News Releases: July - September 2005

July

July 26, 2005: NIBIB Seeks Scientific Director

The National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB) seeks a new Scientific Director to lead its intramural research program (DIR). The successful candidate will oversee a program which consists of the PET Radiology Research Group and the Imaging Physics Laboratory, with vacancies for two principal investigators and eight research fellows/staff scientists on board. The Scientific Director will help chart the future of a nascent intramural program of NIBIB. He/she will join an esteemed group of scientific directors from other Institutes and Centers of the National Institutes of Health and build partnership and collaborations in the NIH intramural community at large. The Scientific Director allocates an approximately $6 million (FY2005) budget to intramural laboratories in coordination with the Director, NIBIB. He/she will establish the Board of Scientific Counselors for the purpose of conducting quadrennial reviews of the intramural program. The Scientific Director will recruit new faculty/principal investigators to conduct research and training programs. The successful candidate will have a Ph.D. and/or M.D. and an established record of outstanding research accomplishments, scientific leadership and service within the imaging or bioengineering research community. The Scientific Director also will supervise his/her own research laboratory, supported by the NIBIB intramural budget.

Description of Duties and Responsibilities: The incumbent leads and manages the NIBIB intramural research program (DIR) and in monitoring, coordinating, and evaluating all aspects of the program's progress in achieving its goals and objectives. The mission of the NIBIB is to improve human health by leading the development and accelerating the application of biomedical technologies. The Institute is committed to integrating the engineering and physical sciences with the life sciences to advance basic research and medical care. The DIR plays a key role in advancing the Institute's mission, particularly to advance knowledge in imaging and bioengineering research using a combination of basic, translational, and clinical science and to develop effective training programs in these fields.

The NIH is dedicated to Building a Diverse Community in its Training and Employment.

Contact info:

Sheila Barrett, Administrative Officer, NIBIB, NIH
31 Center Drive, Room 1C14 - Bethesda, MD 20892
301-451-0713 · 301-480-0679 fax

July 29, 2005: Request for Information on the Plan To Recognize Multiple Principal Investigators on NIH Grants

Notice Number: NOT-OD-05-055
Release Date: July 29, 2005
Response Date: September 16, 2005
Issued by: National Institutes of Health, Office of the Director, Office of Extramural Research (http://grants.nih.gov/grants/)

The NIH is seeking input and advice from the scientific community on various concepts associated with permitting more than one Principal Investigator to be associated with an NIH funded grant, contract, or cooperative agreement. This Request for Information (RFI) is being issued at the same time as a companion RFI from the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP). The RFI issued by the OSTP asks for input from the broader scientific community about the overall concept of permitting multiple PIs on applications and awards for federal research support. This RFI, issued by the NIH, asks for input on policies and issues of special interest to the health-related research community.

Detailed information on this notice can be found at the following link: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-05-055.html.

Back to Top 

August

August 17, 2005: BECON Conducts Fifth BRP Grantee Meeting (August 15-16)

The fifth Bioengineering Research Partnership (BRP) Grantee Meeting was conducted by the NIH Bioengineering Consortium (BECON) on August 15-16, 2005, at the Bethesda North Marriott Hotel and Convention Center in Bethesda, Maryland. The BECON is administered by the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering at the NIH.

The BRP Program was first announced in October 1999 and is aimed at encouraging and supporting multi-disciplinary biomedical research that requires partnerships among scientific disciplines and organizations. This meeting is aimed at showcasing research supported by the BRP grants, providing a forum for grantees and NIH program staff to identify and discuss related issues, and facilitating the development of future research partnerships.  A total of about 225 people attended this meeting and included about 160 BRP grantees and post-docs, BECON members, NIH program staff, and staff from other Federal agencies.

The program included a “NIH Update” session, invited talks on nanotechnology opportunities (Dr. Jeff Schloss – NHGRI) and international bioengineering programs (Dr. Sohi Rastegar – NSF), poster presentations by all grantees, twenty-four ten-minute grantee presentations (categorized as basic, translational, and applied research) aimed at showcasing the broad scope of approaches and applications to biomedical research supported by the BRP Program, and general discussion sessions. Drs. Henry Halperin (Johns Hopkins) and Jonathan Wolpaw Wadsworth Research presented twenty-minute featured talks on their BRP projects which have produced dramatic advances in biomedical research and healthcare. A featured luncheon presentation titled “I’ve Looked at Life From Both Sides Now – Bioengineering and Apologies to Judy Collins” was provided on August 15 by Dr. Wendy Baldwin, Executive Vice President of the University of Kentucky.

The meeting was chaired by Drs. Dan Sullivan (BECON Chair and NCI) and Richard Swaja (Executive Secretary and NIBIB) and was coordinated by a BECON Subcommittee that included Richard Swaja and Elijah Weisberg (Co-Chairs - NIBIB), Tim Baldwin (NHLBI), Eileen Bradley (CSR), Andrew Houser (NIBIB), Christine Kelley (NIBIB), Martha Lundberg (NHLBI), Lucia Molina (NIBIB), and Pushpa Tandon (CSR).

A Web site contained information about this meeting is being developed and will be released in the near future. The site will contain the meeting program, slides used by invited presenters, a list of attendees, and the conference book.

August 29, 2005 – Registration Open for NIBIB Regional Grantsmanship Seminar to be Held October 17, 2005

The National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB) will hold its second Regional Grantsmanship Seminar on Monday, October 17, 2005. This event will be hosted by The Washington Academy of Biomedical Engineering (WABME) at The George Washington University Marvin Center in Washington, DC. WABME is an interdisciplinary and multi-institutional effort to promote research, technology transfer, and education in biomedical engineering in the national capital region. The core members of WABME are faculty from the biomedical engineering/bioengineering programs and activities of The Catholic University of America, Georgetown University, The George Washington University, and Howard University .

The one-day program includes presentations by institute staff on overviews of the NIBIB and the NIH, NIBIB research and training programs and opportunities, the NIH peer review process, and tips for preparing NIH grant applications.

Back to Top

September

September 8, 2005: NIH Announces Plans to Eliminate Mailing of Paper Notifications: Summary Statements & Peer Review Outcome Letters

Notice Number: NOT-OD-05-075
Key Dates
Release Date: September 8, 2005
Issued by: National Institutes of Health (NIH) (http://www.nih.gov/)

The NIH continues towards its goal of a paperless grants process through the elimination of the following notifications which are currently sent in hard copy: Summary Statements and Peer Review Outcome Letters. Instead, investigators are instructed to use the eRA Commons, a Web interface where NIH and the applicant organizations are able to conduct extramural research administration business electronically.

Applicant Organizations must be registered in the eRA Commons before an account may be established for its investigators. The NIH strongly encourages Principal Investigators to contact their institution’s Office of Sponsored Programs for registration guidance. The following resources for the eRA Commons should be of assistance in the process:

Home Page for registration and updates: https://commons.era.nih.gov/commons/
Frequently Asked Questions: https://commons.era.nih.gov/commons/faq.jsp
Commons Helpdesk at 1-866-504-9552 or via e-mail at commons@od.nih.gov
In addition to complying with a Congressional mandate to move from paper-based to electronic systems, these new procedures will also improve consistency and timeliness of communication between NIH, investigators, and institutions during the grant application process.

Over the next two grant review cycles, the NIH will discontinue mailing the following two kinds of documents:

Summary Statements: Beginning October 1, 2005, NIH will no longer send hard copies of the Summary Statements to Principal Investigators (PIs) and Individual Fellows Applicants. Summary Statements are accessible electronically to PIs and Fellows in the eRA Commons within approximately 8 weeks of the Scientific Review Group (SRG) meeting.

Review Outcome “Mailers”: Beginning February 1, 2006, the NIH will no longer send hard copies of the notification letter (also known as a “mailer”) to PIs and Fellows regarding the review outcome of an application by the SRG. When the SRG rosters and meeting dates become available, they may be accessed through http://www.csr.nih.gov/Committees/rosterindex.asp (Center for Scientific Review [CSR] reviews) or http://era.nih.gov/roster/ (Institute/Center reviews).  Scores will be posted in the eRA Commons approximately 5 working days after the SRG meeting.

At this time, the NIH will continue to send assignment and change of assignment mailers. However, this information is also accessible on the eRA Commons.

In order to avoid delays in the e-notification process, it is vital that all Grantee Organizations, Principal lnvestigators, and Individual Fellows are registered in the eRA Commons and e-mail addresses are checked periodically for accuracy.

NOTE: This process does not apply to applications for the Agency for HealthCare Research and Quality or the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Inquiries
Inquiries on this NIH Guide Notice may be directed to:

Division of Grants Policy
Office of Policy for Extramural Research Administration
National Institutes of Health
6705 Rockledge Drive, Suite 350
Bethesda, MD 20892
Telephone: (301) 435-0938
FAX: (301) 435-3059
Email: GrantsPolicy@od.nih.gov

September 13, 2005: Alfred Mann Foundation Honors NIBIB’s William Heetderks

Dr. William Heetderks, Associate Director for Science Programs at the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering, was recently honored by The Alfred Mann Foundation with the Award for Scientific Achievement. The annual award recognizes a leader in the field of biomedicine whose work is groundbreaking and relevant to work done by the Mann Foundation. Awardees must have made substantial contributions to the advancement of medicine or medical technology and have inspired others to advance the field.

Dr. Heetderks was selected for his exceptional work in the field of functional neuromuscular systems. His work in radio frequency powered control over neural prosthetic implants provided the motivation for development of a microstimulator/sensor system by the Mann Foundation. His continued research in closed loop control of functional neuromuscular stimulation, cortical control of neural prostheses, spinal cord stimulation and cochlear implants has inspired a community of scientists to reach for new and greater medical achievement.

Dr. Heetderks accepted his award at The Alfred Mann Foundation’s annual fundraising gala, “An Evening of Innovation and Inspiration.”

September 16, 2005: Robots: An Exhibition of U.S. Automation

On September 16, the National Science Foundation (NSF) will host more than a dozen robots and their creators to showcase advanced robotics technology from across the nation.

The robots will highlight U.S.-funded robotics research and the findings of a new study: the World Technology Evaluation Center International Study of Robotics, a two-year look at robotics research and development in the United States, Korea, and Western Europe.

Sponsored by NSF, NASA and the NIBIB, the report was drafted by a panel of six robotics experts who gathered information on-site at more than 50 locations across the globe.

A daylong workshop will present the detailed report findings, while a webcast press briefing at noon will provide a concise summary for the media. Panel chair George Bekey of the University of Southern California will present the summary, after which all six panelists will be available to answer questions.

Additional information on the workshop, robot demonstration, and webcast is available at the National Science Foundation.

September 23, 2005: NIBIB To Unveil Redesigned Website in Early October

The NIBIB is revamping its website to better meet the needs of our diverse audiences. The website has undergone significant improvements in the areas of content, navigation and design, making it easier to find information and answers to questions in a clear and user-friendly manner. The website will also serve as a showcase for NIBIB grantees whose work is featured heavily throughout the site.

The new site is slated to make its debut in early October.

Back to Top