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NIH and NSF Announce New Research Programs

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) and National Science Foundation (NSF) have jointly announced two new research grant programs to bridge the sciences: New Biomedical Frontiers at the Interface of the Life and Physical Sciences (R01)  and Transforming Biomedicine at the Interface of the Life and Physical Sciences (R01) PAR-10-141. The former focuses on basic research and the latter on clinical and translational research.

The purpose of these two programs is to provide support for cutting-edge, visionary research, only possible through cross disciplinary research. Breakthroughs such as x-ray crystallography, CAT scans, and magnetic resonance imaging have had an enormous and important effect on biology. These discoveries were funded by sources, such as the Bell Labs, which are no longer in existence. Thus, it is very difficult for researchers to work on similar breakthrough technologies today.

Both programs will provide grants of varying sizes and lengths to accommodate a variety of research, encourage young investigators with novel ideas to apply, and will be reviewed by special review panels that include reviewers from the physical, mathematical, and computational sciences selected by NSF.  Applications will be accepted once a year in May through 2012.  The first deadline is May 18, 2010.