Research seeks proposals for NIH program

The Office of Research and Economic Development is sponsoring an internal competition to identify the team that will develop the UNL proposal that will be submitted to NIH’s Centers of Biomedical Research Excellence (COBRE) program in early 2014.

NIH allows only one application per institution per fiscal year. Faculty interested in developing a COBRE application must submit an expression of interest by Aug. 12, as well as an internal pre-proposal by Sept. 16.

The COBRE program is designed to strengthen an institution’s biomedical research infrastructure by establishing an interdisciplinary, and sometimes multi-institutional, center and enhancing the ability of early-career investigators to secure independent external research funding. This program currently funds UNL’s Nebraska Center for Virology and Redox Biology Center.

COBRE applications must have a thematic scientific focus supported by basic, clinical, and/or translational research approaches, including community-based participatory research. Proposed centers also must be led by an established biomedical or behavioral investigator who has:

1) an active research laboratory;

2) a record of peer-reviewed funding related to the proposed center’s scientific theme; and

3) a history of administrative leadership and mentoring.

Additional programmatic information is available on the NIH website (http://www.nigms.nih.gov/Training/IDeA/COBRE.htm) and in the COBRE program announcement (http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PAR-11-286.html).

By Oct. 1, the vice chancellor for research and economic development, with assistance from a team of external reviewers, will select the center concept to be fully developed into a full COBRE proposal and submitted to NIH by the Feb. 21, 2014, application deadline.

For more information regarding the internal competition, contact Regina Werum, associate vice chancellor for research, rwerum2@unl.edu or 402-472-2851.

More details at: http://go.unl.edu/tzp