OARS funding Neuroscience

This Dear Colleague Letter is to alert all basic science and engineering communities, including education researchers, to the Foundation's interest in receiving proposals that, while investigating fundamental questions, seek to pose and test hypotheses that could inform research in forensic sciences. The interest spans both disciplinary and interdisciplinary research. Additionally, the wide public interest in forensics can provide an effective vehicle for basic research in science education. International partnerships, where appropriate, are encouraged, as are synergistic interactions with forensics and/or law enforcement agencies and organizations. Proposals for workshops to explore fundamental science drivers and their relevance to forensics are also welcome. 

Biophotonics applies photonics technology to the fields of medicine, biology and biotechnology.  Basic research and innovation in photonics that is very fundamental in science and engineering is needed to lay the foundation for new technologies beyond those that are mature and ready for application in medical diagnostics and therapies.  Advances are needed in nanophotonics, optogenetics, contrast and targeting agents, ultra-thin probes, wide field imaging, and rapid biomarker screening.  Low cost and minimally invasive medical diagnostics and therapies are key goals. Examples of topics are: Macromolecule Markers - Innovative methods for labeling of macromolecules, new compositions of matter/methods of fabrication of multi-color probes such as might be used for marking and detection of specific pathological cells and push the envelope of optical sensing to the limits of detection, resolution, and identification Low Coherence Sensing at the Nanoscale - Low coherence enhanced backscattering (LEBS), n-dimensional elastic light scattering, and angle-resolved low coherence interferometry for early cancer detection (dysplasia) Neurophotonics - Studies of photon activation of neurons at the interface of nanomaterials attached to cells.  Development and application of biocompatible photonic tools such as parallel interfaces and interconnects for communicating and control of neural networks Micro- and Nano-photonic - Development and application of nanoparticle fluorescent quantum-dots; sensitive, multiplexed, high-throughput characterization of macromolecular properties of cells; nanomaterials and nanodevices for biomedicine Optogenetics - Employing light-activated channels and enzymes for manipulation of neural activity with temporal precision. 

The General & Age Related Disabilities Engineering (GARDE) program supports research that will lead to the development of new technologies, devices, or software for persons with disabilities.  Research may be supported that is directed to the characterization, restoration, and/or substitution of human functional ability or cognition, or to the interaction of persons with disabilities and their environment.  Areas of particular recent interest are disability-related research in neuroscience/neuroengineering and rehabilitation robotics.  Emphasis is placed on significant advancement of fundamental engineering and scientific knowledge and not on incremental improvements.  Proposals should advance discovery or innovation beyond the frontiers of current knowledge in disability-related research.  Applicants are encouraged to contact the Program Director prior to submitting a proposal. Undergraduate Engineering Design Projects are also supported, especially those that provide prototype "custom-designed" devices or software for persons with disabilities.  The education of undergraduate engineering students is enhanced through Undergraduate Engineering Design Projects' awards supported by the GARDE program. 

The Research Project Grant (R01) supports a discrete, specified, circumscribed project to be performed by the named investigator(s) in areas representing the specific interests and competencies of the investigator(s). The proposed project must be related to the programmatic interests of one or more of the participating NIH Institutes and Centers (ICs) based on descriptions of their programs.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) Investigator-Initiated Small Research Grant (R03) funding opportunity supports small research projects that can be carried out in a short period of time with limited resources. The R03 activity code supports different types of projects including pilot and feasibility studies; secondary analysis of existing data; small, self-contained research projects; development of research methodology; and development of new research technology.

Roche is pleased to announce that we are accepting applications for the 2013 TCRC Young Investigators Award.  The awards are intended to provide support for the earlier stages of scientific research career development, so they are to be awarded to the employing institutions of promising emerging researchers.  Proposals will be evaluated based on scientific merit and innovation of the projects proposed to be conducted using the awards.   Four awards will be presented on Oct 1, 2013 during the scientific symposium inaugurating Roche's Translational and Clinical Research Center in New York City.   Researchers performing investigations (clinical, in vitro/in vivo or informatics) focused on disease understanding of the following disease areas are encouraged to apply: Cardiovascular & Metabolism - Diabetes and related complications   Neuroscience - Spinal Muscular Atrophy Virology - Influenza Oncology - Treatment and diagnosis of Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML).

Research!America is pleased to announce an exciting new program to introduce and engage early-career scientists in research advocacy and science policy. The 2013 Research!America Advocacy Academy is a unique opportunity for postdoctoral fellows in the health and biomedical sciences to learn about how to best incorporate advocacy and effective communications into their role as a scientist. The 2013 class of up to 12 Research!America advocates will participate in a two-day Washington, DC, program from September 11-12, 2013. Participants will learn about the federal budget and appropriations process, tools for effective science communication and outreach as well as how to engage with elected representatives on scientific and research issues. The program includes visiting Capitol Hill to meet with policy makers and congressional staff members, providing participants with a first-hand experience advocating for health research. Rounding out this unique Washington experience, participants will attend Research!America's National Health Research Forum where top leaders in government, industry, academia and patient organizations engage in moderated conversations on issues of importance to the research ecosystem. Upon completion of the program, participants will become Science Advocates for Research!America. Advocates will remain engaged with Research!America staff, receive ongoing action alerts and learn about ways to involve their home institution's research community in effective science advocacy. All travel expenses (transportation, lodging and meals) will be provided and arranged by Research!America through an educational grant provided by Pfizer. This year's program is limited to 12 exceptional postdoctoral researchers with a dedicated interest in becoming active advocates for science.

The purpose of this Dear Colleague Letter is to advise you about funding opportunities at the National Science Foundation for the research community to propose research projects or workshops that will gather data on the implementation and impacts of recent science policy initiatives including, but not limited to those noted earlier.  Especially encouraged are proposals that will: Develop new, or improve existing, analytical frameworks for evaluating the impacts of federal science policy initiatives; Explore different agencies' approaches to the implementation of particular policies to examine how variations in approach affect the achievement of intended policy outcomes; Collect case-study or quantitative data that facilitate identification of best practices in science and innovation policy implementation.

The Social Psychology Program at NSF supports basic research on human social behavior, including cultural differences and development over the life span.  Among the many research topics supported are: attitude formation and change, social cognition, personality processes, interpersonal relations and group processes, the self, emotion, social comparison and social influence, and the psychophysiological and neurophysiological bases of social behavior.  The scientific merit of a proposal depends on four important factors: (1) The problems investigated must be theoretically grounded. (2) The research should be based on empirical observation or be subject to empirical validation. (3) The research design must be appropriate to the questions asked. (4) The proposed research must advance basic understanding of social behavior.

The Linguistics Program supports basic science in the domain of human language, encompassing investigations of the grammatical properties of individual human languages, and of natural language in general. Research areas include syntax, semantics, morphology, phonetics, and phonology. The program encourages projects that are interdisciplinary in methodological or theoretical perspective, and that address questions that cross disciplinary boundaries, such as (but not limited to): What are the psychological processes involved in the production, perception, and comprehension of language? What are the computational properties of language and/or the language processor that make fluent production, incremental comprehension or rapid learning possible? How do the acoustic and physiological properties of speech inform our theories of language and/or language processing? What role does human neurobiology play in shaping the various components of our linguistic capacities? How does language develop in children? What social and cultural factors underlie language variation and change?

The purpose of this funding opportunity announcement is to request applications for the initiation or continuation of nationally-available neuroscience research education programs that will significantly advance the mission of NINDS.

The prize supports research that aims to advance, both empirically and theoretically, a materialistic understanding of the human mind. The research may address any aspect of mental function (e.g., cognition, affect, motivation) and should utilize behavioral and/or neuroscientific methods. 

Within the framework of the For Women in Science partnership between the L'Oréal Foundation and UNESCO, we are launching the 2014 call for nominations for outstanding women scientist form all over the world. Five 100.000$ prizes will be awarded in march 2014 in Paris to five women scientists, one per region, for the contributions of their research, the strength of their commitments and their impact on society. An international Jury of eminent scientists presided in 2013 by the Nobel Prize winner, Ahmed Zewali, makes the final selection.

The New Scholars Program supports projects to help early- to mid-career women scientists balance family responsibilities with demanding academic careers. New Scholars seeks to actively address the attrition rate of talented women scientists caused by work-life balance issues.

The Brain & Behavior Research Foundation recognizes outstanding research leadership and contributions to mental health research with a number of annual prizes.

The Brain Research Foundation's Annual Scientific Innovations Award Program provides funding for innovative science in both basic and clinical neuroscience. This funding mechanism is designed to support creative, exploratory, cutting edge research in well-established research laboratories, under the direction of established investigators.

This program will support projects to develop cognition biomarkers or combinations of biomarkers that help to identify the transitions between normal cognition and cognitive impairment, and between cognitive impairment and dementia.

NOTICE:  Applications are submitted to the American Heart Association via Grants@Heart, a Web-based application system.  Grants@Heart is scheduled to open on May 15, 2013.  In the meantime, please review the program listings, instructions and information in preparation for your application. 

DARPA is soliciting innovative research proposals of interest to the Defense Sciences Office. Proposed research should investigate innovative approaches that enable revolutionary advances in science and technology. Specifically excluded is research that results primarily in evolutionary improvements to the existing state of the art.