Limited and External Funding Opportunities

Contact us...

• Email LSO@vanderbilt.edu if you are interested in an opportunity not listed below or have questions regarding the LSO submission process.

 

Have you been awarded a Limited Submission recognition?

Please let us know at LSO@vanderbilt.edu

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Active Internal Calls for Limited Submission Nominations 

Internal review process required to choose institutional nominees

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Limited Submission Eligibility Guidelines

The following tags serve as a guide for submission instructions.

 Vanderbilt (VU + VUMC):  

• VU and VUMC submit collaboratively to this LSO. ALL investigators should follow the guidelines posted on this site.

 VUMC :

• VU and VUMC submit separately to this LSO. VUMC investigators should follow the guidelines posted on this site. VU investigators should apply through InfoReady and address any questions to VU-LSO@vanderbilt.edu.

FEATURED OPPORTUNITY

• High-profile or prestigious awards of particular interest to Vanderbilt investigators

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2023 V Foundation Women Scientists Innovation Award for Cancer Research

Applications due January 30, 2023

Vanderbilt (VU + VUMC): This is a joint competition for VU and VUMC investigators. All investigators should follow these instructions.

The pandemic has been a setback for the careers of researchers, particularly women. Sustaining the careers of women in research and preventing the loss of women from academic careers focused on cancer is paramount to accomplishing the V Foundation’s mission. For this reason, the V Foundation has issued a request for applications for the 2023 V Foundation Women Scientists Innovation Award for Cancer Research.

Vanderbilt (VU + VUMC, collaboratively) has been invited to participate in the 2023 V Foundation Women Scientists Innovation Award for Cancer Research. Vanderbilt may choose one nominee for the Women Scientists Innovation Award for Cancer Research. The single nominee may apply for only one of the following award types: V Scholar or Translational. This opportunity is restricted to adult cancer research and will fund a range of projects from laboratory-based fundamental research through bench-to-bedside strategies. Research areas not included in this scope for any grant type are epidemiology, behavioral science, and health services research.

V Scholar Award:

• Overview: V Scholar applicants can propose cancer research that is focused on laboratory research that increases our understanding of cancer biology or translational type research that improves cancer detection, prevention, treatment, and survivorship. Emphasis for this grant mechanism is on supporting exceptional early career investigators at the Assistant Professor stage to be better positioned to leverage large R01 or similar sustaining grants.
• Award amount: $600,000, paid in 3 annual installments. No indirect costs allowed.

Translational Research Award:

• Overview: Translational grant applicants can propose cancer research that moves a novel strategy from the laboratory into a human clinical trial or uses specimens from a clinical trial to develop biomarkers or mechanisms. The research should apply in some direct way to human beings within the time frame of less than 3 years from the end of the grant. If biomarker research is undertaken, a validation set or independent clinical trial is essential. A plan for biomarker validation, if applicable, must be included in any proposal. The endpoint of the project should be the planning or initiation of a new clinical trial.
• Award amount: $800,000, paid in 4 annual installments. Indirect costs up to 10% allowed (not to exceed $80,000 within the award).

Applicant Eligibility: Each applicant must meet all of the award-relevant criteria below by February 15, 2023.

For All applicant types:

• Must self-identify as a woman
• Must hold a tenure-track or tenured faculty position at their cancer research institution. Non-promotable adjunct, affiliated, temporary, part-time, or acting faculty positions are not eligible for Principal Investigator nomination.

For Translational applicants:

• Must be either a US Citizen or have a legal permit (temporary or permanent) to work in the US.

For V Scholar applicants:

• Must be a US citizen or have permanent legal residency in the US.
• Must possess at least 2 years post-doctoral (MD or PhD) fellowship training. For MDs, a minimum of one year is acceptable if only one year is required for their specialty.
• Clinical scientists are eligible if the research institution can demonstrate that it will fully support the research applicant (e.g., dedicated lab space, committed research time, start-up funds).
• V Scholar applicants must have been appointed to their first full-time tenure track Assistant Professor position no more than 5 years prior to the nomination due date of February 15, 2023, and not yet been promoted to Associate Professor (for e.g., must be eligible to apply for PI status on an R01 at your institution).
• Must NOT have been a previous or current V Foundation V Scholar awardee.
• Must NOT have accepted or have received notification that you will be awarded an R01 or other large grant exceeding $250K per year in funding to your lab from public or private sources by this nomination due date of February 15, 2023. Internal/start-up institutional funds should not be included in the calculation.
• Must NOT have accepted or have received notification of aggregated funding exceeding $300K per year for more than 3 consecutive years by this nomination due date of February 15, 2023. Internal/start-up institutional funds should not be included in this aggregate calculation.

Internal Selection Process:

Anyone interested in being considered as Vanderbilt’s nominee for either of the awards above must submit the following (in PDF format) to LSO@vanderbilt.edu  by 11:59 p.m. on January 30, 2023. Late applications will not be considered.

1. Brief (2 page maximum) research plan including summary budget;
2. Letter of support from department chair/center director;
   1. V Scholar award does not allow indirect costs. Scholar letters must also acknowledge that this grant does not allow indirect costs. This statement can be used/modified within the letter: “The Department recognizes that this grant does not allow indirect costs and will commit to covering any associated indirect costs per applicable institutional/school policy.” Consult LSO@vanderbilt.edu for further guidance.
   2. Translational award allows 10% indirect costs; indirect cost statement is not required.
3. NIH Biosketch or 5-page CV

Submissions should reference the award type (Translational or V Scholar) in the subject line of the email.

A nomination form and letter of support for Vanderbilt’s selected candidate will be submitted to the V Foundation by February 15, 2023. The candidate will then receive an invitation to submit a full application to the foundation, due March 16, 2023.

Please contact us at LSO@vanderbilt.edu if you have any questions about the program, foundation, or internal review process.

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2023 Pediatric Cancer Research Foundation Grants

Applications due February 2, 2023

Vanderbilt (VU + VUMC): This is a joint competition for VU and VUMC investigators. All investigators should follow these instructions. 

Vanderbilt (VU & VUMC combined) may submit up to 2 Letters of Intent, 1 per available award type, to the Pediatric Cancer Research Foundation Grants Program. Founded in 1982, the Pediatric Cancer Research Foundation (PCRF) has raised $42 million for cancer research since its inception. This represents the persistent hard work of physicians, researchers, volunteers, staff and community partners who are dedicated to the health of our future generation—our children. Their mission remains to improve the care, quality of life and survival rates of children with malignant diseases.  

The foundation is unique in their approach to funding childhood cancer research — working directly with doctors, researchers, and nurses to identify the specific challenges they face in bringing new treatments to and caring for children with cancer. Careful distribution of grants has allowed doctors and nurses to speed up the process of bringing the latest and most promising life-saving treatments to seriously ill children. The result is bringing hope to childhood cancer patients now and in the future.

Two grant opportunities are currently available:

• Translational Research Grant (up to $75,000 per year, for up to two years)

These grants fund new research protocols and therapies that hold promise for improved outcomes and accelerates cures from the laboratory bench to the bedside of children and teens with high-risk cancers. This Grant is given to single or multi-institutional programs that involve open, cancer clinical trials or consortia, and implement new approaches to therapy. Applicants must be a PhD and/or MD.

• Emerging Investigator Fellowship (up to $50,000 per year for one year)

These grants are designed to support Post-Doctoral Fellowships and Clinical Investigator training for emerging pediatric cancer researchers to pursue exciting research ideas. Applicants must have completed two years of their fellowship or not more than two years as a junior faculty instructor or assistant professor at the start of the award period. These grants encourage and cultivate the best and brightest researchers of the future.  Researchers not previously funded by the foundation are typically funded at the Emerging Investigator Fellowship level.

All applicants are required to submit a Letter of Intent. Refer to the PCRF Letters of Intent guidelines for specific details.

Grant Criteria and Eligibility

• The probability of an advance in prevention, diagnosis or treatment for the near-term 
• The novelty of the concept and strategy 
• The clarity of presentation
• The overall plan for bringing the research findings to clinical application
• Experience, background, and qualifications of the investigators
• Adequacy of resources and environment (facilities, patients, etc.)
• PCRF does not have citizenship requirements for our investigators. However, the Principal Investigator needs to be employed by a non-profit U.S. institution that has an affiliation with a hospital.
• Translational Grants require the applicant to be a PhD and/or MD.
•  Emerging Investigator applicants must have completed two years of their fellowship, or not more than two years as a junior faculty instructor or assistant professor at the start of the award period.

Award Information

Allowable Costs

• Personnel costs (including salary and fringe benefits) There is no salary cap applied.

• Supplies
• Travel (restricted to nominal travel costs)
• Other expenses 

Unallowable Costs

• PCRF does not typically fund equipment costs. If you are planning to request equipment in your application budget please contact the Executive Director of PCRF, Jeri Wilson at jwilson@pcrf-kids.org prior to submission.
• No indirect costs will be funded.
• Funds awarded shall be used solely for the purposes specified in the application submitted for consideration and in strict compliance with the budget submitted with the application.

For more information, see the foundation Grants Manual and LOI Guidelines.

Internal Application Process:

Anyone interested in being considered as a potential nominee must submit the below items (in PDF format) to LSO@vanderbilt.edu by 5:00 p.m. on February 2, 2023.  Submissions should reference the award type in the subject line of the email.

1. Brief research plan (2 page max, including summary budget)
2. Statement of support from Dean, department chair, or center director
   1. Letter must acknowledge that this grant does not allow indirect costs.** This statement can be used/modified: “The Department recognizes that this grant does not allow indirect costs and will commit to covering any associated indirect costs per applicable institutional/school policy.”
3. Biosketch in Current NIH Format

Any questions about this opportunity or the LSO process may be directed to LSO@vanderbilt.edu.

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NIAID Autoimmunity Centers of Excellence, Basic (U19) and Clinical (UM1) Research Programs

Applications due February 3, 2023

VUMC:  These instructions are for VUMC investigators. VU investigators should apply through InfoReady and address any questions to VU-LSO@vanderbilt.edu.

Overview:

VUMC may submit one application per RFA for the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease (NIAID) Autoimmunity Centers of Excellence (ACE) programs. There are two separate RFAs for a Basic Research Program (U19 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) and a Clinical Research Program (UM1 Clinical Trial Required): RFA-AI-22-070 and RFA-AI-22-071.

The ACE program was founded to accelerate the discovery and translation from lab to clinic of therapies for autoimmune diseases. The ACE conducts cooperative clinical, mechanistic, and basic studies, fosters intellectual and material collaborations among scientists, and facilitates the study of clinical samples by research scientists. The ACE combines two research programs – Basic and Clinical – that align grant awards with responsibilities.

• Basic Research Program (RFA-AI-22-070) provides a solid scientific foundation and conducts advanced investigations into fundamental and applied human autoimmunity through innovative Principal, Pilot, and Collaborative programs. The program is expected to advance our fundamental understanding of human autoimmunity, identify common and distinct mechanisms in the pathogenesis of autoimmune diseases, and clarify mechanisms of action of immune-modulating agents used in therapy or tested in clinical trials. See the RFA for full details of necessary program components and non-responsive proposals.
• Clinical Research Program (RFA-AI-22-071) develops and conducts Clinical Projects (i.e., clinical trials with integrated mechanistic studies) as well as Collaborative Projects investigating fundamental human immunology. The 6 elements of each Clinical Center are described fully in the RFA: Administration Coordination, ACE Funds Management Coordination (AFMC), ACE Biorepository Coordination (ABC), Primary and Alternate Clinical Projects, and the Collaborative Project.

See solicitations for full program, eligibility, and budget details:

• RFA-AI-22-070 – Basic Research Program
• RFA-AI-22-071 – Clinical Research Program

Internal Application Process:

Anyone interested in being considered to submit a proposal must submit the following materials to LSO@vanderbilt.edu by 5 p.m. on February 3. Please indicate which RFA you are applying for in your email.

1. Brief project overview, list of collaborators, and expected annual budget (2-page max);
2. Statement of support from department chair/center director;
3. NIH Biosketch or up to 5-page CV

Those chosen to submit a proposal will submit a Letter of Intent by April 19, 2023 and full proposal by May 19, 2023.

Any questions about this opportunity or the LSO process may be directed to LSO@vanderbilt.edu.

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Programs for Inclusion and Diversity Among Individuals Engaged in Health-Related Research (PRIDE): Coordination Center (U24 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) and Summer Institute (R25 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)

Applications due February 6, 2023

VUMC:  These instructions are for VUMC investigators. VU investigators should address any questions to VU-LSO@vanderbilt.edu.

Overview:

VUMC may submit one application per RFA for the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute’s Programs for Inclusion and Diversity Among Individuals Engaged in Health-Related Research (PRIDE). There are two separate RFAs for a Coordination Center (U24 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) and a Summer Institute (R25 Clinical Trial Required): RFA-HL-24-003 and RFA-HL-24-004.

Coordination Center (RFA-HL-24-003) provides programmatic support for the PRIDE program overall and to complement the activities of the summer institute programs as follows:

• Facilitate outreach, participant recruitment, candidate screening, and program-wide organization
• Support and assist with the identification and orientation of SI program mentors
• Support matriculants' research education experiences through webinar and in-person learning activities
• Administrate and facilitate equitable distribution of research- related resources and opportunities
• Facilitate coordination of research education and evaluation activities among the SI awardees, enrolled participants, and the NHLBI
• Develop and facilitate orientation and other skill development activities for mentors
• Support mentoring of program participants by assisting the SIs with the formation of participants' mentorship committees
• Conduct cross-site and cross-program evaluations, including use of data from previous PRIDE cohorts to document program accomplishments, trends and trajectories.

In addition, the CC also plans, arranges, and facilitates the program-wide PRIDE annual meetings, the monthly steering committee meetings, and other PD(s)/PI(s) meetings for the program overall as needed. To be competitive for review, applicants should provide strong evidence of expertise in program administration, program coordination and program evaluation.

Summer Institutes (RFA-HL-24-004) supports mentoring and research education activities that enhance the diversity of the biomedical, behavioral and clinical research workforce. The major goal of this R25 program is to establish long-term mentoring that will enable junior faculty and transitioning postdoctoral students from diverse backgrounds, including those from groups that are underrepresented in the biomedical sciences, to develop a research program and work with their home institution to obtain NIH funding. This FOA specifically invites applications that would support senior faculty, established researchers, and experienced mentors to develop and direct the Summer Institutes for PRIDE in order to mentor promising eligible junior faculty and transitioning postdoctoral students from diverse backgrounds who have specific scientific interests in heart, lung, blood and sleep (HLBS) disorders research.

To accomplish the stated over-arching goal, this FOA will support educational activities with a primary focus on Research Experiences and Mentoring Activities (described below):

• Research Experiences for participating junior faculty and transitioning postdoctoral students from diverse backgrounds to enhance their research skills, experiences, and knowledge base relative to HLBS scientific areas and cross-cutting methodological approaches. This can include transitioning postdoctoral scientists who have received a formal full-time faculty appointment letter in hand and will have completed their postdoctoral appointment by the time the Summer Institute program to which they are recruited is convened.   

• Mentoring Activities by senior faculty, established researchers, and experienced mentors that include dedicated efforts to provide technical expertise, career advice, insight, and professional skills development opportunities to participating junior faculty and transitioning postdoctoral students from diverse backgrounds so that they can work with their institutions to compete for NIH grants successfully.

Research education programs may complement ongoing research training and education occurring at the applicant institution, but the proposed educational experiences must be distinct from those training and education programs currently receiving Federal support. R25 programs may augment institutional research training programs (e.g., T32, T90) but cannot be used to replace or circumvent Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA) programs.

See solicitations for full program, eligibility, and budget details:

• RFA-HL-24-003 – Coordination Center (U24)
• RFA-HL-24-004 – Summer Institute (R25)

Institutions may apply for both the Summer Institute and Coordination Center components of this program, however, the PI(s) for the components must be different.

Internal Application Process:

Anyone interested in being considered to submit a proposal must submit the following materials to LSO@vanderbilt.edu by 5 p.m. on February 6. Please indicate which RFA you are applying for in your email.

1. Brief project overview, list of collaborators, and expected annual budget (2-page max);
2. Statement of support from department chair/center director;
3. NIH Biosketch or up to 5-page CV

Those chosen to submit a proposal will submit a Letter of Intent by February 10, 2023 and full proposal by March 10, 2023.

Any questions about this opportunity or the LSO process may be directed to LSO@vanderbilt.edu.

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NSF ADVANCE: Organizational Change for Gender Equity in STEM Academic Professions

Applications due February 9, 2023

Vanderbilt (VU + VUMC): This is a joint competition for VU and VUMC investigators. All investigators should follow these instructions.

The NSF ADVANCE program contributes to the National Science Foundation’s goal of a more diverse and capable science and engineering workforce. NSF ADVANCE seeks to build on prior NSF ADVANCE work and other research and literature concerning gender, racial, and ethnic equity. The NSF ADVANCE program goal is to broaden the implementation of evidence-based systemic change strategies that promote equity for STEM faculty in academic workplaces and the academic profession. The NSF ADVANCE program provides grants to enhance the systemic factors that support equity and inclusion and to mitigate the systemic factors that create inequities in the academic profession and workplaces. Systemic (or organizational) inequities may exist in areas such as policy and practice as well as in organizational culture and climate. For example, practices in academic departments that result in the inequitable allocation of service or teaching assignments may impede research productivity, delay advancement, and create a culture of differential treatment and rewards. Similarly, policies and procedures that do not mitigate implicit bias in hiring, tenure, and promotion decisions could lead to women and racial and ethnic minorities being evaluated less favorably, perpetuating historical under-participation in STEM academic careers and contributing to an academic climate that is not inclusive.

All NSF ADVANCE proposals are expected to use intersectional approaches in the design of systemic change strategies for STEM faculty in recognition that gender, race and ethnicity do not exist in isolation from each other and from other categories of social identity. The solicitation includes four funding tracks Institutional Transformation (IT), Adaptation, Partnership, and Catalyst, in support of the NSF ADVANCE program goal to broaden the implementation of systemic strategies that promote equity for STEM faculty.

• The Institutional Transformation (IT) track is designed to support the development, implementation, and evaluation of innovative systemic change strategies that promote gender equity for STEM faculty in academic workplaces within an institution of higher education.
• The Adaptation track is designed to support the work to adapt, implement, and evaluate evidence-based systemic change strategies that have been shown to promote gender equity for STEM faculty in academic workplaces and the academic profession. Adaptation projects can either: 1) support the adaptation of evidence-based systemic change strategies to promote equity for STEM faculty within an institution of higher education; or 2) facilitate national or regional STEM disciplinary transformation by adapting evidence-based systemic change strategies to non-profit, non-academic organizations.
• The Partnership track is designed to support the work to facilitate the broader adaptation of gender equity and systemic change strategies. Partnership projects are expected to result in national or regional transformation in STEM academic workplaces and the academic profession and demonstrate significant reach. Partnership projects can focus on the transformation of institutions and organizations and/or the transformation within one or more STEM disciplines.
• The Catalyst track is designed to broaden the types of IHEs that are able to undertake data collection and institutional self-assessment work to identify systemic gender inequities impacting their STEM faculty so that these can be addressed by the institution.

Eligibility

Vanderbilt University may submit only one proposal to the IT-Preliminary, Adaptation, OR Catalyst track. If applying for the IT track, institutional leadership must be involved.

Vanderbilt can be the lead organization only on one Partnership proposal in the same competition but may be partners on multiple ADVANCE Partnership proposals in the same competition.

Please note that NSF ADVANCE does not provide fellowships, research, or travel grants to individual students, postdoctoral researchers, or faculty to pursue STEM degrees or research.

Award Amounts

The total number of awards to be made under this solicitation is estimated to be between 18 and 36 over the two fiscal years of this solicitation.

In each year, NSF expects to make: approximately six Adaptation awards up to $1,000,000 for three years; six Partnership awards up to $1,000,000 for five year projects; and four Catalyst awards up to $300,000 for two years. IT awards may be for up to $3M over 5 years.

NSF anticipates that two to four of the twelve Adaptation and Partnerships projects may qualify for an additional $250,000 for collaborating with a project initiated with NSF funding as described in the project description.

See the solicitation for more information, including the different deadlines for each track.

Internal Application Process

Interested faculty should visit InfoReady to submit an application for the internal LSO competition by 11:59 p.m. on February 9.

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DOE Scientific Machine Learning for Complex Systems

Applications due February 9, 2023

VUMC: These instructions are for VUMC investigators. VU investigators should apply through InfoReady and address any questions to VU-LSO@vanderbilt.edu.

VUMC may submit up to 4 pre-applications as the lead instituion in a single- or multi-institutional team to the DOE Scientific Machine Learning for Complex Systems program. This program aims to support research applications to explore potentially high-impact approaches in the development and use of scientific machine learning (SciML) and artificial intelligence (AI) in the predictive modeling, simulation and analysis of complex systems and processes.

High-performance computational models, simulations, algorithms, data from experiments and observations, and automation are being used to accelerate scientific discovery and innovation. Recent workshops, report, and strategic plans across the DOE have highlighted the research, development, and use of artificial intelligence and machine learning for science, energy, and security. Relevant domains include materials, environmental, and life sciences; high-energy, nuclear, and plasma physics; and the DOE Energy Earthshots Initiative, for examples.

Topic: Uncertainty Quantification for Scientific Machine Learning Modeling and Simulations

The focus of this funding opportunity is on basic research and development at the intersection of uncertainty quantification (UQ) and scientific machine learning (SciML) applied to the modeling and simulation of complex systems and processes. Scientific computing within the DOE traditionally has been dominated by complex, resource-intensive numerical simulations. However, the rise of data-driven SciML models and algorithms provides new opportunities. Traditional scientific computing forward simulations often are referred to as “inner loop” modeling. The combination of traditional scientific computing expertise and machine learning-based adaptivity and acceleration has the potential to increase the performance and throughput of inner-loop modeling. Such hybrid modeling and simulation approaches offer the opportunity, for example, to combine the versatility of neural networks for function and operator approximations, the domain-knowledge and interpretability of differential equations and operators, and the robustness of high-performance scientific computing software across these areas.

Applications submitted in response to this FOA must substantially address the research topic area and the following three facets in advanced scientific computing:

1. Impact: What are the most significant or compelling scientific or technical challenges that are driving the development of the proposed approaches?
2. Methodology: In what ways will the proposed research provide new and/or significant enabling technology for scientific computing? What are the potential merits and limitations, particularly with respect to current and emerging high-end computing architectures and ecosystems?
3. Validation: What is a relevant set of non-trivial metrics for assessing the accuracy and effectiveness of the proposed approaches?

While it is anticipated that proposed projects will focus on specific complex systems, this Announcement seeks to advance applied mathematics techniques with general applicability. Applicants must demonstrate that their proposed work is not specific to a particular complex system.

For this FOA, the following are out-of-scope:

• Approaches for specific scientific or engineering problems that are not applicable to a broader class of problems,
• Approaches with a primary emphasis on tailoring, or the implementation of, existing numerical methods for specific scientific problems,
• Approaches that are not focused on research advances and developments in uncertainty quantification,
• Computational implementations or frameworks for scientific or engineering problems that are primarily based on specific programming models or architectures,
• Research that results in incremental improvements to the existing state of practice.
• Proposed work that does not address the research topic area and all three facets in advanced scientific computing as described above.

Please see the full solicitation for more information.

Internal Application Process:

Anyone interested in being considered as VUMC’s potential nominee must submit the following (in a single PDF) to LSO@vanderbilt.edu by 5 p.m. on February 9:

• Brief project description, including summary budget (2 pages maximum)
• NIH Biosketch or 5-page CV
• Statement of support from department chair/center director

Any questions about this opportunity or the LSO process may be directed to LSO@vanderbilt.edu

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NSF Partnerships for Innovation (PFI-RP) Research Partnerships Track

Applications due February 10, 2023

VUMC: These instructions are for VUMC investigators. VU investigators should apply through InfoReady and address any questions to VU-LSO@vanderbilt.edu.

VUMC may submit one application to the May 2023 cycle of the NSF Partnerships for Innovation (PFI-RP) Research Partnerships Track.

The Partnerships for Innovation (PFI) Program within the Division of Industrial Innovation and Partnerships (IIP) offers researchers from all disciplines of science and engineering funded by NSF the opportunity to perform translational research and technology development, catalyze partnerships and accelerate the transition of discoveries from the laboratory to the marketplace for societal benefit.

PFI has five broad goals: (1) identifying and supporting NSF-sponsored research and technologies that have the potential for accelerated commercialization; (2) supporting prior or current NSF-sponsored investigators, institutions of higher education, and non-profit organizations that partner with an institution of higher education in undertaking proof-of-concept work, including the development of technology prototypes that are derived from NSF-sponsored research and have potential market value; (3) promoting sustainable partnerships between NSF-funded institutions, industry, and other organizations within academia and the private sector with the purpose of accelerating the transfer of technology; (4) developing multi-disciplinary innovation ecosystems which involve and are responsive to the specific needs of academia and industry; (5) providing professional development, mentoring, and advice in entrepreneurship, project management, and technology and business development to innovators.

In addition, PFI responds to the mandate set by Congress to support prototype or proof-of-concept development work by participants, including I-Corps participants, with innovations that because of the early stage of development are not eligible to participate in a Small Business Innovation Research Program or a Small Business Technology Transfer Program.

Finally, PFI seeks to enhance partnerships between academia and industry in the United States, and expanding the participation of women and individuals from underrepresented groups in innovation, technology translation, and entrepreneurship.

This solicitation offers two broad tracks for proposals in pursuit of the aforementioned goals. Only the Research Partnerships (PFI-RP) track is limited. The PFI-RP track supports complex, multi-faceted technology development projects that are typically beyond the scope of a single researcher or institution and require a multi-organizational, interdisciplinary, synergistic collaboration. A PFI-RP project requires the creation of partnerships between academic researchers and third-party organizations such as industry, non-academic research organizations, federal laboratories, public or non-profit technology transfer organizations or other universities. Such partnerships are needed to conduct applied research on a stand-alone larger project toward commercialization and societal impact. In the absence of such synergistic partnership, the project’s likelihood for success would be minimal. The budget for PFI-RP proposals is up to $1,000,000 for 36 months.

The intended outcomes of both tracks are: a) the commercialization of new intellectual property derived from NSF-funded research outputs; b) the creation of new or broader collaborations with industry (including increased corporate sponsored research); c) the licensing of NSF-funded research outputs to third party corporations or to start-up companies funded by a PFI team; and d) the training of future innovation and entrepreneurship leaders.

See the solicitation for more information.

Internal Application Process:

Anyone interested in being considered as VUMC’s potential nominee must submit the following (in a single PDF) to LSO@vanderbilt.edu by 5 p.m. on February 10:

• Brief (2-page maximum) research plan, including summary budget
• NIH Biosketch or 5-page CV
• Statement of support from department chair/center director

Any questions about this opportunity or the LSO process may be directed to LSO@vanderbilt.edu

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2024 Takeda Innovators in Science Award – Cancer Immunology

Applications due February 16, 2023

VUMC:  These instructions are for VUMC investigators. VU investigators should apply through InfoReady and address any questions to VU-LSO@vanderbilt.edu.

Overview:

VUMC may nominate 1 Early Career Scientist in a field of Cancer Immunology for the 2024 Innovators in Science Award, sponsored by Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited and administered by the New York Academy of Sciences. The awardee will receive an unrestricted prize of $200,000. The winning scientist will have distinguished themselves for the creativity and impact of their research.

Cancer remains the second-leading cause of death worldwide, and the global burden is expected to rise as the population grows and ages. Despite major advances in the drug development pipeline, about only 11% of new cancer therapeutics make it into the clinic. This Award recognizes bold, creative scientists seeking to increase our molecular and immunological understanding of cancer and inform novel therapeutic approaches. Each applicant’s research must advance one of the cancer immunology subcategories (see Eligibility below).

Each nominee will be evaluated based on the quality of their research, the impact of their research on human health, the novelty of their ideas and methods, and the promise they show for future contributions to their field. Full guidelines and review criteria are found on the program website.

Eligibility Criteria:

Note: Individuals in receipt of current or prior research support from Takeda, or its affiliates, are not eligible for nomination if the research support was in excess of US $10,000 (or equivalent in local currency) and was received within the last four (4) calendar years (2019-2022).

Early Career Scientist nominees must…

• Currently hold a junior level Post-doctoral or Faculty position.
• Have been engaged in active research for 10 years or less since gaining their doctorate degree
• Hold a doctorate degree (PhD, DPhil, MD, DDS, DVM, etc.).
• Have made impactful research contributions and show exceptional promise for significant future achievement in one of the cancer immunology subcategories (below).
• In the event that an Early-Career Scientist nominee has taken a maternity, paternity, adoptive, family care, military, or extended sick leave (in line with their current institution’s policies) during the 10 years since gaining their doctoral degree or equivalent, they may qualify for an extension of the eligibility timeframe.
  • Please clearly note in your internal application if you qualify for an eligibility exception.

Cancer Immunology Subcategories:

Applicants will be required to select from the list below one (1) primary Cancer Immunology category that best represents the focus area of their research.

1. Emerging immunomodulatory therapeutics
2. Innate immunity as a therapeutic approach
3. Immune mechanisms in the tumor microenvironment
4. Next-generation cell-based therapeutics
5. Epigenetic immune regulation in cancer
6. Precision and translational medicine approaches to individualized immunotherapies
7. Other

Internal Submission Instructions

Anyone interested in being considered as a potential nominee must submit the below items (in PDF format) to LSO@vanderbilt.edu by 5:00 p.m. on February 16, 2023. 

Submissions should specify the subcategory of Cancer Immunology to which you are applying and if you qualify for an eligibility timeframe exception (if needed.)

1. Brief research plan (2 page max, including future research plan)
2. Statement of support from Dean, department chair, or center director
3. Biosketch in Current NIH Format

Selected candidates must submit their nomination form to the sponsor by the external deadline of March 31, 2023

Any questions about this opportunity or the LSO process may be directed to LSO@vanderbilt.edu.

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2024 Pew Biomedical Scholars Program

Applications due March 1, 2023

VUMC:  These instructions are for VUMC investigators. VU investigators should apply through InfoReady and address any questions to VU-LSO@vanderbilt.edu.

VUMC may nominate one candidate for the Pew Charitable Trusts' 2024 Pew Biomedical Scholars Award. The award supports Assistant Professors of outstanding promise in science relevant to the advancement of human health. The award provides $300,000 in flexible support—$75,000 per year for a four-year period. Not more than 8 percent of the total award may be allocated for overhead costs.

Strong proposals will incorporate particularly creative and pioneering approaches. Candidates whose work is based on biomedical principles, but brings in concepts and theories from more diverse fields, are encouraged to apply. Ideas with the potential to produce an unusually high impact are encouraged. This program does not fund clinical trials research.

Selection of candidates will be based on a detailed description of the work that the applicant proposes to undertake, evaluations of the candidate’s performance, and notable past accomplishments, including honors, awards, and publications. The Committee gives considerable weight to both the project proposal and the researcher, including evidence that the candidate is a successful independent investigator and has the skill set needed to carry out their high-impact proposal.

Pew recognizes the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion in scientific progress and innovation and seeks applicants from all backgrounds. Pew encourages applications from candidates who are diverse, in terms of gender, minority status, and biomedical research field.

For examples of Pew scholar projects, a directory of past scholars can be found here, including previous Vanderbilt awardees (Mariana Byndloss ’22, William Wan ’22, John Karijolich ’18, Lauren Parker Jackson ‘16; Ethan Lee ‘04; David Cortez ‘03).

This program is distinct from the Pew-Stewart Scholars Program, but candidates may apply to both internal competitions.

Eligibility:

• Must have doctorate in biomedical sciences, medicine, or a related field including engineering or the physical sciences.
• As of Sept. 7, 2023, must run an independent lab and hold a full-time appointment at the rank of Assistant Professor. (Appointments such as Research Assistant Professor, Adjunct Assistant Professor, Assistant Professor Research Track, Visiting Professor or Instructor are not eligible. Associate Professors are not eligible.)
• Must not have been appointed as an assistant professor at any institution prior to June 12, 2019, whether or not such an appointment was on a tenure track.
  • Time spent in clinical internships, residencies, in work toward board certification, or on parental leave does not count as part of this four-year limit. Candidates who took parental leave should indicate this in their internal application.
  • Please note that eligibility criteria have been temporarily expanded to account for COVID-related lab shutdowns and research disruptions. Please direct any questions to the program office at scholarsapp@pewtrusts.org.
• It is expected that Pew scholars will spend at least 80 percent of their time in work or activities related to the accomplishment of their overall research goals (which are not restricted to the specific aims proposed for this award).
• The selected candidate may not be nominated more than two times in total, regardless of institution. 
• Funding from the NIH, other government sources, and project grants from nonprofit associations do not pose a conflict with the Pew scholars program.
• This program does not fund clinical trials research.
• Ideas with the potential to produce an unusually high impact are encouraged.

See the program details for more information.

Internal Application Instructions

Anyone interested in being considered as VUMC’s nominee must submit the following (in a single PDF) to LSO@vanderbilt.edu by 5 p.m. on March 1: 

1. Brief research plan including summary budget (2 page max);
2. Letter of support from department chair/center director;
3. NIH Biosketch or abbreviated CV (5 page max)

Submissions should reference "PEW BIOMEDICAL SCHOLARS" in the subject line of the email. 

Following the internal review, the nominee’s name will be submitted to the Pew Charitable Trusts by May 17, 2023 and the complete application will be due September 7, 2023.

Any questions about this opportunity or the LSO process may be directed to LSO@vanderbilt.edu.

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2024 Pew-Stewart Scholars for Cancer Research Program

Applications due March 1, 2023

Vanderbilt (VU + VUMC): This is a joint competition for VU and VUMC investigators. All investigators should follow these instructions.

Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center may nominate one candidate for the Pew Charitable Trusts' 2024 Pew-Stewart Scholars for Cancer Research Program. This program supports Assistant Professors of outstanding promise in science relevant to the advancement of a cure for cancer. The award provides $300,000 in flexible support—$75,000 per year for a four-year period. Not more than 8 percent of the total award may be allocated for overhead costs.

Candidates should demonstrate outstanding promise as contributors in science relevant to the field of cancer. Strong proposals will incorporate particularly creative and pioneering approaches to basic, translational, and applied cancer research. Candidates whose work is based on biomedical principles but who bring in concepts and theories from more diverse fields are encouraged to apply. This program does not fund clinical trials research.

Ideas with the potential to produce an unusually high impact are encouraged. Selection of the successful candidates will be based on a detailed description of the work that the applicant proposes to undertake, evaluations of the candidate’s performance, and notable past accomplishments, including honors, awards, and publications. In evaluating the candidates, the Committee gives considerable weight to both the project proposal and the researcher, including evidence that the candidate is a successful independent investigator and has the skill set needed to carry out their high-impact proposal.

Pew recognizes the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion in scientific progress and innovation and seeks applicants from all backgrounds. Pew encourages applications from candidates who are diverse, in terms of gender, minority status, and cancer research field.

For examples of Pew-Stewart scholar projects, a directory of past scholars can be found here, including previous Vanderbilt awardee, Alexander Bick ’22.

This program is distinct from the Pew Biomedical Scholars Program, but candidates may apply to both internal competitions.

Eligibility Criteria:

• Candidates must have been awarded a doctorate in a field related to biomedical sciences or medicine.
• As of August 31, 2023, candidates must run an independent lab and hold a full-time appointment at the rank of Assistant Professor. (Appointments such as Research Assistant Professor, Adjunct Assistant Professor, Assistant Professor Research Track, Visiting Professor or Instructor are not eligible. Associate Professors are not eligible.)
• Must not have been appointed as an assistant professor at any institution prior to June 12, 2019, whether or not such an appointment was on a tenure track. Time spent in clinical internships, residencies, in work toward board certification, or on parental leave does not count as part of this four-year limit. (Candidates who took parental leave should note this on their internal application to make their eligibility clear.)  
  • Please note that eligibility criteria have been temporarily expanded to account for COVID-related lab shutdowns and research disruptions. Please direct any questions to the program office at Pew-Stewart@pewtrusts.org.
• Qualified candidates should be conducting creative, interdisciplinary, basic, or translational cancer research. This program does not fund clinical trials research.
• It is expected that Pew-Stewart scholars will spend at least 80 percent of their time in work or activities related to the accomplishment of their overall research goals (which are not restricted to the specific aims proposed for this award).
• The selected candidate may not be nominated more than two times in total, regardless of institution. 
• Funding from the NIH, other government sources, and project grants from non-profit associations do not pose a conflict.

See the program details for more information.

Internal Application Process:

Anyone interested in being considered as Vanderbilt’s nominee must submit the following (in a single PDF) to LSO@vanderbilt.edu  by 5 p.m. on March 1: 

1. Brief research plan including summary budget (2 page max);
2. Letter of support from department chair/center director;
3. NIH Biosketch or abbreviated CV (5 page max)

Submissions should reference "PEW-STEWART SCHOLARS" in the subject line of the email. 

Following the internal review, the nominee’s name will be submitted to the Pew Charitable Trusts by May 17, 2023 and the complete application will be due August 31, 2023.

Any questions about this opportunity or the LSO process may be directed to LSO@vanderbilt.edu.

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Active Calls for NON-Limited External Opportunities 

Internal review process NOT required- Submit directly to Sponsor​

The VUMC Corporate & Foundation Relations team provides hands-on proposal development assistance for non-federal awards. Contact cfr@vumc.org for more information.