. ..Scholarships Funds and Grants 2002



Alexander von Humboldt Foundation - Humboldt Research Fellowships

The Humboldt Research Fellowship Program supports highly qualified scholars of all nationalities and disciplines so that they many carry out long-term research projects in Germany. Fellowships are awarded on the basis of academic achievement, i.e., the quality and feasibility of the proposed research project and the candidate's international publications. There are no quotas with respect to their country of origin or academic discipline.

The program provides for a stay of 6 to 12 months in Germany for research. Applicants design their own research projects and select hosts at German institutions. Monthly stipends range from Euro 2,100 to 3,000; special allowances are available for accompanying family members, travel expenses, and German language instruction.

As part of the Humboldt Research Fellowship Program, U.S. citizens from all disciplines may also apply for the variations below. Fifteen of each fellowship is awarded annually.

Summer Fellowship for U.S. Scientists and Scholars (3 months per year in 3 consecutive years)

2-year Post-Doctoral Fellowship for U.S. Scientists and Scholars (24 consecutive months)

Applications and more detailed information for the fellowship and other programs can be found on the foundation's website.

Aexander von Humboldt Foundation



American Association for the Advancement of Science - Women's International Science Collaboration (WISC) 2002 - 2003

Deadline: July 15, 2002

AAAS announces the second round of applications for the 2002-2003 Women's International Science Collaboration (WISC) Program. Supported by the US National Science Foundation (NSF), this program aims to increase the participaton of women in international scientific research through travel awards to locations around the world. The awards are to foster new research partnerships between US scientists and colleagues in other countries. Applicants must be female, have a femail co-principal investigator, or propose a partnership with a female researcher in another country. Potential applicants should review the program guidelines or consult a AAAS administrator for details. Applicants must have a Ph.D. or equivalent research experience. Graduate students (Ph.D. candidates are also eligible, if they will be conducting research in an established Ph.D. program in the US.

For further information on fields eligible for funding, please visit the NSF website at http://www.nsf.gov.
For further application information and region-specific guidelines, please visit http://www.aaas.org/international/wiscnew.shtml.

Avon Breast Care Fund: 2003 Grant Program

Deadline: September 6, 2002

Eligibility: To be eligible for funding, applicants must be based in the United States, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, or Guam, and be private, non-government, nonprofit organizations (with federal nonprofit status). Both community-based organizations and medical service provider organizations (community clinics, hospitals, etc.) with mammography screening capacity are welcome to apply. Any publicly funded government agency wishing to apply may do so only by partnering with a private, nonprofit organization or educational institution that will
assume fiscal responsibility for and collaborate fully with the proposed program. All organizations applying for funds must have been in existence for at least two years. Native American tribes are encouraged to apply to the Fund and may do so through or in partnership with Native American nonprofit organizations that will assume fiscal responsibility for and commit to the reporting and screening requirements of the Fund's grants.

Successful applicants will have culturally competent educational strategies; dedicated staff with specialized
language and communications skills; and participation from members of the targeted community who can reach women where they live, work, and worship, and who offer personalized assistance to women who often have difficulty accessing health care. The Fund seeks to support programsthat recruit women for both first-time screening and annual screening; develop partnerships between community-based outreach providers and local medical providers; work with health care providers to ensure proper clinical follow-up of abnormal screening results; and educate older women about Medicare coverage of annual screening mammograms and assist them in obtaining the service from providers who accept Medicare.

Award The Fund will be awarding a limited number of one-year Information: grants covering the funding period from January 1, 2003, through December 31, 2003. Approximately $6.6 million in grant funds will be awarded to 130 new grantees. The majority of the grants will range from $30,000 to $60,000 a year, with most grants averaging $45,000 a year. However, approximately 15 projects will be funded at an enhanced level of about $100,000 a year. To ensure that smaller community-based organizations receive funding, the Fund will seek to award at least 40 percent of the grants to organizations with operating budgets under $1,000,000.

Program The Avon Breast Care Fund provides financial support in the in Brief: form of grants to programs that conduct community outreach, provide breast-cancer education, and link medically underserved women to clinical screening services. Funding is awarded to organizations providing access to clinical breast exams, mammograms, and education to low-income, minority, underserved, underinsured, and uninsured women.
All funded programs must utilize the three-part approach to breast cancer early detection, including regular
screening mammography, clinical breast examination, and breast self-examination.

The Fund is currently accepting applications for the 2003 round of funding. The Fund will award grants to community-based programs and/or health-care agencies (e.g., community health centers, cancer centers, and women's health centers) that provide medically underserved women aged 40 and older with direct access to
breast-cancer education, annual clinical screening services, and prompt follow-up care.

Beckman Foundation, Arnold and Mabel Beckman Young Investigators Program

Deadline: October 01, 2002

Award Projects are normally funded for a period of two years. When extraordinary Amount circumstances warrant, support may be provided over a one-year or four-year
Note: period. Grants are normally in the range of $240,000 over the term of the project. The foundation does not provide for overhead or for indirect costs.

Eligibility: To be eligible, an applicant should not have completed more than three full years in his or her tenure track or other comparable independent research appointment on the anniversary date of initial appointment in the year in which the application is to be made. Regardless of eligibility under this rule, no individual may apply for a Beckman Young Investigator award more than three times.

The program is open to persons with tenure-track appointments in academic and nonprofit institutions that conduct fundamental research in the chemical and life sciences. Candidates must be citizens or permanent residents of the United States at the time of application. Documentation of permanent residency status must be provided with the application. Persons who have applied for permanent residency but have not received their government documentation by the time of application are not eligible.

Funding will not be considered for the following:
- General institutional expenses
- General fundraising campaign expenses, such as dinners and mass mailings
- As a contribution to unified funds or to a pooled fund that is itself used to award grants of any kind
- Social science, religious, political, or other research that does not fall within the foundation's areas of interest.

Abstract: The Arnold and Mabel Beckman Foundation makes grants to nonprofit research institutions to promote research in chemistry and the life sciences, broadly interpreted, and particularly to foster the invention of methods, instruments, and materials that will open up new avenues of research in science. The Beckman Young Investigators Program provides research support to promising young faculty members in the early stages of academic careers in the chemical and life sciences. Proposed research should represent innovative departures in research rather than extensions or expansions of existing programs. Interdisciplinary research is encouraged.



Burroughs Wellcome Fund - Career Awards in the Biomedical Sciences

Burroughs Wellcome Fund Career Awards in the Biomedical Sciences are intended to foster the development and productivity of postdoctoral researchers in the biomedical sciences. The program provides up to six years of bridging support, including support in the advanced postdoctoral years and the first three years of faculty service, to help outstanding young scientists make the critical transition to becoming independent investigators. It is expected that by the end of the award, recipients will be engaged in productive research programs and will be able to compete effectively for support from government and other extramural sources.

Normally 15 grants of $80,000 per year for three years will be made.
Complete program announcement is available at
http://www.bwfund.org/basic_biomedical_sciences_career_awards_biomed.htm

The application deadline is October 1, 2002. An institution may nominate up to six candidates, except those nominate at least one candidate in the reproductive science maybe nominate a total of seven. Due to the limited number of application, if you or your colleagues are interested in applying, please contact Dr. Tramposch at 645-3321.



Burroughs Wellcome Fund - Clinical Scientist Awards in Translational Research

The program's goal is to foster the development and productivity of established independent physician-scientists who will strengthen translational research, through their own studies as well as their mentoring of physician-scientist trainees. The awards are intended to give recipients the freedom and flexibility to explore fundamental scientific questions, to apply the resulting knowledge at the bedside, and to bring insights from the clinical setting back to the laboratory for further exploration. These efforts, it is hoped, will lead to better understanding of the mechanisms of disease as well as to new methods of diagnosing, treating, and preventing disease.

BWF is interested particularly in supporting investigators who will bring novel ideas and new approaches to translational research. Proposed activities may draw on the many recent advances in the basic biomedical sciences--including such fields as biochemistry, cell biology, genetics, immunology, molecular biology, and pharmacology-that provide a wealth of opportunities for studying and alleviating human disease.

Clinical Scientist Awards in Translational Research provide $750,000 over a period of five years ($150,000 per year). It is anticipated that up to
10 awards will be made. Complete program announcement is available at
http://www.bwfund.org/translational_research.htm

The application deadline is September 1, 2002. UB may nominate up to two candidates. Due to the limited number of application, if you or your colleagues are interested in applying, please contact Dr. Tramposch at 645-3321.

Culpeper Pilot Initiative Funding Opportunity

Especially Young Investigators or those changing research directions. Novel studies considered. Preliminary data not required.

Title:
Charles E. Culpeper Biomedical Pilot Initiative
Sponsor:
Rockefeller Brothers Fund, Inc.
Health Program
URL to view this opportunity:
http://fundingopps.cos.com/cgi-bin/getRec?id=7657



Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS)
Developmental Grants for Primary Care Practice-Based Research Networks (PBRNs) - AHRQ

Reference # RFA-HS-02-003

Letter of Intent (optional) : April 15, 2002
Application Receipt Date: May 14, 2002

The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) announces theavailability of developmental/exploratory grants for the purpose of assisting new or established primary care practice-based research networks (PBRNs) to enhance their capacity to conduct research and translate research findings into practice. A PBRN is defined as a group of ambulatory practices devoted principally to the primary care of patients, affiliated with each other (and often with an academic or professional organization) in order to investigate questions related to community-based practice. This definition includes a sense of ongoing commitment to the research endeavor, and an organizational structure that transcends a single study (see further detailed Qualifications under SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS).

PBRNs are invited to apply for funds to plan, develop or enhance the infrastructure supporting network activities. Potential uses include planning and design of information technology to collect/aggregate research data, expanding the numbers or types of clinicians or practices enrolled in the network, and increasing the range of research expertise available to the network. PBRNs can also apply for additional funds to conduct individual pilot projects or feasibility studies. Although the major objective is to encourage creative, investigator-initiated research within PBRNs, AHRQ is particularly interested in studies that focus on the health care of priority populations (especially racial/ethnic minorities), practice-based applications of information technology, and the delivery of preventive services, including the promotion of healthy behaviors in primary care settings. It is expected that results generated from the exploratory projects will serve as a basis for planning future, larger scale research. The long-term goal of this initiative is to improve the capacity of PBRNs to expand the primary care knowledge base and to establish mechanisms to assure that new knowledge is incorporated into actual practice and that its impact is assessed.

AHRQ expects to award up to $2,000,000 in total costs (direct costs plus facilities and administrative costs) in FY 2002 to support the first year of projects under this RFA. The total project period for applications submitted in response to the present RFA may not exceed two years. It is anticipated that 25 to 30 awards for infrastructure planning and development will be made, not to exceed $50,000 annually (direct plus facilities and administrative costs) for up to two years of funding. In addition, five to seven awards for pilot projects or feasibility testing will be made for up to $100,000 annually (direct plus facilities and administrative costs) for up to two years of funding. The actual number of applications funded is dependent on the number of high-quality applications and their individual budget requirements. Thus, the maximum amount to be awarded under this RFA to any single applicant for the support of first year activities is $150,000 (total costs).
Representatives of recipient PBRNs will be expected to attend two to three group meetings convened annually by AHRQ during the funding period.
However, travel expenses for these meetings will be provided separately by AHRQ and budget requests should therefore not include expenses for this purpose.


FRAXA Research Foundation Fragile X Syndrome Postdoctoral Research Fellowships Program

FYI - for more information, please go to
http://www.fraxa.org/html/research_applications.htm

Deadline: December 1, 2002

Amount: $35,000 maximum

Acceptable Acceptible costs covered by FRAXA postdoctoral fellowships are limited to: Costs:
- Postdoctoral salary
- Fringe benefits and/or travel to meetings

The purpose of this program is to promote research aimed at finding a specific treatment for fragile X syndrome, the primary inherited cause of mental retardation. The foundation is particularly interested in preclinical studies of potential pharmacological and genetic treatments for fragile X and studies aimed at understanding the function of the FMR1 gene. The goal is to bring practical treatment into current medical practice as quickly as
possible; therefore, preference will be given to research projects that have a clear practical application and the results of which will be shared with other qualified researchers in a timely fashion.

Fellowships are awarded for one year and may be renewed for a second year.

James S. McDonnell Foundation: 21st Century Science Initiative

NOTE: The 2003 guidelines for this program will be posted on them Foundation's websiton November 15, 2002.

Deadline: March 14, 2003

Description: The 21st Century Research Awards provide adequate, flexible funding over a sufficient time period to allow investigators to pursue and develop novel, innovative research programs.

Amount: A maximum of $450,000 total costs can be requested and the funds can be expended over a minimum of three years or a maximum of six years.

Please Note: Smaller amounts of money to help investigators pursue pilot projects or test the feasibility of an experimental approach are welcome. Proposals are likely to be negatively reviewed when a $150,000 project becomes inappropriately stretched into a $450,000 project.

FYI - for more information, please go to
http://www.jsmf.org/pages/programs/21stCenturyScience.htm



Kinship Foundation - Searle Scholars Program

The Kinship Foundation is inviting applications for Searle Scholar Program. Applicants for year 2002 awards will be expected to be pursuing independent research careers in biochemistry, cell biology, genetics, immunology, neuroscience, pharmacology, and related areas in chemistry, medicine, and the biological sciences.

Candidates should have begun their first appointment at the assistant professor level on or after July 1, 2000 and therefore be in their first or second year. This appointment must be a tenure-track position, and must be in an academic department of an invited, degree-granting institution.

Normally 15 grants of $80,000 per year for three years will be made. Complete program announcement is available at http://searle.bio.jhu.edu/apply/index.html

The nomination is due by September 28, 2002. No more than two applications will be accepted from any one institution. Due to the limited number of application, if you or your colleagues are interested in applying, please contact Dr. Tramposch at 645-3321.



McKnight Endowment Fund for Neuroscience - Neuroscience of Brain Disorders Awards

Interested investigators should submit a two-page letter of intent.
Letters of intent are due by the deadline date. The selection committee will invite a small number of applicants to submit more detailed proposals.

Up to six awards may be given. Awards provide $100,000 annually for three years.

Consistent with the McKnight Endowment Fund's goal of fostering innovative neuroscience research, the McKnight Neuroscience of Brain Disorders Awards (formerly the McKnight Memory and Brain Disorders Awards) are for scientists working to apply the knowledge achieved through basic research to human brain injury or disease. The fund established this award to help translate laboratory discoveries about the brain and behavior into diagnosis and therapies to improve human health.

Types of projects may include:
- Using a model organism to study the function of disease genes;
-Applying novel technology (imaging, genomics, proteomics) to achieve early diagnosis, or to identify the pathogenesis of a brain disease;
-Applying principles of gene transfer and stem cell biology to the repair and recovery from brain disorders;
or
-Applying principals of axonal growth to neural repair. Treatment and health services delivery strategies; community-based epidemiologic studies; epidemiology and prevention of HIV among drug abusers; and biochemical strategies

Deadline is May 1, 2002



National Institutes of Health (NIH)
Mentored Clinical Scientists Development Program Award (K12 Award)

PA NUMBER: PAR-02-076

Deadline: February 1st, June 1st and October 1st annually
Expiration Date: February 1, 2005, unless reissued

This PA replaces, in its entirety, the Mentored Clinical Scientist Development Program Award (MCSDPA), PA-95-054, published in the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts, Volume 24, Number 15, April 28, 1995. This MCSDPA is an award to an educational institution or professional organization to support career development experiences for clinicians leading to research independence. Under this award, newly trained clinicians are to be selected and appointed to this program by the grantee institution. In other respects, the research experience of the research candidates selected for support under this award should resemble those supported by the individual Mentored Clinical Scientist Development Award (K08) or the Mentored Patient-Oriented Career Development Award (K23).

Applications for this award should propose a research plan that has: (1) intrinsic research importance, and (2) will serve as a suitable vehicle for learning the methodology, theories, and concepts needed for a well-trained independent clinician-researcher. The program should be designed to accommodate research candidates with varying levels of experiences. For example, a prospective research candidate with limited experience in a given field of research may find it appropriate to engage in a structured, phased developmental program, including a designated period of didactic training followed by a period of supervised research experience. The entire program should be comparable in scope and rigor to meeting the requirements for an advanced research degree.

The National Institutes of Health's (NIH) institutes have modified this award to accommodate the career pathways of researchers in fields related to their unique missions. All applicants and potential research candidates are strongly advised to contact the prospective NIH awarding component for information about eligibility and the specific provisions of this award.

Pharmacia Corporation Grants

FYI - for more information, please go to
http://www.pnu.com/citizenship/grants.asp

Deadline: Open

The corporation focuses its charitable giving in the areas of health care, education, and local civic needs in communities where employees live and work. The majority of grants in education focus on science and technical fields. Health care grants generally reflect areas of health concerns where the company has expertise, such as oncology, central nervous system diseases, ophthalmology, women's health, and other product areas. Civic needs are supported at local sites.Grant seekers are required to submit a preliminary application for assessment before the submission of a comprehensive grant application.


Roche Organ Transplantation Research Foundation (ROTRF): Funding Opportunities in Transplant Research

Deadlines: October 01, 2002 and April 01, 2003

Grants will be awarded biannually. Deadlines for letter of intent submissions are April 1 and October 1. Applicants must submit a letter of intent via the Internet. Applicants whose letters of intent pass the first review process will then be asked to provide a full application.

Abstract: The Roche Organ Transplantation Research Foundation wishes to advance the science of solid organ transplantation in order to further improve transplant results. The foundation will support research into solid organ transplantation, particularly where there is unmet medical need. The trustees hope that the funds available through the foundation will permit transplantation researchers to develop new technologies and areas of interest, and will encourage researchers in other areas to study transplantationproblems.

Types of areas that could be funded:

- Improvement of long-term graft survival and prevention of chronic organ dysfunction
- Relevant immune recognition, regulation and effector mechanisms
- Histocompatibility
- Inflammation and tissue injury in transplantation
- Development of new agents
- Prospective and specific analysis of human organ transplant populations
- Induction of tolerance
- New clinical trial methods and surrogate end-points
- Ischaemia reperfusion injury and organ preservation

Although the primary focus is solid organ transplantation, the foundation may alsoconsider supporting research into other areas if they have implications for solid organ transplantation research. The foundation may also consider providing limited support for unique initiatives such as international
databases of general interest to transplantation researchers.

Amount: The maximum grant amount to be awarded will be 300,000 Swiss Francs over three years.

FYI - for more information, please go to : http://fundingopps.cos.com/cgi-bin/getRec?id=35255.


RWJF - Generalist Physician Faculty Scholars Program 2003

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation is now inviting application for Generalist Physician Faculty Scholars Program 2003. The program is intended to assist career development of outstanding junior faculty in medical
school/departments/divisions of family practice, general internal medicine and general pediatrics. Up to 15 four-year awards of $300,000 will be give in 2003. Candidate must be a junior faculty and have at least two papers
published in peer-reviewed journals. For detail program information and eligibility requirement, please visit
http://www.rwjf.org/applyForGrant/cfpAbstract.jsp?cfpCode=FSP.

Deadline for the receipt of completed applications is September 20, 2002.

A school may nominate only one physician per year. School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences may nominate UB's candidate. Please inform me when the candidate is selected. I can be reached at 645-2977 ext 107 or email to Martina Tsai at tsai@research.buffalo.edu.



Rockefeller Brothers Fund - Charles E. Culpeper Scholarships in Medical Sciences

The Rockefeller Brothers Fund is inviting applications for a scholarship program that supports the career development of academic physicians. Up to four awards of $100,000 per year for up to three years will be made to United States medical schools or equivalent United States educational institutions on behalf of candidates who are U.S. citizens or aliens who have been granted permanent U.S. residence (proof required), who hold the M.D. degree from a U.S. medical school or the equivalent of an M.D. degree from an educational institution equivalent to a United States medical school and who are judged worthy of support by virtue of the quality of their research proposals and their potential for successful careers in academic medicine.
Complete program announcement is available at http://www.rbf.org/scholar.html

The nomination will be accepted till August 15, 2002. Only one candidate may be nominated from UB. Due to the limited number of application, if you or your colleagues are interested in applying, please contact Dr. Tramposch at 645-3321.

Tenth Research Grant Offer by Mizutani Foundation for Glycoscience

Deadline: September 1, 2002

For more information, please visit
http://www.mizutanifdn.or.jp/e_invite.htm

Mizutani Foundation for Glycoscience invites grant applications for basic studies in the field of glycoconjugates.

Eligibility:

  1. An applicant must have a doctor's degree or its equivalent
  2. have a documented capability of performing independent studies and
  3. be a member of a research institute where he or she can carry out the proposed project.

An applicant, who had been awarded the Mizutani grant previously, may re-apply after five years.

Grant:

As much as 10,000,000 yen may be requested. In principle, a grant will be approved for one (1) year only. The total budget for grants is 70,000,000 yen per annum. No more than 10% of the grant may be used for indirect costs (overheads), and no part of the grant may be used for stipends of the principal and/or collaborative investigators. The grantee must consult with the Foundation before applying for the patents on the inventions resulted from the grant.

Selection:

New applications will be reviewed by members of a committee consisting of specialists appointed by the Foundation for originality, scientific merit and feasibility. The scientific ability of the applicant suggested by his or her tracking record and the research environment reported by him or her are also considered.

Deadlines:

All applications will be accepted from July 1 through September 1, 2002 (Tokyo Time) at the Foundation. Decision letters will be airmailed no later than February 1, 2003, and the successful proposals will be
funded in March, 2003.

Application:

An official application form (in English) with instructions
may be obtained from the URL above.



The Community Foundation of Greater Buffalo

is asking for proposal submissions by June 1st for grants related to:
Children's Health Issues (larger grants >$15,000-$75,000) Cancer Research (larger grants >$15,000-$75,000) Professional Development Needs (conference attendance, scholarships, etc.) (<$2000-$4000) Heart Research (>$2000-$4000) AIDS Research ($5,000-15,000) Equipment grants are possible as part of a larger project.

The proposals should address the needs of a substantial or underserved portion of the community and demonstrate substantial impact.

Please consider submitting an application, contact Dr. Suzanne Laychock if you or someone in your department would be interested. See their website for more information http://www.cfgb.org.



The Office of Naval Research (ONR)

announces its Young Investigator Program (YIP) to identify and support academic scientists and engineers who have recently received Ph.D. or equivalent degrees and who show exceptional promise for doing creative research. The objectives of this program are to attract outstanding faculty members of institutions of higher education to the Navy's research program, to support their research, and to encourage their teaching and research careers.
Research interest areas include:

1.Mathematical, computer, and information science
2. Electronics
3. Surveillance, communications, and electronic combat
4. Ocean, atmosphere, and space sensing and systems
5. Ocean, atmosphere, and space processes and prediction
6. Physical sciences science and technology
7. Materials science and technology
8. Mechanics and energy conversion science and technolgy
9. Ship structures and systems science and technology
10. Medical science and technology
11. Coginitive, neural, and biomolecular science and technology
12. Strike technology
13. Manufacturing science and technology

United States Department of Defense (DOD) - Young Investigator Program (YIP)
Reference # 02-018

Deadline: November 1, 2002

Award Amount: Approximately 24 grant awards of $100,000 per year for three years, with the possibility of greater support for equipment or to support additional collaborative research with a Navy laboratory, are anticipated.

The Office of Naval Research (ONR) announces its Young Investigator Program (YIP) to identify and support academic scientists and engineers who have recently received Ph.D. or equivalent degrees and who show exceptional promise for doing creative research. The objectives of this program are to attract outstanding faculty members of institutions of higher education to the Navy's research program, to support their research, and to encourage their teaching and research careers.

FYI - for more information, please go to http://fundingopps.cos.com/cgi-bin/getRec?id=16976.



Travel Awards - Women in International Science research

Travel awards for women who do research in foreign countries.
Through NSF, it would be best for those who are already funded thru NSF.
Male faculty or grad students can apply, but they must have a female Co-PI on the proposal.

Applications are due June 15, 2002
Access more info at http://www.aaas.org/international/wiscnew.shtml.

United Mitochondrial Disease Foundation Research Grant Program

Deadline Information: A letter of intent is due by 17 September 2002.

Selected applicants will be invited to submit applications by February 2003.

Funds: A total of approximately $500,000 is available for 10 to 20 grants, according to Mark Fleming, vice resident and research grant coordinator of UMDF.

Abstract: Mitochondria are the cell's "powerhouses," producing ATP used in various cellular processes. Patients with mitochondrial diseases can experience a wide array of symptoms, such as muscle weakness, diabetes, cardiac disease, and respiratory problems, and many organ systems may be affected simultaneously.

If you have a Ph.D. or M.D. degree and would like funding for your work on mitochondrial diseases, check out
the Research Grants offered by the United Mitochondrial Disease Foundation (UMDF). The foundation accepts proposals for postdoctoral fellowships, pilot projects, clinical research, and new research directions for
experienced PIs for its grant program.

In 2003 the UMDF will award up to a total of $500,000 in grants for new research into the causes, effects, and treatments for mitochondrial disease. Projects eligible for consideration must fall into one of the following categories:
- Seed money for new researchers.
- Clinical research.
- Post-doctorate fellowship.
- New concept for experienced investigators.

Grants may be for one, two or three years. Letters of Intent and subsequently solicited proposals are reviewed by members of the UMDF's Scientific Advisory Board. Grant cycles begin each July 1 with funding taking place by the following July 1.

Contact: fundingopps@research.buffalo.edu.


United States Department of Defense (DOD)
Department of the Air Force (USAF)
Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR)
Broad Agency Announcement (BAA)
Chemistry and Life Sciences
Toxic Biological Interactions

Solicitation Number: AFOSR-BAA-2001-1

Deadline Continuous. Those interested are strongly encouraged to contact the point of contact for Note: additional information prior to submitting proposals. This announcement is open-ended until revised.

Abstract:Air force operations utilize physical and chemical agents that may interact with biological tissue and be potentially harmful to military and civilian personnel, to the surrounding populace, and to the environment. The agents include non-ionizing radiant energies (radio frequency radiation, microwaves and laser light), heavy metals(chromium and cadmium), and vairous chemicals that constitute fuels, propellants, and lubricants of interest to the air force. Exposure to these agents may result directly from their use during air force operations and maintenance and, in the case of chemicals, may also occur indirectly as a result of leaky storage containers. To protect humans and maintain safe working environments, the air force supports basic research that endeavors to understand how these agents may interact with biological systems at the subcellular and molecular levels to produce toxic effects. The air force also supports studies that explore novel experimental and computational techniques for use in assessing the potential health risks of these agents. Because the air force continually advances technologies that may depend on the use of new chemicals and unique modes of radiant energy, it has become necessary to develop reliable, rapid, and inexpensive methods for estimating health risks due to exposure. Mechanistically based in vitro biomarkers combined with computational toxicology or chemistry have been identified as research areas that may be of special importance in achieving AFOSR goals.


United States Department of Defense (DOD)
Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA)
Defense Sciences Research and Technology - Special Focus Area: Biological
Input/Output Systems (BIOS)

Solicitation Number: BAA01-42

Deadline: December 15, 2002

Abstract: The Defense Sciences Office is interested in new proposals to
develop robust technologies for designing DNA-encoded "plug and play" modules that will enable the use of organisms (e.g., plants, microbes, lower eukaryotes) as remote sentinels for reporting the presence of chemical or biological analytes. The ability to design and use organisms as sentinels is limited by the ease with which their molecular components and pathways can be designed and assembled to generate new sensing and reporting capabilities.

The special focus area is Biological Input/Output Systems(BIOS).
The BIOS program seeks to develop revolutionary technologies that will lead to facile engineering and assembly of functional biological circuits and pathways in living organisms. These new technologies should provide proof-of-principle demonstrations within three years that the binding of an analyte to an engineered cytoplasmic or cell surface receptors leads to regulated and specific changes in an organism. These changes might, for instance, be observable by imaging, spectroscopy or DNA analysis. Specific examples of capabilities sought include, but are not necessarily limited to, showing that the occupancy of designed receptors by specific analytes can regulate: - a metabolic pathway that changes the color of the organism (e.g., via changes in pigment chemistry); - a signal transduction pathway that generates a novel endpoint (e.g., activation of a fluorescent protein); - the synthesis of gene products that are directly observable via spectroscopy; and - a DNA rearrangement which would be detectable via modern molecular techniques such as PCR or sequencing.

Progress in this program will critically depend on the formation of well-managed interdisciplinary efforts drawing on expertise from such areas as structural biology, protein design, genetics, gene regulation, olfaction, membrane biology, chemical engineering, analog circuit design, applied math, network analysis, metabolism, signal transduction, plant biology, toxicology and pathogenesis. Whatever disciplinary composition a team has, its members will need to be sharply and collectively focused on achieving the capability demonstrations outlined above.

A very limited number of smaller efforts focused on developing unique approaches to overcoming specific technology challenges in this program will be supported with an eye towards incorporating them into the integrated team efforts by the end of the program.

United States Department of Defense (DOD)
Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA)
Defense Sciences Research and Technology - Engineered Tissue Constructs(ETC)

Solicitation Reference Number: BAA01-42

Deadline:The original deadline of August 29, 2002, has been extended
to December 15, 2002(FedBizOpps, July 15, 2002).

Abstract:The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is soliciting innovative research proposals to develop the technologies and science for supporting efforts leading to the creation of a three-dimensional ex vivo human immune system. This system will be used for testing new vaccine constructs and immunomodulators that provide superior protection against threat agents. The Engineered Tissue Constructs (ETC) program seeks to develop reliable methodologies that will accelerate the science and technology base necessary to achieve 3-D tissue engineering and to define the spatial and temporal requirements necessary to expand its applicability. This program intends to encourage multi-disciplinary teams, bringing together a combination of science and engineering communities to achieve its goals.



Whitney Foundation, Helen Hay - Postdoctoral Research Fellowships

Deadline: August 15, 2002
Award Amount: $39,000

The fellowship is for a period of three years, contingent on performance satisfactory to the foundation's Scientific Advisory Committee. One- and two-year fellowships are not considered. July 1st is the usual starting date. The foundation provides funds for travel to the fellowship location at the time of activation of the fellowship for the fellow and his or her family. No payment is made for the transportation of household goods. The current stipends are $39,000 for the first year, $40,500 for the second year, and $43,000 for the third year. A research allowance of $2,000 is available each year. The annual research allowance is given to the fellow's laboratory to help defray research expenses, and except that no part of it may be used for institutional overhead, its use is wholly at the discretion of the fellow's supervisor. In addition, the board introduced a dependent child allowance of $750 for each dependant child per annum. There is no allowance for a spouse.

For more information, please go to http://fundingopps.cos.com/cgi-bin/getRec?id-184.



Subject: 2002 Collegiate Inventors Competition

At the request of Dr. Guven Yalcintas, I am forwarding on some information regarding an upcoming inventors competition. This is a wonderful opportunity for SUNY undergraduate and graduate students and we hope there will be a large number of participants.

The program goals are: to promote interest in scientific problem solving and technology; to fuel a passion for economic prosperity; and to increase understanding of U.S. patent laws and intellectual property rights.

There are a total of six (6) awards of $20,000 to student inventors/teams plus $10,000 to their advisors.

For eligibility and application information please view the following site: http://www.invent.org/collegiate.

The deadline for this competition is June 1, 2002.
If you have any questions, please contact Wendy Clark, (518) 434-7166.