Funding Briefs

Volume 4, #11The Scientist May 28, 1990 FUNDING BRIEFS Date: May 28, 1990 DOD Help For Small Businesses The Department of Defense's Small Business Innovation Research Program is preparing to fund about 1,300 Phase I awards for fiscal year 1990, covering a wide variety of research projects. Awards up to $50,000 each are available as seed capital for U.S. research firms that qualify as small businesses. There are three phases of the SBIR awards. During the six months allotted for Phase I, awardees use grant money to develop a program proposal. Phase II awards of up to 24 months can subsequently be made to firms that have proved themselves during Phase I; the actual research will be done during Phase II. Upon reaching Phase III, the business should be able to attain nonfederal funding. The application deadline for Phase I is July 2; decisions will be announced by Jan. 2, 1991. For a copy of the solicitation manual, contact the Defense Technical Information Center, Attn: DTIC/SBIR, Building 5 Cameron Station, Alexandria, Va. 22304-6415; (800) 368-5211 or (202) 274-6902. Funding For Spinal Cord Research The Spinal Cord Research Foundation, founded in 1975 by the Paralyzed Veterans of America, is now accepting research and fellowship applications, as well as proposals for conferences and symposia. The foundation supports projects involving clinical, psychosocial, or technological research on the spinal cord. Institutions can submit, in the name of the principal investigator, proposals for one-, two-, or three-year projects. Annual funding is in the range of $30,000 to $50,000. One-year renewal grants will also be considered. Deadlines are July 1 and January 9 of each year. Grants awarded to the July applicants will be announced on November 1 and made available on Jan. 2, 1991. For more information, contact C.M. Chanaud, Associate Director of Research, Paralyzed Veterans of America, Spinal Cord Research Foundation, 801 18th St., N.W., Washington, D.C. 20006; (202) 416-7659. Energy Department Offers Genome Grants The Department of Energy expects to spend $2 million in fiscal 1991 on new grants as part of its Human Genome Initiative. The department seeks proposals for the development of automated systems for analyzing DNA fragments and clones; for obtaining purified chromosomes; and for rapid, cost-effective sequencing technology. In addition, the Human Genome Initiative needs better data management systems and better software and hardware for analyzing DNA sequences. This year the department's Office of Energy Research funded some 10 of 50 proposals in molecular biology, informatics, and instrumentation. It also solicits proposals for research and conferences addressing ethical, societal, and legal issues related to the Human Genome Project. Renewal applications compete for a different pot of money. The program was announced in the March 21, 1990, Federal Register, page 10,486. The deadline for formal proposals is August 8. For more information, contact Benjamin Barnhart, DOE Office of Health and Environmental Research, ER-72 (GTN), Washington, D.C. 20543; (301) 353-5037. Burroughs Wellcome Supports Travel Established investigators planning to work in Britain or Ireland for two to 12 weeks can obtain per diem and travel expenses from the Wellcome Research Travel Grants program, begun in 1978. Last year, 35 of the 42 scientists who applied received support; grants averaged $2,500. Host institutions can receive up to $1,000 to cover extra expenses during grantees' visits. U.S. full-time researchers in the health sciences are eligible. Grants are not awarded for postdoctoral travel or training, or to attend international meetings. Applications should include certification from the investigator's dean or department head that the research is worthwhile and receives no other support. The application should be forwarded with a letter from the host institution - ideally, three months prior to travel - for consideration. Selection is based on the scientific merit of the proposal, qualifications of the investigator, suitability of the host laboratory, and urgency of the visit with respect to the program's priorities. For more information, contact the Burroughs Wellcome Fund, 3030 Cornwallis Rd., Research Triangle Park, N.C. 27709; (919) 248-4136.

Funding Briefs

The Scientist Staff

FUNDING BRIEFS

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