Funding-Limited Submission – NIH/NCCAM - Centers of Excellence for Research on CAM (CERC; P01); May 15, 2012

The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) has issued a Funding Opportunity Announcement to encourage applications proposing research of high-priority to NCCAM that require synergistic collaboration between outstanding scientists and the synthesis of multiple research approaches by multi-disciplinary research teams. The CERC mechanism is designed to support research in which the funding of three or four synergistic, highly meritorious projects as a group offers significant scientific advantages over support of the same projects as individual research grants. Each CERC must consist, throughout the duration of the award, of three or four research projects, focused on basic, mechanistic, and/or translational research questions relevant to the research priorities described in the current NCCAM Strategic Plan.

See the complete PAR for guidelines and additional information:  http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PAR-12-151.html

Internal Competition:  Because the NIH limits an institution to one application, the University of Kentucky has established an internal selection process. Prospective applicants interested in responding to this program should send a pre-proposal with the following information to the Office of the Vice President for Research at vpr@email.uky.edu and a copy to their Associate Dean for Research by Tuesday, May 15, 2012:

1. Names and departments of the Program Director/Principal Investigator and key personnel including the PIs of the proposed CERC’s research projects

2. Identify the central research focus of the CERC and list the titles and PIs of three interrelated research projects that will comprise the CERC

A committee will be appointed to review the information and make recommendations. Questions about the submission process may be sent to Ms. Annette Evans in the Office of the Vice President for Research (alevan4@email.uky.edu or 257-1663.) The next NIH deadline is September 25, 2012