Inside Research & Funding Opportunities
08/14/2019, 11:00:01 AM
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Inside Research
News, Events and Resources for the UH Research Community
 
Latest News Upcoming Events Announcements Recent Grant Awards Featured Funding Ops
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Adults Who Mix Cannabis with Opioids for Pain Report Higher Anxiety, Depression

A new study of adults who combine prescription opioids and cannabis revealed elevated anxiety and depression symptoms, with no increased pain reduction.

“Given the fact that cannabis potentially has analgesic properties, some people are turning to it to potentially manage their pain,” Andrew Rogers, said in describing the work published in the Journal of Addiction Medicine. Rogers focuses on the intersection of chronic pain and opioid use, and identifying the underlying psychological mechanisms, such as anxiety sensitivity, emotion regulation, pain-related anxiety, of these relationships.

Read More >

Campus News

Addressing the Changing Face of Mental/Behavioral Health Care

Minorities in Houston, like in other large U.S. cities, experience high rates of poverty, school dropout, and unemployment according to the latest U.S. Census. UH is using a $500,000 grant from the Division of Academic Quality and Workforce at the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board to address the needs of economically disadvantaged ethnic minorities.

Blood Clotting Proteins Discovered as Biomarkers of Lupus Nephritis

UH researcher Chandra Mohan is reporting in Arthritis Research and Therapy that clotting proteins, both those that promote blood clots (pro-thrombotic) and those that work to dissipate them (thrombolytic), are elevated in the urine of patients who suffer from lupus nephritis (LN).

Brain Stimulation for PTSD Patients

Assistant professor of electrical engineering Rose T. Faghih is reporting that a closed-loop brain stimulator, based on sweat response, can be developed for PTSD and an array of neuropsychiatric disorders.

Upcoming Events

August 29: Startup Pains: What I Wish I Knew
4 p.m. -5 p.m.
UH Technology Bridge, Innovation Center, Building 4, Floor 2

Announcements

Startup Pains: What I Wish I Knew

Startup Pains is a monthly talk given by researchers-turned-entrepreneurs. These researchers share their experiences about starting a company and the transition from scientist to business owner.

This month's speaker is Faye Liu, founder and CEO of RevoChem LLC.

Please join us at 4 p.m. on Thursday, August 29 at the UH Technology Bridge, Innovation Center.

RSVP

View past announcements on the Division of Research website.

Recent Grant Awards

INVESTIGATION OF STEREOTYPED HIGHFREQUENCY OSCILLATIONS WITH COMPUTATIONAL INTELLIGENCE FOR THE PREDICTION OF SEIZURE ONSET ZONE IN EPILEPSY

PI/Department: Nuri Firat Ince, Biomedical Engineering
CO-PI/Department: David J. Francis, Psychology
Sponsor: National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
Amount: $2,324,972

ZEOLITIC IMIDAZOLATE FRAMEWORK MEMBRANES FOR COUPLED H2 GENERATION AND CO2 ENRICHMENT

PI/Department: Michael Harold, Chemical Engineering
Sponsor: American Chemical Society
Amount: $110,000

INTERNATIONAL SUMMER SCHOOL ON BIO-X: BIOCOMPLEXITY, BIODESIGN, BIOINNOVATION, BIOMANUFACTURING, BIODATASCIENCE

PI/Department: Metin Akay Ph.D., Biomedical Engineering
Sponsor: National Science Foundation
Amount: $15,000

Featured Funding Opportunities

Health Science, Engineering & Technology Social Sciences, Art & Humanities Education
Image Health

Funding Agency: NIH/NIDDK
Title: Polycystic Kidney Disease (PKD) Research and Translation Core Centers (U54 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
Internal Deadline: 9/6/19
LOI Deadline: 10/21/19
Application Deadline: 11/21/19

This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) requests applications for Polycystic Kidney Disease (PKD) Research and Translation Core Centers (RTCC). The RTCCs are expected to work collaboratively with the Central Coordinating Site (CCS) as part of a PKD Research Consortium and serve as a national resource for the larger research community. The RTCCs should develop and share research resources (e.g. reagents, tools etc.), services and expertise that would be difficult or impractical to support in individual labs. Limited Submission Applications are submitted through this Sharepoint site.

Funding Agency: Francis Family Foundation
Title: Parker B. Francis Fellowship in Pulmonary Research
Internal Deadline: 9/2/19
Application Deadline: 10/14/19

The Parker B. Francis Fellowship provides research support to clinical and basic scientists embarking on careers in clinical, laboratory or translational science related to Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine at a U.S. or Canadian university or research institution. There are no restrictions regarding discipline or department. Clinical or basic science departments are suitable; however, it is expected that the proposed research will focus on lung biology or lung disease. Limited Submission Applications are submitted through this Sharepoint site.

Funding Agency: DOD
Title: DoD Chronic Pain Management Research Program Translational Research Award
Pre-application Deadline: 9/13/19
Application Deadline: 12/6/19

The intent of the FY19 CPMRP TRA is to support translational research that will accelerate the movement of evidence-based ideas in chronic pain management research into clinical applications, including healthcare products, technologies, and/or clinical practice guidelines. TRA applications should explain how the proposed work will inform the development, refinement, and/or revision of existing standards of care, recommendations, or guidelines for managing chronic pain. Studies seeking to develop novel pharmacological therapies or non-pharmacological approaches that consist entirely of a clinical trial do not meet the intent of the award mechanism. Clinical trials evaluating opioid-based therapeutic interventions are not allowed.

Funding Agency: NIDDK/NIH
Title: Catalyst Award In Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolic Diseases (DP1 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
LOI Deadline: 11/3/19
Application Deadline: 12/3/19

The Catalyst Award in Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolic Diseases (Catalyst-DEMD) is designed to complement NIDDK's traditional, investigator-initiated grant programs by supporting individual scientists who propose pioneering and transformational studies in DEMD topic areas. Applications should be focused on major scientific challenges, and have the potential to produce an unusually high impact on diseases and conditions that are central to the mission of NIDDK's Division of Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolic Diseases. To be considered responsive to this initiative, the proposed research should reflect new and novel scientific directions that are distinct from concepts and approaches being pursued in the investigator's research program or elsewhere.

Funding Agency: NIAID/NIH
Title: Expanding Extramural Research Opportunities at the NIH Clinical Center (U01 Clinical Trial Optional)
Application Deadline: 12/3/19

The purpose of this FOA is to support extramural investigator-initiated clinical research in partnership with the NIH Clinical Center in Bethesda, MD. This new FOA will leverage the resources (inpatient and outpatient) and assets of the NIH Clinical Center (e.g., scientific and clinical expertise, nursing, beds, critical care services, ambulatory care services, laboratories, imaging, biostatistics, protocol development, regulatory guidance, clinical trials management and safety oversight) in accelerating the discovery and translation from laboratory to clinic of therapies for infectious (including primary immunodeficiency diseases), immunologic, and allergic diseases. Specifically, it will support hypothesis-driven mechanistic studies alone or within clinical projects employing Phase 0, 1, and/or 2a clinical trial designs.

Funding Agency: BrightFocus Foundation
Title: Alzheimer’s Disease Research Grant
Application Deadline: 11/4/19

The goal of the program is to accelerate our understanding of the biological mechanisms underlying Alzheimer’s Disease and related dementias as well as innovative approaches to better diagnose, prevent or delay the progress of the disease. Preference is made for exciting pilot projects that would not, at their present stage, be competitive for large government or industry awards. Typically, these awards are made to early stage investigators, or to more established investigators who are proposing particularly innovative research.

Image Science, Engineering, & Technology

Funding Agency: NSF
Title: National Science Foundation Research Traineeship Program (NRT)
Internal Deadline: 10/25/19
LOI Deadline: 12/06/19
Application Deadline: 2/06/20

The program is dedicated to effective training of STEM graduate students in high priority interdisciplinary or convergent research areas, through the use of a comprehensive traineeship model that is innovative, evidence-based, and aligned with changing workforce and research needs. Proposals are requested in any interdisciplinary or convergent research theme of national priority, with special emphasis on the research areas in NSF's 10 Big Ideas.

The NSF research Big Ideas are Harnessing the Data Revolution (HDR), The Future of Work at the Human-Technology Frontier (FW-HTF), Navigating the New Arctic (NNA), Windows on the Universe: The Era of Multi-Messenger Astrophysics (WoU), The Quantum Leap: Leading the Next Quantum Revolution (QL), and Understanding the Rules of Life: Predicting Phenotype (URoL). Limited Submission Applications are submitted through this Sharepoint site.

Funding Agency: NINDS/NIH
Title: NINDS Neuroscience Development for Advancing the Careers of a Diverse Research Workforce (R25)
Internal Deadline: 8/22/19
Optional LOI Deadline: 8/25/19
Application Deadline: 9/25/19

To accomplish the stated over-arching goal, this FOA will support creative educational activities with a primary focus on NINDS relevant research experiences, mentoring activities that enhance competencies or leadership education and courses on skills development. Programs that target transitions and/or more than one career stage for neuroscience career advancement and progression are strongly encouraged. NINDS support for this R25 program relies equally on scientific merit and programmatic considerations. Consequently, we recommend that potential applicants contact Scientific/Research staff at NINDS before preparing an application. NINDS will not support projects if they do not fulfill current programmatic priorities at NINDS. Limited Submission Applications are submitted through this Sharepoint site.

Funding Agency: American Society of Civil Engineers
Title: Walter P. Moore, Jr. Award
Application Deadline: 11/1/19

The award is made annually to a structural engineer who has demonstrated technical expertise in and dedication to the development of structural codes and standards. The contribution may have been in the form of papers, presentations, extensive practical experience, research, committee participation or through other activities.

Funding Agency: American Society of Civil Engineers
Title: Earnest E. Howard Award
Application Deadline: 11/1/19

The award is made annually to an individual who has made a definite contribution to the advancement of structural engineering, either in research, planning, design or construction, including methods and materials, these contributions being made in the form of a paper or other written presentation or through notable performance or specific actions which have served to advance structural engineering.

Funding Agency: American Society of Civil Engineers
Title: Nathan M. Newmark Medal
Application Deadline: 11/1/19

The award may be made to an individual who, through contributions in structural mechanics, has helped substantially to strengthen the scientific base of structural engineering, these contributions having been made in the form of papers or other written presentations. The field of structural mechanics should be interpreted broadly and should include continuum mechanics related to structural and geotechnical engineering.

Funding Agency: American Society of Civil Engineers
Title: George Winter Award
Application Deadline: 11/1/19

The award may be made annually to any individual without regard to Society membership. The recipient shall be first and foremost a structural engineer, one who has consistently worked at advancing the state-of-the-art of the profession through the practical application of design and/or research studies. Secondly, the individual must have demonstrated a commitment to the social or artistic needs of the community through work performed in an area not directly related to engineering or science.

Funding Agency: American Society of Civil Engineers
Title: Moisseiff Award
Application Deadline: 11/1/19

The prize is given, in any year, to an important paper published in a print issue of an ASCE journal in the twelve-month period ending with June of the year preceding the year of award (or any year since the last award), dealing with the board field of structural design, including applied mechanics as well as the theoretical analysis, or constructive improvement, of engineering structures such as bridges and frames, of any structural material.

Funding Agency: American Society of Civil Engineers
Title: Shortridge Hardesty Award
Application Deadline: 11/1/19

The award may be awarded annually to an individual (or individuals if recommended) who has contributed substantially in applying fundamental results of research to solution of practical engineering problems in the field of structural stability. The award shall be based on a paper published in either the ASCE Structural Engineering Journal (July-June), or the Proceedings of the Structural Stability Research Council (latest available), or upon any other effective contribution in the form of personal efforts and achievements.

Funding Agency: NSF
Title: Vannevar Bush Award
Application Deadline: 9/27/19

The Vannevar Bush Award honors truly exceptional lifelong leaders in science and technology who have made substantial contributions to the welfare of the Nation through public service activities in science, technology, and public policy.

Funding Agency: NIDDK/NIH
Title: New Paradigms in Tissue Communication-from mediators to metabolic function (RC2 Clinical Trials Optional)
Application Deadline: 10/31/19

NIDDK utilizes High Impact, Interdisciplinary Science (RC2) grants to support projects that will lay the foundation for new fields of investigation within the mission of NIDDK. The RC2 is envisioned to use an interdisciplinary approach to generate a research resource and/or foster discovery-based or hypothesis-generating science that can have a significant impact on the broader scientific community.

This targeted FOA specifically seeks to generate scientific advancements that are focused on identifying new signals and regulatory networks that mediate metabolic cross talks within and between organs that play a role in the development of diabetes and obesity. The interdisciplinary approaches proposed should be designed to foster novel synergies that will accelerate conceptual and technical breakthroughs in science related to metabolic tissue communication.

Funding Agency: NIA/NIH
Title: NIA Academic Leadership Career Award (K07)
Application Deadline: 11/12/19

The objective of the NIA Academic Leadership Career Award (K07) is to provide support for senior investigators who have the expertise and leadership skills to enhance aging and geriatric research capacity within their academic institution.

Funding Agency: NCI/NIH
Title: Participant Engagement and Cancer Genome Sequencing (PE-CGS): Research Centers (U2C Clinical Trial Optional)
Application Deadline: 10/30/19

This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) is associated with the Beau Biden Cancer MoonshotSMInitiative that is intended to accelerate cancer research. Specifically, this FOA falls under a scientific priority designated by the Blue Ribbon Panel (BRP) as Recommendation A "Establish a Network for Direct Patient Engagement".

The overall purpose of the PE-CGS Network is twofold:

  • To promote and support direct engagement of cancer patients and post-treatment cancer survivors as participants in cancer research; and
  • To use such approaches for rigorous cancer genome sequencing programs addressing important knowledge gaps in the genomic characterizations of tumors in areas such as, but not limited to:
    • a. Rare cancers or rare cancer subsets; b. Highly lethal cancers; c. Cancers with an early age of onset; d. Cancers with high disparities in incidence and/or mortality; or e. Cancers in understudied populations

Funding Agency: NSF
Title: Ecology and Evolution of Infectious Diseases (EEID)
Application Deadline: 11/20/19

The multi-agency Ecology and Evolution of Infectious Diseases program supports research on the ecological, evolutionary, and social drivers that influence the transmission dynamics of infectious diseases. The central theme of submitted projects must be the quantitative or computational understanding of pathogen transmission dynamics. The intent is discovery of principles of infectious disease transmission and testing mathematical or computational models that elucidate infectious disease systems. Projects should be broad, interdisciplinary efforts that go beyond the scope of typical studies. They should focus on the determinants and interactions of transmission among humans, non-human animals, and/or plants.

This includes, for example, the spread of pathogens; the influence of environmental factors such as climate; the population dynamics and genetics of reservoir species or hosts; the feedback between ecological transmission and evolutionary dynamics; and the cultural, social, behavioral, and economic dimensions of pathogen transmission. Research may be on zoonotic, environmentally-borne, vector-borne, or enteric pathogens of either terrestrial or aquatic systems and organisms, including diseases of animals and plants, at any scale from specific pathogens to inclusive environmental systems.

Proposals for research on disease systems of public health concern to developing countries are strongly encouraged, as are disease systems of concern in agricultural systems. Investigators are encouraged to develop the appropriate multidisciplinary team, including for example, anthropologists, modelers, ecologists, bioinformaticians, genomics researchers, social scientists, economists, oceanographers, mathematical scientists, epidemiologists, evolutionary biologists, entomologists, parasitologists, microbiologists, bacteriologists, virologists, pathologists or veterinarians, with the goal of integrating knowledge across disciplines to enhance our ability to predict and control infectious diseases.

Funding Agency: DOD
Title: Research on the Use of Autonomy and Unmanned Vehicles in Support of USAF Operations
White Paper Deadline: 8/30/19

This CALL is focused on fundamental research that can lead to the development of new novel pedagogical approaches to AI/AS education. Research areas should fall within autonomy and AI to include algorithms and techniques for such, as well as researching educational best practices, techniques and pedagogical approaches. USAFA is interested in data that could potentially lead to the external development of lesson plans, exercises, and classroom activities that embody those techniques/approaches, which could be used as the basis for new AI/AS curricula at USAFA and for public educational institutions.

Research should be conducted utilizing hands-on mentoring with cadets in support of senior capstone projects addressing AI/AS system concepts and rapid deployment of newly developed concepts in an effort to answer critical research questions in real time. The results and methodologies discovered, to include the focused research conducted in capstone projects, will form the basis of scholarly work presented at conferences or in journal articles. In addition to briefings and presentations it is expected the effort will culminate in a final report, submitted to USAFA DFCS, which will cover research elements derived entirety from the AI/AS studies.

Funding Agency: NIEHS/NIH
Title: Transition to Independent Environment Health Research (TIEHR) Career Award (K01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
Application Deadline: 10/12/19

The Transitions to Independent Environmental Health (TIEHR) Career Award is a 3-year bridge scholar development program for newly independent faculty who intend to pursue research careers in environmental health sciences. At the conclusion of the career development period the candidates are expected to demonstrate they can successfully compete for research funding in the environmental health sciences.

Note: This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) is designed specifically for applicants proposing research that does not involve leading an independent clinical trial, a clinical trial feasibility study, or an ancillary study to a clinical trial. Applicants to this FOA are permitted to propose research experience in a clinical trial led by a mentor or co-mentor.

Social Science, Arts and Humanities

Funding Agency: Archaeological Institute of America
Title: Conservation and Heritage Management Award
Application Deadline: 11/1/19

This award is made in recognition of an individual's or institution's exceptional achievement in any of the following areas: (1) Archaeological conservation (the conservation of an artifact, monument, or site); (2) Archaeological conservation science (an advance in deterioration analysis or treatment of archaeological materials); (3) Archaeological heritage management (the overall management of a site or group of sites including their preservation and interpretation to the public); (4) Education/public awareness of archaeological conservation through teaching, lecturing, and exhibition, or a publication.

Funding Agency: Department of Homeland Security
Title: Citizenship and Assimilation Grant Program: Refugee and Asylee Assimilation Program
Application Deadline: 8/13/19

This grant strives to promote long term civic assimilation of those LPRs who have identified naturalization as a goal, yet may need additional information and instruction to attain it. Applicants are required to demonstrate in depth experience with and extensive knowledge of the particular community they propose to serve, and describe how the proposed program design will address the identified assimilation needs of this population. Applicants are required to propose a program that provides a suite of assimilation services to LPRs who were resettled as refugees or granted asylum that will promote long term civic assimilation.

Education

Funding Agency: Department of Education
Title: Educational Technology, Media, and Materials for Individuals with Disabilities: National Center on Accessible Educational Materials for Learning CFDA Number 84.327Z
Application Deadline: 9/3/19

The purposes of the Educational Technology, Media, and Materials for Individuals with Disabilities Program are to (1) improve results for children with disabilities by promoting the development, demonstration, and use of technology; (2) support educational activities designed to be of educational value in the classroom for children with disabilities; (3) provide support for captioning and video description that is appropriate for use in the classroom; and (4) provide accessible educational materials (AEM) to children with disabilities in a timely manner.

For more information about available grants, visit our Pivot system or Grants.gov.

Lindsay Lewis | University of Houston Division of Research
lrlewis@uh.edu | uh.edu/research | 713-743-0951

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