The University of Toledo

3. New Immunology Database and Analysis Portal

4. Your Next Grant: Planning That Renewal

5. The Table Of Contents Of The April 18, 2008 NIH Guide

The American Heart Association announces its July 2008 deadlines. The National Research Program, the Midwest and Pacific Mountain Affiliates offer the Predoctoral and Postdoctoral Fellowships, Clinical Research Program, Scientist Development Grant, Beginning Grant-in-Aid, Grant-in-Aid and Established Investigator Award funding opportunities.

Introducing the new Innovative Research Grant
This grant is to support highly innovative, high-risk, high-reward research that could ultimately lead to critical discoveries or major advancements that will accelerate the field of cardiovascular and stroke research.

Program information is available on the American Heart Association Web site: www.my.americanheart.org click on the Research Awards tab. Forms and Instructions will be available soon.

The American Heart Association funds research broadly related to cardiovascular disease and stroke. We support research in clinical and basic sciences, bioengineering, biotechnology and public health.

Proposals to the National programs encourage applications related to obesity, women and heart disease, and resuscitation

In the face of a persistent funding crisis, the research community is warning of the dangers posed by dwindling NIH budgets: since 2003, NIH funding has shrunk by as much as 13 percent after inflation.

Two reports caution against major decay in the U.S. biomedical research enterprise should weak funding levels persist.

Focusing on the plight of new investigators, seven academic research institutions released A Broken Pipeline? Flat Funding of the NIH Puts a Generation of Science at Risk on March 11, 2008. A Broken Pipeline? signals the danger of losing an entire generation of researchers and their potential contributions, through the stories of 12 talented junior investigators.

Like them, scientists in early career stages are facing wrenching choices. Many are forced to abandon academic research, and those who stay are shying away from high-risk research to pursue more conservative, safer paths.

The report was issued by Brown University, Duke University, Harvard University, The Ohio State University, Partners Healthcare, the University of California Los Angeles, and Vanderbilt University.

It follows a similar report from March 2007 called Within Our Grasp—Or Slipping Away? Assuring a New Era of Scientific and Medical Progress. Released by nine universities and one research hospital, that paper showed how stagnant NIH funding is hampering discovery and leading to missed opportunities for breakthrough research.

Find both reports and other materials including congressional testimony and press releases at A Broken Pipeline?

Looking for immunology-related data? Data analysis tools?

Immunology Database and Analysis Portal (ImmPORT) archives data from the research community supported by NIAID's Division of Allergy, Immunology, and Transplantation.

On March 19, ImmPORT added these features:

• New sources of human leukocyte antigen (HLA) data in the public reference data section.
  
• New public interfaces for HLA data query, data display, and data download.
  
• Improved efficiency of data submission for DAIT-funded scientists.
  
• Increased capacity of online data submission from 100 MB to 1 GB.
  
• New graphical user interface for Data Validator, which checks data integrity to facilitate data submission.
  
• Upgraded Google Maps-style mouse dragging technology incorporated into image navigation in Haploview and ImmPORT Microarray Analysis Component (IMAC) analysis tools.
  
• Improved analysis options in IMAC.

When it's time to plan a sequel to your NIH grant, you'll need to decide whether to submit a renewal application or apply for a new grant. Whatever method you follow, be sure you have a plan well before your grant ends.

New or Renewal?

Your situation and the science will dictate which route is best for you. For example, it is advantageous to apply with a renewal if you have made progress and accomplished some of your Specific Aims, and you plan a logical continuation of your project using the same funding mechanism.

Going in a new direction or expanding the scope of the research calls for a new application.

Some investigators do both: split and expand their research into one new and one renewal. In this era of low paylines, however, be careful not to dilute the quality and increase your risk of receiving an unfundable priority score.

If your research has gone well, peer reviewers are likely to give you an edge no matter which approach you take because you have a proven track record, and they know it takes time to build a successful research team.

Show your accomplishments though publications, invitations to present, and conference abstracts.

"New" Rules Apply When Resubmitting

Another effect of low success rates: using up your two resubmissions even though your application received an outstanding score.

If you are in that situation, keep the following in mind:

• Your next application to NIH must be new, which doesn't mean unconnected to your previous work.
  
  
  • CSR will examine your application closely to ensure it is different enough to qualify as new. If it doesn't, CSR can reject the application. Read more on this topic in What Qualifies as a New Application?
    
  • Learn how to meet NIH's criteria in Option 3: Create a New Application.
    
• Be sure to follow all procedures for a new application. For example, don't include a progress report or an introduction or highlight previous reviewers' comments.

Describe your work and highlight your successes in your progress report (for a renewal) or the Background and Significance section of your Research Plan (for a new application).

Want to read more?  NIH Grant Cycle has an entire section devoted to the subject: Part 12. Renewal Application

The previous static listings for browsing published NIH Guide announcements have been replaced with real-time database query listings that retrieve only active Requests for Applications ( RFAs ) and Program Announcements ( PAs ), based on the expiration dates stated in those announcements. The new listing for NIH Guide Notices displays Notices published over the last two years, by default, since expiration dates are not currently assigned to these announcements. Links to these new resources are available from the main NIH Guide Funding Opportunities and Notices page ( http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/index.html ).

All announcements (active plus inactive) in each category may also be viewed by using selections in the drop-down box at the top of each listing page. Clicking on header links allows re-sorting of lists. In addition, a new Ad Hoc NIH Guide Database Search page http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/search_guide.htm is available, which allows for individualized queries with various selection criteria.

If you have any difficulty obtaining the information you need from the Guide, contact Carol Wilkerson, carol.wilkerson@utoledo.edu, at HSC extension 4252, or Rick Francis, rick.francis@utoledo.edu, at MC extension 6193.

NIH Guide For Week Ending April 18, 2008

[Use The Link Below To Access Table of Contents of Guide]

http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/WeeklyIndex.cfm?WeekEnding=4-18-2008