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An "Ideas Lab" is a new merit review strategy being used at the National Science Foundation to address grand challenges in STEM research and education. The Ideas Lab process is modeled on the "IDEAS Factory" program http://www.epsrc.ac.uk/funding/routes/network/ideas/Pages/experience.aspx developed by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) of the United Kingdom. The Ideas Lab process starts with submission of a brief application to participate in the Ideas Lab, indicating a Principal Investigator's interest in and preliminary ideas regarding the specific Ideas Lab topic. A diverse sub-set of participants from a range of disciplines and backgrounds will be selected from the submitted applications by NSF and will be brought together in an intensive, interactive and free-thinking environment, where participants immerse themselves in a collaborative dialog in order to construct bold and innovative approaches. In the IDEAS Factory model, the five-day Ideas Lab culminates with the development of multidisciplinary collaborative concepts by teams of participants; a sub-set of these teams are then invited to submit full proposals. This Dear Colleague Letter only invites applications to participate in Phase I of the IUSE Ideas Labs (i.e., the 5-day immersive activity). Full proposals will not be invited at the end of the three IUSE Phase I Ideas Labs.

This program seeks to advance knowledge in this specific area of prematurity research. The March of Dimes seeks applications requesting grant support for projects related to cause[s] (etiology) of normal labor and preterm labor. The intent is to provide new insights into preventing preterm births; in most cases the cause (and thus potential prevention) remains elusive. Emphasis is upon proposals using technology of or encompassing contemporary technologies of genetic, molecular biology and gene-environment interactions. Especially encouraged are proposals from established investigators heretofore not involved in prematurity prevention research and wishing to enter the prematurity domain.

Contaminants in the environment are affected by complex biological, geological and chemical processes that have implications for both remediation effectiveness as well as exposure risk to humans. By understanding the mechanisms of these complex interactions, we are better equipped to optimize remediation strategies and, therefore, improve science-based decision making for site management, priority-setting, and remedy selection. This funding opportunity announcement (FOA) will support problem-solving research on the mechanisms of biogeochemical interactions affecting bioavailability in the context of in situ remediation of contaminated soil, sediment, surface water, or groundwater.

The Emily M. Gray Award is given for significant contributions to education in biophysics, contributions that may include a distinguished record of excellence in classroom instruction, in mentoring research scientists at any level, in developing novel educational methods or materials, in promoting scientific outreach efforts to the public or to youth, in generating a track record of attracting new students to thefield of biophysics, or in otherwise fostering an environment exceptionally conducive to education in biophysics. The Emily M. Gray Lecture will be the keynote presentation at the Student Symposium at the Annual Meeting. The winner receives an honorarium of $750.

The Margaret Oakley Dayhoff Award is given to a woman who holds very high promise or has achieved prominence while developing the early stages of a career in biophysical research within the purview and interest of the Biophysical Society. Achievement means that the candidate has already published substantial contributions to science; promise means that the candidate shows indications of leadership in ideas, organization, or other ways manifest for her colleagues within the scientific community. A candidate who has already received university tenure by the due date on nomination is not eligible. A candidate having a PhD or equivalent degree shall be eligible until she has completed 10 years of full-time work following the degree. A candidate with a Baccalaureate degree but without a PhD shall have 12 years of eligibility. Time taken off for child-rearing will not be counted in this total. Part-time work and other special circumstances will be evaluated at the discretion of the Committee. Candidates who work in non-academic environments are eligible if their work is published, meets academic standards, and they do not have tenure equivalency.

The Division of Integrative Organismal Systems (IOS) supports research aimed at understanding why organisms are structured the way they are and function as they do. Proposals should focus on organisms as a fundamental unit of biological organization. Principal Investigators (PIs) are encouraged to apply systems approaches that will lead to conceptual and theoretical insights and predictions about emergent organismal properties. Areas of inquiry include, but are not limited to, developmental biology and the evolution of developmental processes, nervous system development, structure, and function, physiological processes, functional morphology, symbioses, interactions of organisms with biotic and abiotic environments, and animal behavior.

The purpose of the Academic Research Enhancement Award (AREA) program is to stimulate research in educational institutions that provide baccalaureate or advanced degrees for a significant number of the Nation's research scientists, but that have not been major recipients of NIH support. AREA grants create opportunities for scientists and institutions, otherwise unlikely to participate extensively in NIH research programs, to contribute to the Nation's biomedical and behavioral research effort. AREA grants are intended to support small-scale research projects proposed by faculty members of eligible, domestic institutions, to expose students to meritorious research projects, and to strengthen the research environment of the applicant institution.

This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) is a limited competition FOA soliciting a cooperative agreement (U10) application from investigators currently supported under an existing study, entitled "Collaborative Study of the Genetics of Alcoholism (COGA)" to (i) identify genetic variants that affect the susceptibility to develop alcohol dependence in adult and adolescent populations, (ii) determine molecular and functional mechanisms of these variants, (iii) identify and characterize gene x gene and gene x environment interactions leading to alcoholism, (iv) develop and refine phenotypes that will facilitate genetic analysis,  (v) perform prospective studies of COGA probands.

Recognizing disciplinary differences and priorities, NSF's investment in research and development in undergraduate STEM education encompasses a range of approaches. These approaches include: experiential learning, assessment/metrics of learning and practice, scholarships, foundational education research, professional development/institutional change, formal and informal learning environments, and undergraduate disciplinary research. Both individually and integrated in a range of combinations, these approaches can lead to outcomes including: developing the STEM and STEM-related workforce, advancing science, broadening participation in STEM, educating a STEM-literate populace, improving K-12 STEM education, encouraging life-long learning, and building capacity in higher education.

This two-day conference focuses on translational aspects of addiction research among chemists, biologists, and behavioral scientists. The diversity of participants and attendees at this meeting (undergraduate students to senior faculty, chemists to psychiatrists) provides a unique venue for cross-fertilization among different disciplines and in so doing promotes new and innovative approaches to medications development in addictions biology. The meeting provides a stimulating environment for young scientists who are strongly encouraged to present their work and interact with senior scientists.

The Whitehall Foundation, through its program of grants and grants-in-aid, assists scholarly research in the life sciences. It is the Foundation's policy to assist those dynamic areas of basic biological research that are not heavily supported by Federal Agencies or other foundations with specialized missions. In order to respond to the changing environment, the Whitehall Foundation periodically reassesses the need for financial support by the various fields of biological research. The Foundation does not award funds to investigators who have substantial existing or potential support, even if it is for an unrelated purpose. Applications may be held in abeyance until the results of other funding decisions are determined. While it is difficult to assign a specific dollar amount to this policy and each case is unique, the Foundation currently defines "substantial" as approximately $200,000 per year (including both direct and indirect expense but excluding the Principal Investigator's salary). The Foundation is currently interested in basic research in neurobiology, defined as follows: Invertebrate and vertebrate (excluding clinical) neurobiology, specifically investigations of neural mechanisms involved in sensory, motor, and other complex functions of the whole organism as these relate to behavior. The overall goal should be to better understand behavioral output or brain mechanisms of behavior. The Foundation does not support research focused primarily on disease(s) unless it will also provide insights into normal functioning.

This initiative encourages research that targets the reduction of health disparities among children. Specific targeted areas of research include biobehavioral studies that incorporate multiple factors that influence child health disparities such as biological (e.g., genetics, cellular, organ systems), lifestyle factors, environmental (e.g., physical and family environments) social (e.g., peers), economic, institutional, and cultural and family influences; studies that target the specific health promotion needs of children with a known health condition and/or disability; and studies that test and evaluate the comparative effectiveness of health promotion interventions conducted in traditional and nontraditional settings.

This initiative encourages research that targets the reduction of health disparities among children. Specific targeted areas of research include biobehavioral studies that incorporate multiple factors that influence child health disparities such as biological (e.g., genetics, cellular, organ systems), lifestyle factors, environmental (e.g., physical and family environments) social (e.g., peers), economic, institutional, and cultural and family influences; studies that target the specific health promotion needs of children with a known health condition and/or disability; and studies that test and evaluate the comparative effectiveness of health promotion interventions conducted in traditional and nontraditional settings.

The purpose of this FOA is to expand the number of CDC Prevention Epicenters to translate basic, epidemiologic and technologic discoveries into new strategies for preventing healthcare-associated transmission of Ebola and/or infectious pathogens (viral or bacterial) that can be spread by mechanisms similar to Ebola. This might include, but is not limited to, project proposals that focus on the effectiveness of personal protective equipment against such pathogens, healthcare worker self-contamination with pathogens, or the role of the healthcare environment in pathogen transmission.

The purpose of this funding opportunity announcement (FOA) is to support innovative investigator-initiated R01 applications using animal models in conjunction with translational/clinical approaches that take advantage of advances in genetics, biochemistry, molecular, and developmental biology to identify the specific genetic, epigenetic, environmental, or gene/environment interactions associated with the susceptibility to and variability of structural birth defects in human populations. Applicants funded through this FOA will join the NICHD Birth Defects Working Group and participate in annual meetings designed to provide a forum to discuss research progress, exchange ideas, share resources, and foster collaborations relevant to the goals of the NIHCD's Birth Defects Initiative.

The NIH is interested in promoting a broad base of research and development of technologies in biomedical computing, informatics, and Big Data Science that will support rapid progress in areas of scientific opportunity in biomedical research. It is expected that this research and development is conducted in the context of important biomedical and behavioral research problems. As such, applications are intended to develop enabling technologies that could apply to the interests of most NIH Institutes and Centers and range from basic biomedicine and including research to all relevant organ systems and diseases. Major themes of research include collaborative environments; data integration; analysis and modeling methodologies; and novel computer science and statistical approaches. New opportunities are also emerging as large and complex data sets are becoming increasingly available to the research community. This initiative aims to address biomedical research areas in biomedical computing, informatics, and Big Data science through the early stage development of new software, tools and related resources, as well as the fundamental research (e.g., methodologies and approaches) leading up to that development.

This funding opportunity announcement (FOA) encourages Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant applications from small business concerns (SBCs) that propose development of a broad base of innovative technologies in biomedical computing, informatics, and Big Data Science that will support rapid progress in areas of scientific opportunity in biomedical research. It is expected that this research and development is conducted in the context of important biomedical and behavioral research problems. As such, applications are intended to develop enabling technologies that could apply to the interests of most NIH Institutes and Centers and range from basic biomedicine to research in all relevant organ systems and diseases. Major themes of research include collaborative environments; data integration; analysis and modeling methodologies; and novel computer science and statistical approaches. New opportunities are also emerging as large and complex data sets are becoming increasingly available to the research community.

The NIH encourages institutions that seek to engage undergraduate students in innovative mentored research training programs to submit applications for cooperative agreement awards through the NIH Building Infrastructure Leading to Diversity (BUILD) initiative, one of three new Common Fund initiatives that together aim to enhance diversity in the biomedical, behavioral, clinical, and social sciences research workforce. Addressing a major leakage point in the research workforce pipeline, BUILD awards are intended to support the design and implementation of innovative programs, strategies and approaches to transform undergraduate research training and mentorship. BUILD awards will also support institutional and faculty development to further strengthen undergraduate research training environments.

The Chemical Oceanography Program supports research into the chemical components, reaction mechanisms, and geochemical pathways within the ocean and at its interfaces with the solid earth and the atmosphere. Major emphases include: studies of material inputs to and outputs from marine waters; orthochemical and biological production and transformation of chemical compounds and phases within the marine system; and the determination of reaction rates and study of equilibria. The Program encourages research into the chemistry, distribution, and fate of inorganic and organic substances introduced into or produced within marine environments including those from estuarine waters to the deep sea.

The Long Term Research in Environmental Biology (LTREB) Program supports the generation of extended time series of data to address important questions in evolutionary biology, ecology, and ecosystem science. Research areas include, but are not limited to, the effects of natural selection or other evolutionary processes on populations, communities, or ecosystems; the effects of interspecific interactions that vary over time and space; population or community dynamics for organisms that have extended life spans and long turnover times; feedbacks between ecological and evolutionary processes; pools of materials such as nutrients in soils that turn over at intermediate to longer time scales; and external forcing functions such as climatic cycles that operate over long return intervals. The Program intends to support decadal projects. Funding for an initial, 5-year period requires submission of a preliminary proposal and, if invited, submission of a full proposal that includes a 15-page project description. Proposals for the second five years of support (renewal proposals) are limited to an eight-page project description and do not require a preliminary proposal. Continuation of an LTREB project beyond an initial ten year award will require submission of a new preliminary proposal that presents a new decadal research plan.?? Successful LTREB proposals address three essential components: A Decadal Research Plan that clearly articulates important questions that cannot be addressed with data that have already been collected, but could be answered if ten additional years of data were collected. This plan is not a research timeline or management plan. It is a concise justification for ten additional years of support in order to advance understanding of key concepts, questions, or theories in environmental biology.Core Data: LTREB proposals require that the author has studied a particular phenomenon or process for at least six years up to the present or for long enough to gene