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This announcement solicits applications for the Improving Timeliness of Newborn Screening Diagnosis program. The purpose of the initiative is to improve the time to diagnosis and treatment for babies undergoing newborn screening (NBS) who receive a presumptive positive result. This initiative will fund one organization that will facilitate and coordinate collaborative learning and quality improvement (QI) activities by newborn screening programs using strategies that improve newborn screening timeliness. The overall goal for this initiative is to increase the number of states that meet the Secretary¿s Advisory Committee on Heritable Disorders in Newborns and Children (SACHDNC or Committee) recommendations on timeliness and the number of infants receiving timely diagnosis and treatment. The SACHDNC¿s duties include providing advice and recommendations to the Secretary concerning grants and projects awarded under section 1109 of the PHS Act and making systematic evidence-based and peer-reviewed recommendations to the Secretary that include the heritable disorders that have the potential to significantly affect public health, for which all newborns should be screened. In order to achieve the best outcomes for babies, the Committee has discussed the following time periods to improve notification of results*: 1) Presumptive positive results for time-critical conditions should be communicated immediately to the child¿s healthcare provider but no later than the fifth day of life. 2) All presumptive positive results for all other conditions should be communicated to the child¿s healthcare provider as soon as possible but no later than seven (7) days of life. 3) All NBS results should be reported within seven (7) days of life. *On February 12, 2015, the DACHDNC will finalize these recommendations. The awardee is expected to use the DACHDNC¿s final recommendations. Program activites include: · Facilitate the implementation of practice-ba

The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) invites qualified investigators from domestic institutions of higher education to submit an application for Superfund Research Program (SRP) R01 Individual Research Project grant program. This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) focuses on research that will advance effectiveness of bioremediation through incorporation of advanced, novel materials science approaches. Bioremediation refers to the use of biota (bacteria, algae, fungi, plants, etc.) to reduce or detoxify hazardous substances in the environment. Bioremediation is a cost-effective, low-energy-intensive remedy that has contributed to the cleanup and closure of sites impacted by hazardous substances. In recent decades, bioremediation has advanced from reliance upon culturing and biogeochemical processing to a technology-enabled field enhanced by high throughput molecular approaches (e.g. omics and gene editing techniques). These new approaches have elucidated molecular mechanisms responsible for contaminant cleanup and provided insight for potential solutions to naturally degrade emerging contaminants. Concurrent advances in materials science approaches present an opportunity to integrate new approaches to further refine the mechanisms of bioremediation and optimize conditions to accelerate natural degradation and/or stabilization processes. This Funding Opportunity Announcement calls for teams including bioremediation materials science (nanotechnology, microenvironmental engineering) to submit proposals to advance the knowledge and practice of bioremediation to address current and emerging recalcitrant hazardous substances and complex mixtures.

The Division of Comparative Medicine (DCM), Office of Research Infrastructure Programs (ORIP), supports Resources that create, develop, preserve and supply a variety of high-quality animal models and related biological materials to the biomedical community. DCM-supported Resources and the research community will benefit from development and commercialization of technologies that support the husbandry, characterization, improvement and use of animal models and related biological materials. This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) encourages small business concerns to submit Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant applications that propose innovative approaches to further develop, improve and facilitate the use of animal models and related biological materials to meet new biomedical challenges related to improvements in the health of humans and animals.

The Division of Comparative Medicine (DCM), Office of Research Infrastructure Programs (ORIP), supports Resources that create, develop, preserve and supply a variety of high-quality animal models and related biological materials to the biomedical community. DCM-supported Resources and the research community will benefit from development and commercialization of technologies that support the husbandry, characterization, improvement and use of animal models and related biological materials. This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) encourages small business concerns to submit Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) grant applications that propose innovative approaches to further develop, improve and facilitate the use of animal models and related biological materials to meet new biomedical challenges related to improvements in the health of humans and animals.

Nanomanufacturing is the production of useful nano-scale materials, structures, devices and systems in an economically viable manner. The NSF Nanomanufacturing Program supports fundamental research in novel methods and techniques for batch and continuous processes, top-down (addition/subtraction) and bottom-up (directed self-assembly) processes leading to the formation of complex heterogeneous nanosystems. The program supports basic research in nanostructure and process design principles, integration across length-scales, and system-level integration. The Program leverages advances in the understanding of nano-scale phenomena and processes (physical, chemical, electrical, thermal, mechanical and biological), nanomaterials discovery, novel nanostructure architectures, and new nanodevice and nanosystem concepts. It seeks to address quality, efficiency, scalability, reliability, safety and affordability issues that are relevant to manufacturing. To address these issues, the Program encourages research on processes and production systems based on computation, modeling and simulation, use of process metrology, sensing, monitoring, and control, and assessment of product (nanomaterial, nanostructure, nanodevice or nanosystem) quality and performance.The Program seeks to explore transformative approaches to nanomanufacturing, including but not limited to: micro-reactor and micro-fluidics enabled nanosynthesis, bio-inspired nanomanufacturing, manufacturing by nanomachines, additive nanomanufacturing, hierarchical nanostructure assembly, continuous high-rate nanofabrication such as roll-to-roll processing or massively-parallel large-area processing, and modular manufacturing platforms for nanosystems. The Program encourages the fabrication of nanomaterials by design, three-dimensional nanostructures, multi-layer nanodevices, and multi-material and multi-functional nanosystems. Also of interest is the manufacture of dynamic nanosystems such as nanomotors, nanorobots, and nanom

The purpose of this FOA is to reduce the overall burden of neglected parasitic infections (NPIs) in the United States through evidence-based prevention and control activities including the development of new strategies, educational tools and materials, and guidelines. NPIs are a group of five parasitic diseases that have been targeted by the CDC as priorities for public health action based on the number of people infected, severity of the illnesses, and the ability to prevent and treat them. They are: Chagas disease, neurocysticercosis, toxocariasis, toxoplasmosis, and trichomoniasis. These educational tools and materials and guidelines developed will be used to improve NPI related preventive health knowledge and practices, improve recognition of signs and symptoms of NPIs, increase availability of best approaches and recommendations, improve availability of education training tools and materials, enhance capacity for public education on NPIs, and enhance capacity in the identification of NPIs. Successful strategies should have the potential to yield high impact public health outcomes, reach a high proportion of those at risk, and have the highest potential for significant impact on population health.

The purpose of this FOA is to reduce the overall burden of neglected parasitic infections (NPIs) in the United States through evidence-based prevention and control activities including the development of new strategies, educational tools and materials, and guidelines. NPIs are a group of five parasitic diseases that have been targeted by the CDC as priorities for public health action based on the number of people infected, severity of the illnesses, and the ability to prevent and treat them. They are: Chagas disease, neurocysticercosis, toxocariasis, toxoplasmosis, and trichomoniasis. These educational tools and materials and guidelines developed will be used to improve NPI related preventive health knowledge and practices, improve recognition of signs and symptoms of NPIs, increase availability of best approaches and recommendations, improve availability of education training tools and materials, enhance capacity for public education on NPIs, and enhance capacity in the identification of NPIs. Successful strategies should have the potential to yield high impact public health outcomes, reach a high proportion of those at risk, and have the highest potential for significant impact on population health.

The purpose of the National Public Health Practice and Resource Centers (NPHPRC) on Health for Children with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) or Tourette syndrome (TS) is to fund centers that have the capacity to develop and provide health promotion programs and health communication and education resources for both professionals and the public regarding ADHD or TS. Program strategies should include 1) Information, Consultation and Referral, 2) Health Communication Programs and Materials Development, and3) Education and Training. The NPHPRC’s mission is to provide information, education and consultation about assessment, diagnosis, treatment, and health and well-being for children with ADHD or TS. Other target audiences in the NPHPRC’s health promotion mission are health care professionals, education professionals, caregivers, and the public. Health promotion for children with ADHD or TS requires condition-specific information in addition to information and activities that address common aspects of living with ADHD or TS. The intended long-term outcomes of the program are to promote optimal health and well-being of children with ADHD or TS. Increased access to and awareness of available support services and treatments for ADHD or TS among the community, public, healthcare, and educational professionals ; increased knowledge among individuals about ADHD or TS receiving information or educational materials from the NPHPRC ; increased knowledge among individuals attending education programs on ADHD or TS; increased intention to act on information presented by adopting health behaviors, treatment or educational strategies presented among people attending education programs, receiving educational materials, or other program contents. Applications are requested according to the following target population categories: 1) Category A: National Public Health Practice and Resource Center for Children with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD

In celebrating its 350th anniversary, Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany offers a series of research grants to stimulate innovative research in challenging areas of future importance. Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany intends to provide several research grants of up to EUR 350,000 per year for 3 years in various research areas with the option of extension or expansion. Grants are offered for research in the following areas: Healthy Lives / Drug Discovery: Challenge 1: What is the next game-changing molecule or technology to help cure cancer or autoimmune disease? Life Reimagined / Synthetic Biology: Challenge 1: What is the next generation production technology for biologics? Challenge 2: Can you revolutionize microbiome research? Materials & Solutions: Challenge 1: Can you develop a new generation of intelligent materials? Challenge 2: Can you develop advances in characterization, control and surface chemistry? Challenge 3: Can you develop better atomic layer processes - from modelling to materials? Digitalization / Computing: Challenge 1: How can in-silico research benefit from deep learning or quantum computing?

This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) encourages Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant applications from small business concerns (SBCs) that propose to further the development of Advanced Technology Training (ATT) products for: the health and safety training of hazardous materials (HAZMAT) workers; waste treatment personnel; skilled support personnel associated with an emergency/disaster; emergency responders in biosafety response, infectious disease training and cleanup; emergency responders in disasters and resiliency training; and for ATT tools to assist in research into the acute and long-term health effects of environmental disasters. ATT as defined by the Worker Training Program (WTP) includes, but is not limited to, online training, virtual reality, and serious gaming, which complement all aspects of training from development to evaluation including advanced technologies that enhance, supplement, improve, and provide health and safety training for hazardous materials workers. These products must complement the goals and objectives of the WTP http://www.niehs.nih.gov/careers/hazmat/about_wetp/.The major objective of the NIEHS WTP is to prevent work related harm by assisting in the training of workers in how best to protect themselves and their communities from exposure to hazardous materials.The financial support for this initiative comes directly from NIEHS Worker Education and Training Branch SBIR funds.

This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) encourages Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant applications from small business concerns (SBCs) that propose to further the development of Advanced Technology Training (ATT) products for: the health and safety training of hazardous materials (HAZMAT) workers; waste treatment personnel; skilled support personnel associated with an emergency/disaster; emergency responders in biosafety response, infectious disease training and cleanup; emergency responders in disasters and resiliency training; and for ATT tools to assist in research into the acute and long-term health effects of environmental disasters. ATT as defined by the Worker Training Program (WTP) includes, but is not limited to, online training, virtual reality, and serious gaming, which complement all aspects of training from development to evaluation including advanced technologies that enhance, supplement, improve, and provide health and safety training for hazardous materials workers. These products must complement the goals and objectives of the WTP http://www.niehs.nih.gov/careers/hazmat/about_wetp/. The major objective of the NIEHS WTP is to prevent work related harm by assisting in the training of workers in how best to protect themselves and their communities from exposure to hazardous materials. The financial support for this initiative comes directly from NIEHS Worker Education and Training Branch SBIR funds.

The Fluid Dynamics program supports fundamental research on mechanisms and phenomena governing fluid flow from the molecular to the macroscopic scale.  Proposed research should contribute to basic understanding, thus enabling the better design, predictability, efficiency, and control of systems that involve fluids.  Encouraged are proposals that address behavior of new fluid materials and innovative uses of fluids in manufacturing, energy and the environment, materials development, biotechnology, nanotechnology, sensor development, clinical diagnostics and drug delivery. While the research should focus on fundamentals, a clear connection to potential applications with significant societal/technological impact should be outlined.

This FOA invites applications for the Microphysiological Systems (MPS) for Disease Modeling and Efficacy Testing Program to develop highly reproducible and translatable in vitro models for preclinical efficacy studies through discovery and validation of translatable biomarkers, development of standardized methods for preclinical efficacy testing and definitive efficacy testing of candidate therapeutics using best practices and rigorous study design. An essential feature will be a multidisciplinary approach that brings together experts in bioengineering, microfluidics, material science, "omic" sciences, computational biology, disease biology, pathology, electrophysiology, pharmacology, biostatistics and clinical science.

This FOA invites applications for the Microphysiological Systems (MPS) for Disease Modeling and Efficacy Testing Program to develop highly reproducible and translatable in vitro models for preclinical efficacy studies through discovery and validation of translatable biomarkers, development of standardized methods for preclinical efficacy testing and definitive efficacy testing of candidate therapeutics using best practices and rigorous study design. An essential feature will be a multidisciplinary approach that brings together experts in bioengineering, microfluidics, material science, "omic" sciences, computational biology, disease biology, pathology, electrophysiology, pharmacology, biostatistics and clinical science.

The Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program stimulates technological innovation in the private sector by strengthening the role of small business concerns in meeting Federal research and development needs, increasing the commercial application of federally supported research results, and fostering and encouraging participation by socially and economically disadvantaged and women-owned small businesses. The topics, listed below, are detailed on the SBIR/STTR topics homepage: Educational Technologies and Applications (EA) Information and Communication Technologies (IC) Semiconductors (S) and Photonic (PH) Devices and Materials Electronic Hardware, Robotics and Wireless Technologies (EW) Advanced Manufacturing and Nanotechnology (MN) Advanced Materials and Instrumentation (MI) Chemical and Environmental Technologies (CT) Biological Technologies (BT) Smart Health (SH) and Biomedical (BM) Technologies

This notice announces the availability of funds from the Secretary's Minority AIDS Initiative (MAI) Fund to maintain, enhance, and re-launch a National Resource Center with the specific focus on HIV/AIDS prevention among adolescents. This announcement seeks proposals from public and nonprofit private entities. OAH seeks to competitively award up to $350,000 per year through a three-year cooperative agreement to support the maintenance, enhancement, re-launch, and evaluation of a comprehensive National Resource Center website for HIV/AIDS prevention among adolescents (resource center). A cooperative agreement is an award instrument of financial assistance where "substantial involvement" is anticipated between the HHS awarding agency and the recipient during performance of the contemplated project or activity. "Substantial involvement" means that the recipient can expect Federal programmatic collaboration or participation in managing the award. The Office Adolescent Health will be substantially involved in the following programmatic aspects of the cooperative agreement:a. OAH will provide input into setting program priorities for the development and selection of materials to be distributed via the resource center website. b. OAH will collaborate with the awardee providing programmatic approvals prior to the awardee moving forward with development and implementation of program strategies.c. OAH will review and approve the process proposed by the awardee to ensure that all information distributed via the resource center website is medically accurate.d. OAH will work with the recipient to assess and address challenges and gaps identified within the Resource Center to more effectively make continuous quality improvement to the program. e. OAH will provide coordination with other appropriate agency-funded entities interested in submitting materials for distribution via the resource center website.The resource center builds on the existing foundation of professional train

This FOA aims to increase testing of populations most affected by chronic hepatitis B and/or hepatitis C; and training of health care providers. Part A is Networking & Capacity Building and Part B is Professional Education & Training. Part A strategies & activities should focus on leading and growing an existing national coalition that is geographically diverse, is in at least different 10 states; and whose members are actively involved in viral hepatitis. The aim is to share strategies, materials, and lessons learned among coalition members; provide technical assistance to conduct culturally competent educational outreach; build the capacity to test the target populations for chronic viral hepatitis; and engage members in implementing CDC’s national viral hepatitis educational campaign(s).Outcomes for Part A are: increased number and capacity of coalition members to deliver culturally competent educational outreach to target population; increased numbers of individuals tested for chronic viral hepatitis; and increased exposure to CDC’s national education campaign. Part B activities are: developing free, accurate, up-to-date, CE-accredited comprehensive web-based, on-demand hepatitis materials, resources and trainings for health care professionals. The outcomes for part B are increasing the knowledge and skills of health care professionals, including the ability to screen, diagnose, medically manage, and provide care to people with chronic viral hepatitis.

Specific elements limiting the effectiveness of currently available designs and technologies include challenges wearer discomfort related to heat and ventilation, fluid penetration through materials, fit and sizing of apparel, and ease of correct donning and doffing. The objective of this research will focus on improving the material and design of gowns and respirators to address those and other issues, and demonstration of scalable production capability within US industry.

The Native American Elder Justice Initiative (NAEJI) will address the need for more culturally appropriate information and community education materials on elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation in Indian Country. It is expected that activities carried out under NAEJI will address at least one (1) of the following needs: a) Identify, develop and disseminate information and strategies on effective collaborations between tribal and non-tribal entities to address suspected cases of abuse, neglect, or exploitation; b) Assist Tribes in the development of tribal codes that protect seniors, building on existing work to develop model codes and an implementation toolkit, and maintaining examples of tribal codes to share with those creating or updating their own codes; c) Identify and develop tribally produced elder abuse prevention resources, and other informational materials for professionals and tribal members on elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation that are culturally appropriate to Tribal perceptions of abuse and Tribal values;

The reproducibility and comparability of dietary supplement research is enhanced through rigorous analytical characterization of key experimental materials. The publication of analytical methods which have been thoroughly validated for specific, precise, accurate, and sensitive quantitative determination of chemical constituents of dietary supplements therefore makes critical contributions to the rigor and reproducibility of biomedical research. This FOA will build on existing NIH awards to support the performance and publication of formal single-laboratory validation studies of relevant quantitative analytical methods. The methods proposed for validation must be used to identify and quantify chemical constituents (active or marker chemical compounds, adulterants, contaminants) or metabolites thereof in experimental reagents, raw materials, and/or clinical specimens (for example urine or plasma samples). Methods must have been developed or utilized in fulfillment of the active parent grants specific aims. Candidate constituents for quantitative method validation studies may include (but are not limited to): phytochemicals, nutrients, and potentially deleterious substances such as pesticides and mycotoxins. Multi-laboratory validation studies will not be supported through this FOA.

The reproducibility and comparability of research on dietary supplements is enhanced by rigorous analytical characterization of key experimental materials and the publication of validated analytical methods that accurately and precisely characterized and quantify constituents in dietary supplement ingredients and products. This FOA builds on existing NIH awards to support the performance and publication of formal single-laboratory validation studies of quantitative analytical methods. The methods proposed for validation must be used to identify and quantify dietary supplement-relevant chemical constituents (i.e., active or marker chemical compounds, adulterants, contaminants) or their metabolites in experimental reagents, raw materials, and/or clinical specimens (e.g., urine or plasma samples). Methods must have been developed or utilized in fulfillment of the active parent grant's specific aims. Candidate constituents for quantitative method validation studies include (but are not limited to): phytochemicals, nutrients, and potentially deleterious substances such as pesticides and mycotoxins. Multi-laboratory validation studies will not be supported through this FOA.