NIH Environmental Risks for Psychiatric Disorders: Biological Basis of Pathophysiology (R21 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)

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Funding Opportunity Number: PAR-19-385

The purpose of this funding opportunity announcement (FOA) is to stimulate research to understand the biological basis by which environmental exposures alter brain and behavioral functioning to increase risk for psychiatric disorders with onset in late-childhood, adolescence or early adulthood. The R21 grant mechanism is intended to encourage exploratory and developmental research projects that are high-risk and/or use novel approaches with potential for significant impact. Investigations that further advance our understanding of psychiatric conditions where there is less evidence of an environmental exposure link are of particular interest. A range of approaches are encouraged, from mechanistic experiments using whole organism models or in vitro and in vivo systems to human studies that add new data collection activities and/or make use of extant data or biospecimens. Investigations that further advance our understanding of the joint contribution of genes and environment in the risk for psychiatric disorders are welcomed. Applications should address either categorically defined psychiatric diagnoses and/or continuous traits expressed in the general population. Applicants are encouraged to propose studies that consider co-occurring psychiatric conditions and potential shared etiologies. It is anticipated that knowledge gained from the research supported by this FOA will inform the development of improved intervention, prevention and/or therapeutic strategies.

Application Due Dates: December 10, 2019; November 16, 2020; November 16, 2021, by 5:00 PM local time of applicant organization. All types of non-AIDS applications allowed for this funding opportunity announcement are due on these dates.

Specific Areas of Research Interest:

Topics that are appropriate for this FOA include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Alterations in level or pattern of peripheral biomarkers (e.g., cortisol, cytokines) and their role in mediating the relationship between environmental exposures and psychiatric disorders/traits
  • Neural circuitry underlying toxicant-induced changes in behavioral phenotypes relevant to psychiatric disorders/traits
  • Relationship(s) between environmental exposures and synaptic processes (e.g., synaptic integrity, synaptic plasticity and/or synaptic transmission) that are implicated in psychiatric disorders/traits
  • Epigenetic and epigenomic alterations (e.g., histone modifications, changes in DNA methylation, non-coding RNA regulation) caused by environmental exposures and their role in mediating the association of those exposures with psychiatric disorders/traits
  • Impact of environmental exposures on gut microbiome and consequences for risk of psychiatric disorders/traits
  • Development and/or application of screening tools to identify and investigate, in human populations, candidate exposures that interact with biological processes implicated in psychiatric disorders/traits
  • Neurobiological changes underlying how environmental chemical exposures combine with other environmental factors (e.g., microbial pathogens such as viruses, diet and nutrition, psychosocial stress, substance use, physical activity levels) to protect or increase risk for psychiatric disorders/symptoms
  • Use of genetically engineered models (e.g., population-based rodent models) to identify susceptibility to exposure-related psychiatric phenotypes
  • Application of functional genomics and/or novel statistical approaches to identify and validate gene-environment interactions using existing data from psychiatric studies
  • Role of non-neuronal cell populations, which make up close to 90% of the cells in the brain, in the effects of environmental toxicants on psychiatric disorders/traits.

NIH Innovative Programs to Enhance Research Training (IPERT) (R25)

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The NIH Research Education Program (R25) supports research educational activities that complement other formal training programs in the mission areas of the NIH Institutes and Centers. The over-arching goals of the NIH R25 program are to: (1) complement and/or enhance the training of a workforce to meet the nation’s biomedical, behavioral and clinical research needs; (2) encourage individuals from diverse backgrounds, including those from groups underrepresented in the biomedical and behavioral sciences, to pursue further studies or careers in research; (3) help recruit individuals with specific specialty or disciplinary backgrounds to research careers in biomedical, behavioral and clinical sciences; and (4) foster a better understanding of biomedical, behavioral and clinical research and its implications.

The goal of the Innovative Programs to Enhance Research Training (IPERT) initiative is to enable the scientific community to develop and implement innovative educational activities to equip diverse cohorts of participants with technical, operational or professional skills required for careers in the biomedical research workforce, by effectively integrating the required core elements described below:

  • Courses for Skills Development: For example, support for short courses designed to develop technical (e.g., appropriate methods, technologies, and quantitative/computational approaches), operational (e.g., independent knowledge acquisition, rigorous experimental design, and interpretation of data) and/or professional (e.g., management, leadership, communication, and teamwork) skills necessary to conduct rigorous and reproducible research, and to transition successfully into careers in the biomedical research workforce. These courses could be in-person or provided electronically. Dissemination of educational materials and outreach activities to benefit individuals from a variety of backgrounds are required components of the program.
  • Mentoring Activities: For example, activities designed to provide career information, advice, and support to research-oriented undergraduates, graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, or independent faculty in biomedical fields. The activities should provide participants with a perspective on the biomedical research training pathway and tools for overcoming challenges, navigating career transition points, and successfully transitioning into careers in the biomedical research workforce.

The recent NIGMS Strategic Plans emphasize that (1) research training is a responsibility shared by the NIH, academic institutions, faculty, and trainees; (2) research training must focus on student development, rather than simply the selection of talent; (3) breadth and flexibility enable research training to keep pace with the opportunities and demands of contemporary science and provide the foundation for a variety of scientific career paths; and (4) diversity is an indispensable component of research training excellence and must be advanced across the entire research enterprise.

Through this funding announcement, NIGMS intends to encourage innovative biomedical research education activities designed to keep pace with the rapid evolution of the research enterprise that is increasingly complex, interdisciplinary, and collaborative. As the scientific enterprise has expanded, there is greater variation in the backgrounds of people participating, approaches taken to investigate research questions, and the range of the careers in the biomedical research workforce that Ph.D. recipients are pursuing. There is also an increasing recognition of the need to enhance reproducibility of biomedical research results through scientific rigor and transparency and to reinforce the principles of the responsible conduct of research. This FOA is intended to enable the scientific community to develop and implement innovative activities that will provide high-quality skills development, mentoring, and outreach to equip diverse cohorts of participants with technical, operational or professional skills required for careers in the biomedical research workforce.

The IPERT activities must be open to the broader biomedical community and not be restricted to individuals from a single department, program or institution. NIGMS encourages applications that are intended for individuals in a variety of biomedical fields; however, if a scientific area is described, it must be within the NIGMS mission.

For additional information please see PAR-19-383.

Limited Submission Opportunity – National Science Foundation Major Research Instrumentation Program (MRI)

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NSF Major Research Instrumentation Program (MRI): Limited Submission Opportunity

Internal Notification of Interest Deadline to the Office of Research Administration: Friday, October 18, 2019, 5:00 pm.

NSF Proposal Submission Window: January 1, 2020 – January 21, 2020

The Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) Program serves to increase access to multi-user scientific and engineering instrumentation for research and research training in our Nation’s institutions of higher education and not-for-profit scientific/engineering research organizations. An MRI award supports the acquisition or development of a multi-user research instrument that is, in general, too costly and/or not appropriate for support through other NSF programs.

MRI provides support to acquire critical research instrumentation without which advances in fundamental science and engineering research may not otherwise occur. MRI also provides support to develop next-generation research instruments that open new opportunities to advance the frontiers in science and engineering research. Additionally, an MRI award is expected to enhance research training of students who will become the next generation of instrument users, designers and builders.

An MRI proposal may request up to $4 million for either acquisition or development of a research instrument. Beginning with the FY 2018 competition, each performing organization may submit in revised “Tracks” as defined below, with no more than two submissions in Track 1 and no more than one submission in Track 2.

  • Track 1: Track 1 MRI proposals are those that request funds from NSF greater than or equal to $100,000 and less than $1,000,000.
  • Track 2: Track 2 MRI proposals are those that request funds from NSF greater than or equal to $1,000,000 up to and including $4,000,000.

Cost sharing is required for Ph.D.-granting institutions of higher education and for non-degree-granting organizations. Non-Ph.D.-granting institutions of higher education are exempt from cost-sharing and cannot provide it. National Science Board policy is that voluntary committed cost sharing is prohibited. When required, cost-sharing must be precisely 30%.

Limit on the Number of Proposals per Organization:

Each performing organization is now limited to a maximum of three (3) proposals in revised “Tracks” as defined below, with no more than two (2) submissions in Track 1 and no more than one (1) submission in Track 2.

Any MRI proposal may request support for either the acquisition or development of a research instrument.

For full details on this program, please visit the NSF MRI webpage and the NSF MRI Solicitation, 18-513.

For additional details regarding The University of Akron’s limited submission process, visit the ORA Limited Submission webpage.

If you are interested in submitting a NSF MRI proposal, please visit the ORA Limited Submission webpage and complete step 1: Notification of Interest, by the deadline above.

  • Individuals interested in applying to a limited submission program must submit a Notification of Interest no later than 5pm on the internal deadline. To submit this notification applicants must email limitedsubmissions@uakron.edu with the subject line of the email formatted as follows: “Last name, First name; Limited Submission Notification of Interest”. Notifications will be emailed, and applicants will either be approved to apply or will be prompted to provide a white paper.
  • If ORA receives internal notices of interest in excess of the NSF limit on the number of proposals per organization, an internal competition will be necessary and additional information will be sent to those who submitted a notice of interest.

Third Frontier Research Incentives Request for Proposals

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Program Overview

Section 381.250 (Research Incentive Third Frontier) of Amended House Bill Number 166 of the 133rd Ohio General Assembly authorizes the Chancellor of High Education to use appropriated funds under this section to advance collaborative research at institutions of higher education and support programs and initiatives specifically identified in this section. Research areas, programs and initiatives eligible for funding pursuant to this Request for Proposal (RFP) include:

  • Research Areas:
  1. Research regarding the reduction of infant mortality
  2. Research regarding opiate addiction issues in Ohio
  3. 3. Research and programming regarding the advancement of cybersecurity initiatives in Ohio
  • Program and Initiatives
  1. Ohio Manufacturing and Innovation Center
  2. I-CORPS@Ohio program
  3. Ohio Innovation Exchange

Important Dates:

  • Request for proposals released – September 18, 2019
  • Proposal submission window – September 18, 2019 – October 18, 2019
  • Proposal review begins – October 19, 2019
  • Notificaions of awarded proposals – beginning November 18, 2019

The Request for Proposal period is now open. The Third Frontier Research Incentive Request for proposal can be accessed at https://www.ohiohighered.org/grants-rfps. 

Please note, Section 381.250 of house bill 166 also includes as focus areas “Research regarding the improvement of water quality” and “Research regarding spinal cord injury.” The request for proposal process for Improvement of Water Quality will administered by the Ohio Sea Grant program at The Ohio State University Ohioseagrant.osu.edu. The Water Quality Request for Proposals is expected to be released by September 30, 2019. The request for proposal process for Spinal Cord Injury will be administered through the Oho Department of Higher Education later in 2019.

NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) Application Webinars Announced

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The NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program recognizes and supports outstanding graduate students in NSF-supported science, technology, engineering, and mathematics disciplines who are pursuing research-based Master’s and doctoral degrees at accredited United States institutions.

GRFP Application Webinars providing an overview of the program, eligibility, and application requirements will be offered September 16-20 (attachment has a schedule, instructions, and links). Space is limited to 500 participants per session (register early!). A recorded webinar will be posted at nsfgrfp.org.

To register for a webinar, please visit the NSF GRFP page.  Additional information about the webinars can be found in this notice. 

Eligibility guidelines for the GRFP program can be found in the current Program Solicitation. 

2020 GRFP Applications are now open.  Please click here to apply.