In this week’s issue:
Announcement:
Funding Opportunities:
- Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research – 2015 Research Trainee Award (reminder)
- Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation – Grant Opportunities
- Simons Foundation Autism Research Initiative – Functional Screen of Autism-Associated Variants Request for Applications
- Obesity Society – Applications for Early-Career Research Grants
- Cystinosis Research Foundation – Call for Research Proposals and Postdoctoral Research Fellowships
- Michael J. Fox Foundation – Biomarkers Across Neurodegenerative Diseases
- MITACS – PhD & Postdoctoral Funding Opportunities
- Worldwide Cancer Research – Request for Proposals
- Lung Cancer Research Foundation – Request for Proposals
- ALS Therapy Alliance – ALS Research Projects
Awards and Honours:
- UBC Faculty of Medicine – Margolese National Brain and Heart Disorders Prize
Events:
- Centre for Blood Research Seminar Series – The fibrinogen-TLR4 axis at the intersection of coagulation and immunity
- Canadian Institutes of Health – Visit to UBC (reminder)
- UBC Faculty of Medicine Continuing Professional Development – Western Emergency Department Operations Conference (WEDOC 2015): Ahead of the Crowd
FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES:
Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research – 2015 Research Trainee Award
LOI Deadline: March 17, 2015
The MSFHR Research Trainee Program – Post-Doctoral Fellowship Awards support highly qualified applicants at the post-PhD and post-health professional degree (MD, DDS, DVM or DPharm) stages to prepare for careers as independent health researchers.
At the time of application, applicants must commit at least 75 percent time to research training; this commitment does not include holding a full-time paid research position. Health professionals with active clinical service must commit at least 50 percent time to research training.
Applications are submitted through the MSFHR ApplyNet system.
Letter of intent deadline is March 17, 2015.
Full application deadline is April 20, 2015.
Please visit the MSFHR website for additional information.
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation – Grant Opportunities
Deadline: See below
The Gates foundation and its Grand Challenges partners are now accepting applications for the following grant programs:
- Grand Challenges Explorations, an initiative to encourage innovative and unconventional global health and development solutions, is now accepting grant proposals for its latest application round. Applicants can be at any experience level; in any discipline; and from any organization, including colleges and universities, government laboratories, research institutions, non-profit organizations and for profit companies.
Proposals are being accepted online until May 13, 2015 on the following topics:
- Addressing Newborn and Infant Gut Health Through Bacteriophage-Mediated Microbiome Engineering
- Explore New Ways to Measure Delivery and Use of Digital Financial Services Data
- Surveillance Tools, Diagnostics and an Artificial Diet to Support New Approaches to Vector Control
- New Approaches for Addressing Outdoor/Residual Malaria Transmission
- Reducing Pneumonia Fatalities Through Innovations that Improve Pneumonia Diagnosis & Referral of Malnourished Children
Initial grants will be US $100,000 each, and projects showing promise will have the opportunity to receive additional funding of up to US $1 million.
- Saving Lives at Birth: A Grand Challenge for Development has launched its fifth round for innovative prevention and treatment approaches for pregnant women and newborns in poor, hard-to-reach communities around the world. Saving Lives at Birth partners will fund transformative approaches that cut across three main domains: (i) science & technology, (ii) service delivery, and (iii) demand-side innovation.
The application deadline is March 27, 2015. Details on how to apply for a grant can be found at http://www.savinglivesatbirth.net/
Simons Foundation Autism Research Initiative – Functional Screen of Autism-Associated Variants Request for Applications
NOI Deadline: March 27, 2015
The Simons Foundation Autism Research Initiative (SFARI) is pleased to announce the Functional Screen of Autism-Associated Variants Request for Applications (RFA).
Grants awarded through this RFA are intended to advance our understanding of the genetic basis of autism, and in particular the potential role of missense and in-frame deletion variants in conferring risk.
Data to be analyzed under this RFA will come in part from the exome sequencing of more than 2,500 families from the Simons Simplex Collection (SSC), a repository of data from families that include one child with autism and unaffected parents and siblings. The majority of what has been identified in the SSC falls into the category of missense variants of uncertain significance. Sequencing additional large cohorts may help to distinguish pathogenic from benign variants on a purely statistical basis, but it is clear that these efforts will have to be complemented by screens to test such variants for functional relevance.
To this end, we seek proposals for the development and application of medium- or high-throughput screens to test for the functional effects of missense and in-frame deletion variants identified in the SSC and other autism collections.
We request that investigators who intend to submit a proposal send an email by 27 March 2015 with the intended investigators’ names and affiliations and their intended proposal’s title to grants@simonsfoundation.org with the subject line: SFARI RFA Notice of Intent. The deadline for full proposal submission is 10 April 2015, 5:00 p.m. Eastern.
Please visit the SFARI website for further details.
Obesity Society – Applications for Early-Career Research Grants
LOI Deadline: March 30, 2015
The Obesity Society works to advances the science-based understanding of the causes, consequences, prevention, and treatment of obesity in order to improve the lives of those affected by it.
The society is accepting applications for research in any area of investigation related to obesity. Grants of up to $25,000 will be awarded to junior-level investigators and postdoctoral trainees for projects that demonstrate a high likelihood of resulting in new and innovative approaches in obesity research.
To be eligible, all applicants must be a member of the society and have received a Ph.D. within the past five years or an M.D. within the past eight years. In addition, applications from postdoctoral research fellows must have a mentor who is a current TOS member.
Letters of Intent must be received no later than March 30, 2015. If selected, full proposals will be due June 14, 2015.
Visit the Obesity Society website for complete program guidelines and application instructions.
Cystinosis Research Foundation – Call for Research Proposals and Postdoctoral Research Fellowships
Deadline: April 6, 2015
The ultimate goal of the Cystinosis Research Foundation is a cure for cystinosis. Global calls for grant applications will be made twice each year. Research and fellowship grants are awarded for 1-3 years.
Currently, the Cystinosis Research Foundation has $2,000,000 available for research and fellowship grants. The number of awards and their value will depend on the number of outstanding proposals and the funds available at the time.
Research Proposals
The Cystinosis Research Foundation is pleased to announce its Spring 2015 call for research proposals and fellowships. The Cystinosis Research Foundation is prepared to fund proposals to improve the immediate care of children and adults with cystinosis and to develop a new understanding and treatment of cystinosis in an effort to help these patients in the future.
Postdoctoral Fellowships
The Cystinosis Research Foundation has launched a postdoctoral research fellowship program to attract qualified, promising investigators to establish careers in cystinosis research. The fellow’s stipend should be the usual amount for such a trainee at that institution. The total award cannot exceed $75,000 per year including overhead. Awards will generally be for a period of 1-3 years.
Please visit the CRF website for further details.
Michael J. Fox Foundation – Biomarkers Across Neurodegenerative Diseases
Pre-Proposal Deadline: April 9, 2015
The Biomarkers Across Neurodegenerative Diseases (BAND) program will support projects aimed at better understanding the similarities and differences between brain diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.
BAND is a joint initiative of the Alzheimer’s Association, The Michael J. Fox Foundation, the Weston Brain Institute and Alzheimer’s Research UK.
Each project must include a clear focus on Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, or one of the two plus another disease, such as frontotemporal dementia.
The partners will hold an informational conference call on March 12 to answer questions. RSVP to conferencecalls@michaeljfox.org for call-in details.
For further information, please visit the Michael J. Fox Foundation website.
MITACS – PhD & Postdoctoral Funding Opportunities
Deadline: See below
Mitacs has announced significant research funding for postdoctoral fellows and PhD students.
Mitacs Elevate Postdoctoral Fellowship:
- Two-year fellowship valued at $57,500 per year (plus $7,500 per year non-cash value in training)
- Customized training in professional and research management skills
- Long-term research project with a non-academic partner
- Letter of intent deadline: April 23, 2015, at 5 p.m. PST
- Application deadline: May 13, 2015, at 1 p.m. PST
- Results announced: August 2015
Mitacs Accelerate PhD Fellowship:
- Three-year fellowship valued at $30,000 per year
- Fellows and faculty apply their expertise to new challenges
- Long-term research project with a non-academic partner
- Application deadline: May 6, 2015, at 1 p.m. PST
- Results announced: July 2015
Worldwide Cancer Research – Request for Proposals
Deadline: Two rounds, see below
Our goal is to support research that might in future help reduce the incidence of cancer or improve cancer survival. We award grants to support fundamental or translational research into the causes, mechanisms, diagnosis, treatment or prevention of cancer. This remit is usually interpreted conservatively.
We award project grants from 12 to 36 months in length to principal investigators based at any not-for-profit research institute in the world.
The principal investigator must be a suitably qualified researcher (minimum of PhD followed by three years research experience, or equivalent qualification or research experience).
Only one application from the same research group will be accepted in any 12 month period (i.e. 12 months must have passed since the last application), unless the Scientific Advisory Committee invites the submission of a revised application in the next round.
There are two rounds of applications in each year, with submissions accepted in April and October. The closing dates for the next two rounds are April 24, 2015 and October 31, 2015.
The maximum budget allowed is £250,000, but it should be noted that most of the three-year grants we award have a budget below £200,000.
Please visit the Worldwide Cancer Research website for further details.
Lung Cancer Research Foundation – Request for Proposals
Deadline: July 1, 2015
The Lung Cancer Research Foundation supports research on innovative strategies for better treatments, screening, and prevention of all cancers of the lung. The foundation’s goal is to fund promising scientific and clinical research initiatives that lead to more positive outcomes and improved quality of life for all lung cancer patients.
To that end, LCRF has issued a Request for Proposals designed to provide critical seed support for cutting-edge scientific research on all lung cancers. Through its Research Grant program, the foundation will support projects with a focus on basic science, translational research, clinical research, supportive care, and quality of care/outcomes.
Grants of up to $75,000 will be awarded.
The program is open to all U.S. and international investigators, including graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, physicians, medical students, and nurse researchers.
Please visit the LCRF website for further details.
ALS Therapy Alliance – ALS Research Projects
Deadline: October 15, 2015
The ALS Therapy Alliance was established in 2000 to facilitate ALS research projects and collaborations among a diverse group of scientists and clinicians at multiple institutions working to cure amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. The alliance represents a unique collaborative enterprise that spans multiple laboratories, universities, and disciplines.
Today, the ATA partners with corporations, biotech and pharmaceutical firms, manufacturers, and the media to create awareness and raise funds for ALS research through its annual Breakthrough ALS campaign. To date, more than $30 million has been raised to fund research for finding a cure for this devastating disease.
The ALS Therapy Alliance is accepting applications from investigators for ALS research projects. Grants ranging from $100,000 to $1 million over one to three years will be awarded to projects — including but not limited to basic, clinical, and translational research and clinical trials – aimed at developing a better understanding of, or treatments for, ALS.
National and international nonprofit organizations and for-profit companies are eligible to apply.
Please visit the ALS Therapy Alliance website for program guidelines and application instructions.
AWARDS AND HONOURS:
UBC Faculty of Medicine – Margolese National Brain and Heart Disorders Prize
Deadline: March 24, 2015
The University of British Columbia is currently seeking nominations for the 2015 Margolese National Brain and Heart Disorders Prizes, each with a value of C$50,000.
The Margolese National Brain Disorders Prize will be awarded annually to a Canadian citizen who has made outstanding contributions to the treatment, amelioration, or cure of brain disorders. The Margolese National Heart Disorders Prize will be awarded annually to a Canadian citizen who has made outstanding contributions to the treatment, amelioration, or cure of heart disorders. The Prizes are awarded with the expectation that the Prize recipients will continue to demonstrate excellence in their field of work.
Nomination Deadline: March 24, 2015 at 4:00 pm PST
For further information, please visit www.med.ubc.ca/margolese
EVENTS:
Centre for Blood Research Seminar Series – The fibrinogen-TLR4 axis at the intersection of coagulation and immunity
Date & Time: March 11, 2015, 12-1pm
Location: LSC 3, Life Sciences Centre, 2350 Health Sciences Mall, Vancouver
Seminar by:
Dr. David B. Corry
Professor of Medicine and Pathology & Immunology
Baylor College of Medicine
The molecular events surrounding thrombin-dependent hemostasis have long been linked to inflammation, but a detailed understanding of immune-coagulation system crosstalk has been elusive. In arthropods, hemolymph coagulation represents a canonical, proteolytically-driven immune event in which invading pathogens are immobilized while at the same time an endogenous ligand is generated that signals through the receptor Toll to activate anti-pathogen immunity. We show that this highly effective approach to pathogen invasion has been preserved in mammals. Of the many mammalian Toll-like receptors (TLR), only Toll like receptor 4 responds to pathogen-derived proteolytic signals by responding to fibrinogen cleavage products (FCP). FCP signals through TLR4 in mouse and human immune cells entirely distinctly from other TLR4 ligands such as lipopolysaccharide (LPS), eliciting potent anti-fungal immunity while at the same time licensing the expression of asthma-like airway inflammation. Our findings shed light on the pathogenesis of both allergic and non-allergic diseases and suggest novel therapies for these disorders.
Canadian Institutes of Health – Visit to UBC
Date & Time: March 25, 2015; 1:30-3:30pm
Location: Room 1002, Life Sciences Building, 2350 Health Sciences Mall, Vancouve
You are invited to an open session being presented by Dr. Jane Aubin, Chief Scientific Officer at the Canadian Institutes for Health Research (CIHR). Dr. Aubin will review recent and upcoming changes in CIHR funding and answer your questions.
Dr. Aubin’s talk will be video-conferenced from Life Sciences Institute (room 1002) to:
- BC Children’s and Women’s Hospital (CSB V2-222)
- Paul’s Hospital (SPH 1500 LT)
- Vancouver General Hospital – Diamond Health Care Centre (2263)
- UBC-Okanagan campus (DVC Boardroom, ADM 101)
Researchers, research grants facilitators, and graduate students are welcome.
If you are interested in attending, please RSVP at the following link: http://research.ubc.ca/vpri/cihr-visit-ubc
UBC Faculty of Medicine Continuing Professional Development – Western Emergency Department Operations Conference (WEDOC 2015): Ahead of the Crowd
Date: April 16-17, 2015
Location: Morris J Wosk Centre for Dialogue, 580 West Hastings St., Vancouver
Target audience: Administrators, decision-makers, ED clinicians including allied health providers, nurses, physicians and patients
Up to 13.0 MOC Section 1/Mainpro-M1 Credits
Register: https://events.ubccpd.ca/website/index/110332
Highlighted Speakers
- Camille Ciarnello, Director, Risk Management, Patient Safety & Patient Relations
- Matthew Cooke, MD, Professor, University of Warwick, Coventry, United Kingdom
- Greta Cummings, MD, Connecting Leadership Education & Research (CLEAR) Outcomes Program, Principal Investigator
- Drew Digney MD, CCFP(EM), Island Health Executive Medical Director – Access and Care Transition, Nanaimo BC
- Marko Duic, MD CCFP (EM) Chief, Dept of Emergency Medicine, Southlake Regional Health Centre Newmarket Ontario
- Vivian Eliopoulos, RN, Vancouver Acute, Chief Operating Officer, Vancouver BC
- Eric Grafstein, MD, FRCPC, Regional Head, Emergency Medicine, Vancouver Coastal Health-PHC, Vancouver BC (Co-Chair)
- Julian Marsden, MD, FCFP (EM), Physician Operations Leader; Emergency Department, St Paul’s Hospital, Vancouver BC (Co-Chair)
- Monique McLaughlin, NP, VGH Emergency Department, Vancouver BC
- Brian H. Rowe, MD, MSc, CCFP(EM), FCCP; Professor, Department of Emergency, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB
This conference is hosted by Perinatal Services BC, an agency of the Provincial Health Services Authority. It is an opportunity for health care professionals interested in the care of pregnant and postpartum women and their newborns to be updated on new research and clinical best practices across the continuum of perinatal and newborn care.
Congratulations to 
The Enpr-EMA pediatric clinical research asset map is an ongoing initiative to create a worldwide directory of clinicians and scientists committed to addressing issues related to improving drug therapy for children.
Congratulations to Nur Eisma, UBC/ C&W Pre & Post Awards Coordinator and member of the CFRI administration team, for winning the Unsung Hero Award from the Canadian Association of Research Administrators (CARA). This award recognizes Nur for her outstanding volunteer service to CARA and the exceptional leadership she demonstrated while helping to organize CARA’s regional conference, which was hosted by UBC in the fall of 2014.
The Canadian Child Health Clinician Scientist Program (CCHCSP) is a transdisciplinary training program for the next generation of clinician-scientists in child and youth health research in Canada.
Parachute’s Safe Kids Week is May 4 – 10, 2015.
All PHSA staff are invited to the next session in the PHSA Risk Management Education Series:
C&W Office of Clinical Informatics is holding regular forums for staff to bring forward issues, ask questions, or hear about the latest announcements, changes, or ongoing discussions.
You are invited to attend the Perkin Elmer satellite-symposium: “Clinical Application of Whole Exome / Genome in the Newborn Setting”
Each year the Faculty of Medicine recognizes outstanding lecturers in medical research by presenting them with a Distinguished Medical Research Lecturer Award. Candidates from basic or clinical sciences are nominated by fellow faculty members. The award is not solely about the recipients’ own discoveries, but about laying the groundwork for future discoveries, by nurturing junior faculty, post-doctoral fellows, graduate students, medical students and undergraduates. These awards are given in part for mentorship and training in the research enterprise.
The Faculty of Medicine (FoM) and Office of Research Services (ORS) have agreed on procedures/timelines for the 2015 Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research Trainee Awards.
An open session is being presented by Dr. Jane Aubin, Chief Scientific Officer at CIHR. Dr. Aubin will review recent and upcoming changes in CIHR funding and answer your questions.
In 2009, BC Women’s Hospital & Health Centre opened the Heart Program for Women, the first clinic of its kind in Canada to provide care for women before they have a heart event.
Due to requests for additional bike stalls at BC Children’s & Women’s Hospital, the Lower Mainland Energy & Environmental Sustainability and the Lower Mainland Integrated Protection Services departments have installed 24 new bike parking stalls at Door #35, adjacent to the Ambulatory Care Building.
If you have a great idea for a project to help make UBC a more equitable, diverse and inclusive campus but no idea how to fund it, the UBC Equity Enhancement Fund can help.
Every year CFRI, Providence Health Care Research Institute and Vancouver Costal Health Research Institute (VCHRI) present a free public forum on the latest discoveries in health research.
Join Genome BC for a free evening discussion about the key to personalized medicine, genomics, a new type of “microscope”, which helps to understand the role of DNA and related molecules in health and disease.
Heart + Lung Health FEST 2015 will take place March 25-28 at 
BrainTalks UBC is a forum for academics and community members to dialogue about the rapidly expanding information in neuroscience.
We are pleased to announce the appointment of 
This Friday, March 6, the 2nd floor CFRI administration area in the Translational Research Building will close at 12:00 p.m. Beginning that afternoon and continuing over the following week, renovations will be ongoing to rework the area to support the move of administrative staff who currently work in other parts of the building, as well as making more efficient use of the existing space.
Are you a scientist seeking to share your research and work with your community?
Applications are being accepted for research studies and for the Post-Doctoral Cystinosis Research Fellowship Program. CRF’s goal is to fund the best and most promising research in the world in an effort to ensure that better treatments and a cure are found as soon as possible.
This year’s conference, “Autism in Transition” will feature plenary addresses and workshops exploring the latest perspectives on how to understand, diagnose and treat autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
