Funding Briefs

Get A Grant, Share An Instrument The NIH Biomedical Research Support Shared Instrumentation Grant program will now fund equipment that costs up to $400,000, an increase of $100,000 from 1989. But expect stiff competition for 1990's $32.5 million (The Scientist, Oct. 2, 1989, page 18). Applications must come from institutions with at least three investigators who plan to use the equipment and who already receive peer-reviewed funds from the Public Health Service. The equipment must be used 75% of the time for PHS research. These one-year, nonrenewable grants pay for the purchase of new, state-of-the-art equipment costing at least $100,000. The deadline is March 26. For more information, contact the Biomedical Research Support Program, NIH, Building 31, Room 5B23, Bethesda, Md. 20892; (301) 496-6743. ACCESS Money For Minorities, Women To entice newcomers into the fold, NSF sponsors the Career Access Opportunities in Science and Technology for Women, Minorities, and the Disabled program (ACCESS). ACCESS supports regional centers that encourage minorities to participate in science and technology by developing precollege science, math, and engineering programs; strengthening undergraduate teaching for minorities; or helping minorities adjust successfully to college. It also supports the development of new, untried undergraduate activities that provide experiences in science and technology to minorities, women, and the disabled. ACCESS's budget has grown from $5 million in 1989 to $11.3 million this year. Centers should involve local industry and make students aware of local career opportunities in science and technology. These comprehensive regional centers should be expanded to cover an entire region. Initial one-year, $100,000 awards will be made to prototype centers. Up to $1 million per year is available to full-fledged centers for five years. The centers are also expected to raise money from other sources. The model undergraduate projects offer universities, colleges, national laboratories, associations, and nonprofit and for-profit organizations a chance to receive $100,000 to develop, test, evaluate, and disseminate new ideas for attracting and keeping these groups in science and technology. The deadline for both types of grants is April 2. For more information, contact ACCESS, Office of Undergraduate Science, Engineering and Mathematics Education, Room 639, NSF, Washington, D.C. 20550; (202) 357-7051. Funds To Fight The War On Cancer April showers bring out American Cancer Society fund-raisers, who last year rounded up $90 million for research. About 75% of these funds support research and clinical investigation grants, one of three categories of awards made by the cancer society. The deadlines for applications are April 1 and November 1. Grants run for up to two years; subsequent one-year renewals are possible. Funds cover salaries, special equipment, animals, supplies, and other research materials. A scientific committee evaluates the merit of the project, the qualifications of the investigators and their facilities, and the potential contribution of the research to understanding and controlling cancer. For more information, contact the American Cancer Society Research Department, 1599 Clifton Rd., N.E., Atlanta, Ga. 30329; (404) 329-7558. Just For New Yorkers The Frances L. and Edwin L. Cummings Memorial Fund provides support for pilot projects in biomedical research on aging, cancer, and AIDS to researchers and physicians working in or near New York City. The $25 million Cummings Fund also supports community-based social services, hospitals in low-income communities, and education efforts for disadvantaged or handicapped students. Past grants include matching awards to support minority faculty, $300,000 over three years for research projects approved by the American Federation for Aging Research, and a $200,000 dollar-for-dollar challenge grant to the Cancer Research Institute to support two scientists. Grants are usually awarded for one year. Research programs are prescreened by a national, qualified scientific advisory committee. Deadlines are April 1 and October 1. For more information, contact Courtney O'Malley, Administrative Director, The Cummings Fund, 501 Fifth Ave., Suite 1208, New York, N.Y. 10017-1602; (212) 286-1778.

Funding Briefs

The Scientist Staff

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