Find Funding Opportunities

This Program Announcement (PA) is designed to solicit research projects that anticipate, analyze, and address the ethical, legal, and social implications of the discovery of new genetic technologies and the availability and use of genetic information resulting from human genetics and genomic research. Of particular interest are studies that: 1) examine the issues surrounding the completion of the human DNA sequence and the study of human genetic variation, 2) examine the issues raised by the integration of genetic technologies and information into health care and public health activities, 3) examine the issues raised by the integration of knowledge about genomics and gene-environment interactions into non-clinical settings, 4) explore the ways in which new genetic knowledge may interact with a variety of philosophical, theological, and ethical perspectives, and 5) explore how socioeconomic factors, gender, and concepts of race, ethnicity and culture influence the use and interpretation of genetic information, the utilization of genetic services, and the development of policy.

The Ethical, Legal and Social Implications of Genetic and Genomic Research (ELSI) Education Grant (R25) is a flexible program aimed at developing innovative educational approaches that will increase knowledge and understanding of genetics and genomics research and its ethical, legal and social implications. This program invites investigator-initiated R25 Grant applications that pursue a wide range of objectives such as: the development and pilot testing of short courses, multi-media continuing education tools, national forums, seminars, and/or hands-on workshops designed to educate scientists, health care professionals and the lay community. Other appropriate objectives include: the design, development and evaluation of new curriculum materials for a variety of audiences in a variety of educational settings. Given the current urgent need for health care providers who are genetically literate and knowledgeable, health professional education projects are of particular interest. Applications to this program should be focused on developing and evaluating new and innovative interventions that are designed to reach a large and diverse audience or that can be successfully exported to other institutions or learning environments.

The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) and the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) are committed to evaluate the efficacy of specific pharmacological interventions to improve outcomes in pediatric patients following Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), by supporting well-executed clinical trials. Before proceeding to a large clinical trial, pilot clinical studies are often required. The NICHD and NINDS are interested in supporting pilot studies required to obtain necessary information to clearly establish the clinical basis for proceeding to a full- scale trial. The purpose of a Pilot Clinical Trial Grant for Pharmacological Interventions in Pediatric TBI is to obtain preliminary data and conduct studies to support the rationale for a subsequent full-scale clinical trial of pharmacological intervention.

The Congress of the United States enacted the National Research Service Act (NRSA) Program in 1974 to help ensure that highly trained scientists will be available in adequate numbers and in appropriate research areas to carry out the Nation’s biomedical and behavioral research agenda. Under this congressional authority, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) awards NRSA senior fellowships (F33) to experienced scientists who wish to make major changes in the direction of their research careers or who wish to broaden their scientific background by acquiring new research capabilities. These awards will enable individuals with at least seven years of research experience beyond the doctorate, and who have progressed to the stage of independent investigator, to take time from regular professional responsibilities for the purpose of receiving training to increase their scientific capabilities. In most cases, this award is used to support sabbatical experiences for established independent scientists. This program is not designed for postdoctoral level investigators seeking to prove their research potential prior to independence. Potential applicants are encouraged to discuss their plans with a contact from one of the Institutes or Centers listed in the Inquiries Section.

The Office of Research Integrity (ORI, DHHS) and the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS, NIH) invite applications (R01) to support research on research integrity. "Integrity” in this context is understood as “adherence to rules, regulations, guidelines, and commonly accepted professional codes or norms.”

The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) ,the National Institute of Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD), and the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) invite investigator- initiated research grant proposals to study the effect of HIV-1 infection on the peripheral nervous system and sensory organs. Although abnormalities of the peripheral nervous system associated with HIV-1 infection are not generally life threatening, they tend to occur relatively early in the course of the disease and contribute significant morbidity. Prompt recognition and effective treatment of these disorders could dramatically improve the quality of life of the patient.

This is a revision and expansion of program announcement PA-99-017 that was published in the NIH Guide on November 19, 1998 and will be active for 3 years from the release date noted above. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD), the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), and the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) provide National Research Service Awards (NRSAs) to individuals for doctoral-level training. These Institutes award NRSA individual predoctoral fellowships (F31) to promising applicants with the potential to become productive, independent investigators in the scientific mission areas of these Institutes. This program will provide predoctoral training support for doctoral candidates that have successfully completed their comprehensive examinations or the equivalent by the time of award and will be performing dissertation research and training.

The overall goals of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)Career Transition Award (K22) program are to enable outstanding individuals to obtain a research training experience in the NINDS Division of Intramural Research and to facilitate their successful transition to an extramural environment as independent researchers. The award will provide two to three years of support for research training in a NINDS intramural laboratory followed by two to three years of support for an independent research project in an extramural institution. The combined duration cannot exceed five years. It is anticipated that awardees will subsequently obtain research project grants such as the R01 to support the continuation of their work.

The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), the National Institute of Child Health Human Development (NICHD) and the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) invite exploratory/developmental research grant applications (R21) to facilitate the translation of fundamental neurobiology to pediatric brain disorders of anomalous development, neurodegeneration, and injury. Emphasis is placed on cross-discipline collaborations, novel hypotheses, and unique approaches in applying fundamental neurobiological concepts to pediatric brain disorders. Special consideration will be given to proposals that enhance the application of our scientific knowledge to understanding the pathobiology and treatment of these clinical disorders.

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a prevalent and dangerous occurrence in the United States, with approximately 2 million new cases each year. It is the leading cause of mortality in persons under 45 years old, and a leading cause of disability in all age groups. In adult age groups (ages 21-55) a moderate or even "mild" TBI can result in lifelong deficits in cognition, behavior, and emotional stability that can be described as decreased executive functioning. Such problems impair employment, disrupt stable social relationships and can isolate the individual to a narrow world of disability and reduced opportunity. Researchers have defined many pathological events that occur in the brain early after a TBI, and are beginning to define behavioral consequences in more chronic periods, but the underlying neurobiology for the deficits in executive functioning have not been defined. Strategies to overcome the long-term consequences of TBI include cognitive- behavioral intervention, pharmacological management, assistive technology, environmental manipulation, education and counseling. Little research has been done on the efficacy of these approaches. Use of functional imaging to evaluate the circuitry involved in the cognitive/behavioral aspects of executive function in TBI may reveal insights that could be applied to the evaluation of such attempts at treatment. Therefore, the NINDS, the National Center for Medical Rehabilitation Research in NICHD, and NIMH seek research devoted to functional imaging of brain activity in brain-injured individuals with complex cognitive deficits that constitute altered executive functioning.