Dear Colleagues,
Happy New Year to all! In this month’s edition of the Research Newsletter, you’ll find the usual award grantee announcements as well as some new funding opportunities we thought would be of interest. Wishing everyone much success in the new year and new decade. Sincerely, - Diane and David
Diane Havlir, MD, Associate Chair for Clinical Research
David Erle, MD, Associate Chair for Biomedical Research
|
|
 DOM Team Science Planning Grant
We are pleased to announce the awardees of the first-ever Department of Medicine Team Science Planning Grant. Congratulations to Elaine Ku, MD (Nephrology-UCSF Health) and Jennifer Lai, MD, MBA (Gastroenterology-UCSF Health) for their winning project entitled “Prediction of end-stage renal disease risk among patients with liver failure,” which brings together their expertise in a novel collaborative effort. The proposal will develop a prediction model for the development of ESRD after liver failure both prior to or after liver transplantation alone, which will ultimately guide appropriate allocation of liver and kidneys to optimize patient and allograft survival. This team received $100K for one year, which will support the planning for a new grant submission. The Department is committed to our researchers’ success and wishes this team all the best.
|
|
Career Development Award
Jorge Kizer, MD, Professor and Chief of the Division of Cardiology, UCSF VA, received a K24 for his project, "Advanced Glycation Endproducts and Cardio-Renal Disease."
|
|
 Jane Coffin Childs Memorial Fund for Medical Research Postdoctoral
Fellowship
Application deadline is February 3rd
The Jane Coffin Childs Memorial Fund is looking for qualified applicants for a three-year postdoctoral fellowship, totaling $162,000. The fund is devoted to the causes and treatment of cancer, and has taken a broad approach to the study of cell growth and development.
To read more about eligibility requirements, click here. Please email Melanie Derynck to announce your intention to apply. To submit your application, click on the button below. Application is due by 2:00pm on Monday, February 3rd, 2020.
|
|
 PhRMA Foundation
Application deadline is February 3rd
PhRMA Foundation recently issued two Research Starter Call for Applicants ($100,000 each):
Health Outcomes research spans a broad spectrum of issues related to health-care delivery, from studies evaluating effectiveness of a pharmaceutical intervention, to the impact of reimbursement policies on outcomes of care. See details about eligibility and application process here.
Translational Medicine and Therapeutics focuses on bridging experimental and computational research and discoveries to their application in clinical practice. To be successful, this requires working with clinicians to identify critical unmet clinical needs. See details about eligibility and application process here.
Please email Melanie Derynck to announce your intention to apply, then follow application instructions in RFP, conferring with your Research Services Coordinator as needed. Application is due by 8:59pm on Monday, February 3rd, 2020.
|
|
 Administrative Supplements to Promote Research Continuity and Retention of NIH Mentored Career Development (K) Award Recipients and Scholars
The NIH has introduced a new administrative supplement to support K-grant awardees who are experiencing a critical life event, defined as childbirth, adoption, or primary caregiving responsibilities for an ailing spouse, child, partner, or a member of the immediate family. This is a one-year $50,000 direct cost supplement to assist with effort of additional personnel, computational services, supplies and equipment to sustain the research of the PI. Applicants should contact their program officers at the NIH Institute/Center supporting the parent award to confirm that the supplement falls within scope of the award. Internal K-grant awardees (KL2 or K12) are not eligible.
|
|
 UCSF 1st Annual ZSFG Cancer Research Symposium
Thursday, January 30th, 9:30am-5:30pm
Location: ZSFG Campus, Building 25, 7th Floor (1001 Potrero Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94110).
The first annual ZSFG Cancer Research Symposium will take place on Thursday, January 30th, 2020 on the 7th floor of Building 25 (the new hospital) on the ZSFG campus, from 9:30AM until 5:30PM. The morning session will focus on Health Equity in Cancer Care, and the afternoon sessions will highlight work done at ZSFG and UCSF in virally-mediated cancers, and discuss Sickle Cell care in the Bay Area. We hope this will be a chance for UCSF and ZSFG clinicians and researchers to meet and learn about each others' work and interests, and learn about issues facing our patients.
|
|
|
Budgeting Updates from Jon Rueter
|
|
|
UCSF Changes in Budgeting for Employee Benefits
Employer contributions to employee benefits are being calculated differently beginning in June 2020. The new Composite Benefit Rate (CBR) system affects employer contributions and not employee contributions or benefits. Rates will be higher for some and lower for others. As of October 2019, the UCSF Office of Sponsored Research is using the new rates for proposals. Most awards will experience a cost savings or an increase of less than $5,000, but check with your post-award financial analyst if you have questions about how this affects you. Click here for a more detailed explanation.
If you have questions about what your new benefits rate will be, please check with your Division Manager, or access the following page for a list of titles and benefit rates: https://brm.ucsf.edu/cbr/resources/benefit-rate-title-code-lookup.
|
|
Likely Increase to 2020 NIH Salary Cap 
We have some good news to share this month. On December 26, 2019, Executive Order 13901 was signed, increasing the Executive Level II salary cap from $192,300 to $197,300, effective January 1, 2020.
NIH has not yet issued a notice regarding the adoption of the new cap, but since FY12 NIH has always implemented a new cap based on the updated Executive Level II salary cap. Effective immediately, OSR can apply the 2020 salary cap to all New, Renewal, Revision, and Transfer-in application budgets (and respective Re-submission application budgets), at the discretion of the Principal Investigator (PI).
Please note as a general rule: A) If NIH implements the new cap, new award totals will not be adjusted to accommodate the new cap if it was not requested in the approved budget; however, NIH will allow institutions to re-budget. B) If NIH does not implement the new cap at award and the proposal budget applies the new cap, NIH will adjust the budget to meet the current cap. Finally, the new cap is not yet available in the UCSF payroll system, but details on the implementation for UCSF will be shared shortly after NIH issues an official notice.
|
|
DOM PREPARE Program
Requests for grant reviews are accepted on an ongoing basis
We are accepting requests of NIH research grant proposals including R21, R34, and U01 proposals, in addition to R01s, and K awards. The program provides expert peer-review by a panel of UCSF faculty of:
1. Proposal concept sheets (1-2 pages)
2. Full drafts of grant proposals
More details and sign up forms can be found by clicking the button below.
|
|
|
|
