The Blue & You Foundation for a Healthier Arkansas is now accepting applications for large and small grants to organizations to implement health improvement programs in Arkansas.

Applications for $1,000 mini-grants will be accepted February 1 through April 30. Applicants will be notified of mini-grant awards within approximately 15 days. Regular grants of $5,000 to $150,000 have an application deadline of July 15 and will be awarded in November to fund health improvement programs during 2015.

Any public charity, public school, government agency, or non-profit hospital in Arkansas is eligible to apply. Grants are not made to individuals. Funds must be used in an effort that produces some positive health outcome for Arkansans. The grant may be used for general operational or specific program support, for an existing or new program.

Information about the grants and the online application submission process can be found at www.BlueAndYouFoundationArkansas.org.

More information, call: Patrick O’Sullivan, 501-378-2221.

The Fund to Cure Stroke, a new intramural research grant opportunity, will provide up to $30,000 for UAMS faculty to advance and develop research programs related to stroke. Support is focused on developing:

New stroke therapies and their translation into clinical care
Improved diagnosis, diagnostic imaging and stroke care
Improved methods of stroke prevention, treatment and rehabilitation
Clinical and pre-clinical stroke-related research
Grants for personnel will also be considered. More information.

Julie Moretz, UAMS associate vice chancellor for patient- and family-centered care, will kick off the “PCORI Methodologies Seminar Series” on Jan. 31. Moretz will present: “The Power of Partnerships: Engaging Patients and Families for Powerful Outcomes” at the College of Public Health, Room 3202, from 2–3 p.m.

The seminar series is sponsored by TRI’s Comparative Effectiveness Research component and the College of Pharmacy Pharmaceutical Evaluation and Policy Division. The series’ purpose is to assist investigators with understanding the difficult PCORI Methodologies that grant submissions are required to follow.

The seminar series schedule can be viewed HERE.

Seeds of Science research grants to UAMS Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute scientists will be announced at “The Doctor Is In,” a public event set for Jan. 30, 6-7:30 p.m., 10th floor, Cancer Institute.

Aime Franco, Ph.D., a 2013 Seeds of Science grant recipient, will discuss her thyroid cancer research program and how the grant impacted her work. Franco is an assistant professor in the UAMS Department of Physiology & Biophysics.

The research grants are funded by the institute’s annual RockStar Lounge event, which is sponsored by the Envoys, an advocacy group sponsored by the Cancer Institute Foundation. The event is free and open to the public. Register at www.giving.uams.edu/doctorisin or by calling (501) 526-2277.

“The Doctor Is In” is sponsored by CDI Contractors, LLC and hosted by the Envoys.

Funding opportunities compiled by TRI’s Comparative Effectiveness Research component for January can be viewed HERE.

From the Association for Clinical and Translational Science (ACTS):

Through a bipartisan budget deal enacted at the end of last year, Congress provided appropriators with an FY 2014 federal spending level of $1.012 trillion for discretionary programs. The FY 2014 allocation, advanced through the omnibus package, is a significant increase over the FY 2013 sequester-mandated spending cap of $987 billion. In addition to providing new funding, the FY 2014 omnibus appropriations package also cancels the FY 2014 sequester cut of 2.1 percent, originally scheduled to take place later this month.

Of particular interest to ACTS members, the FY 2014 omnibus appropriations package includes the following items:

$633.27 million for the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS), an increase of $90 million over the FY 2013 post-sequestration level.
$474.74 million for the Clinical and Translational Science Awards Program at NCATS, an increase of approximately $39 million over the FY 2013 post-sequestration level.
CSTA Program – The agreement provides a specific funding level for the core CTSA program within the NCATS statutory language. This change removes the funding flexibility provided during the establishment years of NCATS.
$2.36 billion for the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS), an increase of $136 million over the FY 2013 post-sequestration level.
$273.33 million for the Institutional Development Award (IDeA) program at NIGMS, an increase of $12 million over the FY 2013 post-sequestration level.
You can read more in the advocacy section of the ACTS website

UAMS is in its fifth and final year of a Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA), which is funded through the NIH and the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS). TRI and UAMS research leaders are working on an application for a second CTSA.

Research funding opportunities offered by corporations and foundations can be found in the research section of www.uams.edu at http://research.uams.edu/grants_funding/corporationfoundation-rfp_info/ Contact: Stephen Schafer, Ph.D., SJSchafer@uams.edu.

Information about grant awards to UAMS investigators is archived in the research section of www.uams.edu at http://research.uams.edu/grants_funding/grant_awards/. Contact: Gibson Garrett, garrettgibson@uams.edu.

From the Association for Clinical and Translational Science (ACTS): Do you know a member of the translational science community who has gone above and beyond in their contributions to the field over the last year? If you answered yes, then make a nomination for one of the following awards!

ACTS Distinguished Investigator Awards

The ACTS Distinguished Investigator Awards recognize senior investigators whose innovative research or education leadership has had a major impact on clinical and translational science. The three Distinguished Investigator Awards include:

Translation from bench research to patient application – the Edward H. Ahrens, Jr. Award for Patient-Oriented Research
Translation from early clinical use to applicability for widespread clinical practice
Translation from clinical use into public benefit and policy
ACTS Distinguished Educator Award

This award recognizes a clinical investigator who has distinguished himself or herself as a mentor and leader. Recipients of this award are innovators of clinical research training programs, and successful mentors who have documented national leadership in clinical research education programs, issues and funding.

AFMR Outstanding Investigator Award

The American Federation for Medical Research (AFMR) Outstanding Investigator Award is presented annually to an investigator age 45 or younger in recognition of excellence in biomedical research. Recipients of this award have provided innovative insight and had significant impact on a major scientific or clinical problem and demonstrated intellectual and scientific independence.

2014 ACTS Distinguished Investigator, ACTS Distinguished Educator, and AFMR Outstanding Investigator Awards Nomination Form

Team Science Award

This award was established to acknowledge and catalyze the growing importance of interdisciplinary teams to the translation of research discoveries into clinical applications and eventually widespread clinical practice. Proactive interaction between academic and industry researchers is particularly crucial to continue progress and accelerate drug development. Recipients have demonstrated their support of a team science environment by creating mechanisms to enhance the required infrastructure, such as through pilot funding, technology transfer offices, shared resources, etc., and by presenting awards, honors, appointments, and promotions to those who participate in interdisciplinary teams.

2014 Team Science Award Nomination Form

All awards will be announced at Translational Science 2014, April 9-11, 2014 in Washington, DC.

Translational Science 2014 Trainee Travel Awards

ACTS members are invited to nominate one trainee for The Burroughs-Wellcome Fund Trainee Travel Award to attend the Translational Science 2014 meeting. This includes complimentary registration to the meeting, and up to $600 of travel costs.

Trainees will benefit from special sessions designed with them in mind, including “Meetings with Program Officers,” poster sessions, and networking opportunities. Full program are available on the meeting program page details.

Nominations must be submitted by Feb. 7. Nominate one trainee.

Please include:

The nominee’s CV
The name, degree(s), and training status of the nominee (e.g., enrolled in clinical research Master’s or K30 program, K12, K23, R25 or other career development award)
A paragraph or two (no more than one page) about the current status and career development plans of the nominee
A statement of commitment to cover any remaining travel expenses for their trainee.