Notice Number: NOT-HD-19-036
Key Dates
Release Date: November 05, 2019
First Available Due Date:February 25, 2020
Expiration Date: October 26, 2022
Issued by
Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)
Purpose
This Notice of Scientific Interest (NOSI) encourages grant applications to strengthen the developmental biology research environment at educational institutions that do not receive substantial funding from the NIH, with an emphasis on providing biomedical research experiences primarily to undergraduate students through exposure to and participation in research projects designed to study fundamental processes underlying normal development. In addition, this NOSI attempts to foster the development of novel or underutilized experimental model systems suitable for contributing significantly to our understanding of developmental mechanisms.
Background
There is a need to increase support for developmental biology research at educational institutions primarily focused on undergraduate education. Concern is that students from such institutions tend not to be exposed to scientists conducting developmental biology research. There is evidence that participation of undergraduate students in research fosters their later participation in graduate studies. It follows, therefore, that expanding the number of undergraduates exposed to developmental biology ultimately will provide a larger pool of researchers motivated to study the fundamental processes underlying normal development.
There is also a need to explore new animal models to enhance our understanding of embryonic development and the genetic variations that lead to evolution. The availability of a diversity of experimental models allows investigators to choose the most advantageous system in which to address important experimental questions. Because of the conservation of developmental processes across animal phyla, results from these model systems can readily be used to advance our understanding of human embryonic development. The NIH has long been supportive of enlarging our armamentarium of biomedical model systems and recognizes that often new models first appear in use at small institutions, where funds are limited and best used to support models that require low upkeep. Since AREA awards are limited in dollar amount, these relatively small awards are well-suited to applications using inexpensive, low-upkeep animal model systems. The development of underutilized and/or novel experimental model systems suitable for contributing significantly to our understanding of developmental mechanisms, while not required, is encouraged by this NOSI.
Research Objectives
This NOSI is intended to support scientifically meritorious research projects important to NICHD's mission, strengthen the scientific environment at recipient schools, and foster positive research experiences for undergraduate students, the goal of which is to expose next generation scientists to the exciting field of developmental biology.
In addition to supporting research aimed at understanding normal embryonic development, this NOSI encourages research on developmental defects of generalized body patterning and localized dysmorphic anomalies across a variety of organ systems, such as the nervous, musculo-skeletal, gut, cardiac, limb, and lymphatic that may lead to clinically significant, congenital structural malformations. The area of structural birth defects research is a direct offshoot of this arm of developmental biology.
Potential Research Areas
Research proposals responsive to this NOSI will include small scale, new or renewal projects investigating questions of importance to developmental biology such as, but not limited to:
Application and Submission Information
This notice applies to due dates on or after February 25, 2020 and subsequent receipt dates through October 26, 2022 .
Submit applications for this initiative using one of the following funding opportunity announcements (FOAs) or any reissues of these announcement through the expiration date of this notice.
All instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide and the funding opportunity announcement used for submission must be followed, with the following additions:
Inquiries
Scientific/Research Contact(s)
Mahua Mukhopadhyay, PhD
Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human development (NICHD)
Telephone: 301-435-6886
Email: mukhopam@mail.nih.gov