Caros colegas,
No regresso de férias e início de um novo ciclo académico, não há nada mais desinteressante do que analisar percentagens de projetos aprovados na última Call da FCT, cujos resultados foram divulgados passado dia 28 de julho. Desinteressante pela simples razão de que não precisamos que nos digam como devem ser lidos os números para que pareçam mais bonitos. Por isso mesmo, mencionamos essa aritmética numa das Breves mas destacámos sobretudo, pela positiva, o número de projetos aprovados para financiamento submetidos por Investigadores da FMUC nas duas tipologias a concurso.
Nos antípodas de uma escala de interesse, damos destaque nesta edição ao tópico da Igualdade de Género na Investigação, a respeito de uma conferência promovida pela Universidade de Coimbra, que contou com a presença do GGI. Este é um tema muito interessante e relevante, que tem justamente merecido particular atenção da nossa Universidade, através do projeto GendER@UC. Como forma de estimular este debate, sugerimos a leitura de dois artigos científicos com informação que nos parece pertinente, incluindo alguns dados fracionados por Países e disciplinas:
The gender gap in science: How long until women are equally represented?
Historical comparison of gender inequality in scientific
careers across countries and disciplines
Votos de um novo ano académico com renovada energia e entusiasmo!
Be FMUC!
Flávio Reis
Coordenador do GGI
Breves
Resultados do Concurso para Projetos
em Todos os Domínios Científicos
e Projetos Exploratórios da FCT
No passado dia 28 de julho a FCT divulgou a lista dos projetos recomendados para financiamento e um resumo dos resultados desta Call. De acordo com o documento publicado, foram submetidas 3994 candidaturas à tipologia “Projetos em Todos os Domínios Científicos”. No total, 2833 (70,9%) candidaturas obtiveram uma classificação igual ou superior a 7 e apenas 246 foram recomendadas para financiamento representando uma taxa de aprovação de 8,7% (6,2% se tivermos como referência o número total de projetos submetidos). Akhilesh Rai, Investigador da FMUC, obteve aprovação para o projeto que submeteu como PI, um dos 10 projetos financiados na UC. Relativamente aos “Projetos Exploratórios”, foram submetidas 888 candidaturas, das quais 538 (60,2%) tiveram uma classificação superior a 7 tendo sido recomendadas para financiamento 305 candidaturas, representando uma taxa de aprovação de 56,7% (34,3% se tivermos como referência o número total de projetos submetidos). A UC teve 10 projetos financiados nesta tipologia sendo que 4 foram submetidos por Investigadores do iCBR/FMUC (Catarina Gomes/Filipa Baptista, Elisa Campos, Ricardo Leitão e Tânia Marques).
No passado dia 10 de setembro o GGI este presente na conferência sobre Igualdade de Género na Investigação que decorreu no Auditório da Reitoria da Universidade de Coimbra, promovida pela nossa Universidade através do Instituto de Investigação Interdisciplinar (IIIUC), no âmbito do projeto GendER@UC, Este projeto, financiado por um Mecanismo Financeiro Plurianual Europeu, conhecido como EEA Grants, tem como principal objetivo promover a igualdade de género nos processos e conteúdos da investigação científica desenvolvida pelas Unidades I&D do grupo UC. Esta conferência permitiu divulgar os objetivos do projeto e as ações programadas, sensibilizar para a necessidade de implementação de medidas de igualdade de género na prática da investigação e partilhar boas práticas a este respeito.
GGI no Programa de Doutoramento
em Ciências da Saúde da FMUC
No passado dia 20 de setembro o GGI teve a oportunidade de participar no Programa de Doutoramento em Ciências da Saúde da FMUC. O seminário concentrou-se nos seguintes 4 tópicos que considerámos mais importantes para apoiar o percurso científico destes alunos: i) Apresentação da composição atual do Gabinete, sua missão, principais funções e atividades; ii) Descrição das principais fontes de financiamento a nível nacional e europeu, para as quais o GGI tem apoiado os colaboradores da FMUC na submissão de candidaturas; iii) Apresentação das ferramentas atualmente disponíveis na UC para auxílio à procura de oportunidades de financiamento; iv) Introdução aos pontos essenciais para a construção de uma candidatura robusta a financiamento competitivo.
Submissão de projeto apoiado pelo GGI
a Call do Horizonte Europa
Finalizou no dia 21 de setembro o prazo para submissão de candidaturas à primeira Call do Cluster da Saúde do programa de financiamento da Comissão Europeia para a Investigação e Desenvolvimento – Horizonte Europa. O GGI apoiou a preparação e submissão da candidatura EyeOnValue - Improving patients’ vision of value in eye treatment, liderada pelo docente da FMUC Joaquim Murta. Esta candidatura, coordenada pela UC, conta com o envolvimento de 13 parceiros de 5 países Europeus, tendo como objeto a avaliação do impacto da implementação de conceitos e práticas como Value Base Health Care, recolha sistemática de dados clínicos, Patient Reported Outcomes, Patient Expericence Outcomes e análise de custo diretos e indiretos na cirurgia da catarata e no tratamento da degenerescência macular relacionada com a idade.
OPORTUNIDADES DE FINANCIAMENTO FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES
The Free Family Foundation, in collaboration with the FFB, has committed funding a period of five years to advance potential treatments for dry age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Within the framework of the FFB Free Family AMD Research Award, FFB will make an award for a meritorious research proposal that proposes to understand pathophysiologic mechanisms that cause the transition from aging to early, dry age-related macular degeneration (AMD) with the goal of informing the design of targeted treatment for the greatest number of people afflicted with AMD and prevent blindness from late stage disease AMD pathobiology.
To be eligible for funding, proposals must:
1. Focus on early, dry AMD;
2. Consider determining the strength of pathophysiologic pathways and their interactions with other pathways to cause AMD lesions of early AMD pathobiology;
3. Must include two PIs who are jointly responsible for the scientific and technical direction of the project;
4. Leverage team science to approach the call in a manner that is not optimally served by a single laboratory.
Multidisciplinary projects are highly encouraged.
The grant has a value of approximately $200,000 per year for up to three years.
Further information available at:
https://www.fightingblindness.org/free-family-amd-research-award
The National Glaucoma Research (NGR) Program was established in 1978 to support research projects on the causes and potential prevention and treatment of glaucoma.
The NGR program offers the following types of awards:
1. Standard Award: significant funding for researchers who have already generated some amount of preliminary data, but are often required to demonstrate additional, significant progress before they can apply to governmental or industrial funding agencies. $200,000 for a maximum duration of two years.
2. Postdoctoral Fellowship Awards: fellowship intended for young researchers in their final stages of mentored training. This fellowship is available to researchers within four years of degree conferral or end of residency or fellowship. $150,000 for a maximum duration of two years.
Further information available at:
https://www.brightfocus.org/research/national-glaucoma-research-program
In collaboration with Debbie's Dream Foundation, the AACR is offering the Career Development Award for Gastric Cancer Research to support junior faculty to carry out research into gastric cancer. Research proposals under this call may be basic, translational, clinical or epidemiological in nature, as long as they have direct relevance to gastric cancer. It is hoped that these fellowships will also enable researchers to establish a successful career in this field.
Applicants must have a doctoral degree (PhD, MD, MD/PhD, or equivalent) in a related field and not currently be a candidate for a further doctoral degree. The award has a value of $200,000 over a two year period. It is expected that one grant be awarded.
Further information available at:
https://www.aacr.org/grants/aacr-debbies-dream-foundation-career-development-award-for-gastric-cancer-research/
The Translational Research Program (TRP) was formed to enhance the transfer of basic research findings to clinical usefulness. Applications are sought that propose novel approaches to the prevention, diagnosis, or treatment of hematological malignancies and related pre-malignant conditions. Proposals should be based on molecular, cellular, or integrated systems findings and be conceptually innovative.
The application should have a clear plan for the eventual clinical translation of the studies proposed and the results expected. This feature will be an important consideration of the review process. Importantly, early-stage, pre-translational or discovery work is not the best fit for the TRP. We call your attention to the fact that this call has topics of special interest and general topics of particular interest which are detailed in the call document and should be carefully considered.
Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) welcomes applications from US citizens and non-US citizens, as well as applicants who are performing research outside the United States. Awards are limited to a maximum of $200,000 annually, which includes direct costs and a maximum overhead of $19,982 or 11.1% of direct costs per year for three years.
Further information available at:
https://www.lls.org/research/translational-research-program
COST brings together European researchers and innovators from different COST countries to jointly develop their own ideas and new initiatives across all science and technology fields through transEuropean cooperation. COST does NOT fund research itself, but supports networking via different tools such as meetings, short term scientific missions, training schools and dissemination activities part of COST Actions. COST invites proposals for Actions aiming at contributing to the scientific, technological, economic, cultural or societal knowledge advancement and development of Europe to close the gap between science, policy makers and society throughout Europe and beyond. In order to achieve its mission, COST has identified three strategic priorities: promoting and spreading excellence, fostering interdisciplinary research for breakthrough science and empowering and retaining young researchers and innovators.
Further information available at:
https://www.cost.eu/funding/how-to-get-funding/open-call-a-simple-one-step-application-process/
The Alzheimer's Disease Research (ADR) Program was established in 1985 to support promising research in fields ranging from molecular biology to genetics to epidemiology.
The ADR program offers two types of awards:
1.Standard Awards: funding for researchers who have already generated some amount of preliminary data, but are often required to demonstrate additional, significant progress before they can apply to governmental or industrial funding agencies. $300,000 for a maximum duration of three years.
2. Postdoctoral Fellowship Awards: funding for young researchers in their final stages of mentored training. These awards fund projects in an established laboratory that will serve as the basis for the applicant's own independent research career. $200,000 for a maximum duration of two years.
Further information available at:
https://www.brightfocus.org/research/alzheimers-disease-research-program
The EFSD/Lilly Exploring and Applying New Strategies in Diabetes (EXPAND) Program aims to assess with dedicated research projects, potential strategies that could be implemented in Europe and rolled out in low-and middle income countries to favour the improvement of quality of care for all people living with diabetes.
The program will accept applications within any area of clinical diabetes research with emphasis on:
1. Prevention of diabetes mellitus;
2. Diagnosis/management of all forms of diabetes;
3. Diagnosis/management/prevention of diabetes-related microvascular complications.
The overall goals are to achieve:
1. Long-term sustainability of proposed interventions;
2. Optimal and long-lasting collaboration with the partner center in a developed country in the fields of health care, education and research;
3. Replicability of proposed projects in other hospitals/health care settings, in other regions/ countries;
4. Establishing a network of hospitals/health care settings based on the outcome;
5. Direct involvement and commitment of local health authorities (co-funding);
6. Impact on the existing health care delivery education and research on local/regional/national level.
The value of the award is normally limited to €150,000.
Further information available at:
http://www.europeandiabetesfoundation.org/workshops/114-efsd-and-lilly-exploring-and-applying-new-strategies-diabetes-expand-programme.html
JDRF Strategic Research Agreements (SRAs) provide funding for single or multiple researchers to address critical gaps, challenges and potential breakthroughs in Type-1 diabetes research. JDRF SRAs are partnerships between researchers and JDRF scientists and are designed to address challenges and accelerate JDRF's mission by providing support for cutting-edge scientific investigation. SRAs should feature cooperative development research planning, interim quarterly reporting and interaction with JDRF scientists before and during the funding period.
There are three tiers of SRA with variable funding levels and durations, justifiable by the applicant:
1. Single Project;
2. Multi-Project - mechanism to stimulate new collaborations between clinical and basic scientists and/or between scientists from diverse backgrounds, as a means to conceive and develop new approaches to major challenges, potential breakthroughs, or persistent obstacles to progress along the various paths to prevent, treat or cure Type 1-diabetes and its complications. A central theme highly relevant to the priority areas of research for JDRF is required and must include a set of clearly defined goals that can be met within a three-year period. In most cases, Multi-Project SRAs will focus on basic or pre-clinical research that seeks to impact the treatment or prevention of Type-1 diabetes and its complications.
3. Clinical - support research programmes that qualify under the JDRF clinical review process. This funding mechanism is intended to support early-stage clinical trials to test therapeutic approaches as well as non-interventional patient-oriented studies that are intended to lead to the development of clinical interventions and monitoring tools (such as markers) for diabetes and its complications.
Further information available at:
https://grantcenter.jdrf.org/rfa/project-concepts-strategic-research-agreement/
The aim of the MRA Young Investigator Award is to attract early career faculty with original ideas into the field of melanoma, thereby recruiting and supporting the next generation of melanoma research leaders. Awardees will be provided funding to accomplish innovative and original, preclinical, translational, and/or early clinical research projects. A mentorship commitment from a senior investigator is required.
The grant has a value of up to $85,000 per year for three years.
Applicants must be within the first four years of their first independent, full time academic faculty appointment at the application deadline at the level of Assistant Professor (or equivalent position). They must designate at least one Mentor who is an established investigator at the same institution who will ensure that adequate support and guidance are provided for successful completion of the proposed research project and provide career mentorship.
Further information available at:
https://www.curemelanoma.org/research/request-for-proposals/mra-general-rfp/
The aim of the MRA Pilot Award is to support senior investigators who propose potentially transformative ideas that do not have extensive preliminary data but articulate a clear hypothesis and translational goals. Resources for such 'high-risk, high-reward' projects are important to establish proof-of-concept, which may then leverage additional funding through more traditional avenues.
The grant has a value of up to $50,000 per year for two years.
Applicants must be a senior investigator, past the initial four years of their first academic faculty appointment. They must hold a full-time faculty appointment at the level of Assistant Professor (or equivalent) or above.
Further information available at:
https://www.curemelanoma.org/research/request-for-proposals/mra-general-rfp/
