Integrative Neural Immune Program Intramural Research Award (IRA)

(Deadline for final submission is May 4, 2007)
(Note Application Process and Individual Deadlines Below).

Purpose: The Integrative Neural Immune Program Intramural Research Award (IRA) provides an opportunity for collaborating Principal Investigators (PIs) from participating Institutes to obtain competitive funding for an additional jointly supervised post-doctoral position designated to work on a collaborative interdisciplinary neural-immune project. Funding is intended to help support the development of promising new initiatives that are interdisciplinary and integrative in nature, bridging the areas of neuroscience and immunology.

Eligible Applicants: Collaborating NIH Intramural Research Program Principal Investigators (PIs) from INIP participating Institutes, including: NIMH, NIAID, NCI (CCR), NINDS, NIA, NIDA, NEI, and NIDCR. Principle Investigators (PIs) must be Tenure Track or Tenured scientists or physicians. PIs from one of the participating Institutes may submit a collaborative research proposal together with intramural researchers from any of the other Institutes in this list. One PI may be included in no more than one submission. Recipients of an active ongoing IRA are not eligible to submit. You may, however, submit a proposal that would begin the year that your current award would expire.

Eligible Proposals: New initiatives, which are interdisciplinary and integrative in nature, and focus on the area of neural immune interactions, will be considered (see "General Research Areas" below). Applicants must have prior approval from their Scientific Directors to submit.

Evalutaion Criteria: Proposals will be judged based on scientific merit, with emphasis placed on the importance of the scientific question being addressed and its relevance to neural immune factors in health or disease processes, as well as innovativeness of the approach and feasibility. Prior recipients are excluded from applying during the first two years of their award.

Award: Successful applicants will receive one shared non-FTE post-doctoral level position plus appropriate research funds to be co-supervised and shared between the collaborating labs, according to the specific guidelines of participating Institutes.

Intramural Research Award Funding: Each award will provide funding for one non-FTE post-doctoral salary and research support of up to a combined total of approximately $60,000 per year for periods from 2 to 3 years. The number and duration of the final awards will depend on the proposals and the availability of funds.

IRAs will supplement a PI�s budget, not replace a portion of their existing allocation. The award will not interfere with receipt of additional resources arising directly from a PI's research. IRAs cannot be used to recover resource reductions resulting from site visit recommendations.

Application Process:

Application:

Download an Application (in word form)

Deadlines
01/26/2007
Letter of Intent: Will be reviewed by the INIP Steering Committee for relevance to the mission of the Integrative Neural Immune Program (see �General Research Areas� below). The letter should include: Project title; names and Institute affiliations of co-PIs; description of proposed research project (not to exceed 250 words); and signatures of approval by PIs Laboratory/Branch Chiefs, and Scientific Directors, or their delegates (essential). PIs submitting approved Letters of Intent will be invited to submit a full five page Intramural Research Award Application. Signed Letters of Intent may be faxed or submitted in pdf format by e-mail.

Submissions should be addressed to the attention of:
Socorro Vigil-Scott
Integrative Neural Immune Program
5625 Fishers Lane, Room 4N-13, MSC 9401
Bethesda, MD 20892-9401
Fax: 301-496-6095
e-mail: vigilscs@mail.nih.gov

02/02/2007
Notification to Applicants of decision re Letter of Intent.

05/04/2007
Intramural Research Award Application: PIs receiving approval by the Steering Committee (see "Letter of Intent" above), may submit a formal proposal that should be no longer than five pages, should follow the format described in the "Application Form" (access below), and should include a succinct description of goals, rationale, background, key preliminary data and clear description of proposed collaborative studies. A brief two page NIH c.v. for each collaborating P.I., including current position and recent relevant articles must also be attached. PIs may contact the Program Office for guidance on format, content and style of proposals.

Submissions should be in Microsoft Word format, and must include: one hard copy (including cover sheet with original signatures of Lab/Branch Chief and Scientific Director or designate); and one electronic copy of the proposal

Hard copy of the proposal should be addressed to the attention of:
Socorro Vigil Scott
Integrative Neural Immune Program
5625 Fishers Lane, Room 4N-13, MSC 9401
Bethesda, MD 20892-9401

Electronic copy of the full five page proposal and c.v.’s, should be submitted to the Program Office (Socorro Vigil-Scott: vigilscs@mail.nih.gov)

07/20/2007
Announcement of IRA Recipients

The Review Process: IRA applications will be reviewed by ad hoc outside reviewers; ranked by a sub-committee of the INIP Steering Committee; and submitted to the Scientific Directors of relevant ICs for final action. The final decision regarding awarding of IRAs will be reside with the respective Institute Scientific Directors.
General Research Areas:

1. Neurocognitive and mood side effects of cytokine/interleukin therapy (including neuroimaging, animal models of Blood Brain Barrier);
2. Neurotoxic and neurocognitive side effects of cancer chemotherapy (including neuroimaging, animal models, BBB);
3. Immune factors (molecules and cells) in neurodegeneration and autoimmune disease of CNS (including multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer�s Disease);
4. Molecular and functional interactions of interleukin/chemokine and neurotransmitter/neuropeptide receptors;
5. Biomarkers to be applied in ambulatory clinical settings to quantitate effects of cognitive and behavioral interventions, stress, and mood states on immune function and disease. These measures could include neurophysiological, neuroendocrine and immune measures in biological fluids and tissues including sweat, saliva, skin. Disease outcomes could include autoimmune or allergic diseases, inflammatory arthritis or asthma, and stress-related illnesses including hypertension and cardiovascular disease;
6. Fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and chronic pain syndromes: neural immune factors in pathogenesis, diagnosis and treatment of these illnesses;
7. Effects of hormones (neurohormones, sex hormones) and neural factors on immunity and immune mediated diseases (including arthritis, m.s., inflammatory/irritable bowel disease, septic shock, bacterial and viral infections, and antibody production for vaccine);
8. Infectious diseases of the CNS mediated through immune mechanisms, including acute and chronic Lyme disease and neuroAIDS;
9. Neural immune and neuroendocrine correlates of exposure to drugs of abuse.
10. Other topics as approved by the INIP Steering Committee.

Members of the Steering Committee:
Ester M. Strenberg, NIMH
Warren Strober, NIAID
Jonathan Ashwell, NCI (CCR)
Steven Jacobson, NINDS
Rachel Caspi, NEI

IRA Recipients (PIs), 2004
Lee Eiden, NIMH
Jyoti Sen, NIA
Katherine Roche, NINDS
Paul Roche, NCI(CCR)

IRA Recipients (PI) 2003
Steven Jacobson, NINDS
Francis Ruscetti, NCI
Kathryn Jones, NCI
Michie Hisada, NCI
Elizabeth Maloney, NCI
Roland Martin, NINDS
Mahendra Rao, NIA
Miles Herkenham, NIMH
Peggy Zelenka, NEI
Igal Gery, NEI
Leonardo Tonelli, NIMH