Critical Care Grants

National Neurotrauma Symposium Student Competition

There is a Call for Abstracts for the NNS Symposium with a submission deadline of April 15, 2011.

The NNS Abstract Committee will determine the qualified abstracts to be presented as posters during the Abstract Poster and Open Communications sessions. All accepted abstracts will be published online in the Journal of Neurotrauma immediately prior to the conference.

The Abstract Committee reviews and grades each abstract submission for quality, ethical guidelines and scientific merit. A blind grading process is used to ensure anonymity and equality.

Notifications of acceptance will be emailed to submitting authors by May 1, 2011.

The sixteen highest-scoring student abstracts will be selected as Student Competition Finalists.
The Finalists' posters will be displayed in a featured location for the entire symposium. They will also present their posters to the Abstract Judges for final scoring during Poster Session A on July 11th.

All poster finalists will receive a certificate and be recognized onstage at the Awards Ceremony Dinner. The top five (5) highest scoring poster finalists will also be recognized during the Awards Ceremony and will receive a crystal trophy, scientific textbooks and a monetary prize of $500 each from the National Neurotrauma Symposium

After the Student Competition Finalists are determined, the oral presentations are selected from the remaining abstract pool (Students and Non-Students) for the Open Communications Sessions. Please note if you are selected for an oral presentation, you will be assigned to an Open Communications Session and NOT a Poster Session.

Once the Student Finalists and Open Communications presenters have been selected, the remaining accepted abtracts will be assigned a final poster number and time slot to present during one of the four Poster Sessions during the symposium.

National Neurotrauma Society
8032 SW 45 Lane
Gainesville FL 32608 USA

TEL: (352) 213-8656
FAX: (305) 704-3814

National Neurotrauma Symposium Student Travel Grants

NNS is pleased to offer a limited number of travel grants for postdoctoral fellows and graduate students presenting their exciting results. Grant awards are given based on financial need and merit.

Funding provided by an NIH grant allows for up to $10,000 in travel grants.

The deadline for Travel Grant applications is April 15, 2011.

National Neurotrauma Society
8032 SW 45 Lane
Gainesville FL 32608 USA

TEL: (352) 213-8656
FAX: (305) 704-3814

Parker B. Francis Fellowship in Pulmonary Research

The Parker B. Francis Fellowship in Pulmonary Research is intended to support the development of outstanding investigators who plan careers in pulmonary and critical care medicine. We seek to help them as they make the transition to independent, self-supporting, faculty members.

Parker B. Francis Fellowship grants are awarded to institutions for the purpose of providing stipends, fringe benefits, and modest travel expenses in support of qualified post-doctoral fellows or newly appointed assistant professors. Award recipients will thereby be enabled to devote the major part of their professional effort to research related to pulmonary disease and lung biology.

Grants are made for three years of support. It is permissible to maintain support for the awardee as he or she moves from fellowship to faculty status. Awards are made to institutions on behalf of the fellows and can be transferred to other institutions only under special circumstances with prior approval from the Director of the Fellowship Program.

Fellows supported by a Parker B. Francis Fellowship must be assured of having at least 75 percent of their time available for research. This means that a total of no more than three months per year may be spent in clinical or other non-research activities.

APPLICANTS
The ideal candidate is one with evidence of strong aptitude in research and who is in transition from post-doctoral trainee to independent investigator. It is essential that there be evidence of accomplishment and proficiency in research. Few applicants who are just beginning research training and have only one or two research publications are funded. Candidates with greater than seven years since the doctoral degree should include reasons for continued training. Candidates may hold any relevant doctoral degree (e.g., M.D., Ph.D., Sc.D., D.V.M., Dr. P.H.). Fellowships are restricted to US and Canadian citizens or permanent residents. However, foreign nationals who document their initial steps toward permanent residence in the US, Canada or Mexico will also be considered. Documentation should include a description of steps already taken toward application for long-term residency or citizenship.

MENTORS
Mentorship of the fellow by an established investigator is required. Any established faculty scientist at a university or a not-for-profit research institution may mentor a candidate for fellowship. Mentors at government or corporate laboratories are not eligible. The mentor should be in a position to guarantee that 75 percent of a fellow's time is available for research. The mentor should be committed to fostering the candidate's career advancement and should be the primary scientific advisor. Secondary scientific mentors at the same or a different institution are encouraged but not required. Their roles should be described in the body of the application. Many fellows spend some portion of their fellowship years working with a secondary mentor at another institution.

INSTITUTIONS
There are no restrictions regarding discipline or department. Clinical or basic science departments are suitable; however, it is expected that the proposed research will focus on lung biology or lung disease. Awards are limited to institutions located in the US and Canada. Each department may submit only one application annually and is limited to a maximum of two active fellowships at any one time.

NOTES ABOUT OTHER GRANT SUPPORT

Having an NIH K series or similar award at the time of application makes one ineligible for a PBF Fellowship. However, once awarded, a PBF Fellow may accept such a grant, as long as the basic requirements of the PBF Fellowship are met (75 percent of time available for research and PBF funds used only for salary and travel). Most importantly, the area of lung research pursued should remain the same.

Previous individual or institutional NIH or MRC training grants do not make one ineligible, although they must be relinquished if a PBF Fellowship is awarded.

Individuals are ineligible for a PBF Fellowship if they are the principal investigator on an NIH RO1 or similar research grant when applying for a PBF Fellowship. But Fellows in their second or third year may have their own NIH RO1 or similar grant. In fact, obtaining research grants is an appropriate goal for PBF Fellows. Since fellowship funds are restricted to the Fellow's salary and travel, in some cases it may not be possible to utilize the full level of PBF Fellowship support.

Awards will not be given if either the fellow or mentor currently holds funding from the tobacco industry, even if the tobacco monies will not be used to support the PBF sponsored research.

APPROPRIATE TOPICS
A broad array of approaches to pulmonary and critical care medicine, ranging from cell and molecular studies, to those involving epidemiologic and clinical aspects of human subjects are appropriate. We also encourage applications from pulmonary medicine specialists interested in pursuing research in bioethical aspects of pulmonary medicine or critical care. Potential topics include, but are not limited to, the ethics of clinical trials in critical care, end-of-life decisions and resource allocation. The context of all these topics should be pulmonary biology and lung disease. Applicants must meet all the eligibility standards. Mentors and/or applicants considering whether a particular area is appropriate are encouraged to discuss potential projects with the Director of the PBF Fellowship Program in Seattle, Washington (trmartin@u.washington.edu).

Applications, including letters of reference, must be received no later than Tuesday, October 12, 2010, at Midnight PST.

CONTACT INFORMATION

Thomas R. Martin, MD, Director, trmartin@u.washington.edu, Tel: 206-764-2219

Deborah Snapp, PBF Fellowship Program Administrator, dsnapp@u.washington.edu, Tel: 206-764-2219

Society of Critical Care Medicine Vision Grant

The Society of Critical Care Medicine (SCCM) announces the availability of grant support for SCCM members focused on clinical and outcomes research specifically related to the Society’s four goals and objectives:

* Education (Learn It)
* Integrated Team of Dedicated Experts (Deliver It)
* Outcomes Measurements and Reporting (Measure It)
* Continuous Improvement (Improve It)

SCCM seeks to sponsor research efforts that will ultimately improve patient care in the intensive care unit. Investigator-initiated research should help expand and advance our understanding of clinical outcomes specifically related to these goals.

Our interest is broad. For example, we encourage applications that focus on technical aspects, such as electronic surveillance systems, yet similarly encourage studies exploring cultural and educational factors among ICU staff that either impede or facilitate a climate promoting best practice and error reduction. We will give priority to projects that have broad relevance. As one extension of this, single-center projects, for example, should specifically address the potential to generalize their findings to other critical care settings.

Grant support will begin in January, 2010. The maximum level of funding is $50,000.00/year. The grant is supported by funds that have been provided to CCERF via an unrestricted donation from SCCM members, as well as funding from the SCCM general operating funds. Research funds may be used by the investigator for salary support (either the Principal Investigator or research support staff), database development, consultant costs, or other resources required to complete the project. Any indirect costs included in the budget must be capped at 10% of the total amount, e.g., no more then $5,000 of a $50,000 grant. The home institution must contractually agree to this requirement for the grant to be awarded.

Eligibility:

The principal investigator must be a current SCCM member and maintain SCCM membership through the life of the grant. Applications are encouraged from junior and established investigators. Applications from junior investigators (defined as Assistant Professor or below) may be a request for independent support or may include a research mentor who is also an SCCM member and can demonstrate strong research credentials in the areas of clinical and outcomes research. Previous winners of the Vision Grant may not reapply for a period of five years from the date of his or her previous grant award.

Selection Process:

Applications will be reviewed and scored by the members of the SCCM Research Committee. Each application will be assigned to a group of three reviewers. Proposals will be scored based on scientific merit and the potential to positively impact patient care in the intensive care unit. No special consideration will be given to applications on the basis of faculty rank or research experience, but demonstration of an appropriate research environment and strong mentorship is essential for the less-experienced applicant. Applications that do not follow the administrative rules will be triaged by the Chair and returned in a timely manner to the applicant without committee review. Applicants may appeal this decision if they believe it has been made in error.

After the review and scoring process is completed, the Research Committee will discuss the applications and select a winner. Grant recipients are expected to provide a two-page update at the conclusion of the funding, similar to that required by NIH. Grant recipients will also be required to submit an abstract for blind review for presentation at the SCCM Annual Congress. Abstracts will be due at the beginning of September. A second copy of the abstract must be submitted to the Research Committee via SCCM Executive Offices.

Notification:

Grant recipients will be notified no later than December 2010 of the results with the official announcement made at SCCM's Convocation and Award Ceremony during the Critical Care Congress January 2011 in San Diego, California.

Deadline:

One original and one electronic copy of the application must be received by the Program Development Department, c/o Trish Glover, by September 3, 2010.

Application Process:

The application must be completed by the applicant (not the mentor) and typed with a size no smaller then 11 point and should be double–spaced. The applicant must provide the following information:

1. Cover page including the following:

* Applicant’s name
* Applicant’s title (at initiation of the grant funding)
* Applicant's institution
* Title of the proposed research
* Administrative official to be notified if award is made. The official’s title, address, and phone number must be provided.
* Other funding that has been secured or applied for to support this research activity.
* Applicant’s signature and the signature of the administrative official to be notified if the award is made.
* Notification if this was a previously submitted grant.

2. Completed application including:

* Three (3)–page brief biographical sketch describing the education and training, research experience, and relevant publications of the applicant and the mentor, where applicable. The standard NIH bio-sketch is acceptable.
* A letter from the mentor indicating he/she is prepared to provide adequate time to personally train the applicant in the methods of scientific research (if applicable). In addition, this letter should document the mentor’s prior experience with research fellows, briefly indicating, if possible, his subsequent achievements as an independent investigator.
* A letter from the applicant’s department or division head indicating that sufficient time protected from other clinical or administrative responsibilities will be available to perform the proposed work (junior investigators only).
* The body of the grant application should be no longer then ten (10) pages, typed with a type size no smaller than 11 point; double-spaced, excluding references but including figures and tables. The narrative description of the proposal should be divided into four sections: Specific Aims, Background and Significance, Preliminary Data, and Proposed Studies.
* The bibliography should not exceed 75 citations.
* Up to five (5) publications from the applicant’s or the mentor’s prior work in the field can be attached as an appendix.
* Institutional approvals (human investigations and/or animal studies).
* Letters of recommendation from two to four current or prior mentors, research advisors, or clinical teachers (if applicable).
* Detailed, justified budget including the involvement of all personnel and their associated efforts if personnel costs are included; the grant review committee will entertain up to 10% indirect costs.
* Completed Financial Disclosures and Conflict of Interest form. This form can be accessed by clicking on the following link: Conflict of Interest.

3. Reapplication of previous submitted grant.

* Any grant that was previously reviewed and rejected may be resubmitted a total of three times.
* Indication that the grant is being resubmitted must be clearly visible on the grant application form.
* A one-page overview of the recommended grant changes and the modifications the applicant made to the grant must precede the actual body of the grant documentation. This one-page overview does not count as part of the 10-page body of the grant proposal.

Submit:

An original application and an electronic copy must be submitted to SCCM by the September 3, 2010 date. The original is mailed to: Trish Glover, 500 Midway Drive, Mount Prospect, IL 60056 (Tel +1-847-493-6440). The electronic copy is emailed to pglover@sccm.org.