Grants for Students ($50K–$500K)

Through this Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO), the National Cancer Institute (NCI) invites applications for projects to expand, improve, or transform the utility of mammalian cancer and tumor models for translational research. With this NOFO, the NCI intends to encourage submission of projects devoted to demonstrating that mammalian models or their derivatives used for translational research are robust representations of human biology, are appropriate to test questions of clinical importance, and provide reliable information for patients' benefit. These practical goals contrast with the goals of many mechanistic, NCI-supported R01 projects that employ mammals, or develop and use mammalian cancer models, transplantation tumor models, or models derived from mammalian or human tissues or cells for hypothesis-testing, non-clinical research. Among many other possible endeavors, applicants in response to this FOA could propose demonstrations of how to overcome translational deficiencies of mammalian oncology models, define new uses of mammalian models or their genetics for unexplored translational challenges, advance standard practices for use of translational models, test approaches to validate and credential models, or challenge current practices for how models are used translationally

The NIH Research Education Program (R25) supports research education activities in the mission areas of the NIH. The overarching goal of this R25 program is to encourage individuals who have not had substantial biomedical research experience, or who have the potential to significantly benefit from additional biomedical research experience to pursue further studies or careers in research. To accomplish the stated over-arching goal, this NOFO will support educational activities with a primary focus on: (1) Research Experiences, (2) Curriculum or Methods Development and (3) Outreach. The NCI’s mission is to conduct and support research, training, health information dissemination, and other programs concerning cancer. This funding opportunity seeks to facilitate educational activities that encourage students to become knowledgeable about cancer and available to focus on cancer later in their careers. To promote broad interest in pursuing a career in biomedical research via early intervention strategies, the NCI Youth Enjoy Science (YES) Program will support efforts to create and maintain an institutional program to engage grades 6-12 and/or undergraduate students in cutting edge cancer research experiences. The proposed institutional programs may also provide research experiences for the grade 6-12 teachers and undergraduate faculty members. The goals are to inspire interest in biomedical sciences, help envision research as a career path, and strengthen practical research and career skills. In alignment with these goals, institutions may develop unique programs that capitalize on their research strengths and are responsive to their target populations.

Through this Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO), the National Cancer Institute (NCI) intends to accelerate the adoption and validation of molecular/cellular/imaging markers (referred to as "markers" or "biomarkers") and assays for cancer detection, diagnosis, prognosis, monitoring, and prediction of response or resistance to treatment, as well as markers for cancer prevention and control. This NOFO will also support the validation of pharmacodynamic markers and markers of toxicity. Applicants to this NOFO must have an assay(s) whose performance has been analytically validated in specimens similar to those for the intended clinical use of the marker(s) and assay(s). As chemotherapies and/or radiation therapies are increasingly combined with immunotherapies to enhance the durability of anti-cancer responses, assays for measuring multiple markers, including immune markers, can be developed and validated simultaneously. The UH3 mechanism will support the clinical validation of established assays for up to 3 years using specimens from retrospective or prospective clinical trials or studies. This NOFO may be used to validate existing assays for use in other trials, observational studies, or population studies. Efforts to harmonize clinical laboratory tests, including investigation into the performance and reproducibility of assays across multiple clinical laboratories, are also appropriate for this funding opportunity. Projects proposed for this NOFO will require multi-disciplinary interaction and collaboration among scientific investigators, oncologists, statisticians, and clinical laboratory scientists. This NOFO is not intended to support early-stage development of technology or the conduct of clinical trials but is intended for validation of assays to the point where they could be integrated into clinical trials/studies as investigational assays.

This notice of funding opportunity (NOFO) invites applications for investigator-initiated clinical trials of complementary and integrative health approaches with physical and/or psychological therapeutic inputs (often called mind and body interventions) in NCCIH-designated areas of high research priority. Applications submitted under this NOFO are expected to propose a multisite feasibility clinical trial that will provide new information that is scientifically necessary for the planning and conduct of a subsequent clinical efficacy or effectiveness study, pragmatic trial, or dissemination and implementation trial within NCCIHs mission. NCCIH expects that applications to this NOFO will describe the planned future clinical trial and in so doing demonstrate that the proposed (R01) research is scientifically necessary to design or plan the subsequent fully powered, full-scale clinical trial. Under this R01, the data collected should be used to fill gaps in scientific knowledge, including, but not limited to the following: assessing whether the intervention can be delivered with fidelity across sites; demonstrating feasibility of recruitment, accrual, and randomization of participants across sites; demonstrating participant adherence to the intervention, as well as retention of participants throughout the study across sites; refining and assessing the feasibility of protocolized multimodal interventions, and/or demonstrating feasibility of data collection across sites in preparation for a future fully powered, multisite efficacy or effectiveness trial. The need for multisite feasibility trials is expected to be justified by sufficient preliminary data from previous single site feasibility or acceptability trial(s) or the published literature. The data collected should be used to fill gaps in scientific knowledge and be necessary to develop a competitive fully powered multisite clinical trial that has the potential to make a significant impact on public health.

The Biomedical Research Environment and Sponsored Programs Administration Development (BRE-SPAD) Program aims to promote broad participation in the biomedical research ecosystem by supporting resource limited organizations to conduct research, enhance the research environment, and increase sponsored programs administration capacity.This program intends to support eligible, domestic organizations with limited research resources and few biomedical doctoral students.

Through this Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO), the National Cancer Institute (NCI) invites applications for support of investigator-initiated studies addressing mechanisms by which bariatric surgery impacts cancer risk, and seeks to draw in talented scientists who study bariatric surgery to investigate its effects on cancer, rather than shorter-term outcomes such as weight loss and diabetes.

The purpose of this Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) is to invite research grant applications (R01) for the development and use of current and emerging molecular imaging methods to gain fundamental insights into cancer inflammation in vivo. The motivation for this initiative is that much of current imaging research into the role of inflammation in cancer is largely based on in vitro and ex vivo methods with limited utilization of imaging approaches that could lead to significant new insights relevant to dynamic cancer and inflammation interactions. Utilization of molecular imaging probes in pre-clinical and clinical investigations for precise temporal resolution at the molecular and cellular level are valuable approaches for identification and characterization of in vivo inflammatory cellular physiology in cancers and of molecular changes in response to treatment. This FOA encourages applications that focus on developing integrated imaging approaches to interrogate the role of inflammation in cancer through strong cross-field collaboration between cancer basic science researchers and imaging scientists. These collaborations are expected to advance science and understanding of cancer inflammation interactions.

The purpose of the Research Enhancement Award Program (REAP) for Health Professional Schools and Graduate Schools is to stimulate basic and clinical research in educational institutions that provide baccalaureate or advanced degrees for a significant number of the Nation's research scientists, but that have not been major recipients of NIH support. REAP grants create opportunities for scientists and institutions otherwise unlikely to participate extensively in NIH research programs to contribute to the Nation's biomedical and behavioral research effort. REAP grants are intended to support small-scale research projects proposed by faculty members of eligible, domestic institutions, to expose undergraduate and/or graduate students at health professional schools or graduate schools to meritorious research projects, and to strengthen the research environment of the applicant institution.Eligible institutions must award NIH-relevant baccalaureate or advanced degrees in health professions and have received less than $6 million per year of NIH support (total costs) in 4 of the last 7 fiscal years. In this NOFO, a college is a stand-alone entity and not a component of a university system.

The NIH Research Education Program (R25) supports research education activities in the mission areas of the NIH. The over-arching goal of this NIDA R25 program is to support educational activities that complement and/or enhance the training of a workforce to meet the nations biomedical, behavioral and clinical research needs. This NOFO is intended to support research education activities that enhance the knowledge of substance use and substance use disorder research. The program is intended for those in clinically focused careers and/or those training for careers as clinicians/health service providers, clinical researchers, or optimally a combination of the two. This mechanism may not be used to support non-research-related clinical training.

NLM wishes to accelerate access to, and availability of, secure, complete datasets and computational models that can serve as the basis for transformative biomedical discoveries. Innovative at-scale computational approaches that increase the speed and scope of curation processes are needed for data mining and knowledge discovery from growing quantities of biomedical data being produced from ongoing data science advances.

The purpose of the NIAID Career Transition Award program is to assist postdoctoral fellows' transition to positions of assistant professor or equivalent and initiate a successful biomedical career as an independent research scientist.

The purpose of this notice of funding opportunity (NOFO) is to solicit applications for pilot projects to elucidate a role for understudied proteins in rare disease. Awards will support generation of preliminary data and/or tools around eligible understudied protein(s). A list of eligible proteins is provided and are members of druggable protein families that have a known association with a rare disease. This NOFO is intended to jumpstart research on understudied proteins that are associated with rare diseases and provide applicants with sufficient funding to perform basic biochemical and/or biological work to further the characterization of understudied proteins within the context of rare disease.

The SuRE program supports research capacity building at eligible higher education institutions by funding investigator-initiated biomedical research inbasic, social, clinical, behavioral, or translational science that falls in the mission areas of the NIH. The purpose of SuRE awards is to provide support for investigator-initiated research at resource-limited institutions by full-time faculty who are not currently funded by any NIH Research Project Grants (RPGs) with the exception of SuRE or SuRE-First awards, to furnish students with high-quality undergraduate and/or graduate research experiences, and to enhance the institutional scientific research culture.

The SuRE program supports research capacity building at eligible higher education institutions through funding investigator-initiated biomedical research inbasic, social, clinical, behavioral, or translational science that falls in the mission areas of the NIH. The purpose of SuRE-First awards is to provide support for investigator-initiated research at resource-limited institutions by full-time faculty who have not had any prior independent, peer-reviewed, external research grants, to furnish students with high-quality undergraduate and/or graduate research experiences, and to enhance the institutional scientific research culture.

Awards will be made as cooperative agreements to accredited Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) partnered with non-profit organizations in the United States that are eligible to apply for this NASA Research Announcement (NRA). The period of performance for an award is up to 2 years. Prospective proposers are requested to submit any questions in writing to NASAMUSIC@nasaprs.com no later than 10 business days before the proposal due date so that NASA will have sufficient time to respond. Proposers to this NRA are required to have the following, no later than the due date: 1) a Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number, 2) a valid registration with the System for Award Management (SAM) [formerly known as the Central Contractor Registry (CCR)], 3) a valid Commercial And Government Entity (CAGE) Code, 4) a valid registration with NASA Solicitation and Proposal Integrated Review and Evaluation System (NSPIRES) (this also applies to any entities proposed for sub-awards or subcontracts.) Consult Appendix H Section H.3.1 for more eligibility information. Consult Appendix H Section 2.2 regarding teaming requirements and partnership guidelines. The goal of NASA MUSIC is: to provide strategic effort that will leverage research and contract relationships of MSIs and NASA through relationships developed by non-profit organizations that may include collaboration of subject matter experts and access to NASA research facilities; An effort to improve STEM education and research at MSIs; A funded activity that seeks to build institutional capacity of MSIs; An activity to support long-term sustainability of STEM research at MSIs. MUSIC seeks to address the agency goals and objectives through: Increasing the institutional awareness of NASA competitive resources that can build the capacity of MSIs to offer and conduct STEM undergraduate and graduate research with a focus on NASA opportunities. Assembling MSIs and their stakeholders with common interests, and challenges then provide common tools for MSIs to increase efficiency and optimize resources including opportunities to develop formal and informal partnerships. Connecting MSI administrators and university STEM leaders to cutting-edge initiatives at NASA that can increase interest in securing research and contracting opportunities while supporting NASA’s policy to achieve an Agency-wide goal of providing one percent of total contract value of prime and subcontracting awards to MSIs. https://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/procurement/regs/1826.htm To achieve these goals, MUSIC seeks to increase university program capacity about practical uses of research to drive institution sustainability through the following targets: Advance the understanding of MSIs on how to effectively develop institutional administrative support by competing at the university level for funding opportunities, which will result in successful application to, and management of these funding opportunities (including those at NASA). Extend MSI’s capabilities by: A. Leveraging the MSIs research capabilities with NASA research to develop Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) projects that develop and demonstrate innovative technologies that fulfill NASA needs and have significant potential for successful commercialization. B. Increasing the preparation of undergraduate and graduate science, technology, engineering, and mathematics faculty with opportunities to participate with NASA researchers and missions through grants and contracts. To achieve these goals and objectives, NASA solicits proposals from MSIs to implement the NASA MUSIC; to engage MSIs in authentic STEM experiences related to NASA missions; and to inspire and captivate learners utilizing NASA’s unique assets to develop a keen interest in STEM. Every institution that intends to submit a proposal to this NRA, including the proposed prime award or any partner whether an education institution, other non-profit institutions, and other organizations that will serve as sub-awardees or contractors, must be registered in NSPIRES. Electronic submission of proposals is required by the due date and must be submitted by an authorized official of the proposing organization. Such registration must identify the authorized organizational representative(s) who will submit the electronic proposal. All principal investigators and other participants (e.g. co-investigators) must be registered in NSPIRES regardless of submission system. Potential proposers and proposing organizations are urged to access the system(s) well in advance of the proposal due date(s) of interest to familiarize themselves with its structure and enter the requested information. Electronic proposals may be submitted via the NASA proposal data system NSPIRES or via Grants.gov. Organizations that intend to submit proposals via Grants.gov must be registered 1) with Grants.gov and 2) with NSPIRES. Additional programmatic information for this NRA may develop before the proposal due date. If so, such information will be added as a Frequently Asked Question (FAQ) or formal amendment to this NRA and posted on http://nspires.nasaprs.com. It is the proposer’s responsibility to regularly check NSPIRES for updates to this NRA.

The Biomechanics and Mechanobiology (BMMB) program is part of the Mechanics of Materials cluster within the Division of Civil, Mechanical, and Manufacturing Innovation. The BMMB program supports fundamental and transformative research that advances our understanding of engineering biomechanics and/or mechanobiology. The program emphasizes the study of biological mechanics across multiple domains, from sub-cellular to whole organism. Distinct from conventional engineering materials, the program encourages the consideration of diverse living tissues as smart materials that are self-designing. BMMB projects must have a clear biological component, a clear mechanics component, and must improve our understanding of the mechanical behavior of a living system. Investigations of the mechanical behavior of biological molecules, cells, tissues, and living systems are welcome. An important concern is the influence of in vivo mechanical forces on cell and matrix biology in the histomorphogenesis, maintenance, regeneration, repair, and aging of tissues and organs. The program is also interested in efforts to translate recent biomechanical and mechanobiological discoveries into engineering science. Multiscale mechanics approaches are encouraged but not required. Projects may include theoretical, computational, or experimental approaches, or a combination thereof. NSF does not support clinical trials; however, feasibility studies involving human volunteers or animal subjects may be supported if appropriate to the scientific objectives of the project. Proposals should address the novelty and/or potentially transformative nature of the proposed work compared to previous work in the field. Also, it is essential to address why the proposed work is important in terms of engineering science, and to state the potential impact of success in the research on society and/or industry. Innovative proposals outside of these specific areas of biomechanics and mechanobiology will be considered. However, prior to submission of particularly unique topics, it is strongly recommended that Principal Investigators (PIs) contact the program director to discuss how the proposed work fits within the scope of the program and avoid the possibility of the proposal being returned without review. Related programs also fund certain aspects of biomechanics and mechanobiology research, and PIs are encouraged to examine these to find the appropriate program for submission. Proposals with a heavy emphasis on tissue engineering or developing validated models of tissue and organ systems should consider the Engineering of Biomedical Systems (EBMS) program.Projects addressing biological questions about the physiological mechanisms and structural features of organisms should consult the Physiological Mechanisms & Biomechanics (PMB) program.Projects elucidating aspects of neural control may consider the Perception, Action, & Cognition (PAC) program or the Mind, Machine, and Motor Nexus (M3X) program if the project contains work relevant to human-machine interaction. Projects in rehabilitation engineering should consider the Disability and Rehabilitation Engineering (DARE) program. Projects focused on fundamental research related to design, characterization, and modification of biomaterials should consider the Biomaterials (BMAT) program. Manufacturing systems proposals should consider the Advanced Manufacturing (AM) program. Work on the interplay between structure, dynamics, and function of biomolecules without advancing our understanding of the mechanics of a living system should consider the Molecular Biophysics program. Researchers who believe their work may span multiple programs are particularly encouraged to contact the cognizant program directors well in advance of submission. The duration of unsolicited proposal awards is generally up to three years; proposals for a shorter duration are welcome. Single-investigator award budgets typically include support for one graduate student (or equivalent trainee) and up to one month of PI time per year (awards for multiple investigator projects are typically larger). Proposal budgets or durations that are much larger than typical should be discussed with the program director prior to submission. Proposers can view budget amounts and other information from recent awards made by this program via the “What Has Been Funded (Recent Awards Made Through This Program, with Abstracts)” link towards the bottom of this page.

The objective of this Agreement is to advance historic preservation at the local level by establishing a task agreement between the National Park Service and the National Alliance of Preservation Commissions (NAPC) to provide training opportunities, promote the Federal Certified Local Government program, and strengthen local preservation commissions by providing bi-annual State Certified Local Government Coordinator Training