AXA Research Fund: Postdoctoral Fellowships 2013

Post-Doctoral Applications: Guidelines 2013

please see: http://www.axa-research.org/sites/dev/files/A-Howtoobtain-Modus/Post-Doc2013.pdf

1. About this guide
This guide contains all the necessary information to apply for a Post-Doctoral fellowship financed by the AXA Research Fund (ARF). You will also find a general overview of our selection process.

Post-Doctoral applications – Instructions

2. Eligibility criteria
2. 1 General information
2.1.1 Institutions
To apply for these fellowships, institutions must be registered with the AXA Research Fund. The AXA Research Fund does not accept unsolicited applications from individual applicants. Please note that although a given candidate may be presented twice by the same institution, they cannot submit the same proposal twice. Applications must be submitted by the research institution to which the candidate’s host laboratory belongs, and where the post-doctoral work is to be carried out.

2.1.2 Candidates
Applications must comply with the following criteria in order to be submitted for peer-review and final selection by the Scientific Board of the AXA Research Fund:

• Applications must be filled out in English.
• A candidate can be presented through one institution only.
• Candidates must have defended their Ph.D thesis before the beginning of their Post-Doctoral grant.

We wish to finance projects from start to finish: projects that are already under way are thus not eligible for funding with the ARF. ARF PostDoc grants are not compatible with permanent academic positions.

2.2 Geographical scope
Our geographical scope for Post-Doc funding includes:
- Member states of the European Union,
- Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Belarus, Brazil, China, Croatia, Hong Kong, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Israel, Japan, Lebanon, Liechtenstein, Malaysia, Mexico, Moldova, Monaco, Morocco, Norway, the State of Qatar, Philippines, the Republic of Macedonia, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Singapore, South Korea, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, Ukraine, the United Arab Emirates, Vietnam
Only host institutions located within this geographical scope are eligible to present candidates to our Post-Doc funding campaigns. Please note that this geographical scope is reviewed on a yearly basis.

2.3 Eligible research fields
The mission of the AXA Research Fund is to fund basic research dedicated to a better understanding of risk. The word risk as we understand it is connected to: Phenomena that are perceived, or yet to be perceived as hazards or threats and which must be identified and measured for frequency and impact.
Post-Doctoral projects funded by the AXA Research Fund must be related to one of the general topics listed below, and should contribute to a better understanding of one of these three clusters of risks.

Our three general clusters of risks:

Environmental risks
Climate change, from glacier retreat to sea-level rise. Natural hazards, from earth hazards to atmospheric and space-weather phenomena. Human-driven environmental changes such as urban pollution, nanotechnologies or pesticide exposure.

Life risks
Aging and long-term care, e.g. trends in individual longevity, age-related diseases, population demographics. Biomedical risks, from the analysis and evolution of infectious diseases and pandemics to exposure to new technologies. Addictions and risky behaviors, from the perspectives of psychology, biology, medicine, etc.
o NB: The AXA Research Fund wishes to finance basic research only. This excludes R&D research programs, as well as clinical trials involved in clinical research projects. Please note that research programs aimed at understanding the fundamental mechanisms of a disease and its impact on health are considered basic.

Socio-economic Risks
Geopolitical risks, e.g. access to natural resources, international and civil conflicts, political upheavals, international security. Macro-economic and financial systemic risks, i.e. all uncertainties affecting the aggregate behavior of the economy. Individual and collective behaviors towards uncertainty. Large corporate risks, from internal corporate governance risks to threats and challenges inherent to the corporate environment.

2.4 Ethical disclaimer
For ethical reasons, the AXA Research Fund does not finance research in the following areas:

• research violating national regulations
• research having direct military use
• research having potentially dangerous environmental impact, research relying on the artificial production of highly infectious pathogens with potential large scale harmful/lethal effects for humans
• biomedical research led without the informed consent of the donors
• research on embryonic stem cells
• research processing private personal data without the informed consent of the concerned parties (incl. genetic information)
• research activities aiming at human cloning

3. Application & selection process

3.1 Key dates

o First Round: The operational contact fills in the form about the fields the institution wants to propose candidates in and why, on the AXA Research Fund’s application website.
 Opening: January 17th, 2013 ; Closing: February 2nd, 2013 at noon (Paris Time GMT +1)

o Second Round:
a. Pre-selection of candidates by the institution: The operational contact submits the names and emails of the pre-selected candidates on the AXA Research Fund’s application website.
 Opening: February 14th, 2013; Closing: March 21st, 2013 at noon (Paris Time GMT +1)
b. The candidates receive an email from the AXA Research Fund, providing them with an access and a password to fill in their on-line application, on the AXA Research Fund’s application website.
o They are allowed to fill in their application as soon as their institution has submitted it and till closing on April 18th, 2013 at noon (Paris Time GMT +1)
o AXA Scientific Board’s decision will be released on July 26th 2013.

For further details, please see the AXA Website at:

 http://www.axa-research.org/sites/dev/files/A-Howtoobtain-Modus/Post-Doc2013.pdf

and/or contact us at the Office of Research Services (ext. 1332)

AXA Research Fund 2013: Application Tips from AXA

TIP 1: Matching our Selection Criteria

Academic excellence of the candidate: here we mean track record, in terms of impact even more than volume; excellence of the previous host institution(s);   and, of course, stature and quality of the recommendation letters.

Innovative nature and originality of the project: reviewers highly value applications showing commanding knowledge of relevant literature; originality both in the research hypothesis and in the methodology used to test it. Naturally, demonstrating a contribution to a better understanding of important hazards and risks, or current global societal challenges is the core of what we are looking for.

International scope of the host research laboratory: we look at rankings, bibliometrics, and also at peer-reviewed recognition. We value both labs that are global leaders and labs that are on a dynamic growth path.  The quality of the facilities and attractiveness to international students and researchers – both junior and senior – is a good way to demonstrate these traits), as is the international exposure of the project/lab director.

Feasibility of the project: Quality of the environment (Postdoctoral program, supervision); Project framework (macro-planning, budget); Quality of the preliminary work and access to needed equipment, field studies, data and so on.

TIP 2: Demonstrating Exciting Innovation
As you know, the innovative nature of the research projects is very important to us – and we’ll try and favor “high risk/high gain” projects over more pedestrian, albeit productive, approaches. We believe that this is a quality of the applicant more than of the application so we’ll look both at the question asked and at previous research demonstrating creativity and innovative potential.

TIP 3: Helping Young Researchers’ Mobility.
We believe that it is crucial for young researchers to gather an international network and be exposed to various research environments in the early stage of their career. Hence we value applicants who already had an international exposure or, even more, whom we will help to build one. Our definition of international exposure goes as following:
-at least a semester spent abroad during doctoral studies or planned/previous post-doctoral positions. International exposure during master degree or undergraduate studies is much less relevant as they seldom lead to the nurturing of a strong research network.
-of course, as research is international by nature, the nationality of the applicant is not our basis for assessing international mobility.

TIP 4: Our Starting Grants are for Junior Researchers
The length of the time scale between PhD defense and Post-Doctoral applications projects should not exceed 5 years, except if a specific reason (illness, for instance) is involved. For more experienced candidates, our other schemes will be more relevant.

TIP 5: Helping Research to Impact/Interact with Policy-Making
Please encourage the applicant to highlight the contribution of his/her research to the discipline and, to a greater extent, to the understanding/ modeling/ mitigation/prevention of major risks and global challenges. The AXA Research Fund wants to better help its supported researchers to have a voice in the public debate and nurture it with the most advanced scientific discoveries. Any proof of the potential of the applicant to bring his research subject to the global table is mostly welcomed!

TIP 6: Great Recommendation(s) are key  
The recommendation letter should first and forehand prove the potential of the applicant. It can also demonstrate the robustness of the research project and its alignment with the strategy of the host institution/lab. It gives also the opportunity to provide us with insights regarding the quality of the environment in which the research project will be conducted in terms of equipment, expertise of the host laboratory, and its international scope.

More details of the 2013 Round will be posted here on, or soon after, 17 January 2013, when AXA expects to make a formal announcement.

Please stay tuned.

NIH/FIC Research Ethics Education and Curriculum Development Award (R25)

Funding Opportunity Purpose

The goal of this initiative is strengthen research ethics capacity in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) through increasing the number of scientists, health professionals and relevant academics from these countries with in-depth knowledge of the ethical principles, processes and policies related to international clinical and public health research as well as the critical skills to develop research ethics education, ethical review leadership and expert consultation to researchers, their institutions, governments and international research organizations.

Eligibility: Foreign Institutions are eligible; Thailand is an LMIC (middle-income country)

• Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) Number: PAR-13-027
• Open Date (earliest submission date): March 22, 2013
• Letter of Intent Due Date: April 22, 2013
• Application Due Date: May 22, 2013
• Scientific Merit Review: October 2013
• Advisory Council Review: January 2014
• Earliest Start Date: March 2014

Award Budget

New education program applications may request a budget of up to $230,000 direct costs per year.

Award Project Period

The total project period for a new or renewal application submitted in response to this funding opportunity may not exceed 5 years.  

Research Education Objectives

The Fogarty International Center and several ICs have supported International Research Ethics Education and Curriculum Development awards since FY2000 (see http://www.fic.nih.gov/Grants/Search/Pages/Awards-Program-Bioethics.aspx for list of current awards).  The goal of this initiative is to strengthen research ethics capacity in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) through increasing the number of scientists, health professionals and relevant academics from these countries with in-depth knowledge of the ethical principles, processes and policies related to international clinical and public health research as well as the critical skills to develop research ethics education, ethical review leadership and expert consultation to researchers, their institutions, governments and international research organizations.   FIC and the participating ICs invite applications for International Research Ethics Education and Curriculum Development Program Award programs:

1. To develop a comprehensive ethics education program including master's level curricula and practicum opportunities for LMIC academics, researchers and health professionals in ethics related to performing research involving human subjects in their home countries or;

2. To revise and renew existing master's level international ethics education programs or;

3. For LMIC applicants only, to submit applications to offer new or revised master's level education programs to grant supported LMIC academics, researchers and health professional which integrate curriculum, mentored practicum experiences and ethics career enhancement activities related to performing research involving human subjects in their home countries.

It is expected that such master’s level research education will enhance the career development of participants from LMICs, as well as strengthen ethics scholarship and sustain their capacity to design and direct ethics activities related to clinical and public health research at their home institutions and countries.  Participant recruitment and selection strategies should be designed to identify the strongest potential LMIC leaders in research ethics as well as create institutional or regional networking and collaboration opportunities to sustain a critical mass of ethics leadership for maximum impact afterparticipation.   Faculty and mentors from LMICs with research ethics expertise should play significant roles in proposed programs to insure the relevance of the curriculum and sustainable impact of the participants afterward. Innovative approaches for continuing research ethics education and networking for participants that will sustain their development as research ethics leaders at their home institutions are encouraged.

 This is a wonderful opportunity for the Faculty of Tropical Medicine to take the lead in research ethics education in Thailand and the ASEAN Region

Please contact Paul, Gary or Lorna at the Office of Research Services for further information, advice and assistance with your application

Japanese Association for Laboratory Animal Science (JALAS) Award

Candidates for the JALAS Award must meet the following requirements:

1. An abstract of the research of the candidate.

2. The candidate must be 35 years old or younger as of December 31, 2012.

3. The candidate must submit a copy of his/her passport to verify age.

4. An application form.

5. The candidate must present the research accomplishment in a symposium at the annual

    academic meeting of JALAS in 2013. The next JALAS meeting will be held in Tsukuba

    (Ibaraki prefecture) on May 15 - 17, 2013.

•           The candidate’s research field must be related to laboratory animal science which covers basic to applied biomedical research centering around use of experimental animals and also covers topics related to experimental animals such as technology, management, and animal welfare.
•          It should also be noted that the awardees will be given a testimonial and a bursary of Y 100,000 in cash at the annual meeting of JALAS to be held in Tsukuba next year.
•          JALAS does not reimburse traveling fees by any other special funding

_________________________________________________________________

Application Form for the JALAS International Award 2012

Please fill out the following items.

1.   The association/organization of your country

1)    The name of the association: Thai Association for Laboratory Animal Science (TALAS)

      

2)    The name of the president of the association: Dr. Parntep Ratanakorn

[Present Position: Associate Professor; Dean

Director, FAO Reference Center for Zoonotic and Wildlife Diseases,

The Monitoring and Surveillance Center for Zoonotic Disease in Wildlife and Exotic Animals (MoZWE)

Office Address: Faculty of Veterinary Science, Mahidol University, Salaya Campus

Nakornpathom 73170, Thailand

Tel: +66 2441-0931-2 Fax: +66 2441-0937 or +66 2441-5249

E-mail: parntep.rat@mahidol.ac.th]

     

3)    The address of the liaison office:

     

4)    The name of the secretary-general at the liaison office:

           

5)    The mailing address of the liaison office:

           

6)    Phone & Fax numbers of the liaison office:

           

7)    The e-mail address of the liaison office:

   

2.   The candidate

1)    Name:

     

2)    Birth date and age:

           

3)    Sex:

           

4)    Affiliation and position:

           

5)    Mailing address:

           

6)    Phone & Fax numbers:

   

7)    E-mail address:

______________________________________________________________

      

Abstract Format:

Title

Name¹, Name¹, Name², Name¹

¹Insitution, ²Institution

Text from here …. (up to one page).......

______________________________________________________________

      http://www.jalas.jp/english/en_about_jalas.html 

        History

The predecessor of the Japanese Association for Laboratory Animal Science (JALAS), the Experimental Animals Research Committee, was founded in October 1951 (President: Dr. Kohji Ando). It started with about 30 members, managing major activities that included 1) supply of microbiologically and genetically standardized animals, 2) supply of animals suitable for cancer research, 3) supply of animal food with defined ingredients, and 4) improvement of housing environments for laboratory animals. It was formally organized as the JALAS in 1980 (President: Dr. Junichi Kawamata). In 2007, JALAS merged with the Japanese Society of Animal Models for Human Diseases and now consists of about 1,200 members from universities, research institutes, and private companies. In May 2011, the 58th annual JALAS meeting was held in Tokyo.

Core Values Statement

The JALAS policy on animal experimentations is as follows (statement in November 2007):
The Japanese Association for Laboratory Animal Science (JALAS) was established for the purpose of advancing laboratory animal science and related areas through the promotion of basic and applied research and the dissemination of relevant information concerning laboratory animals, thereby contributing to the development of science in Japan.
Animal experimentation is an essential part of research, education and testing in such fields as medicine and the life sciences. JALAS members should comply with the Law for the Humane Treatment and Management of Animals as well as the Standards Relating to the Care and Management of Laboratory Animals and Relief of Pain. Furthermore, they should conform to the internationally accepted "3R" (Replacement, Reduction, and Refinement) principle in accordance with the Fundamental Guidelines for Proper Conduct of Animal Experiment and Related Activities compiled by the related ministries as well as the Guidelines for Proper Conduct of Animal Experiments stipulated by the Science Council of Japan.
JALAS began raising the awareness of its members as to the importance of laboratory animal welfare by promulgating the Guidelines for Animal Experimentation in 1987 and publishing a handbook for the Guidelines. JALAS will remain committed to the promotion of the proper conduct of animal experimentation under voluntary management in Japan.

Status

There are currently about 1,200 regular members and five honorary members. An annual meeting is held in May. In addition, the JALAS has held symposia and training courses on laboratory animals. The official JALAS journal, Experimental Animals, is issued quarterly in January, April, July, and October. The contents are freely available on the J-STAGE home page (the Japan Science and Technology Information Aggregator, Electronic). The JALAS confers annual scientific or technical awards to domestic regular members and an annual international award to young scientists in other Asian countries

AXA Research Fund: New Funding Schemes from 2013

The AXA Research Fund will be proposing new funding schemes as of 2013. Three new funding schemes will be created: 

1. AXA Outlooks
2. AXA Awards
3. AXA Joint Research Initiatives

• AXA Outlooks (up to 3 years, 300k€) will help innovative researchers with high potential for popularization on key topics to disseminate their findings; the objective is to reach a wider audience through many possible formats, thus facilitating the dialogue between academic communities, policymakers, decision-makers, experts, and other opinion-formers (journalists, NGOs…).
• AXA Awards (up to 2 years, 250k€) are aimed at supporting mid-career researchers with extremely high potential for innovation in their fields to develop and test their hypotheses, thus accelerating the pace of innovation in risk research areas of greatest concern.
• AXA Joint Research Initiatives (up to 3 years, 300k€) will, under the leadership of a senior academic researcher, offer entry points and a collaborative framework to collaborate with an AXA in-house expert team, providing them with essential elements for the success of their projects (data, field access…); such research will aim to produce research publications in the open literature, available to everyone.

The 3 new schemes will replace previous AXA Project funding scheme. Alongside the new schemes, AXA will continue to fund AXA Chairs and Research Fellowships (Post-Docs), under enhanced procedures. It will now be possible to apply for AXA Chairs throughout the year: applications for 2013 may start as of now. There will only be one award round for AXA Fellowships (Post-Docs) per year, starting in January 2013 (details to be confirmed by the end of November 2012), though the annual number of fellowships (30) and allocated amounts (120k€ over 2 years) will remain the same. Otherwise, the application process for these two funding schemes will remain basically unchanged.

AXA will also cease financing new AXA Doctoral fellowships directly. PhDs can be financed within budgets allocated through AXA funding schemes (except Fellowships).  Current AXA-supported Doctoral students will be financed until the end of the existing awards and will remain part of the AXA Research Fund community.

For more details on each funding scheme, see http://www.axa-research.org/.

NIH Centers of Excellence for Translational Research (CETR) (U19)

Funding Opportunity Number:                RFA-AI-12-044

Current Closing Date for Applications:  Mar 26, 2013   

Award Ceiling:                                            $4,000,000

Eligibility: Foreign Institutions are eligible to apply
Project proposals should address NIAID Priority Pathogens (Biodefense)

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), National Institutes of Health (NIH), supports extramural research focused on understanding, controlling and preventing diseases caused by virtually all infectious agents. In response to threats presented by emerging infectious diseases and bioterrorism, the NIAID Division of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (DMID) has established complementary research programs to facilitate development of medical countermeasures for certain pathogens and toxins. 

NIAID invites applications to establish Centers of Excellence for Translational Research (CETR) focused on the development of medical countermeasures and associated platforms/technologies targeting NIAID Emerging and Re-emerging Infectious Diseases (http://www.niaid.nih.gov/topics/emerging/pages/list.aspx), which includes NIAID Category A, B and C Priority Pathogens. For the purposes of this FOA, “translational research” is defined as research and developmental activities focused on transforming basic science outcomes (knowledge, technologies, infrastructure, etc.) into new and innovative approaches for prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of disease. Priority will be given to Centers that address the greatest clinical need. Emphasis will be placed on Centers that integrate current research knowledge and infrastructure with highly innovative and synergistic approaches to facilitate medical countermeasure development, and address related constraints, challenges or barriers to product development, licensure and usage. Clinical trials will not be supported under this program.

The full announcement is at: 

http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-AI-12-044.html#_Part_1._Overview 

Please contact Paul, Gary, or Lorna in the Research Administration Unit, Office of Research Services (ORS), for information, advice and assistance applying for this research funding opportunity.

New Investigator Guide to NIH Funding

Links to the NIAID Guide are now on the TropMed Research Website at:

 http://www.tm.mahidol.ac.th/research/client/Grants.html 

This informative guide for new and would-be principal investigators outlines strategies for gaining an NIH grant, and explains basic funding concepts and processes.

The original NIAID page is at: http://www.niaid.nih.gov/researchfunding/grant/Pages/newpiguide.aspx#new01

Please click on the links below to read more...

• Starting Out
  • Test Your NIH Savvy: Self-Quiz
  • Getting to Know NIH
  • Starting a Research Career
  • Putting Grants in Context
  • Perspective on Peer Review
  • Our Mission—Why It Matters to You
  • Do You Qualify for Independent Support?
  • What Award Should You Apply For?
  • What's an R01?
  • Why You Should Consider an R01
  • Are You "New"?
  • How to Qualify for New and Early-Stage Investigator Status
  • How to Extend the Early-Stage Investigator Window
• Shaping Your Strategy
  • How Long Will It Take?
  • Plan Ahead for Electronic Application
  • How Funding Opportunities Work
  • Choosing an Approach
  • Application Essentials
  • Think Strategically
  • Will You Have the Resources?
  • Make Sure You Have the Necessary Expertise
  • Should You Be One of Many PIs?
  • Decide the Parameters of Your Request
  • How to Plan an Appropriate Budget
  • Staying Informed
• Grant Writing for New Investigators
  • Getting Oriented
  • Creating Your Application
  • Submitting the Application
  • Using Your Application More Than Once