Limited Competition: NCI National Clinical Trials Network - Network Group Statistics and Data Management Centers (U10)
Funding Opportunity RFA-CA-17-057 from the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts. The purpose of this funding opportunity announcement (FOA) is to solicit applications from institutions/organizations that propose to maintain Network Group Statistics and Data Management Centers (SDMCs) for the NCI National Clinical Trials Network (NCTN). The NCTN Network SDMCs will provide statistical expertise for effective scientific design, conduct, and data management of clinical trials led by the associated NCTN Network Group Operations Center. (Source: NIH Funding Opportunities (Notices, PA, RFA))
Source: NIH Funding Opportunities (Notices, PA, RFA) - October 19, 2017 Category: Research Source Type: funding

A Sampling of Recent Literature on the Scientific Workforce
As NIH continues its work to better understand the many factors that influence the stability of the biomedical workforce, we wanted to take a moment to discuss some recent papers that highlight the need to take new measures to support early and mid-career researchers. Earlier this year, we discussed a paper by our NIH colleagues who looked at data on the shifting demographics of lead principal investigators (PIs) on NIH and National Heart Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI) research project grants. One of their findings is a decline in the representation of PIs aged 41-55. A recent paper by Michael Levitt (Stanford University...
Source: NIH Extramural Nexus - October 18, 2017 Category: Research Authors: Mike Lauer Tags: Open Mike Biomedical Workforce Early Stage Investigators Source Type: funding

BRAIN Initiative: Theories, Models and Methods for Analysis of Complex Data from the Brain (R01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
Funding Opportunity RFA-EB-17-005 from the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts. This FOA solicits new theories, computational models, and statistical tools to derive understanding of brain function from complex neuroscience data. Proposed tools could include the creation of new theories, ideas, and conceptual frameworks to organize/unify data and infer general principles of brain function; new computational models to develop testable hypotheses and design/drive experiments; and new mathematical and statistical methods to support or refute a stated hypothesis about brain function, and/or assist in detecting dynamical feat...
Source: NIH Funding Opportunities (Notices, PA, RFA) - October 12, 2017 Category: Research Source Type: funding

Implementing a New Human Subject and Clinical Trial Information Form
We have been talking a lot recently about NIH’s efforts to improve transparency and trust in NIH funded clinical trials. One important aspect of this effort is improving our ability to identify and describe the clinical trials we are supporting. In fact, a March 2016 GAO report GAO-16-304, entitled Additional Data Would Enhance the Stewardship of Clinical Trials across the Agency, highlighted the fact that “NIH is limited in its ability to make data-driven decisions regarding the use of its roughly $3 billion annual investment in clinical trials.” Many of the other aspects of this initiative, applying clinical trial ...
Source: NIH Extramural Nexus - October 11, 2017 Category: Research Authors: Mike Lauer Tags: blog Open Mike clinical trial Clinical Trials Clinicaltrials.gov Grants policy Source Type: funding

BRAIN Initiative: Exploratory Research Opportunities Using Invasive Neural Recording and Stimulating Technologies in the Human Brain (U01)
Funding Opportunity RFA-NS-18-010 from the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts. Invasive surgical procedures provide the unique ability to record and stimulate neurons within precisely localized brain structures in humans. Human studies using invasive technology are often constrained by a limited number of patients and resources available to implement complex experimental protocols and are rarely aggregated in a manner that addresses research questions with appropriate statistical power. Therefore, this FOA seeks applications to assemble integrated, multi-disciplinary teams to overcome these fundamental barriers. Project...
Source: NIH Funding Opportunities (Notices, PA, RFA) - October 5, 2017 Category: Research Source Type: funding

NIH SIREN Neurologic Clinical Trials (U01 Clinical Trial Required)
Funding Opportunity PAR-18-304 from the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts. This funding opportunity announcement (FOA) encourages applications for multi-center clinical trials focused on neurological emergencies. Successful applicants will collaborate and conduct the trial within the NIH SIREN Network. The NIH SIREN Clinical Coordinating Center (CCC) will work with the successful applicants to implement the proposed trial efficiently and the SIREN Data Coordinating Center (DCC) will provide statistical and data management support. The NIH SIREN hubs and their affiliated clinical sites will provide on-site implementatio...
Source: NIH Funding Opportunities (Notices, PA, RFA) - October 3, 2017 Category: Research Source Type: funding

Analyzing and Interpreting Clinician and Patient Adverse Event Data to Better Understand Tolerability (U01)
Funding Opportunity RFA-CA-17-052 from the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts. This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) is associated with the Beau Biden Cancer Moonshot InitiativeSM that is intended to accelerate cancer research. The purpose of this FOA is to promote research on developing the descriptive, inferential, and graphical statistical methods for data generated in clinical trials including Patient-Reported Outcomes version of the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (PRO-CTCAE) items. Specifically, this FOA targets the following area designated as a scientific priority by the Blue Ribbon Panel (B...
Source: NIH Funding Opportunities (Notices, PA, RFA) - September 25, 2017 Category: Research Source Type: funding

Development of Valid Reliable Markers of Aging-Related Biologic Mechanisms for Human Studies (U01)
Funding Opportunity RFA-AG-18-018 from the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts. This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) encourages applications to develop valid markers to assess the activity of fundamental aging mechanisms in humans that may influence the risk and progression of multiple aging conditions. Projects are encouraged that focus on selected mechanism(s) that may regulate aging changes, assess multiple possible markers for these mechanisms, test methods to improve their measurement properties, characterize their variability among individuals of differing ages and within the same age cohort, and assess thei...
Source: NIH Funding Opportunities (Notices, PA, RFA) - September 21, 2017 Category: Research Source Type: funding

Patents and the Relative Citation Ratio: Correlations to Assess NIH Impact
We previously referenced Ioannidis’ and Khoury’s “PQRST” mnemonic for describing research impact: “P” is productivity, “Q” is quality, “R” is reproducibility, “S” is sharing, and “T” is translation.  We wrote several blogs about “P,” productivity, focusing on publications, citations, and more recently the Relative Citation Ratio.  Now we’ll focus on a different kind of “P” for productivity, namely patents (which arguably are also related to “T” for translation).  We’ll also take a brief look at “S” for sharing. In the April 7, 2017 issue of Science, Danielle Li [now with t...
Source: NIH Extramural Nexus - September 18, 2017 Category: Research Authors: Mike Lauer Tags: blog Open Mike bibliometrics citations Funding data publications RCR Source Type: funding

Data On Trends According to Career Stage
By the 21st Century Cures Act, the Next Generation Researchers’ Initiative calls on the NIH to develop policies to increase funding opportunities for new researchers seeking to secure early independence. To put the Initiative in perspective and to extend on previous blogs we’ve posted on changing demographics in NIH-funded researchers, we thought it would be useful to explore trends according to career stage. First, some definitions.  We define “Early Stage Investigators” (ESI) as those who are within 10 years of completing their terminal degree or post-graduate clinical training and who have not yet secured indep...
Source: NIH Extramural Nexus - August 31, 2017 Category: Research Authors: Mike Lauer Tags: blog Open Mike biomedical research workforce Biomedical Workforce career stage Funding data Source Type: funding

Alcoholic Hepatitis Clinical and Translational Network Data Coordinating Center (U24)
Funding Opportunity RFA-AA-18-004 from the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) seeks to continue support of the previously funded program on Translational Research in Alcoholic Hepatitis to accelerate the discovery and validation of new diagnostic and treatment options for patients with Alcoholic Hepatitis (AH). This initiative, via a set of five FOAs, aims to enhance and consolidate the existing program into AH Clinical and Translational Network, hereafter termed AH Network. This consolidated program will consist of 1) Clinical component, 2) Data Coordinati...
Source: NIH Funding Opportunities (Notices, PA, RFA) - August 23, 2017 Category: Research Source Type: funding

Joint DMS/NIGMS Initiative to Support Research at the Interface of the Biological and Mathematical Sciences (DMS/NIGMS)
Full Proposal Window: September 18, 2017 Program Guidelines: NSF 17-569The Division of Mathematical Sciences (DMS) in the Directorate for Mathematical and Physical Sciences (MPS) at the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) plan to support research in mathematics and statistics on questions in the biological and biomedical sciences. Both agencies recognize the need for promoting research at the interface between the mathematical sciences and the life sciences. ...More at https://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=...
Source: NSF Upcoming Due Dates - August 19, 2017 Category: Science Source Type: funding

Request for Information: Rigor, Reproducibility and Statistical Power in Mental Health Research
Notice NOT-MH-17-036 from the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts (Source: NIH Funding Opportunities (Notices, PA, RFA))
Source: NIH Funding Opportunities (Notices, PA, RFA) - July 14, 2017 Category: Research Source Type: funding

Notice of Frequently Asked Questions for RFA-HL-18-008 "Catalyzing Innovation in Late Phase Clinical Trial Design and Statistical Analysis Plans (U34)"
Notice NOT-HL-17-526 from the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts (Source: NIH Funding Opportunities (Notices, PA, RFA))
Source: NIH Funding Opportunities (Notices, PA, RFA) - July 6, 2017 Category: Research Source Type: funding

Notice of Frequently Asked Questions for PAR-17-294 "Catalyzing Innovation in Late Phase Clinical Trial Design and Statistical Analysis Plans Resource Access (X01)"
Notice NOT-HL-17-525 from the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts (Source: NIH Funding Opportunities (Notices, PA, RFA))
Source: NIH Funding Opportunities (Notices, PA, RFA) - July 6, 2017 Category: Research Source Type: funding