Weekly Update

Keeping you informed of upcoming opportunities and events
~ From the team at Alaska INBRE ~
November 16, 2020

The fourth annual Alaska Startup Week, Nov. 16-22, will bring entrepreneurs, local leaders and friends together to build momentum around Alaska’s entrepreneurial opportunities.

The gathering will be virtual this year. Events across the state will highlight Alaska entrepreneurs as well as programs and initiatives supporting innovation and commercialization. As in the past few years, the events will coincide with Global Entrepreneurship Week.

The University of Alaska Center for Innovation, Commercialization, and Entrepreneurship will host events as part of its ICE Jam Series during Alaska Startup Week. See a list of these events below, along with links to the Alaska Startup Week website.

Monday, Nov. 16, noon-1 p.m.: Fund your startup
Tuesday, Nov. 17, noon-1 p.m.: Growing your startup with grants and contracts
Wednesday, Nov. 18, noon-1 p.m.: Digital marketing and guerilla tactics for startups
Wednesday, Nov. 18, 1-2 p.m.: Ecosystem builder event
Thursday, Nov. 19, 10-11 a.m.: Accounting and grant management tips for SBIR awardees
Thursday, Nov. 19, 1-2 p.m.: Impact through innovation
Friday, Nov. 20, 1-2 p.m.: Intellectual property workshop

Register for all the events at ICE Jam. Come by, engage with the presenters and learn more about the programs and the ICE Jam Series.

You can find a schedule for all the week’s events at AK Startup Week, including additional events in the Fairbanks area and across the state.

• Hands-on program with a community feel
• Cutting edge research projects
• Cohort building and professional development activities

ALASKA INBRE SUSTAINING RESEARCH EXCELLENCE AWARD:  see above

BLaST EQUIPMENT FUNDING OPPORTUNITY:  The BLaST program invites proposals for the purchase of equipment so support student biomedical research training. Proposals must be submitted by Dec 6, 2020. Request for Proposals for Equipment

RUTH L. KIRSCHSTEIN NATIONAL RESEARCH SERVICE AWARDS (NRSA) - due Dec 8:

• Individual Fellowship for Students at Institutions with NIH-Funded Institutional Predoctoral Dual-Degree Training Programs (F30)
• Individual Fellowship for Students at Institutions without NIH-Funded Institutional Predoctoral Dual-Degree Training Programs (F30)
• Individual Postdoctoral Fellowship (F32)
• Individual Predoctoral Fellowship (F31)
• Individual Predoctoral Fellowship to Promote Diversity in Health-Related Research (F31-Diversity)
• Individual Senior Fellowship (F33)

LAURA BASSI SCHOLARSHIP - All currently enrolled master's and doctoral candidates are eligible to apply, as are academics in the first five years of fulltime employment.
Deadlines:  Nov. 25 (results Dec 20), Mar 25 (results Apr 20), and Jul 27 (results Aug 20)
Application Form

NIH SBIR & STTR FUNDING OPPORTUNITY:  Funding Opportunity Announcements for NIH SBIR & STTR Omnibus and topic-specific funding are available here.

COLLABORATIVE SEQUENCING/ BIOINFORMATICS PILOT AWARDS:  The NM-INBRE Sequencing and Bioinformatics Core (SBC) invites you to apply for a pilot project award valued at approximately $5,000 to $10,000 to drive your research, publications and grants! Requires co-contribution from non-NM-INBRE Investigators. Proposal deadline:  2nd Sunday of each month by 11:59 pm. Details and how to apply here.

On November 11, 2020, we announced our Sustaining Research Excellence (SRE) Award opportunity. This opportunity supports successful researchers within the INBRE network to remain in Alaska and further develop their research program. 

In recognition of the opening of this funding opportunity announcement, I would like to acknowledge Mary Beth Leigh, Professor of Microbiology in the Institute of Arctic Biology and the Department of Biology & Wildlife at the University of Alaska Fairbanks.

Dr. Leigh is not only a successful Microbiology professor.  She is the coordinator of arts and humanities activities for the LTER Network. She is the founding director of Bonanza Creek LTER’s “In a Time of Change” collaborative arts-humanities-science program.  Dr. Leigh was chosen as a 2019 SRE award recipient.  Here is what she told me about her SRE award.    

You were chosen as an SRE award recipient last year.  Could you tell me how you used your SRE award?

INBRE SRE funds help support our research on the use of native plants and associated bacteria for the cleanup of diesel-contaminated soil. Our long-term field site is located in the rural Alaska community of Kaltag, where, like many villages, the schoolyard had become contaminated by leaking fuel storage tanks. We're hoping this technology, known as phytoremediation, can provide a more affordable and feasible way to clean up soils in rural communities.

How did the SRE award impact your lab and research? 

SRE funds helped support students, technicians, local hires in Kaltag, as well as our field travel expenses so that we can keep this long-term and labor-intensive project moving forward. With the data we're generating, we'll soon be able to advise the state and rural communities on effective phytoremediation methods to implement more broadly. And the data will help us apply for larger grants for more in-depth and longer-term work to understand further and improve phytoremediation.