December 2004 NIH Roadmap

Interdisciplinary Training: Behavior, Environment and Biology (RFA-RM-05-010)

This postdoctoral, institutional National Research Service Award (NRSA) will support the establishment of innovative programs that provide formal coursework and research training in a new interdisciplinary field to individuals holding advanced degrees in a different discipline. These training programs are required to include a behavioral or social science discipline. The NIH is especially interested in training programs that integrate the behavioral and/or social sciences with the more traditional biomedical sciences. It is anticipated that approximately $800,000 in total costs will be awarded. Three to five awards are anticipated. This RFA will use the Ruth L. Kirschstein NRSA institutional research training grant (T32) mechanism. Eligible organizations include domestic, non-profit organizations, public and private, with strong, well-established research and training programs. Eligible program directors include established researchers with acknowledged accomplishments in interdisciplinary research and training who are capable of providing both administrative and scientific leadership to the program. Each applicant may submit one application.

This PA invites research applications to develop innovative instrumentation to maximize the efficiency and augment the capabilities of molecular library high throughput screening systems. Applications in response to this PA should propose development of instrumentation suitable for integration into large high throughput screening operations and compatible with scalable approaches to chemical genomics research.

This announcement is an NIH Roadmap-related activity and was developed by the Roadmap Molecular Libraries and Imaging Implementation Group. This PA will utilize the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) mechanisms, and accompanies a Request for Applications of similar scientific intent (RFA RM-04-020) that will utilize the traditional research project grant (R01) mechanism. That RFA is a component of the NIH Roadmap (nihroadmap.nih.gov) Molecular Libraries and Imaging Initiative.

Budgets up to $ 200,000 total costs per year and time periods up to 2 years for Phase I may be requested. Budgets up to $ 400,000 total costs per year and up to 2 years may be requested for Phase II. No funds have been specifically set aside for this program; the number of awards and the amount of funds provided for awards have not been predetermined. Eligibility requirements are described in the SBIR/STTR Omnibus Solicitation. Only small business concerns are eligible to submit applications. Any individual with the skills, knowledge, and resources necessary to carry out the proposed research is invited to work with their institution to develop an application for support, in accordance with SBIR/STTR institutional requirements.

Applications must be prepared using the PHS 398 research grant application instructions and forms. The PHS 398 is available at grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/phs398/phs398.html in an interactive format. For further assistance contact GrantsInfo, Telephone (301) 435-0714, Email: GrantsInfo@nih.gov.

The Institutes and Centers (ICs) of the NIH invite applications for funding from the NIH Molecular Libraries Roadmap program for the generation of pilot-scale chemical diversity libraries. These libraries will be used for high-throughput biological screening by the Molecular Libraries Screening Center Network (MLSCN). Acceptable approaches will include: 1) chemical synthesis, including combinatorial chemistry/diversity-oriented synthesis; and/or 2) isolation and purification of bioactive compounds from natural sources such as microorganisms, marine organisms, or plants. Projects supported by this RFA should be driven by a strong scientific rationale that highlights the potential for in vivo and/or in vitro biological activity.

NIH strongly encourages the submission of applications that target unexplored regions of chemical diversity space and as accordingly have particular promise for perturbing the functions of novel classes of biomacromolecules.

The NIH intends to commit up to $3.5 million in FY 2005.
Approximately 8-12 new grants will be made in response to this RFA.
The NIH Biotechnology Resource Grant (P41) award mechanism will be used. This is a one-time solicitation for three-year grants.
Eligible organizations include for-profit or non-profit organizations; public or private institutions, such as universities, colleges, hospitals, and laboratories; units of State and local governments; eligible agencies of the Federal government; and domestic institutions/organizations. Foreign institutions/organizations are not eligible to apply.
Eligible principal investigators include any individual with the skills, knowledge, and resources necessary to carry out the proposed research. Individuals from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups as well as individuals with disabilities are always encouraged to apply for NIH programs.
There is no restriction on the number of applications that any individual or institution/organization may submit.
The PHS 398 application instructions are available at grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/phs398/phs398.html in an interactive format. For further assistance contact GrantsInfo, Telephone (301) 435-0714, Email: GrantsInfo@nih.gov.
Letters of Intent are due January 14, 2005.

The Institutes and Centers (ICs) of the NIH invite applications for funding from the NIH Molecular Libraries Roadmap program for the development of novel methodologies related to natural products chemistry. The goal of this RFA is to stimulate the development of a new generation of methods for natural products chemistry, and in doing so, to reinvigorate the investigation of nature as a prolific source of small-molecules with the potential to interact with all of the proteins that participate in cellular processes in health and disease.

A topic of particular interest to the NIH is the development of one or more "universal" expression systems. A universal expression system would enable the convenient, high-yield expression of a wide range of natural products from a variety of natural sources. Ideally, one or more such systems would be developed for the expression of natural products from eukaryotic as well as prokaryotic organisms.

The NIH intends to commit up to $3 million dollars in Fiscal Year 2005.
Approximately 8-10 new grants will be made in response to this RFA.
The NIH R01 Research Project Grant award mechanism will be used. This is a one-time solicitation for four-year grants.
Eligible institutions include for-profit or non-profit organizations; public or private institutions, such as universities, colleges, hospitals, and laboratories; units of State and local governments; eligible agencies of the Federal government; and domestic or foreign institutions/organizations.
Eligible principal investigators include any individual with the skills, knowledge, and resources necessary to carry out the proposed research. Individuals from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups as well as individuals with disabilities are always encouraged to apply for NIH programs.
There is no restriction on the number of applications that any individual or institution/organization may submit.
The PHS 398 application instructions are available at grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/phs398/phs398.html in an interactive format. For further assistance contact GrantsInfo, Telephone (301) 435-0714, Email: GrantsInfo@nih.gov
Letters of Intent Receipt Date: January 3, 2005.

As part of the NIH Roadmap for Medical Research, the National Institutes of Health provided approximately $6 million in fiscal year 2004 to fund six primary research sites and a statistical coordinating center for a Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) network.

This trans-NIH initiative, managed by the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS), aims to develop ways to measure patient-reported symptoms such as pain and fatigue and aspects of health-related quality of life across a wide variety of chronic diseases and conditions. More information about PROMIS can be found on the NIH Roadmap Web site at nihroadmap.nih.gov/clinicalresearch/promis.asp and nihroadmap.nih.gov/clinicalresearch/overview-dynamicoutcomes.asp.

The NIH Roadmap for Medical Research is a series of far-reaching initiatives designed to transform the Nation's medical research capabilities and speed the movement of scientific discoveries from the bench to the bedside.

Additional information about the NIH Roadmap can be found at nihroadmap.nih.gov.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH), an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, is the primary Federal agency for conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and translational medical research. NIH is comprised of 27 institutes and centers and investigates the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information on the NIH, please visit the NIH Web site at www.nih.gov.