The USC Washington Office provides regular updates and reports of relevance to the research enterprise. This section of the KRU has been created to help disseminate items of interest to the Keck School’s research community.

Reflecting the diversity of topics encompassed in international affairs, funding for international research and education is dispersed across a wide range of federal agencies. Furthermore, while research, faculty and student exchanges, workshops, and university partnerships have traditionally received limited federal funding, additional opportunities are expected to emerge as a result of President Obama’s elevation of development and diplomacy as key elements of the country’s foreign policy portfolio. For a report by USC Consultants on specific initiatives, focus areas, funding mechanisms, and policy influence opportunities at federal agencies responsible for international research and education, please click here.

The NIH National Center Research Resources (NCRR) is hosting an all-day symposium on “Innovative Informatics for Clinical & Translational Researchers” at the NIH campus on Friday, October 15. For registration and agenda, please click here.

The American College of Neuropsychopharmacology (ACNP) is inviting scientists from a wide range of disciplines to compete for a $35,000 prize for an unpublished paper that is represents a major step forward in the successful development of innovative bioinformatics strategies for integrating neurobiological data in the service of modeling psychiatric illness.

Papers may be submitted for consideration by email to acnp@acnp.org no later than October 15, 2010. Click here to visit the website.

Starting January 25, 2011, NIH, AHRQ and NIOSH will be eliminating the correction window from the application process.  This means that any application submitted after 5pm local time of the applicant organization will be subject to late policies.  View NOT-OD-10-123.

Starting January 25, 2011, NIH will implement a new time limit between the submission of a New, Renewal, or Revision¹ application and a Resubmission (A1 version) of that application.  The NIH will not accept a Resubmission that is submitted later than thirty-seven months after the receipt date of the initial New, Renewal, or Revision application. Applications must be submitted for the dates listed in the appropriate Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA). For more information, please click here.

The Progeria Research Foundation awards grants for research to find the cause, treatment, or cure for Hutchinson-Gilford Progeria Syndrome, a rare, fatal genetic condition characterized by an appearance of accelerated aging in children. Funding of up to $50,000 per year for up to two years may be requested. Principal investigators must hold postdoctoral positions or beyond. Proposals are due October 20th.  For application and guidelines, click here.

The A. P. Giannini Foundation invites promising young postdoctoral investigators in the early stages of their careers to apply to their Medical Research Fellowship Program. This prestigious and highly competitive program supports innovative medical research in the basic sciences and applied fields, with an emphasis on translation. The fellowship comes with a substantial stipend for up to three years to support work with mentors based at California medical schools.  Postdocs (MD or PhD) with no more than 3 years of postdoctoral experience are eligible to apply. Applicants must be US citizens or permanent residents. Please submit your complete application and CV to gpetrov@usc.edu  in the Office of Research Advancement by October 28, 2010.  All interested applicants will be forwarded to the Foundation through the Office of Research Advancement.  Click here for additional information.

The FY 2011 NSF STTR solicitation seeks to support university-small business partnerships in the area of "Digital Gaming in Education."  STTR awards fund university-small business partnerships, with the university receiving 30 to 60 percent of the funding.  The principal investigator must be employed by the small business.  NSF expects to make approximately 35 awards, each for $150,000 over one year.  Proposals are due Nov 17.  Click here for more information.

The LCRP Early Detection Clinical Consortium Award mechanism is being offered for the first time in FY10. The intent of the award is to fund clinical studies focused on characterizing, developing, and/or improving early detection modalities for lung cancer. All projects shall be limited to clinical research and clinical trials. Animal studies are excluded from consideration. Click here for more information.

The International Clinical Research Fellows (ICRF) Program is a post-doctoral program for medical residents and fellows, as well as scientists with PhDs engaged in health-related post-doctoral programs. The Program is based on mentored clinical research and orientation towards global health and supports one-year of mentored clinical research only in a developing country setting. Both US and non-US candidates are eligible to apply, provided the non-US candidates propose to work with an pre approved site. The ICRF program is sponsored by the Fogarty International Center at the NIH and several collaborating NIH institutes and centers. For the first time, the application is now online, with a deadline of December 1, 2010 for fellowships to be conducted from July 2011 to June 2012. Please click here for more information.

NIH, on October 6, announced a new program, the NIH Director's Early Independence Award (EIA), "to provide a mechanism for exceptional, early career scientists to omit traditional post-doctoral training, and move into temporary, independent academic positions at U.S. institutions directly upon completion of their graduate degrees (Ph.D, M.D. or equivalent)." The NIH expects to issue 10 awards in fall 2011. Each institution may only submit two applications. The deadline for submitting Early Independence Award applications is Jan. 21, 2011. For more information, please click here and here. Please contact Gigi Petrovich in the Office of Research Advancement if you wish to be considered for this institutionally limited opportunity.

The Center for Mental Health Services Research (CMHSR) at Washington University in St. Louis invites applications to the Implementation Research Institute (IRI). This week-long training institute is specially designed for MD/PHD graduate researchers who want to understand and pursue clinical translational research. Funded by a five-year R25 grant from the National Institute of Mental Health and the Quality Enhancement Research Initiative (QUERI) through the Department of Veterans Affairs, this unique interdisciplinary training program will help launch a research career in implementation science. Click here for more information.

Faculty, staff and students are invited to attend the Dean's Translational Medicine Seminar Series on October 19that 4:00-5:00pm in Aresty Aud., NRT-LG. Dr. Antonio Scarpa, Director of the Center for Scientific Review at NIH, will present "Challenges and Opportunities of NIH Peer-Review: A Vision for Ensuring Its Strategic National Value”.  A reception will be held after the seminar in the Aresty Foyer at 5:00pm.  Reserve your space at http://keckapps.usc.edu/esvp/ Code:  Scarpa or watch the live webcast: http://keckapps.usc.edu/esvp/webcast.php. For more information, contact (323) 442-1144 or ResAdv@keck.usc.edu

The 3rd Annual USC Stem Cell and Developmental Biology (SCDB) Retreat will be held at Lake Arrowhead from Sunday October 24 through Monday October 25. The retreat provides an opportunity for faculty and lab members from many parts of USC to meet together in a casual and focused setting to interact and discuss their current work. There will be a mixture of talks from faculty, post-docs, and students, and a poster session and party on Sunday night. In addition, a prominent keynote speaker will be announced shortly. The meeting is open to faculty, students, and postdocs from CSCRM, CCMB, and other stem cell and developmental biology labs at USC or associated campuses (such as CHLA and House Ear Institute) as well as first-year PIBBS students (free of charge). Click here to view the program announcement.

• Extramural Nexus (NIH Office of Extramural Research)
• National Postdoctoral Association POSTDOCket
• Academic Medicine Online
• Science Translational Medicine
• Science Magazine
  
  

• Weekly NIH Funding Opportunities and Notices
• Weekly Foundation RFP Bulletin
  

To download an event to your Outlook calendar, please click the relevant hyperlink and at the bottom of the new page choose 'export entry to V-calendar'.

For a comprehensive calendar displaying all research activities currently scheduled, please visit the online Calendar of Events.

Mon Oct 11
9:00-11:00 am – Meet The Funders Workshop – Presenters:  Alvertha Penny, Senior VP of Programs, California Community Foundation (arts, education, health care, housing, neighborhoods, neighborhoods).  Beatriz Solis - Executive Director, Healthy Communities, The California Endowment (healthy communities/healthy homes, improve school attendance, reduce obesity/diabetes, reduce youth violence).  Belen Vargas, Vice President, Grant Operations, Weingart Foundation (programs that serve low income, underserved communities).  TOPIC: “What Do You Say After You Say Hello?”, “How to Contact a Foundation Officer”.  Open to staff & faculty.  Davidson Conference Center (UPC).  A continental breakfast will be served at 9:00am.  RSVP to:  chooks@usc.edu or ext 0-5110.

12:00-1:00 pm – KSOM Research Seminar – Dr. Kirill Martemyanov, Assistant Professor, Department of Pharmacology, University of Minnesota, will present “Regulation of G protein Signaling in Neurons”.  Hosted by Keck Research Advancement.  Host: Alapakkam Sampath.  Aresty Auditorium, NRT-LG, HSC.  Pizza at 11:40 am.  Info:  (323) 442-1144 or ResAdv@keck.usc.edu

12:00-1:00 pm – House Ear Institute - Special Seminar Series – Dr. Robert K. Shepherd, Director, Bionic Ear Institute, Melbourne, Australia, will present “Auditory Deprivation and Cochlear Implants: Pathological, Atrophic and Plastic Changes in the Auditory System”.  Host: Bob Shannon.  House Ear Institute, Auditorium. Lunch will be Served.  Info:  (213) 483-4431.

Tue Oct 12
12:00-2:00 pm – CER Workshops – Dr. William Deverell, will present “Taking the Humanities to the NSF”.  CUB 329.  Info: (213) 740-6709.  Please RSVP to: usccer@usc.edu

12:00-1:00 pm – House Ear Institute - Special Seminar Series – Dr. Rusty Lansford, California Institute of Technology Biological Imaging Center, will present “Transgenic Quail: A New Model System for Dynamic Analysis of Amniote Embryogenesis”.  Host: Andres Collazo.  House Ear Institute, Auditorium.  Lunch will be served.  Info:  (213) 483-4431.

12:00-1:00 pm – Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center-Grand Rounds– Dr. Jeffrey Weitzel, Chief, Division of Clinical Cancer Genetics, Professor of Oncology and Population Sciences, City of Hope National Medical Center, Clinical Professor of Preventive Medicine, KSOM, USC, will present “Progress in Breast and Ovarian Cancer Genetics: From Ancestry Informed Strategies for Risk Assessment to Targeted Therapy”.  Aresty Auditorium, NRT-LG, HSC.  Refreshments will be served.  Info:  mowatt@usc.edu

12:00-1:00 pm – The Saban Research Institute Tuesday Seminar – Dr. Yibu Chen, Norris Medical Library, USC, will present “Statistical and Functional Analysis of High-Throughput Data Using PartekGenomic Suite and Ingenuity Pathway Analysis Software”.  Saban Building, Auditorium.  Lunch Provided.  Info:  twebster@chla.usc.edu.  Registration requested, but not required:  https://uschsl.qualtrics.com/SE?SID=SV_eVul0fN5nG8ypNi

Wed Oct 13
4:00-6:00 pm – CER Workshops – Dr. James Murday, will present “DoD/DoE Young Investigator: Faculty Proposal Workshop”.  CUB 329.  Info: (213) 740-6709.  Please RSVP to: usccer@usc.edu

Thur Oct 14
12:00-1:00 pm – Research Seminar Series – Dr. Linda E. Greenbaum, Associate Professor, Dept. of Cancer Biology, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Dept. of Medicine, Thomas Jefferson University, will present “The Progenitor Cell Niche and the Fate of Hepatic Progenitor Cells”.  Hosted by:  USC Research Center for Liver Diseases.  Hastings’ Auditorium-HMR Building.  Pizza will be served..  Info:  (323) 442-1283.

4:00-6:00 pm – CER Workshops – Bonnie Kilgore-Lund, will present “Writing Persuasive Proposals”.  NML East Conference Room.  Info: (213) 740-6709.  Please RSVP to: usccer@usc.edu

Mon Oct 18
12:00-1:00 pm – KSOM Research Seminar – Dr. Gage DeKoeyer Crump, Assistant Professor, Center for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, ZNI, KSOM, USC, will present “Origin and Patterning of the Vertebrate Facial Skeleton”.  Hosted by Keck Research Advancement.  Aresty Auditorium, NRT-LG, HSC.  Pizza at 11:40 am.  Info:  (323) 442-1144 or ResAdv@keck.usc.edu

To keep up-to-date on available research funding opportunities, visit these institutions and organizations:

• The National Institutes of Health
• The National Science Foundation
• The Foundation Center
• California Institute for Regenerative Medicine
• Office of Research, University of Southern California
• Keck Office of Research Advancement
• Los Angeles Basin Clinical & Translational Science Institute
• Programs in Biomedical & Biological Sciences (PIBBS)
• Links to Professional Societies Promoting Biomedical Research