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Home > News and Events > News Releases > News Releases Archive News Releases: October - December 2003ContentsNovemberNovember 3, 2003: NIH and NSF Announce Collaborative Research in Computational Neuroscience Program The National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Science Foundation (NSF) are pleased to announced the release of the program solicitation for Collaborative Research in Computational Neuroscience (CRCNS) for the years 2004-2006. The program solicitation is now available on the web at http://www.nsf.gov/publications/pub_summ.jsp?ods_key=nsf04514. CRCNS will support innovative interdisciplinary research in computational neuroscience. Both agencies recognize the need for research that focuses on integrating computational models and methods with neuroscience. This program is designed to encourage new collaborations at this interface. The first round of letters of intent for this program will be due on December 10, 2003 and full proposals will be due on January 30, 2004. This competition involves five NSF Directorates and nine NIH Institutes, including the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB). For more information abou this program, please visit the program web site at http://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=5147&org=IIS (available on November 3) or contact any of the program officers listed in the solicitation. Broad distribution of this announcement is encouraged. Individuals interested in occasional forthcoming news about the program can sign up for the CRCNS Public Announcements list by sending a blank e-mail to join-crcns-announce@lists.nsf.gov. November 10, 2003: NIBIB Solicits Suggestions for "Quantum" Projects The NIBIB is soliciting suggestions from academia, industry, and the broad healthcare community for problems that need to be solved or research advances that represent high-impact, large-scale, technology-based projects and will result in significant (quantum) improvements in healthcare or quality of life. Details concerning this request and the "quantum" project program being considered by the NIBIB are available in "NIH Guide" Notice NOT-EB-03-011 which was released on November 7, 2003, and can be accessed at http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-EB-03-011.html. To demonstrate the NIBIB's commitment to improving human health, the Institute is considering supporting one or more "quantum" projects that have the following characteristics:
One-page (maximum) suggestions consisting of a descriptive title, one or two paragraphs describing the project and healthcare benefit, and contact information for the submitter are due at the location given in the "NIH Guide" Notice by e-mail, US Mail, or fax by January 9, 2004. November 21, 2003: Second NIBIB/NSF BBSI Grantee Meeting The Second NIBIB/NSF Bioengineering and Bioinformatics Summer Institutes (BBSI) Grantee Meeting was conducted on November 21 at the Marriott Suites Hotel in Bethesda, Maryland. The BBSI is a joint program between the NSF and the NIBIB that supports ten-week summer biomedical research experiences for rising juniors and seniors and for graduate students in the first two years of graduate school who are majoring in the quantitative sciences. There are currently nine BBSI grantee institutions, and the summer of 2003 was the first round of the summer institutes. The objectives of the grantee meeting were to (l) review the status, progress, and plans of the individuals BBSI's, (2) to assess performance of the first round of summer institutes, (3) to identify issues and challenges, and (4) to plan for the summer of 2004. Grantee representatives included Drs. Martine LaBerge (Clemson), Karen J. L. Burg (Clemson), Jamil Momand (Cal State - LA), Ivet Bahar (Pittsburgh), Rajan Munshi (Pittsburgh), William Hunter (New Jersey Institute of Technology), Volker Brendel (Iowa State), Yiannis Kaznessis ( Minnesota), Peter Butler (Penn State), Greg Buck (VCU), Jeff Elhai (VCU), and Thomas Deutsch (MGH). NSF BBSI program representatives included Drs. Mary Poats and Sohi Rastegar; and NIBIB BBSI program representatives included Drs. Richard Swaja, Mollie Sourwine, and Meredith Temple O'Connor. Details about the BBSI are available at http://bbsi.eeicom.com/?nsf02109. November 24, 2003: NIBIB Unveils New Traveling Exhibit at RSNA The NIBIB will unveil its new traveling exhibit at the Radiological Society of North America's 89th Scientific Assembly and Annual Meeting at McCormick Place in Chicago, Illinois, from November 30 – December 5, 2003. The exhibit will be part of the RSNA Research and Education Foundation Pavilion located in the Lakeside Center Ballroom on Level 3. See the traveling exhibit booth. DecemberDecember 4, 2003: Executive Summary Released From NIBIB Biomedical Entrepreneurial Science Working Group The Executive Summary from the Biomedical Entrepreneurial Science Working Group held on August 1, 2003 in Bethesda, Maryland is now available on the NIBIB website. The goal of this working group was to attain specific recommendations regarding the role of the NIBIB in facilitating the translation of fundamental discoveries and innovative research into biomedical applications for the benefit of public health. Despite efforts to translate scientific knowledge and discoveries into useful medical applications, researchers often encounter barriers to commercializing technology. Participants of this working group identified academic culture, researchers, funding, technology transfer offices, and government as the major hurdles. To address these barriers and improve technology transfer of important research, it was recommended that the NIBIB: empower students and investigators with entrepreneurial training opportunities and incentives; offer opportunities for researchers to establish viable industrial partnerships, and improve the review of technology-driven grant applications. More information is available in the Executive Summary which can be accessed at http://www.nibib.nih.gov/events/BESWG/BESWG_ExecSumm.pdf (Adobe PDF [443K]). December 18, 2003: NIBIB Conducts Workshop on Biomedical Industry Research and Training Opportunities The National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB) conducted a workshop to explore new avenues for partnering and interacting with industry on December 16-17 at the Bethesda Hyatt Hotel in Bethesda, Maryland. The goals of the workshop were to obtain input from biomedical industry representatives on (1) specific research needs or problems that need to be solved to provide significant improvements in healthcare and (2) ways that the NIBIB and industry can collaborate to effectively translate research results to patient care and to address anticipated manpower needs. Participants in the NIBIB Workshop on Biomedical Industry Research and Training Opportunities included representatives from 23 companies that encompassed a broad range of commercial biomedical endeavors, representatives from NIH and other Federal agencies, and extramural observers. Specific topics discussed during the meeting included industry research needs that will result in significant healthcare improvements, Federal government/biomedical industry interactions, and future manpower needs and associated training opportunities. Research discussion focused on topics that industry currently would not or could not support as part of their research agendas. NIBIB Director Roderic I. Pettigrew convened the workshop by welcoming the participants and discussing the importance of their participation. The broad mission of the NIBIB is to improve healthcare by supporting the development and translation of technologies that enable fundamental discoveries and facilitate disease detection, management, and prevention. Input from the extramural scientific community is vitally important to ensure that the Institute's current and planned research and training programs are relevant to biomedical research needs and national healthcare priorities, address issues and challenges associated with the development and application of enabling technologies, and support the missions of the NIH and NIBIB. Input from the biomedical industry community is particularly important with regard to identifying research needs that will result in significant healthcare improvements, translating technologies and research results to patient applications, identifying special manpower needs, and developing effective training opportunities. A report detailing the results of the workshop can be found here (Adobe PDF 237K). December 23, 2003: New Interdisciplinary Training RFA Released A new RFA (Request for Applications), designed to stimulate the development of interdisciplinary training programs, was issued as part of the NIH Roadmap activities. The purpose of this RFA is to encourage and enable the development of an interdisciplinary workforce by ensuring that undergraduate, pre-doctoral, and postdoctoral students receive the didactic and research experiences necessary to lead and/or engage in integrative and team approaches to solve complex biomedical and health problems. To accomplish this aim, the National Institutes of Health invites applications for developing and implementing novel training programs focused on new interdisciplinary science. This solicitation has several unique features: (1) undergraduate students may be supported in these programs; (2) support is not limited to US citizen and permanent residents; and (3) support is provided for to 10% faculty release time for course or curriculum development. Additional information about this program, including application criteria and guidelines, can be found in the announcement which can be accessed at http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-RM-04-015.html. Applications for this RFA are due to the NIH by March 10, 2004. For additional information about NIBIB training programs, please contact Dr. Meredith Temple-O'Connor. For more information about the NIH Roadmap activities, please visit http://nihroadmap.nih.gov/. |
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