge-based content and training resources for staff, intramural researchers, and extramural investigators.
And it comes with a special bonus: you'll supervise the team that publishes this newsletter.
Eligible candidates must have a scientific doctoral degree, a familiarity with extramural funding policies and procedures at NIH, and experience in communications and science writing.
Expect to see an announcement within the next two months. For those who prefer to get announcements delivered to their inboxes, sign up to receive email updates at Careers and Training at NIAID.
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Wanted ASAP: NIAID-Funded Researchers for Usability Study

We are looking for researchers to participate in a usability study for the Institute's Resources for Researchers Web site. The goal of the usability study is to improve your access to and awareness of our scientific resources and better meet your needs.
Your feedback will be anonymous, and you'll be compensated for your time. Consider participating if you:

Are an investigator who is or was funded through any of NIAID's program divisions:
- Division of AIDS (DAIDS)
- Division of Allergy, Immunology, and Transplantation (DAIT)
- Division of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (DMID)
Have an hour or so for a phone interview (you'll need a computer with Internet access).
Can complete the interview before January 20, 2013.

Interested? Contact Mary Baldeon at 301-592-6631 or mbaldeon@air.org by next Friday, December 7.
Note: organizers of the study will accept only a limited number of participants.
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Blogs and Tweets From NIH Director Francis Collins

We'd like to draw your attention to two recent, important additions to NIH's communications tool box.
Follow NIH Director Francis S. Collins on Twitter

at @NIHDirector

, and go to NIH Director’s Blog to stay informed of new scientific developments emerging from NIH-sponsored research.
Header: Advice Corner.

Moving Out, Moving In: Changing Your Institution

If you are planning to move to a different research organization or institution and want to take your NIH grant with you, you must request a change of grantee institution. You can do this electronically in response to the Change of Grantee Organization (Type 7 Parent) funding opportunity announcement (FOA).
You will submit your change of institution application after your institution has agreed to relinquish the grant. As you apply, be sure to follow the FOA instructions exactly, as you would when responding to any other FOA.
While you can still submit a change of institution application by email or U.S. mail, submitting electronically ensures secure storage of your request in NIH's systems, helping to avert its loss or misplacement.
Contact your grants management specialist with questions about the change of institution application. If you experience problems with submitting your application, contact Grants.gov Customer Support.
For more information, read Changing the Grantee Organization in the Strategy for NIH Funding.
Header: Reader Questions.

Feel free to send us a question at deaweb@niaid.nih.gov. After responding to you, we may include your question in the newsletter, incorporate it into the NIAID Research Funding site, or both.
"I'd like to work at NIAID as a researcher. Do I need to apply for a grant first?"—Poppy Hanson, Massey University (New Zealand)
No. You can apply for any research position directly—check out the resources below for employment opportunities.

Labs at NIAID—click on Division of Intramural Research (DIR) Labs to find a lab appropriate to your area of research.
Careers and Training at NIAID—learn about how you can get involved in NIAID research and find links to the following:
- Scientific Career Opportunities—search current open positions.
- Conferences and Career Fairs—see where you can find exhibits from NIAID representatives.

"Does NIH or NIAID offer any grantsmanship workshops for investigators in foreign countries?"—Doris Shoemaker, The International Center for Indigenous Phytotherapy Studies
NIAID does not have grant writing workshops, but we do have online resources, e.g., tutorials, Q&As, that may be helpful, even though they are not specifically for foreign investigators. Find links on the NIAID International Awards portal.
For foreign grantees looking for guidance on managing their grants, we hold workshops around the world on NIH grants policy and management training. Though we don't have any sessions planned right now, you may check the schedule at Upcoming NIH Grants Policy and Management Training Workshops.
As for NIH, the Office of Extramural Research (OER) has Information for Foreign Applicants and Grantees. You may want to contact someone at OER about workshops. Go to Contact Us.
Header: New Funding Opportunities.