Greetings Dornsife Faculty,

In this issue we include: 

– Recognition of one Dornsife faculty member;
– External funding success obtained by four Dornsife investigators;
– Current and diverse external funding opportunities, including one limited submission;
– A prepublication of the National Academies Press on a code of conduct for AI for Health and Medicine;
– A reminder of an upcoming (May 28th) webinar by the Center for Excellence in Research; and
– Another reminder — this one of the Research Administration Wednesday office hours.

 

As the Memorial Day weekend approaches, may we never forget the sacrifices made by those women and men who carried the torch of freedom that continues to shine, even in these interesting times. We sincerely hope for you and your loved ones, a restful and peaceful holiday!

 

Best regards,

Renee J. Perez, Vice Dean, Administration and Finance
Cathleen Crayton, Project Specialist, Research Administration

Elda Maria Román, English, has been awarded the 2024 Gulf Coast Prize in Nonfiction for her essay “Qualifying Exams”, an “exploration of personal and systemic struggles, artfully weaving together themes of self-discipline and societal expectations”.

 

Daniel Bennett, Economics, A Pilot Evaluation of the Self Help Plus (SH+) Intervention in Karnataka, India, DAI Research & Advisory Services

 

Karla Heidelberg, Dornsife Sea Grant, University of Southern California Sea Grant Program Omnibus Matching Funds Support,  National Resources Agency

 

Travis Major, Linguistics, Investigating Clausal Complementation in Niger-Congo Languages, University of California, Los Angeles

 

Manuel Pastor, Equity Research Institute (Sociology), Training and Capacity Building for the Community Economic Mobilization Initiative, Sierra Health Foundation

***Limited Submission***

(one award per institution)

 

U.S. Department of Justice / Office of Violence Against Women (OVW)
Program: OVW Fiscal Year 2025 Grants to Reduce Domestic Violence, Dating Violence, Sexual Assault, and Stalking on Campus Program
NOFO #: O-OVW-2025-172421

Synopsis: Supports institutions of higher education with funding to develop and strengthen effective security and investigation strategies to combat domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking on campus, develop and strengthen victim services in cases involving such crimes on campus, and develop and strengthen prevention education and awareness programs.
Award details: Up to $400K over 4-year project period.
USC Internal announcement: https://rii.usc.edu/limited-submissions/
Announcement on website: https://www.justice.gov/ovw/media/1400536/dl?inline
USC Internal due date: June 24, 2025.
Application to Grants.gov due date: July 8, 2025.
Application to JustGrants due date: July 10, 2025.
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The Nathan Cummings Foundation (NCF)
Program: Grants and Program-Related Investments (PRI)
Synopsis: Supports projects that are aligned with the foundation’s interconnected goals of racial justice, economic justice, and / or environmental justice (REEJ). As a multigenerational family foundation rooted in the Jewish tradition of social justice, NCF’s works aim to help create a more just, vibrant, sustainable, and democratic society. There are several types of grants, including
  -  Venture Grants, short-term grants support social entrepreneurs with breakthrough, emerging, and innovative solutions;
  -  Advancement Grants, two-year support for project-based work and / or help scale organizations and provide promising solutions.
  -  Enterprise Grants provide multi-year, unrestricted funding to partners that have deep alignment across REEJ focus areas and offer the most opportunity to use all financial and non-financial resources to support their solutions. 

NCF supports organizations based in the United States, its territories, and Israel-Palestine, and is particularly interested in work focused on the U.S. South.

Award details: Most grants range from about $50K to $250K, and the foundation anticipates most PRIs will range from $250K to $750K, typically within three to seven years. 

Announcement on website:  https://nathancummings.org/apply-for-funding/
Letter of Intent due date: June 30, 2025.
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Norwegian Parliament
Program: Holberg Prize
Synopsis: Recognizes a scholar who has made outstanding contributions to research in the humanities, social sciences, law or theology.

An international prize, the Holberg Prize may be awarded both for work within a particular academic discipline and for work of a cross-disciplinary nature. The recipient must have had a decisive influence on international research. Anyone holding an academic position at a university or research institute is eligible to nominate a candidate.
Award details: ~$591K
Announcement on website: https://holbergprize.org/the-nomination-process/nominations-for-holbergprize/

Application due date: June 15, 2025.
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The Bradley Foundation
Program: Grants
Synopsis: Supports projects that study, defend, and practice individual initiative and ordered liberty that lead to prosperity, strong families, and vibrant communities in the United States. The Bradley Foundation believes that the principles and institutions that characterize American “exceptionalism” were hard won and can be easily lost. The Foundation is therefore dedicated to vigorously defending these foundations of a free society. The guiding principles that inform the Foundation’s grantmaking include
  -  Fidelity to the Constitution, with its principles of limited government, federalism, separation of powers, and individualism;
  -  Commitment to free markets that allow for private enterprise, entrepreneurship, and voluntary exchange within the rule of law.
  -  Commitment to the fundamental institutions of civil society that cultivate individuals capable of self-governance.
  -  Dedication to the formation of informed and capable citizens.
Award details:  Recent grants to universities have ranged upward to over $300K
Announcement on website: https://www.bradleyfdn.org/grants
Application due date: Applications (preceded by a letter of intent) are reviewed 4 times annually. The next 2 due dates this year are August 15, 2025, and November 15, 2025.
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Educational Testing Service (ETS) (Non-Funded Research Opportunity)
Program: Visiting Research Scholar
Synopsis: Invites applications from academic researchers or researchers from government or non-profit organizations who have a doctorate or is an otherwise recognized experts in a field of interest to ETS. Proposed research as a visiting scholar must not be in conflict with ETS products or services.
Award details: Scholars are fully self-funded or come with funding from home institutions, a foundation, or government sources. ETS Research will provide office space as well as library access privileges to the visiting scholar.

Announcement on website: https://www.ets.org/research/internship-fellowship/about/scholar.html
Application due date: Accepts applications on an ongoing basis for a limited number of slots.
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American Psychological Foundation
Program: The Springfield Research Fund Grants
Synopsis: Supports intersectional research of contemporary LGBTQIA+ issues to counter stereotypes and other negative information that leads to prejudice and discrimination against this community. Eligible candidates are within 10 years of having received their terminal degree.
Award details: Up to $21K, 1K of which must be reserved for publication costs.
Announcement on website: https://ampsychfdn.org/funding/springfield-research/
Application due date: June 12, 2025.
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Eppendorf Corporate and Science
Program: Eppendorf & Science Prize for Neurobiology
Synopsis: Supports one young scientist (35 years old or younger) for the most outstanding neurobiological research based on methods of molecular, cellular, systems, or organismic biology conducted by him / her during the past three years.
Award details: $25K.
Announcement on website: https://corporate.eppendorf.com/en/company/scientific-awards/global-award
Application due date: June 15, 2025.
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Science / AAAS and Arizona State University (ASU)
Program: ASU / Science Prize for Transformational Impact
Synopsis: Supports and recognizes transformational research that uses innovative methods and approaches to identify problems and develop solutions with impacts on policy and decision-making. The research is often collaborative, drawing on multiple disciplines, driven by desired outcomes, and considering implications for policy and decision-making. Examples could include research that addresses human and environmental health, improves education and social outcomes, or evaluates beneficial use of synthetic biology and artificial intelligence technologies. Such work considers the values and interests of different communities, typically with attention to ethical, economic, political, or legal contexts. Eligible candidates are early-career scientists who have completed their doctorate within the last 15 years.
Award details: Grand Prizewinner receives $30K, and the winning essay will be published in Science in print and online. The runner-up prize is up to $10K, and that essay will be published online.
Announcement on website: ASU / Science Prize for Transformational Impact
Submission due date: August 15, 2025.
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American Association for Cancer Research
Program: AACR Trailblazer Cancer Research Grants for Early-Stage Investigators
Synopsis: Supports cancer researchers, help launch their careers, and enable them to become thought leaders in the field. These grants are intended to provide talented investigators with the resources and dedicated time to establish innovative, emerging research projects. Projects may be exploratory, developmental, or proof of concept. By funding paradigm-shifting research, these grants are intended to advance the understanding of cancer biology, drive groundbreaking translational discoveries, and / or improve patient outcomes. Eligible candidates are independent investigators (with independent lab space) who hold a tenure-eligible appointment (or equivalent, if institution does not follow a tenure system) at the rank of assistant professor. Applicant must have begun their first tenure-track position within the last 6 years. While there are no citizenship requirements, applicants must be AACR members in good standing. Non-members must have applied for membership by letter of intent due date.
Award details: $1M over 3 years.

Announcement on website: https://www.aacr.org/grants/aacr-trailblazer-research-grant-early-stage-investigator/
Letter of Intent due date: June 12, 2025.
Application due date (invited): September 25, 2025.
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AmFar, The Foundation for AIDS Research
Program: Target Grants – Request for Proposals
Synopsis: Supports projects that will push the boundaries of biomedical research to achieve sustained HIV remission or complete viral eradication. Priority will be given to clinical or pre-clinical applications studying pragmatic and scalable interventions that can be implemented globally, including in the communities most affected by the epidemic. The proposed research must be conducted and validated either in vivo (in PLWH – people infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), non-human primates, or humanized mice) or ex vivo (in cells isolated from PLWH or infected animals).

Award details: Up to $480K total costs, including up to 20% indirect costs. Up to 2 years' performance period.

Announcement on website: https://www.amfar.org/research/target-grants-request-for-proposals/
Project Synopsis due date: June 18, 2025.
Full Application due date (invited): August 7, 2025.
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Cancer Grand Challenges
Program: Research Awards
Synopsis: Supports teams involving investigators from institutions across the

globe and from different disciplines with the best ideas to address the challenges in cancer research. Traditional and non-traditional disciplines are encouraged, both to drive the development of novel technologies or methodologies and to incorporate thinking from other fields that have not yet been applied to cancer. Teams will involve individuals with the potential to become future leaders in cancer research, as well as people affected by cancer, to support efforts to ensure the needs of patients are heard and understood. In their Expression of Interest, teams ought to broadly describe how people affected by cancer, such as patient advocates, will be involved in projects with clearly-defined roles and responsibilities. A pre-submission questionnaire is required before submission of the Expression of Interest.

Award details: Anticipate up to $25M will be provided for direct costs. Shortlisted teams will be asked to provide a full budget for direct costs, and will be advised of any indirect costs to be awarded if funded.

Announcement on website: https://www.cancergrandchallenges.org/applications
Pre-Submission questionnaire due date: June 11, 2025.
Expression of Interest due date: June 18, 2025.
Full application due date: October 23, 20225. Shortlisted teams will submit a full application and attend an interview with the Cancer Grand Challenges Scientific Committee (CGCSC) on December 2-4, 2025. The CGCSC will recommend which teams should be funded.
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The MAYDAY Fund
Program: Grants (for research on Pain)
Synopsis: Supports projects for how they will have an impact on some aspect of the pain field, Currently, the Fund is concerned with 4 broad categories
  -  Research Bench to Bedside
  -  Pain Thermometer
  -  Knowledge and Networks
  -  Alternative Strategies and Therapies

Award details: Recent grants have ranged from $42K for a 1-year project to $330K for a 3-year project.
Announcement on website: https://maydayfund.org/apply-for-a-grant/
Submission due date: No deadlines; Board meets three times a year, and if interested in a project based on an online form, the board will request a proposal.
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National Endowment for the Humanities
Program: Celebrate America! Chairman’s Grants in Honor of America’s 250th Anniversary
Synopsis: Supports eligible organizations to undertake activities that

honor the founding of the country and the principles of the Declaration of Independence. Projects should engage students and / or the public with important themes and events that reflect the country’s exceptionalism.

NEH welcomes applications that include activities, including but not limited to:

  -  Speakers, screenings, discussion series

  -  Community events and family programs

  -  Exhibits (permanent or temporary), including interpretation

  -  Meetings, conferences, and symposia

  -  Professional development and training

  -  Digital projects resulting in virtual exhibitions, web content, or virtual tours

  -  Educational materials and curriculum development for K-12 and higher education

purposes

  -  Research leading to documentary films, exhibits, books, or other products that

reach the general public
Award details: $25K. Requires 1:1 non-federal matching funds. 250 awards will be made.

Announcement on website: https://www.neh.gov/program/celebrate-america
Application due date: Continuous.

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National Endowment for the Humanities
Program: Public Impact Projects Celebrating America’s 250th Anniversary (PIP)
NOFO #: 20250611-TA

Synopsis: Supports the development of scholarship-based interpretive public humanities programming commemorating the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence (or “Semiquincentennial”) in 2026. Successful projects will demonstrate how the humanities matter to American audiences and communities. While PIP does not support performing arts or art-making activities, it can, for example, support public programming that uses the humanities to consider the historical or cultural significance of the arts. For example, pre- or post-performance discussions or lectures that explore the historical or cultural significance of a musical, dance, or theatrical work are eligible activities, but not the performances themselves. The NOFO includes additional examples of eligible projects. Humanities content and scholarship-based public interpretation are central to this program

Award details: Level I: Organizations with an annual operating budget of less than $1M may request up to $50K. Level II: Organizations with an annual operating budget of between $1M and $10M may request up to $100K. Level III: Organizations with an annual operating budget greater than $10M may request up to $200K. Maximum project period is 2 years.
Announcement on website: PIP 
Application due date: July 9, 2025.
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United States Department of Commerce / National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)
Program: Measurement Science and Engineering (MSE) Research Grant Programs

NOFO #: 2025-NIST-MSE-01
Synopsis: Supports activities that develop, expand, strengthen, or sustain

NIST partnership programs and / or support the conduct of research or a recipient's portion of collaborative research in a variety of areas including, but not limited to: Metrology; Standards; Nanotechnology; Artificial Intelligence; Advanced Communications; Advanced Manufacturing; Promotion of U.S. innovation and industrial competitiveness; Measurements in Sciences; Neutron Research; and enhancing coordination of the U.S. Standards System with government and private sector organizations. NIST seeks to collaborate with a wide range of organizations and encourages minority-serving institutions of higher education and community colleges to apply.
Award details: Awards vary depending on the specific grant program as listed in the NOFO. Awards will be grants or cooperative agreements for projects up to a 5-year duration.
Announcement on website:  Measurement Science and Engineering (MSE) Research Grant Programs 
Application due date: Applications will be considered on a rolling basis.
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Department of Defense (DoD) / Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs / Defense Health Program
Program: Melanoma Research Program Focused Program Award – Rare Melanomas (MRP FPM-RM)

NOFO #: HT942525MRPFPARM

Synopsis: Supports a multidisciplinary (and if appropriate, a multi-institutional) research program of at least two, but not more than three, distinct but complementary research projects addressing an overarching question relevant to rare melanomas. For this mechanism in 2025, the project must have an initiating PI (the pre-applicant), and one, but no more than, 2 Partnering PIs. All PIs are required to submit full applications each, after review of the pre-application. The initiating PI must be at least at the Associate Professor level. The Partnering PIs must be independent investigators at the Assistant Professor level or equivalent. FY25 FPM-RM  is particularly interested in receiving applications that address other uncommon presentations of melanoma, including but not limited to:
  -  Genetic (molecular subtypes).
  -  Histologic (desmoplastic and acral lentiginous).
  -  Tissue of origin (mucosal, acral).
  -  Clinical presentation (pediatric, leptomeningeal disease)

Award details: The total award may not exceed $2M over a 4-year project period.
Announcement on website: FPA-RM (Focused Program Award –Rare Melanomas) Pre-Application due date: June 30, 2025.
Full Application due date (by invitation to Applicant PI and Partnering PIs):
October 1, 2025.

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Department of Defense (DoD) / Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs / Defense Health Program
Program: Prostate Cancer Research Program Clinical Consortium Award (PCRP)
NOFO #: HT942525PCRPCCA

Synopsis: Supports the development, maintenance, and enhancement of the necessary collaborations and resources to rapidly execute phase 2 and / or phase 2-linked phase 1 (phase1/2) prostate cancer clinical trials. The primary intent of the PCRP Clinical Consortium Award is to combine the efforts of leading investigators across multiple institutions to expedite the clinical advancement of novel therapeutic interventions in prostate cancer to decrease the impact of the disease. The PCRP seeks to promote highly innovative, groundbreaking research; high-impact research with near-term clinical relevance; the next generation of prostate cancer investigators through mentored research; and resources that will facilitate translational research. Applications are required to address one or more of the following FY25 PCRP overarching challenges
- Define the biology of prostate cancer progression to lethal prostate cancer to reduce death

- Develop new treatments or improve upon existing therapies to improve outcomes for patients with lethal prostate cancer

- Improve quality of life to enhance outcomes and overall health and wellness for those impacted by prostate cancer

- Improve access to optimal care for all patients with prostate cancer.

Award details: Direct costs budgeted for the entire period of performance should not exceed $7.6M.

Coordinating Center applications must include a plan for financial sustainability that leverages collaborations, industry sponsors, and /or other funding opportunities to allow consortium activities to continue beyond the award period of performance
Announcement on website: Prostate Cancer Research Program Clinical Consortium Award.pdf 
Pre-Application (Letter of Intent) due date: August 8, 2025.
Application due date: August 29, 2025.
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DoD Forecasted Opportunity

 

Department of Defense (DoD) / Air Force Office of Scientific Research
Program: Research Interests of the Air Force / Office of Scientific Research BAA
NOFO #: FA955025S0001

Synopsis: Supports research projects that relate to the nation’s warfighting and peacekeeping capabilities. These areas are organized and managed in two scientific branches, each with two teams:
Engineering and Information Sciences
  -  Engineering and Complex Systems
  -  Information and Networks

Physical and Biological Systems
  -  Physical Sciences
  -  Chemistry and Biological Sciences
Award details:  Research proposals typically are funded between $100K and $300K per year. Most of the awards are three (3) years in duration. Awards may be proposed for not more than five (5) years.
Announcement on website: Air Force Office of Scientific Research Broad Agency Announcemen
Application due date: Announcement remains open until superseded.

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NIH Forecasted Opportunity

 

NIH / National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering
Program: Technology Development to Reduce Health Disparities (R01)
Notice #: NOT-EB-26-001Synopsis: Supports research to develop biomedical technologies aimed at reducing disparities in healthcare access and health outcomes. Appropriate biomedical technologies should be effective, affordable, socially acceptable, and deliverable to those who need them. Applications are not being solicited at this time. Notice is being provided to allow potential applicants sufficient time to develop meaningful collaborations and responsive projects. The Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) will utilize the R01 activity code. Investigators with expertise and insights into this area of development of biomedical technologies are encouraged to begin to consider applying for this new NOFO. 
Award details: Program funding will be $1.2M
Announcement on website: https://grants.gov/search-results-detail/358869
Anticipated posting date: November 21, 2025.
Anticipated application due date: January 26, 2025.
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Dornsife Corporate and Foundation Relations
(Contact Kerri Bennett at kerriben@usc.edu for more info)

 

The following funding opportunity identified by Dornsife Advancement is found on HALO, an AI-partnering platform for Research and Development teams. When the sponsor of the funding opportunity is designated  “Private Company,” it signifies the sponsor is opting to remain anonymous until after its selection of finalists for project proposals.

 

Private Company
Program: Potentiators to enhance fungicide performance
Synopsis: Supports projects that will identify potentiators that can provide the “second knockout punch” by improving the bioavailability of fungicide, offering another mode of action, disabling a known resistance mechanism, and / or inhibiting cellular stress responses. Specifically, the sponsor seeks potentiators discovered through the proposer’s chemical library screens, combining sub-lethal doses of a fungicide against a laboratory fungal pathogen or a fungicide-resistant strain.
Award details: $50K to $150K for a total of 6-12 months total for 6-12 months. Licensing of promising potentiators may be negotiated.
Announcement on website: Potentiators 
Proposal due date: June 30, 2025.
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Office of Research and Innovation

 

We appreciate Jim Murday, Director of Physical Sciences, USC Office of Research Advancement (DC Office for sending a pdf copy of the National Academies Press publication: 
An Artificial Intelligence Code of Conduct for Health and Medicine: Essential Guidance for Aligned Action (2025)

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Center for Excellence in Research

 

Upcoming Webinar (Re-post reminder)

 

Planting the Seed: Innovation at the Early Stage of Entrepreneurship
USC is poised to create an ecosystem focused on a startup mindset, entrepreneurship, and a path to commercialization. To be a leader, you need to work with leaders, so we welcome experts from the region to join us in our vision and discuss how they envision innovation evolving in the LA region and beyond. Join us for an engaging and interactive webinar where you’ll hear from leading experts in student entrepreneurship, incubator and accelerator models, and fundraising as they share their knowledge and experiences. We’ll also feature emerging concepts in new disciplines and how this is shaping the future of innovation.

Date:  May 28, 2025                                                Time: 10:00 A.M.

Registration: https://rii.usc.edu/cer/

Contact usccer@usc.edu or https://rii.usc.edu/cer/ with any questions.

Webinar Highlights Include: Steve Moldin, PhD, Vice President of Research Strategy and Innovation, USC Opening remarks and introduction to the USC Innovation Vision Panelists Introduction: Thanassis Rikakis, PhD, Dean and Professor Iovine Young Academy Nikki Lin, MBA, Director of Entrepreneurship and Commercialization, UCLA Magnify Howard Xu, PhD, Professor of Microbiology, Director of LA Biospace, CSLA Gabriel Schlumberger, Managing Director, USC Techstars Accelerator.
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Office Hours for Help with Research Administration Questions
Every Wednesday from 3 to 4 p.m. via Zoom: USC Dornsife Research Administration is now offering weekly office hours via Zoom. Feel free to join to ask questions and connect with research administration staff.

Zoom: https://usc.zoom.us/j/94648152007?pwd=M1ZPQU81QmtWc3VZaHp6QnhnK0RSdz09
Meeting ID: 946 4815 2007
Passcode:  989008

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