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Descripton at end of newsletter Week of March 27, 2023
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Greetings Dornsife Faculty,
This week's report includes
- Accolade for one Dornsife faculty member;
- External funding successes for two faculty members;
- Current and diverse funding opportunities; and
- An announcement of the Center for Excellence in Research workshop — this time on intellectual property and how to protect yours.
Best regards,
Renee J. Perez, Vice Dean, Administration & Finance
Cathleen Crayton, Project Specialist
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Accolade
Derrick Morton, Biological Sciences, has been named a 2023 Sloan Fellow, a recoognition for being one of the most promising scientific researchers in the United States and Canada, Alfred P. Sloan Foundation
External Funding Successes
Jinkook Lee, Center for Social and Economic Research, Multilingualism as a factor of resilience to Alzheimer's disease and related dementias in India, National Institute on Aging
Manuel Pastor, Program for Environmental and Regional Equity, Data and Analysis to Advance Racial and Health Equity, California Wellness Foundation
External Funding Opportunities
***Limited Submission***
(Time-sensitive - 2 slots)
Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC)
Program: University Nuclear Leadership Program
Opportunity #: 31310023K0002
Synopsis: Supports research and development (R&D) for nuclear science, engineering, technology, and related disciplines to develop a workforce capable of supporting the design, construction, operation, and regulation of nuclear facilities and the safe handling of nuclear materials. University R&D activities provide an opportunity to complement current, ongoing NRC-led research. More specifically, the program shall be used to provide financial assistance for R&D projects relevant to the programmatic mission of the NRC referenced above, with an emphasis on providing financial assistance concerning research, development, demonstration, and commercial application of new and advanced nuclear technologies. New this year, nontechnical research will be considered under this announcement (for example, projects that would foster the development of innovative community engagement strategies, including the incorporation of principles of equity and environmental justice).
Award details: Up to $500K total (direct and indirect costs) may be requested for a project period of 3 years.
USC Internal announcement: https://rii.usc.edu/limited-submissions/nrc-university-leadership/
Announcement on website: University Nuclear Leadership Program
USC Internal due date: April 14, 2023.
Application due date: May 26, 2023.
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***Limited Submission***
(time sensitive - 1 slot)
NIH / Across Institutes (prominently NINDS)
Program: Jointly Sponsored Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award Institutional Predoctoral Training Program in the Neurosciences (JSPTPN) (T32 — Institutional National Research Award - NRSA)
FOA #: PAR-22-265
Synopsis: Supports programs of broad-based education and research experience during the first two years of graduate training. As such, training programs supported by a JSPTPN training grant must have a comprehensive, two-year training plan. During this training period, students should obtain a working knowledge of the different kinds of approaches and techniques that make up the field of neuroscience. A key component of this training should be acquiring a strong foundation of experimental methodology (e.g. experimental design, quantitative data analysis and interpretation) and a robust development of professional skills (e.g. written and oral communication and data presentation).
Award details: Requested budgets are not limited but must reflect the needs of the project over a 2 year project period.
USC Internal announcement: https://rii.usc.edu/limited-submissions/par-22-265/
Announcement on website: https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PAR-22-265.html
USC Internal due date: April 14, 2023.
External due date: May 25, 2023.
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***Limited Submission***
(time sensitive - 1 slot)
National Institute of Corrections (NIC)
Program: NIC FY 2023 Americans with Disabilities in the Criminal Justice System
Synopsis: Supports research around risk and needs assessment tools at the pretrial, probation, incarceration, and parole phases of the justice system, and to inquire about how mental health disabilities may be criminalized for people involved in the justice system. In the initial phase of this 1-year project, answers to the following inquiries are sought (partial):
- How do risk and need assessment tools affect people with various disabilities?
- Have systems tested whether these tools negatively affect people with different disabilities, i.e. mental health issues, intellectual issues or substance abuse disorder?
- Are there other ways to predict risk that do not negatively impact people with disabilities?
The solicitation seeks information on the criminalization of people with mental health disabilities, i.e. barriers in the pretrial, probation, incarceration and parole or alternative sentencing for people with mental health disabilities. A detailed description of the desired deliverables for this research is contained in the solicitation.
Award details: Maximum award is $150K for one year. The award is a cooperative agreement
USC Internal Announcement: https://rii.usc.edu/limited-submissions/nic-americans-with-disabilities/
Announcement on website: https://s3.amazonaws.com/static.nicic.gov/nicic.gov/files/media/document/23cs22_-_americans_with_disabilities_in_the_criminal.pdf?VersionId=5kHF7IRXgzGZOxSo6Lts3JsWUwKZcTyO
USC Internal due date: April 14, 2023.
External due date: May 22, 2023.
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American Philosophical Association (APA)
Program: 2023-2024 Diversity and Inclusion Grant
Synopsis: Supports up to 2 projects aiming to increase the presence and participation of women, racial and ethnic minorities, LGBTQ+ people, people with disabilities, people of low socioeconomic status, and other underrepresented groups at all levels of philosophy. The APA board of officers strongly prefers proposals that convincingly demonstrate their potential to decisively impact diversity and inclusion within philosophy. Applicants must be APA members. Program is in keeping with APA’s mission and goals and the association’s longstanding commitment to addressing philosophy’s serious lack of demographic diversity,
Award details: Anticipate funding one project for $20K or 2 projects for $10K each.
Announcement on website: https://www.apaonline.org/page/diversity_fund
Application due date: June 30, 2023.
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The Retirement Research Foundation for Aging
Program: See Priority Areas
Synopsis: Supports research that seeks to identify interventions, policies, and practices to improve the well-being of older adults and / or their caregivers. Preference is given to projects aimed at generating practical knowledge and guidance that can be used by advocates, policy-makers, providers, and the aging network. Of particular interest are:
- Interventional trials; translational studies; and health services and policy research
- Projects that build on the investigator’s past studies
- Proposals that include robust dissemination plans, if appropriate, to assure that findings reach audiences positioned to act on them
Award details: 2022 awards ranged up to $200K for 1 or 2-year projects.
Announcement on website: https://www.rrf.org/what-we-fund/
Letter of Inquiry due date: May 1, 2023.
Application due date: August 5, 2023.
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American Federation for Aging Research
Program: Glen Foundation Discovery Award
Synopsis: Supports faculty who are at the level of Assistant Professor or higher for research projects with strong potential to develop pioneering discoveries for understanding the underlying biological mechanisms that govern normal human aging and its related physiological decline. Relevant proposals from any branch of biology are eligible. This funding program specifically seeks to include principal investigators who may not have previously worked in the area of aging, but whose research and expertise are applicable to understanding the biological mechanisms of normal aging and its attending health issues. Projects that characterize aging as a disease or that focus on specific diseases are discouraged unless the research plan provides direct connections to the biology of aging and/or the prospect of a translational discovery relevant to improving human health span.
Award details: $175K each year for 3 years (total $525K) of which 8% is allowed for indirect costs.
Announcement on website: https://www.afar.org/grants/gfmrdiscovery
Full Application due date: Mid-May 2023. (The LOI was due February 2023, as previously announced in the Weekly)
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AWS / Amazon Research Awards
Program: AWS AI: Generative AI
Synopsis: Supports the development of generative AI, with the specific aim of funding projects that focus on innovation related to supporting annotators with machine learning and artificial intelligence. Proposals should address one or more of the following themes:
- New approaches that improve the capabilities of foundational models without fine-tuning: chaining, advanced prompting techniques (e.g., chain of thought, self-consistency), integration with external services and APIs, data augmented generation, etc.).
- Improving the capabilities of generative models to perform complex and composite tasks, potentially involving multiple types of inputs and outputs (text, images, videos, audio, structured data).
- Novel approaches for using generative models to create synthetic data sets at scale with specified properties.
- Work on open-source projects that provide building blocks for developing applications with generative AI.
- Approaches to responsibly building and operating generative models, including measuring, preventing, or mitigating hallucinations, biases, or other forms of harmful or undesired output.
Award details: Maximum monetary award is $70K. In addition to monetary awards, up to $50K AWS Promotional Credits; and training sources provided by Amazon scientists and engineers.
Announcement on website: https://www.amazon.science/research-awards/call-for-proposals/aws-ai-generative-ai-call-for-proposals-spring-2023
Application due date: April 26, 2023.
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MIT Solve
Program: Learning for Civic Action Challenge
Synopsis: Supports technology-enabled solutions to help learners take effective action on community and global issues by deepening civic knowledge and practicing collaborative problem-solving. To that end, this MIT Solve seeks solutions that:
- Provide access to improved civic action learning in a wide range of contexts with educator support for classroom-based approaches, and community-building opportunities for out-of-school, community-based approaches.
- Help learners acquire key civic skills and knowledge, including how to assess the credibility of information, engage across differences, understand one’s agency, and engage with issues of power, privilege, and injustice.
- Build core social-emotional learning skills, including self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making.
- Enable learners to bridge civic knowledge with taking action by understanding real-world problems, building networks, organizing plans for collective action, and exploring pro-social careers.
Award details: $10K per solver team. You may have noticed this is the 3rd MIT Solve funding opportunity in the last three weeks.
Announcement on website: https://solve.mit.edu/challenges/learning-for-civic-action-challenge
Application due date: May 9, 2023.
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Nomis Foundation & Science / AAAS
Program: 2023 Young Explorer Award — Research at the Intersection of the social and life sciences
Synopsis: Recognizes investigators 35 years old and younger who, in an essay, ask fundamental questions at the intersection of the life and social sciences; scientists who have performed interdisciplinary work with an enthusiasm that has catalyzed cross-field collaboration; researchers who take risks to address relevant and exciting questions with creative approaches, regardless of the research outcome. Successful applicants will have made significant advances in applying techniques developed in one domain to address questions in another—for example, methods to investigate problems of causal inference, understand complex networks or perform image recognition have been developed in both social science and life science contexts.
Award details: $15K cash award and opportunity to share their work at an awards ceremony in 2024.
Announcement on website: https://www.science.org/content/page/nomis-science-young-explorer-award
Application due date: May 15, 2023.
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Gilead
Program: Gilead Research Scholars
Synopsis: Supports basic and clinical research from emerging investigators around the world to incorporate new perspectives in the pursuit of scientific understanding and progress in the area of hematologic malignancies. Eligible candidates are at the Assistant Professor level and who received their first faculty appointment no earlier than 7 years.
Award details: $180K (inclusive of any indirect costs), to be paid in annual installments of up to $90K per year for 2 years.
Announcement on website: https://researchscholars.gilead.com/en/hematologic_malignancies_portal/program-information/program-overview
Application due date: April 14, 2023.
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Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (CZI)
Program: Ben Barres Career Acceleration Award (Cycle 2)
Synopsis: Supports early career academic investigators for research in the field of neurodegeneration. The Ben Barrres Career Acceleration award, of which Cycle 1 was launched in 2018 under the auspices of the CZI Neurodegeneration Challenge Network, provides mentored support for early career investigators to conduct bold, innovative, and rigorous research in the basic science underlying neurodegenerative disease and fundamental neuroscience. The scientific scope of this award is explicitly NOT for translational or clinical development research but rather is focused on fundamental and mechanistic studies, that are at the same time, grounded in human biology and disease pathology. Investigators new to the field of neurodegeneration with backgrounds in basic science fields such as neuroscience, cell biology, computational biology, or immunology are encouraged to apply. Experience in disciplines outside of biomedicine that would bring new technology, resources, or intellectual frameworks to the field are strongly encouraged.
Award details: $300K per year for 4 years.
Announcement on website: https://chanzuckerberg.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/NDCN-Ben-Barres-Early-Career-Acceleration-Award-Cycle-2-Combined-Announcement-and-Instructions.pdf
Letter of Intent due date: April 20, 2023.
Full proposals due date (invited): June 13, 2023. Finalist will be invited to participate in virtual interviews in August 2023.
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National Multiple Sclerosis Society
Program: Career Transition Fellowships
Synopsis: Supports current postdoctoral trainees who demonstrate both commitment and exceptional potential to conduct MS-related research. Must be in a research-oriented postdoctoral training program at an academic, government, or non-profit research institution. Applicants must have more than two years of postdoctoral research experience and no more than five years of postdoctoral research experience at the time of application. The Society’s Career Transition Fellowship fosters the development and productivity of young scientists who have potential to make significant contributions to MS research and helps ensure the future and stability of MS research.
Award details: $600K over 5 years.
Announcement on website: https://www.nationalmssociety.org/For-Professionals/Researchers/Society-Funding/Training-Grants-and-Fellowships/Career-Transition-Fellowships
Pre-Application due date: May 10, 2023.
Full application due date (invited): Early August 2023.
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Lung Cancer Research Foundation
Program: 2023 LCRF Minority Career Development Award (CDA) in Lung Cancer
Synopsis: Supports early-stage scientists from underrepresented groups working in lung cancer and working in diverse areas of research including basic, clinical, translational, disparities, and social determinants of health research. The objective of this award is to increase the number of highly skilled and trained researchers from groups that are historically underrepresented in academia, medicine, and leadership in lung cancer research. This program aims to close the gap between the mortality rates and representation in lung cancer research. Researchers and faculty who are within 10 years of a terminal degree are eligible to apply. Examples of research interests include (partial):
- Lung cancer biology
- Genetic and gene-environment interactions
- Identification of metabolic vulnerabilities
- Interactions and contributions of multiple factors (e.g. smoking, genetics, environment, societal factors) to disparities in lung cancer outcomes
Award details: $150K over a 2-year project period. The LCRF grant must be the primary source for project funding although secondary sources are allowed.
Announcement on website: https://www.lungcancerresearchfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2023-Minority-CDA-in-Lung-Cancer-Research-Grant-2-7-23.pdf
Full Application due date: May 31, 2023.
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California Humanities
Program: Humanities for All Project Grants
Synopsis: Supports projects in the public humanities. This program responds to the needs and interests of Californians, and encourages greater public participation in humanities programming, particularly by new and / or underserved audiences. It aims to promote understanding and empathy among all our state’s people in order to cultivate a thriving democracy. Appropriate programming formats include but are not limited to virtual and in-person interpretive exhibits, community dialogue and discussion series, workshops and participatory activities, presentations and lectures, conversations and forums, and interactive and experiential activities. Eligibility is limited to California-based nonprofit organizations and non-federal public agencies.
Award details: $10K to $25K over 2 years. Awards must be matched with an equivalent amount of cash or in-kind resources over the life of the project.
Announcement on website: https://calhum.org/humanities-for-all/
Application due dates: Applications are accepted biannually. The next application window is June 1, 2023-July 17, 2023. Grant period: December 1, 2023, to December 20, 2025.
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Department of Defense (DoD) / Defense Health Program / Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs
Program: Peer Reviewed Alzheimer’s Research Program (PRARP) - Transforming Diagnosis Award
Funding Opportunity Number: HT9425-23-PRARP-TDA
Synopsis: Supports research that may explore questions that include, but is not limited to, the following areas:
- Understanding how types of family recognized social behavioral changes factor into biomarkers and diagnosis of disease (e.g., bio-behavioral markers)
- Accelerating technologies and methods for early and pre-mortem diagnosis
- Validation and implementation of diagnostic and prognostic tests
- Diagnosis access challenges (such as availability, timing, and low-cost options)
- Diagnostic /prognostic tests that can be administered at home to reduce patient burden
- Implementation of diagnostic / prognostic tests into the clinic and community.
Awards supported by DOD FY23 Peer Reviewed Alzheimer’s Transforming program is expected to address diversity and equity in investigator teams and study populations, including but not limited to social and structural determinants of health such as sex, gender, ethnicity, culture, socioeconomic status, geography, and healthcare access.
Award details: $2.5M total for a project period of 4 years (including requisite community collaborative projects and those with a Career Transitioning Partnering PI).
Announcement on website: Transforming Diagnosis Award
Pre-Application due date: May 31, 2023.
Application due date: July 10, 2023.
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Department of Defense (DoD) / Navy
Program: 2024 Young Investigator Program (YIP)
Funding Opportunity #: N00014-23-S-F004
Synopsis: Supports academic scientists and engineers who are in their first or second full-time tenure-track or tenure-track-equivalent academic appointment. Eligible candidates for this awar have received their Ph.D. or equivalent degree on or after January 1, 2016 and are a U.S. citizen, national, or permanent resident on the date proposals are due, and who show exceptional promise for doing creative research. USC has had success in obtaining YIP awards, however as Program Officers are the gatekeepers in the selection process – applicant has zero chance of success unless the PO is clearly interested. Contact Jim Murday from USC’s Office of Research Advancement in DC (murday@usc.edu) to assist in identifying the appropriate Program Officer, if you are not sure. Dr. Murday can also provide data sheets on appropriate individuals.
Award details: $750K for project period of 3 years.
Announcement on website: 2024 YIP
Application Inquiries and Questions: June 23, 2023.
Application due date: July 7, 2023.
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NSF / Directorate for Social, Behavioral and Economics (including Divisions and Office therein)
Program: Centers for Research and Innovation in Science, the Environment and Society (CRISIS)
Solicitation #: PD-23-265Y
Synopsis: Supports researchers in the social, behavioral, and economic sciences who use empirical methods to grapple with crises that impact individuals, families, organizations, regions, nations, or our entire planet. The Centers for Research in Science, the Environment and Society initiative invites proposals to take the first steps toward developing large-scale interdisciplinary research activities that will address today’s crises and ultimately enhance people’s quality of life. NSF is providing this funding opportunity to inform possible future Centers for Research and Innovation in Science, the Environment, and Society (CRISES). The envisioned centers will catalyze new research and research-based innovations to address seemingly intractable problems that confront our society. They will develop evidence-based solutions that address fundamental quality-of-life issues, such as those involving the environment, extreme weather, and sustainability; workforce and the economy; equity and access to opportunities; and well-being.
Award details: Proposals are constrained to Planning (Up to $100K per year for 2 years), Conference ($50K and perhaps exceeding that limit with collaborators and other affiliations), and EAGER (Up to $300K for up to 2 years).
Announcement on website: https://beta.nsf.gov/funding/opportunities/centers-research-innovation-science-environment
Proposal target date: June 26, 2023.
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NSF / Directorate for Geosciences – Office of Polar Programs
Program: Arctic Research Opportunities (Arctic Natural Sciences; Arctic Social Sciences; Arctic System Science; Arctic Observing Network; Polar Cyberinfrastructure; Arctic Research Coordination and Policy Support)
Solicitation #: 23-572
Synopsis: Supports research to enhance understanding of the Arctic, from advancing fundamental disciplinary understanding of important Arctic processes to complex interdisciplinary studies of couplings among social, biological, physical, and geochemical components of the Arctic system to the changing connections between the Arctic and lower latitudes. Of special interest is research focused on understanding processes relevant to social and environmental change. All proposals should discuss explicitly how their results would contribute to advancing understanding of the Arctic region or its interaction with global systems. The types of proposals that may be submitted include RAPID, Conference, EAGER, and Research Coordination Networks. Please check the solicitation for more information on this
Award details: NSF estimates 75 awards per year as standard or continuing grants, or cooperative agreements. The number of awards and average award size and duration are subject to the availability of funds.
Announcement on website: https://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2023/nsf23572/nsf23572.pdf
Proposal target dates: July 15, 2023, and July 16, 2024, and July 15 annually, thereafter.
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NIH / Office of Strategic Coordination
Program: NIH Director’s Pioneer Award Program (DP1)
FOA #: RFA-RM-23-004
Synopsis: Supports individual scientists of exceptional creativity who propose highly innovative research projects with the potential to produce a major impact on broad, important areas relevant to the mission of NIH. For the program to support the best possible researchers and research, applications are sought which reflect the full diversity of the nation’s research workforce. Thus, individuals from all backgrounds and the full spectrum of eligible institutions in all geographic locations are strongly encouraged to apply to this Funding Opportunity Announcement. In addition, applications in all topics relevant to the broad mission of NIH are welcome, including, but not limited to, topics in the behavioral, social, biomedical, applied, and formal sciences and topics that may involve basic, translational, or clinical research. To be considered pioneering, the proposed research must reflect substantially different scientific directions from those already being pursued in the investigator’s research program or elsewhere.
Award details: $700K per year for direct costs for a project period of 5 years.
Announcement on website: https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-RM-23-004.html
Application due date: September 8, 2023.
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Announcement of Interest for Dornsife Investigtor
Office of Research and Innovation
Center for Excellence in Research
Upcoming Workshop
Protecting Your Intellectual Property
Intellectual property is a complex topic, but you are going to walk through it with an expert! Come and learn about the differences between utility patents, trademarks, copyrights, and trade secrets; the pitfalls of the provisional patent application frequently used in universities; as well as strategies for patenting while submitting scientific articles.
Date: April 5, 2023 Time: 9:00 to 10:00 AM
Location: Virtual
Registration: https://rii.usc.edu/cer/
Presenter: Fikret Kirkbir, Manager of Intellectual Property Analysis and Assessment, Alfred E. Mann Institute for Biomedical Engineering (AMI-USC)
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Cover Image: Propaganda in Autocracies: Institutions, Information, and the Politics of Belief (Political Economy of Institutions and Decisions) (Cambridge University Press, Forthcoming May 2023)
Erin Baggot Carter & Brett L. Carter, Political Science and International Relations
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