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| Request for Information on Catalyzing the Development and Use of Novel Alternative Methods to Advance Biomedical Research | The National Institutes of Health (NIH) seeks public input on challenges and opportunities for the further development and use of novel alternative methods (NAMs) in biomedical research. NIH investment in these methods have proven beneficial tools across basic and clinical research studies, being developed and applied to interrogate cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer's disease, infectious disease, rare diseases and more. Each NAM approach has unique strengths and limitations that vary depending on the specific research question being addressed.
To identify areas in which the development and use of NAMs provide the most value to biomedical research, NIH sought the assistance of the Advisory Committee to the Director (ACD), an advisory group that provides advice on matters pertinent to NIH mission responsibilities in the conduct and support of biomedical research, medical science and biomedical communications. The purpose of this request is to inform the NIH and the development of the ACD’s recommendations on high-priority areas for future investment.
To support the activities of the ACD Working Group, NIH is requesting information from interested individuals and communities on challenges and opportunities for the development and use of NAMs in biomedical research. Input sought includes, but is not limited to, feedback on the following:
- The use of novel alternative methods to study human biology, circuits, systems, and disease states.
- Approaches for catalyzing the development and validation of novel alternative method technologies.
- Strategies for maximizing the research value of novel alternative method technologies.
All comments must be submitted electronically here. It is not necessary to address each question/item. The comment period will close on August 16, 2023. Deadline: August 16, 2023 |
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| Announcing the Clinical Trial Investigator Certificate Program | The UCI Alpha Clinic, the Stem Cell Research Center and the School of Medicine Dean’s Office of Research (SOM OR) are pleased to announce the UCI Alpha Clinic Clinical Trial Investigator Certificate Program (Stem Cell Clinical Professional Training Program – SCCPTP), a new clinical trial investigator certificate program that will open for enrollment in September 2023.
This training program aims to address the existing gaps in the delivery of transformative cell and gene therapies by educating the next generation of physicians, advanced practice providers and pharmacists in clinical trial scientific methodology with a focus on novel treatment modalities.
The program will be delivered in a hybrid format with afternoon Zoom sessions to accommodate working professionals. There will also be 10 in-person clinical research observational sessions (inpatient and outpatient clinical trial units) that will take place during work hours (8 a.m. to 4 p.m.).
Eligibility: - Completed their professional degrees (i.e., MD, NP, PA and PharmD).
- Limited previous exposure to clinical research.
- Demonstrated interest in being involved in clinical trials, with a special focus on cell and gene therapies.
- Ability to attend the in-person clinical observation sessions.
Application Process:
- Letter of interest (one page): Briefly describe your interest in participating and the area of clinical practice and populations you can enroll in cell and gene therapy trials.
- Letter of support from the Department Chair or Division Chief.
- CV or NIH biosketch.
Applications will be reviewed by a clinical trialist committee, and the program will be launched in fall 2023. Please apply by July 3, 2023. Send all materials and direct any questions to Yuna Muyshondt, assistant director at UCI Alpha Clinic (chuny@hs.uci.edu).
Deadline: Monday, July 3, 2023 |
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| Second Call for New Proposals: Basic and Translational Research Programs Requiring Wet Lab Space | There is a second call for new proposals for basic and translational research programs requiring wet lab space. This is a follow-up call to the original RFP in 2021. This call is for new proposals.
Please submit your proposals for research programs to Shauna Stark, starks@hs.uci.edu by Sept. 1, 2023. The School of Medicine’s Office of the Dean will reach out to you with recommendations for revision so they can be forwarded to the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Health Affairs by Oct. 15, 2023.
Deadline: Friday, Sept. 1, 2023 |
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| Join AAAS for Future Honorary Fellow Eligibility | Researchers are encouraged to become members of AAAS (American Association for the Advancement of Science). There are many member benefits and membership in this esteemed organization has been a time-honored tradition in the scientific community.
An important benefit of membership in AAAS is to position yourself to be elected as an AAAS Honorary Fellow. AAAS Fellows are a distinguished group of scientists, engineers and innovators who have been recognized for their extraordinary achievements. In a tradition stretching back to 1874, Fellows are elected annually by the AAAS Council. View the list of AAAS Fellows elected in 2022.
The UCI School of Medicine Awards Nominations Committee would like to nominate our researchers for consideration for election to AAAS Fellowship. One must be a continuous member of AAAS for the four-year period leading up to the year of nomination. Please make yourself eligible for this honor and become a member. |
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| Have You Received a New Award? | | Have you or someone on your research team received a new grant, i.e., research funding? The School of Medicine Office of Research would like to know! Please fill out this short New Funding/Grant Survey form. |
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| Funding Opportunities Recently Added to Calendar |
| Call for Proposals: 2024 NIH Director's Early Independence Award | The NIH Director's Early Independence Award supports exceptional junior investigators who wish to pursue independent research soon after completion of their terminal doctoral degree or post-graduate clinical training, thereby forgoing the traditional post-doctoral training period and accelerating their entry into an independent research career.
For the program to support the best possible researchers and research, applications are sought which reflect the full diversity of the research workforce. Individuals from diverse backgrounds, including those from underrepresented groups and from the full spectrum of eligible institutions in all geographic locations, are strongly encouraged to apply to this Funding Opportunity Announcement.
In addition, applications in all topics relevant to the broad mission of NIH are welcome, including, but not limited to, topics in the behavioral, social, biomedical, applied, and formal sciences and topics that may involve basic, translational, or clinical research. The NIH Director's Early Independence Award is a component of the High-Risk, High-Reward Research program of the NIH Common Fund.
UCI may submit no more than two applications to this competition. Therefore, interested applicants are asked to submit a preliminary application to the Office of Research via the UCI Review application system.
Abstract Deadline: Thursday, June 29, 2023 |
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| 2024 Searle Scholars Program | UCI has the opportunity to nominate two candidates for the 2024 Searle Scholars Program, which recognizes outstanding new faculty with the potential to make innovative and high-impact contributions to research in biochemistry, cell biology, genetics, immunology, neuroscience, pharmacology, and related areas in chemistry, medicine and the biological sciences.
The Searle Scholars Program does not ordinarily support purely clinical research, but has supported research programs that include both clinical and basic components. Potential applicants who are unsure if their research is appropriate for this program are encouraged to examine the research interests of present and former Searle Scholars on their website and/or consult with UCI Corporate & Foundation Relations staff.
Eligibility: The candidate’s first appointment to an Assistant Professor, tenure-track position must have begun on or after May 1, 2022.
Interested applicants are asked to submit a preliminary application to the Office of Research via UCI Review.
Deadline: Monday, July 10, 2023 |
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| UC Noyce Initiative 2023 Call for Applications | The UC Noyce Initiative is a partnership between five University of California campuses (Berkeley, Davis, Irvine, San Francisco, Santa Barbara) that honors the legacy of Ann S. Bowers and Robert N. Noyce by advancing computing, information science and engineering for the benefit of society. To further this aim, the UC Noyce Initiative intends to support research efforts that are innovative, have the potential for high-impact, and hold a strong promise for follow-on funding. The UC Noyce Initiative is particularly interested in supporting high-risk, high-reward research that typically does not qualify for traditional or federal funding agencies. In 2023, the UC Noyce Initiative requests proposals in two thematic focus areas: (1) Computational Health; (2) Privacy and Security.
Researchers may apply for either a Multi-Campus Partnership Award (up to $1M over 2 years) or a Single Campus Award (up to $300K over 2 years). The initiative anticipates awarding up to four Multi-Campus Partnership Awards and up to 10 Single Campus Awards in 2023. For more information, please view/download the full RFP.
Deadline: Tuesday, Aug. 15, 2023, at 6 p.m. |
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| For More Funding Opportunities | For more funding opportunities and resources for your funding search, visit the Funding Opportunities page on the new and updated website for the UCI School of Medicine.
For a curated, searchable and filterable list of funding opportunities by NIH in their weekly NIH guide listserv, check out the School of Medicine Funding Search Tool. |
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| Upcoming Seminars & Events |
| NCI Drug Development Workshop II: Specialized Topics in Preclinical Development of Small Molecule Cancer Drugs | This workshop will encompass a series of six webinar-based lectures. They will address specialized topics that are important for the preclinical development of small molecule cancer drugs. The intention is to help investigators mitigate the translational risk of selected candidates during their later stages of product development and increase the chances of entering clinical evaluation. The intended audience is translational scientists who are interested in preclinical development of cancer drugs. Junior faculty, staff and trainees are encouraged to attend this workshop. Sessions start at 10 a.m. PT, and includes 60–90 minutes of lectures and 15 minutes of facilitated discussion. View the agenda for more information about this workshop.
June 22 to July 28, 2023, on selected Thursdays and Fridays, at 10 a.m. PT |
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| Research!America's Science and Technology Career Summit | This summit for early career researchers will feature a series of events designed to engage and equip them with tools for success. The sessions will provide early career researchers with the opportunity to explore an array of career paths, network with fellow researchers, participate in professional development workshops, and engage in meaningful discussions around issues critical to the success of the R&D ecosystem.
Session 5 is on Science and Startups: Taking your Research to the Next Level.
Wednesday, June 28, 9:30 to 10:45 a.m.
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| Center for Aging Research in Down Syndrome Seminar Series | Down syndrome Induced Neurodevelopmental Senescence, by Hiruy Meharena, PhD, assistant professor in the Departments of Neurobiology and Molecular Biology in the School of Biological Sciences at UC San Diego.
Hiruy’s group focuses on understanding how the brain develops at the molecular and cellular level to accomplish cognitive tasks. The overarching goal is to establish a comprehensive molecular map of the developing human brain in order to identify the cell-type specific gene-networks driving neurodevelopmental disorders associated with intellectual disability, including Autism Spectrum Disorder and Down syndrome.
Friday, June 30, 11 a.m. PT
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| UCI Conte Center Seminar Series | |
Reinforcement Learning, Monoamines and the effort to connect neurochemical dynamics to Human Perception, by Read Montague, PhD, Virginia Tech Carilion Vernon Mountcastle Research Professor; Director, Center for Human Neuroscience Research; Franlin Biomedical Research Institute, Virginia Tech. Tuesday, July 11, 4 to 5 p.m. PT
Location: Hybrid event at Plumwood House (across from Medical Education) and via Zoom
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| ICTS Community Health Research Exchange Presents: Community-Academic Partnered Research Presentations | Come engage with academic-community research teams to discuss important aspects of partnerships, partnership development for research projects, potential pitfalls to avoid, and managing competing interests. They will discuss their research partnerships within the context of the Campus-Community Research Incubator (CCRI) projects they completed.
Speakers:
- Karen Lindsay, PhD, RDN (UCI) & Trina Robertson, MS, RDN (Dairy Council of CA)
- Dave Lugo (CEO MOMS OC) & Heike Thiel de Bocanegra, PhD, MPH, MA (UCI)
Friday, July 14, 2 to 3:30 p.m.
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| Statistics Workshops, presented by Insight Research Services Associated | Insight Research Services Associated, an Australia-based company, is presenting workshops online May through July at a time suitable for participants in North America. The workshop in July will cover an Introduction to Structural Equation Modelling.
There is a registration fee. These workshops are aimed at non-statisticians as well as statisticians new to these fields. For questions, contact Mark at m.griffin@insightrsa.com. Keep up to date with the training programs we deliver by joining our email list. Register and learn more about our workshops.
July 17-20, 1 to 4 p.m. PT
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| CHOC Research Education: NIH Grant Writing: Funding Success Part 2 | Speakers: Sheila Cherry, PhD, and Jessica Lerch, PhD
Topics: - How to tailor your proposals to grant reviewers
- How to position your research and yourself to make reviewers your research advocates
Wednesday, July 19, noon to 1:15 p.m.
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| Making a Difference in Human Subjects Research: Empowering Participants, Engaging Communities, and Protecting Data | Interested in spending two informative days with the HHS Office for Human Research Protections (OHRP) and your fellow colleagues in the human research protection world? If so, make plans to attend this in-person event, highlighting the ethical challenges and opportunities presented by AI technologies and innovations in academic-community partnerships.
Be sure to check out the line-up of speakers which includes experts from the NIH Office of Science Policy (OSP). Don’t miss this valuable and engaging opportunity to share challenges and learn best practices on how to manage, share and protect research data from HHS experts and your institutional colleagues.
Sept. 26–27, 2023
Location: Ann Arbor, Michigan
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| Find Your Fit at NIH: Funding Programs by Career Stage | Thinking about a career in research or wondering how to move forward in your journey to becoming an independent researcher? Explore this new interactive infographic to get to know the different programs by career stage, learn useful tips, and better understand the lingo of NIH funding. Read more here. |
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| Will I Lose Early Stage Investigator (ESI) Status If…? | Are you an Early Stage Investigator (ESI) wondering about your status? NIH has resources to help! |
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| Using AI in Peer Review Is a Breach of Confidentiality | Reviewers are trusted and required to maintain confidentiality throughout the application review process. Thus, using AI to assist in peer review would involve a breach of confidentiality. In a recently released guide notice, we explain that NIH scientific peer reviewers are prohibited from using natural language processors, large language models, or other generative AI technologies for analyzing and formulating peer review critiques for grant applications and R&D contract proposals. Read more. |
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| Tool Tip: Find the Help You Need to Navigate eRA Systems | Did you know that if you click on the question mark on any eRA module screen, it connects to the online help topic for that screen? There are also other resources available for each module. Read more. |
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| Submitting for a UCOP funding opportunity? Remember this! | | UCOP is not an internal sponsor because the funding originates from off-campus, so all UCOP projects need to be routed via the standard KR process. For questions, please direct to your Contract & Grants Analyst. |
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| Are you considering applying for Limited Funding Opportunities? | | In most cases, interested applicants submit a pre-proposal to the Office of Research where a committee reviews all submissions and makes a recommendation to the Vice Chancellor for Research about which proposal should go forward from UCI. Limited opportunities are advertised on fundopp.uci.edu with a link to apply. However, if you do not see a limited opportunity listed, please contact the Research Development Unit. We can relay your application plans to the UCI Office of Research so they are aware of the number of interested PIs/units on campus and, if necessary, coordinate PIs or create a review process. |
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| Updated Grants Preparation Material Request Form | | The Grants Preparation Material Request Form (previously the Boilerplate Request Form) has been updated to include numerous NIH templates and checklists (e.g., diversity supplements, RCR, K applications, and the PEDP). Save yourself time by taking advantage of these documents. Spread the word among your colleagues about this resource and contact the Research Development Unit if you have any questions or suggestions. |
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| What is Research Development? | Research Development encompasses strategic, proactive, and capacity-building activities designed to support individual faculty and teams of faculty in obtaining extramural research funding and also increase institutional competitiveness. The UCI School of Medicine Research Development Unit (RDU) meets individual faculty to provide information regarding research resources and assistance with grant proposals.
Do you want funding opportunities matching your research program automatically emailed to you? The RDU can also help you set up a Pivot account in minutes via Zoom and answer any questions you may have. Read more about Pivot and other Funding Search Tools. Reserve a slot here! |
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| COVID-19 Reminders | With California’s COVID-19 state of emergency having ended on February 28, 2023, employees and students are reminded to continue to report their COVID-19 cases to Contact Tracing and Vaccine Navigation Services, which continues to investigate and contact trace cases. Free face coverings and antigen tests continue to be available on campus.
Please note that the end of the emergency does not mean the end of COVID-19, so individuals should continue to gauge their risk and take steps to protect themselves and their communities by staying up to date with vaccinations and boosters, staying home if sick, testing, washing hands and wearing masks when appropriate.
For the latest information on campus status and operational updates, please visit UCI Forward.
For UCI Health updates, please visit UCI Health's COVID-19 page on SharePoint. |
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