Members of this list should take note of a new Program Announcement issued
by NIGMS (NIH). The program, to provide pilot support for high risk/high
impact projects, has several noteworthy features:
1. It covers all research areas supported by NIGMS, which are listed;
2. The applications, although reviewed in standard DRG study sections,
will not be percentiled, hence will not count in the base calculation of
R01 scores;
3. Funding will be for two years, $70k direct costs/yr.
4. Funding decisions will be made on the basis of truly novel and
innovative approaches to biomedical problems.
Since potential applicants may be found in non-traditional departments
(e.g., chem E, applied math), please feel free to forward this message far
and wide!
The complete form of the program announcement can be found on the NIGMS
home page at www.nih.gov/nigms/ under "funding info"/program
announcements
EXPLORATORY STUDIES FOR HIGH RISK/HIGH IMPACT RESEARCH
NIH GUIDE, Volume 26, Number 10, March 28, 1997
PA AVAILABLE: PA-97-049
P.T. 34; K.W. 0710030, 1002004, 0710035, 1003002, 1014001
National Institute of General Medical Sciences
PURPOSE
The National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) announces
a new initiative. The purpose of this initiative is to broaden the
base of inquiry in fundamental biomedical research by encouraging
applications for research projects that involve an especially high
degree of innovation and novelty and, therefore, require a
preliminary test of feasibility. The research projects proposed
under this program announcement may involve substantial experimental
risks such that their potential for highly significant outcomes may
be difficult to judge by the standard criteria used in evaluating R01
applications. The amount awarded for each of these pilot projects
would be lower than that awarded for the average R01 grant.
The NIGMS seeks to encourage fundamental research projects that fall
into the following classes: projects to test novel and significant
hypotheses for which there is scant precedent or preliminary data and
which, if confirmed, would have a substantial impact on current
thinking; projects to explore a new experimental organism or system
in order to address particularly difficult basic biomedical questions
for which the new system would be particularly advantageous; and
projects to develop innovative techniques or methodologies with wide
applicability to the study of basic biomedical problems.
The projects must support the NIGMS mission as detailed in the
publication, "Divisions and Grant Award Mechanisms," available from
the NIGMS Public Information Office (301/496-7301); additional
information can be found on the NIGMS home page at
http://www.nih.gov/nigms/. In brief, NIGMS supports research in (a)
cell biology and molecular biophysics, including basic studies of the
structure and function of cells, cellular components, and the
biological macromolecules that make up these components; (b)
fundamental mechanisms of inheritance and development that typically
utilize non-human model systems; (c) basic studies in pharmacology,
physiology, biochemistry, biorelated chemistry and anesthesiology;
(d) basic studies in biotechnology, including biocatalysis and
metabolic engineering; (e) bioengineering, including instrumentation
development and refinement and development of bioanalytical methods
and biomaterials; and (f) trauma and burn injury.
INQUIRIES
The PA, which describes the research objectives, application
procedures, review considerations, and award criteria for this
program, may be obtained electronically through the NIH Grant Line
(data line 301/402-2221), the NIH Gopher (gopher.nih.gov), and the
NIH Website (http://www.nih.gov), and my mail and email from the
contacts listed below.
Dr. James C. Cassatt
Division of Cell Biology and Biophysics
National Institute of General Medical Sciences
45 Center Drive, MSC 6200
Bethesda, MD 20892-6200
Telephone: (301) 594 0828
FAX: (301) 480-2004
Email: CZJ at cu.nih.gov
Dr. Judith Greenberg
Division of Genetics and Developmental Biology
National Institute of General Medical Sciences
45 Center Drive, MSC 6200
Bethesda, MD 20892-6200
Telephone: (301) 594 0943
FAX: (301) 480-2228
email: greenbej at gm1.nigms.nih.gov
Dr. Michael E. Rogers
Division of Pharmacology, Physiology and Biological Chemistry
National Institute of General Medical Sciences
45 Center Drive, MSC 6200
Bethesda, MD 20892-6200
Telephone: (301) 594 3827
FAX: (301) 480-2802
email: rogersm at gm1.nigms.nih.gov
