1.  RAMSeS downtime
2. Federal Reporter: Find NIH and NSF funded projects…at once!
3. NIH Request for Information: Soliciting Input into the NIH Science Vision for Health Disparities Research
4. Sampling of external funding opportunities
   a. Humanities:

   1. 2016-2017 Fulbright Scholar Program Competition
   2. Fulbright Scholar Global Flex Award.
   3. NSF: Science, Technology, and Society (STS) Program
   4. NEH Summer Stipends – limited submission opportunity

   b. Sciences

   1. NCBC: Biotechnology Innovation Grant (BIG)
   2. NSF: Decision, Risk and Management Sciences
   3. AHRQ Small Research Grant Program (R03)
   4. NSF CAREER Awards
   5. NIH Fundamental Mechanisms of Affective and Decisional Processes in Cancer Control (U01)
   6. NIH: Research Partnerships for Scaling Up Mental Health Interventions in Low-and Middle-Income Countries (U19)
   7. NSF Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU)
   8. Howard Hughes Medical Institute – Inclusive Excellence – limited submission opportunity
   9. NIH: Administrative Supplements for Research on Dietary Supplements
   10. NIH Health Services and Economic Research on the Prevention and Treatment of Drug, Alcohol, and Tobacco Abuse
   11. CDMRP: FY15 Autism Research Program

   c. Education

   1. Bringing Theory to Practice – developing sustainable campus cultures
   2. Institute of Education Sciences (IES) Education Research

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1. RAMSeS downtime

RAMSeS will be unavailable on Sunday June 7, 2015, due to required updates. Service will resume by 12am on June 8, 2015.

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2. Federal Reporter: Find NIH and NSF funded projects…at once!

NIH Reporter is a very nice tool (http://report.nih.gov/), that can be used to search for currently funded projects and to dig through funding success rates and a trove of related data plus reports. NSF Award Search (http://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/) is also very useful when you need to see what types of projects have been previously funded under a specific mechanism of NSF.

…And to search NIH and NSF funding at once, try Federal Reporter:
http://federalreporter.nih.gov/

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3. NIH Request for Information: Soliciting Input into the NIH Science Vision for Health Disparities Research

The National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD) is embarking on a scientific planning process in collaboration with other NIH Institutes and Centers to define a vision that will guide the development of the science of health disparities research for the next decade.

This RFI seeks conceptual input regarding the science vision for health disparities research to ensure that the NIMHD and the NIH remain a global leader in addressing health disparities. In particular, comments are being sought regarding key research areas that might address the complexity of the multiple, interacting factors that often generate and perpetuate health disparities. In addressing the charge to define a science vision that will guide the development of a transformational health disparities agenda, the NIMHD is exploring fundamental research questions to help shape the process.

Responses will be accepted through July 31, 2015.
See more at: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-MD-15-006.html#sthash.88518HUE.dpuf

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4. Sampling of external funding opportunities

a1. 2016-2017 Fulbright Scholar Program Competition

The core competition for 2016-2017 academic year grants is currently open. With the exception of the seminar offerings, the deadline for all awards is 11:59 p.m., Eastern Standard Time, Monday, August 3, 2015.

Full details: http://catalog.cies.org/

a2. Fulbright Scholar Global Flex Award

The new Global Flex Award provides U.S. academics and professionals with the flexibility to engage in advanced regional or trans-regional research and/or teaching. As a truly worldwide award, U.S. scholars will be able to collaborate and engage in scholarly activities in two or three countries, in one or more regions.

Projects are welcome in all disciplines, as well as those with an interdisciplinary focus. Proposals should reflect topics which would benefit from a global perspective and clearly demonstrate a need to spend time in each of the proposed countries.

Minimum length of the total grant is three months and the maximum is six months. Grants can begin as early as February 1, 2016 and segments may be conducted within one academic year or spread over two or three consecutive years.

Deadline to apply: Monday, August 3, 2015

For more information visit: http://www.cies.org/program/fulbright-global-flex-award
Or contact: globalflex@iie.org.

a3. NSF: Science, Technology, and Society (STS) Program

The STS program supports research that uses historical, philosophical, and social scientific methods to investigate the intellectual, material, and social facets of the scientific, technological, engineering and mathematical (STEM) disciplines. It encompasses a broad spectrum of STS topics including interdisciplinary studies of ethics, equity, governance, and policy issues that are closely related to STEM disciplines, including medical science.

Types of funding:

• Standard Research Grants and Grants for Collaborative Research
• Scholars Awards
• Postdoctoral Fellowships
• Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement Grants.
• Conference and Workshop Support

• Societal aspects of emerging high-tech technologies (e.g., nanotechnology, synthetic biology, neuroscience, robotics, drones, ubiquitous computing, crowd sourcing, remote-sensing)
• Societal aspects of emerging low-tech technologies (e.g., paper microscopes; whirlwind wheel chairs)
• Issues relating to equity, ethics, governance, sustainability, public engagement, user-centeredness, and inclusiveness.
• Integration of traditional STS approaches with innovative perspectives from the arts or humanities.
• Ethical, policy, and cultural issues regarding big data, surveillance and privacy in an increasingly networked world, and
• The science of broadening participation in STEM disciplines.

Sponsor Website http://www.grants.gov/view-opportunity.html?oppId=268919
Program URL http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2015/nsf15506/nsf15506.htm
PROGRAM SOLICITATION: NSF 15-506
Deadline Dates: Annually in Feb and Aug. Next deadline is 03-Aug-2015

a4. NEH Summer Stipends – limited submission opportunity

The National Endowment for the Humanities has established a deadline of Thursday, October 1, 2015 at 5:00PM for Summer Stipend applications for funding in Summer of 2016. Additional details are available from the NEH at: http://www.neh.gov/grants/research/summer-stipends

The internal deadline for UNCG applications will be Friday, August 7th, at 5:00PM. This internal deadline provides time for a panel of five UNCG faculty to review the proposals and select up to two proposals that will represent UNCG in this prestigious competition. Additional details on the internal review requirements are contained in the attached PDF.

b. Sciences

b1. NCBC: Biotechnology Innovation Grant (BIG)
The purpose of the Biotechnology Innovation Grant (BIG) program is to support studies at North Carolina research institutions that enable commercialization of early-stage university life science inventions that have significant commercial potential. Typically, funding will support studies that yield a “go/no-go decision” regarding the pursuit of intellectual property protection and/or commercialization of the invention.

The project team must include an academic scientist and a commercialization partner.

Proposals with the following features will be more competitive:

• Innovative technology that solves a problem
• Proposed work builds on a solid foundation of basic research
• Well defined, achievable milestones for the project period
• Clear market problem that this technology could address
• Understanding of the current state of the art and probable freedom to operate with regard to IP
• Clear and realistic understanding of market potential and potential future partners

Details are provided in the program guidelines:
https://www.ncbiotech.org/sites/default/files/funding/BIG_16_Proposal%20Guidelines_Instructions.pdf
Maximum Award: $100,000
Due date: NOON, Wednesday, July 15, 2015

b2. NSF: Decision, Risk and Management Sciences
The Decision, Risk and Management Sciences program supports scientific research directed at increasing the understanding and effectiveness of decision making by individuals, groups, organizations, and society. Disciplinary and interdisciplinary research, doctoral dissertation research improvement grants (ddrigs), and workshops are funded in the areas of judgment and decision making; decision analysis and decision aids; risk analysis, perception, and communication; societal and public policy decision making; management science and organizational design.

Deadline Date: 18-Aug-2015
Website: http://www.grants.gov/view-opportunity.html?oppId=275142
Program URL: http://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=5423

b3. AHRQ Small Research Grant Program (R03)
This FOA encourages Small Research Grant (R03) applications, and expresses AHRQ priority areas of interest for ongoing small research projects. The R03 grant mechanism supports different types of health services research projects including pilot and feasibility studies; secondary analysis of existing data; small, self-contained research projects; development of research methodology; and development of new research technology.

AHRQ’s specific priority areas of focus are:

Improve health care quality by accelerating implementation of Patient Centered Outcomes Research (PCOR)
Make health care safer
Increase accessibility by evaluating expansions of insurance coverage
Improve health care affordability, efficiency and cost transparency

Deadline Date: 16-Jun-2015
Program URL: http://grants1.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PA-15-147.html

b4. NSF CAREER Awards
The Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Program is a Foundation-wide activity that offers the National Science Foundation’s most prestigious awards in support of junior faculty who exemplify the role of teacher-scholars through outstanding research, excellent education and the integration of education and research within the context of the mission of their organizations. Such activities should build a firm foundation for a lifetime of leadership in integrating education and research. NSF encourages submission of CAREER proposals from junior faculty members at all CAREER-eligible organizations and especially encourages women, members of underrepresented minority groups, and persons with disabilities to apply. Deadlines July 21 and 22, 2015, depending on the field/program.

http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2015/nsf15555/nsf15555.htm?WT.mc_id=USNSF_25&WT.mc_ev=click

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) about the CAREER Program for Submission in Years 2015 and 2016: http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2015/nsf15057/nsf15057.jsp?WT.mc_id=USNSF_179

b5. NIH Fundamental Mechanisms of Affective and Decisional Processes in Cancer Control (U01)
The purpose of this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) is to encourage projects to generate fundamental knowledge of affective processes. Basic affective science projects should have key downstream consequences for single (e.g., genetic testing consent) and multiple (e.g., adherence to oral chemotherapy regimen) event decisions and behaviors across the cancer prevention and control continuum. The FOA is expected to encourage scientific disciplines that have not traditionally conducted cancer research – such as affective and cognitive neuroscience, decision science, and consumer science – to elucidate perplexing and understudied problems in basic affective and decision sciences with promise of having downstream implications for cancer prevention and control science.

National Cancer Institute (NCI) invites applications for projects to generate fundamental knowledge of affective processes. Basic affective science projects should have key downstream consequences for single (e.g., genetic testing consent) and multiple (e.g., adherence to oral chemotherapy regimen) event decisions and behaviors across the cancer prevention and control continuum. The FOA is expected to encourage scientific disciplines that have not traditionally conducted cancer research – such as affective and cognitive neuroscience, decision science, and consumer science – to elucidate perplexing and understudied problems in basic affective and decision sciences with promise of having downstream implications for cancer prevention and control science. This program will use the NIH U01 Research Project Cooperative Agreements award mechanism.

This FOA is expected to engage scientists with limited knowledge of cancer prevention and control science. Projects should leverage classic and contemporary experimental designs and methodological paradigms to expand our understanding of affective and decisional processes that may contribute to cancer risk and outcomes. Applications are encouraged to incorporate more than one operationalization of affect (e.g., fMRI, brain lesion, physiological assessment, self-report, induction). Projects should generate basic fundamental knowledge that provides opportunities and approaches for future applied cancer prevention and control research and interventions. Results will provide information that can be leveraged in future efforts to address perplexing scientific questions related to the behavioral reduction of cancer burden. Applications are expected to consider cancer applications in the articulation and planning of basic projects. This will ensure that basic discoveries supported under this FOA have near-term potential for translation to interventions to improve cancer prevention and control.

The deadlines for receipt of full applications are: June 10, 2014; October 15, 2014; June 10, 2015; October 14, 2015; June 10, 2016; October 14, 2016, by 5:00 PM local time of applicant organization. This program will expire on October 15, 2016..

URL: http://grants1.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PAR-14-067.html

b6. NIH Research Partnerships for Scaling Up Mental Health Interventions in Low-and Middle-Income Countries (U19)
This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) solicits applications to address implementation questions facing World Bank designated low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) in their efforts to scale up sustainable, evidence-based mental health interventions and thereby eliminate the mental health care treatment gap for children, women, and men. The mental health treatment gap refers to the proportion of persons who need, but do not receive care. Each awarded project is to conduct implementation research and research capacity-building activities in LMICs in any one of the following geographical regions: East Asia and the Pacific; Europe and Central Asia; Latin America and the Caribbean; Middle East and North Africa; South Asia; Sub-Saharan Africa. As a group, awardees will constitute a network for mental health implementation research in LMICs with capabilities for answering research questions about going to scale with mental health interventions, sustaining high-quality mental health care in resource-limited settings, and fostering evidence-based mental health policy and program development on an ongoing basis. This program is not intended to support research that can be conducted primarily in and/or by United States or other high income country institutions.

Letter of Intent Due Date: June 15, 2015
Application Due Date: July 15, 2015, by 5:00 PM
See more at: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-MH-16-350.html

b7. NSF Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU)
The Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program supports active research participation by undergraduate students in any of the areas of research funded by the National Science Foundation. REU projects involve students in meaningful ways in ongoing research programs or in research projects specifically designed for the REU program. This solicitation features two mechanisms for support of student research: (1) REU Sites are based on independent proposals to initiate and conduct projects that engage a number of students in research. REU Sites may be based in a single discipline or academic department or may offer interdisciplinary or multi-department research opportunities with a coherent intellectual theme. Proposals with an international dimension are welcome. (2) REU Supplements may be included as a component of proposals for new or renewal NSF grants or cooperative agreements or may be requested for ongoing NSF-funded research projects.

Undergraduate student participants in either REU Sites or REU Supplements must be U.S. citizens, U.S. nationals, or permanent residents of the United States. Students do not apply to NSF to participate in REU activities. Students apply directly to REU Sites or to NSF-funded investigators who receive REU Supplements.

Solicitation: NSF 13-542
Full Proposal Deadline Date: August 26, 2015
Full details: http://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=5517&WT.mc_id=USNSF_39&WT.mc_ev=click

b8. Howard Hughes Medical Institute – Inclusive Excellence – limited submission opportunity

UNCG may submit up to one application for this funding opportunity.
http://www.hhmi.org/InclusiveExcellence2017

“The goal of this initiative is to help institutions build their capacity to effectively engage all students in science throughout their undergraduate years, especially those who come to college via on traditional pathways.”

Here are the sponsor deadlines:

Intent to apply deadline is July 14, 2015.
Pre-proposals are due to the Sponsor on December 1, 2015 at 2pm.
Full proposals are due October 2016.

The internal deadline at UNCG is June 4, 2015 @5PM. By this internal deadline, interested PI’s must email the PI name, a non-binding list of Co-PIs and Co-I’s, and project title, to Aubrey Turner at aubrey.turner@uncg.edu

If more than one group is interested in applying, then on June 5, 2015 we will notify each PI that they must submit also an abstract and aims/goals by June 19, 2015 @5PM in order to move forward. These materials would then go to the UNCG Research Advisory Council for final selection of a single team/proposal that will represent UNCG in this grant competition.

b9. NIH: Administrative Supplements for Research on Dietary Supplements

This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) announces the availability of administrative supplements to support research in which the supplemental funding would investigate the role of dietary supplements and/or their ingredients in health maintenance and disease prevention. Parent awards need not be focused on dietary supplements; this FOA may provide support to include dietary supplements within the scope of relevant research projects. Research interests of the Office of Dietary Supplements (ODS) are not limited to specific health conditions, organ systems or population groups. ODS supports all types of research, including pre-clinical, clinical, behavioral, and epidemiological. Additionally, ODS supports research and training programs that build future research capacity for studying the role of dietary supplements in health and disease prevention. Primary consideration for support will be given to applications that stimulate dietary supplement research where it is lacking or lagging, clarify gaps, opportunities and balance between benefits and risks where data are in conflict, target special population groups where additional science on dietary supplements is needed, and focus on the use of dietary supplements in improving or maintaining health and reducing the risk of chronic disease.

Due dates: October 15, 2015; January 15, 2016; or April 15, 2016,

See more at: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PA-15-258.html#sthash.8rVJqdFi.dpuf

b10. NIH Health Services and Economic Research on the Prevention and Treatment of Drug, Alcohol, and Tobacco Abuse

• Pilot Health Services and Economic Research on the Treatment of Drug, Alcohol, and Tobacco Abuse (R34)
  (PA-15-250)
• Health Services and Economic Research on the Prevention and Treatment of Drug, Alcohol, and Tobacco Abuse (R01)
  (PA-15-251)
• Health Services and Economic Research on the Prevention and Treatment of Drug, Alcohol, and Tobacco Abuse (R03)
  (PA-15-252)
• Health Services and Economic Research on the Prevention and Treatment of Drug, Alcohol, and Tobacco Abuse (R21)
  (PA-15-253)

National Institute on Drug Abuse
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
Application Receipt/Submission Date(s): Multiple dates, see announcement.

b11. CDMRP: FY15 Autism Research Program

Clinical Trial Award
Idea Development Award
Link to program summaries: http://cdmrp.army.mil/funding/pdf/15arpreftable.pdf

Pre-Application due: June 10, 2015
Invitation to Submit an Application: July 2015
Application due: October 1, 2015

More info and pre-application links: http://cdmrp.army.mil/funding/arp.shtml

c. Education.

c1. Bringing Theory to Practice
Founded in 2003, Bringing Theory to Practice (BTtoP) encourages and supports colleges and universities in developing sustainable campus cultures that reaffirm higher education’s core purposes:

• Advancing higher learning and discovery
• Fostering the well-being of the whole student
• Serving as a public good to deepen and sustain a civic society

To date, over 460 grants at varying levels have been awarded to diverse colleges and universities. For the 2015-2017 funding cycle, proposals are requested in the following categories:

Category I: Well-Being Seminar Grants
Seminar Grants (up to $1,000) provide support for campus-wide planning discussions (seminars) that give focused attention to a particular dimension of the well-being of those involved (students, faculty, or other leaders) in creating and maintaining an engaged culture for learning. Seminars should deepen participants’ understanding of the institution’s commitment to whole-person development and the learning-related policies and practices, both inside and outside the curriculum, that support such endeavors.

The first deadline for Seminar Grant proposals is September 15, 2015.

Category II: Well-Being Research Project Grants
Research Project Grants (up to $10,000, plus institutional matching) should implement and assess a campus-based, two-year research project that focuses on the well-being of students, particularly those traditionally underserved by higher education. Projects should, through the gathering of evidence, provide justification for best practices that deepen and sustain the institution’s commitment to whole-person development.

The ONLY deadline for Research Project Grant proposals is August 1, 2015.

Full details: http://www.bttop.org/grants-funding/funding-opportunities

c2. Institute of Education Sciences (IES) Education Research
The Institute of Education Sciences (Institute) announces FY 2016 competitions for grants to support education research and special education research. The Institute’s purpose in awarding these grants is to provide national leadership in expanding fundamental knowledge and understanding of (1) developmental and school readiness outcomes for infants and toddlers with or at risk for disability, and (2) education outcomes for all students from early childhood education through postsecondary and adult education.

Purpose of Program: The central purpose of the Institute’s research grant programs is to provide interested individuals and the general public with reliable and valid information about education practices that support learning and improve academic achievement and access to education opportunities for all students. These interested individuals include parents, educators, students, researchers, and policymakers. In carrying out its grant programs, the Institute provides support for programs of research in areas of demonstrated national need.

Competitions in This Notice: The Institute will conduct eight research competitions in FY 2016 through two of its centers: The Institute’s National Center for Education Research (NCER) will hold six competitions: one competition for education research, one competition for education research training, one competition for education research and development centers, one competition for statistical and research methodology in education, one competition for partnerships and collaborations focused on problems of practice or policy, and one competition for research networks. The Institute’s National Center for Special Education Research (NCSER) will hold two competitions: one competition for special education research and one competition for special education research training.

Due dates vary by specific program, but generally fall in August .
Details at: http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=275863