BURROUGHS-WELLCOME FUND AWARDS

SPONSOR: BURROUGHS-WELLCOME FUND (BWF)

PURPOSE: To advance the medical sciences by supporting research and

other scientific and educational activities.



DEADLINE: January 18, 2000



SUMMARY: There are three different awards that are included in this one

opportunity. The titles are: Molecular Parasitology Scholar Awards

and New Investigator Awards; New Initiatives in Malaria Research;

and Scholar Awards and New Investigator Awards in Molecular Pathogenic

Mycology. Please note that some information may repeat itself but the

opportunity was kept in its original text.



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MOLECULAR PARASITOLOGY SCHOLAR AWARDS AND NEW INVESTIGATOR AWARDS

The Burroughs Wellcome Fund is offering five-year Scholar Awards

in Molecular Parasitology of $425,000 ($85,000 per year) and three-

year New Investigator Awards in Molecular Parasitology of $210,000

($70,000 per year). It is anticipated that two scholar awards and four

new investigator awards will be made.



The goal of BWF’s molecular parasitology program is to foster the

development and productivity of scientists who will bring new

ways of thinking and new experimental approaches to the study of

parasitic diseases, which have been relatively neglected as targets

for basic research. Parasitic diseases include but are not

limited to malaria, trypanosomiasis, filariasis, schistosomiasis,

leishmaniasis, toxoplasmosis, and amebiasis. They are responsible for

devastating human health in many developing and tropical countries;

worldwide, parasitic diseases afflict more than 850 million

persons and kill 2 million to 3 million persons annually. In

addition to their direct health consequences, parasitic diseases often

undermine economic development in areas where a significant number of

persons are affected. It is hoped that new and more efficient methods

for preventing and treating these diseases may be developed as a result

of this program.



The awards are intended to give recipients the freedom and flexibility

to pursue new avenues of inquiry and higher-risk research projects that

hold potential for advancing significantly the biochemical,

pharmacological, immunological, and molecular biological knowledge of

major pathogens and arthropod vectors that spread parasitic diseases.

BWF is interested particularly in supporting investigators who will

move modern molecular techniques into the study of parasite systems as

well as investigators whose work will extend the study of parasites in

new directions.



The deadline for receipt of all application materials is January 18,

2000. BWF will interview selected finalists for new investigator

awards; candidates will be notified in March, and BWF will conduct the

interviews in April. Candidates for scholar awards will not be

interviewed. Both types of awards will be announced in May and will

commence on July 1, 2000.

 

GUIDELINES

Applications must be submitted by accredited degree-granting U.S. or

Canadian institutions on behalf of individual candidates. An

institution--including its medical school, graduate school, and all

affiliated hospitals and research institutes--may nominate only one

candidate for each award.



Candidates must be citizens or permanent residents of the United States

or Canada at the time of application. Documentation of permanent

residency status must be provided with the application.

Persons who have applied for permanent residency but have not received

their government documentation by the time of application are not

eligible.



Candidates must have an M.D. or Ph.D. degree. (References to "M.D." and

"Ph.D." degrees include all types of medical and scientific degrees.)



Candidates for scholar awards must have established a record of

independent research and hold a tenure-track position as an associate

professor or its equivalent. Consideration also will be given

to more senior investigators who are either significantly reorienting

their research from another field to molecular parasitology

or significantly switching research directions within the field.



Candidates for new investigator awards must hold a tenure-track

position as an assistant professor or its equivalent, and they

must have established a record of independent research at the faculty

level. Researchers recently appointed to a faculty position

may not yet have demonstrated a sufficient track record to be

competitive for this award.



A candidate may be nominated for only one of BWF’s three awards in the

area of molecular parasitology (scholar award, new investigator award,

or malaria research initiative). The Fund reserves the right to

redirect applications to an alternate program.



**Make sure you visit MOLECULAR PARASITOLOGY SCHOLAR

AWARDS AND NEW INVESTIGATOR AWARDS for complete and the most

up-to-date information.



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NEW INITIATIVES IN MALARIA RESEARCH

The Burroughs Wellcome Fund is offering two types of awards. One

type, which provides up to $400,000 over a period of four

years (up to $100,000 per year), is intended to support studies

that bring new ways of thinking and new experimental approaches to

malaria research. The second type, which provides $100,000 over a

period of two years ($50,000 per year), is intended to support

feasibility studies and pilot work that will underpin higher-risk

projects in malaria, or to support investigators from other fields

who are reorienting their research to malaria.



It is anticipated that up to $1.5 million will be spent on awards in

the New Initiatives in Malaria Research program, with the split

between four-year awards and two-year awards to be determined

during the selection process.



The goal of BWF’s program is to increase the fundamental understanding

of the biology and pathogenesis of malaria. Caused by mosquito-borne

parasites, malaria is present in more than 100 countries and is

responsible for 300 million to 400 million clinical cases and more than

2 million deaths each year. During the past two decades, efforts to

control malaria have become less and less effective. Drug-resistant

strains of Plasmodium falciparum, the most dangerous species of the

parasite, are spreading rapidly, and there are reports that P. vivax, a

less virulent form of the parasite, also is developing drug resistance.

In addition, mosquitoes are becoming increasingly resistant to

insecticides. It is hoped that new and more efficient methods for

preventing and treating malaria may be developed as a result of this

program.



The awards are intended to attract more investigators to work on

malaria, to encourage them to bring novel approaches to studying the

pathogens and arthropod vectors responsible for causing the disease,

and to enhance scientific collaborations among investigators at the

same or different institutions. Awardees will have substantial

flexibility. For example, they may divide their time between laboratory

research and field work in areas where malaria is endemic, or they may

engage in studies that make use of data emerging from the current

international effort to sequence the entire genome of the P. falciparum

parasite. In addition, investigators from other fields who want to

reorient their research to malaria may use part of the award to gain

the expertise necessary for working with Plasmodia, which are

notoriously difficult to study.



The deadline for receipt of all application materials is January 18,

2000. BWF may interview selected finalists. If so, BWF will notify the

candidates in March and conduct the interviews in April. The awards

will be announced in May and will commence on July 1, 2000.



GUIDELINES

Applications must be submitted by accredited degree-granting U.S. or

Canadian institutions on behalf of individual candidates.

An institution--including its medical school, graduate school, and

all affiliated hospitals and research institutes--may nominate up to

two candidates. The two nominations may be designated for one type of

award or split between the two types of awards.



Candidates must have an M.D. or Ph.D. degree, and they must hold a

tenure-track faculty appointment or its equivalent. (References to

"M.D." and "Ph.D." degrees include all types of medical

and scientific degrees.)



Applications from coinvestigators with complementary expertise to work

jointly on research are encouraged. Such collaboration must be limited

to two principal investigators. Coinvestigators need not be at the same

institution; however, one institution must assume the lead in applying

for and administering the award. Collaborative proposals count as a

single nomination toward the two-candidate limit.



Experience in malaria research is not a prerequisite. BWF seeks to

encourage individuals from other fields to apply their expertise

in bringing new ideas and approaches to the study of malaria. However,

such applicants must describe how they intend to acquire the necessary

expertise in working with Plasmodium as an experimental

system. Potential avenues include training in a malaria

laboratory or collaborating with an established malaria researcher.



Candidates must be citizens or permanent residents of the United States

or Canada at the time of application. Documentation of permanent

residency status must be provided with the application. Persons who

have applied for permanent residency but have not received their

government documentation by the time of application are not eligible.

In an exception to this requirement, if a collaboration permits access

to field sites or laboratory resources unique to a tropical developing

country, then the collaborative partner may be an international one, so

long as the lead partner is a U.S. or Canadian researcher who meets the

eligibility criteria.



Researchers who receive a two-year award in the New Initiatives in

Malaria Research program may apply later for a four-year award.



Previous recipients of BWF’s Scholar Awards and New Investigator Awards

in Molecular Parasitology are eligible to apply. Researchers now

holding such awards also may apply, but they will have to give up their

current award if they receive the malaria award.



A candidate may be nominated for only one of the three BWF awards in

parasitology (scholar award, new investigator award, or malaria

research initiative). The Fund reserves the right to redirect

applications to an alternate program.



**Make sure you visit NEW INITIATIVES IN MALARIA RESEARCH

for complete and the most up-to-date information.



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SCHOLAR AWARDS AND NEW INVESTIGATOR AWARDS IN MOLECULAR

PATHOGENIC MYCOLOGY

The Burroughs Wellcome Fund is offering five-year Scholar Awards in

Molecular Pathogenic Mycology of $425,000 ($85,000 per year) and

three-year New Investigator Awards in Molecular Pathogenic Mycology

of $210,000 ($70,000 per year). It is anticipated that three scholar

awards and three new investigator awards will be made.



The goal of BWF’s molecular pathogenic mycology program is to foster

the development and productivity of scientists who will bring new ways

of thinking and new experimental approaches to the study of disease-

causing fungi. Fungal infectious diseases pose a serious and growing

health hazard. Collectively, they are a major cause of death worldwide.

Confronting these diseases has taken on a new urgency, for a number of

reasons. Safe and effective antifungal drugs remain scarce, and common

fungal pathogens are becoming increasingly resistant to available

drugs. There has been a rise in the number of persons whose immune

systems have been compromised by infectious diseases or drug therapies,

leaving them susceptible to fungal attack. Many fungi once considered

benign now have been implicated in causing disease. Compared to other

disease agents, fungal pathogens have been relatively neglected as

targets for basic research. It is hoped that new and more efficient

methods for preventing and treating these diseases may be developed as

a result of this program.



The awards are intended to give recipients the freedom and flexibility

to pursue new avenues of inquiry and higher-risk research projects that

hold potential for advancing significantly the field of medical

mycology. BWF is interested particularly in supporting scientists--

including investigators working in mycology as well as those

from other fields--who will use modern techniques from molecular

biology, biochemistry, immunology, pharmacology, and genetics

to advance fundamental knowledge of virulent fungal pathogens.



The deadline for receipt of all application materials is January 18,

2000. BWF will interview selected finalists for new investigator

awards; candidates will be notified in March, and BWF will

conduct the interviews in April. Candidates for scholar

awards will not be interviewed. Both types of awards will be

announced in May and will commence on July 1, 2000.



GUIDELINES

Applications must be submitted by accredited degree-granting U.S. or

Canadian institutions on behalf of individual candidates.

An institution--including its medical school, graduate school,

and all affiliated hospitals and research institutes--may

nominate only one candidate for each award.



Candidates must be citizens or permanent residents of the United States

or Canada at the time of application. Documentation of permanent

residency status must be provided with the application. Persons who

have applied for permanent residency but have not received their

government documentation by the time of application

are not eligible.



Candidates must have an M.D. or Ph.D. degree. (References to "M.D." and

"Ph.D." degrees include all types of medical and scientific degrees.)



Candidates for scholar awards must have established a record of

independent research and hold a tenure-track position as an associate

professor or its equivalent. Consideration also will be given

to more senior investigators who are significantly reorienting

their research from another field to medical mycology.



Candidates for new investigator awards must hold a tenure-track

position as an assistant professor or its equivalent, and they must

have established a record of independent research at the faculty

level. Researchers recently appointed to a faculty position

may not yet have demonstrated a sufficient track record to be

competitive for this award.



For both scholar awards and new investigator awards, applications are

encouraged from scientists in other fields who want to reorient their

research to molecular pathogenic mycology and the host response.

However, such applicants must describe how they intend to obtain or

have access to the expertise necessary for working with fungal

pathogens. Potential avenues include taking a mycology training course,

working in the laboratory of an established mycology researcher, and

hiring a postdoctoral student trained in the field. Candidates also

may submit applications that include the direct participation of a

scientific collaborator who has expertise that will help accomplish

the proposed research.



**Make sure you visit SCHOLAR AWARDS AND NEW INVESTIGATOR

AWARDS IN MOLECULAR PATHOGENIC MYCOLOGY for complete and the most

up-to-date information.



CONTACT: 

Burroughs Wellcome Fund

(insert name of program you are applying to)

21 T. W. Alexander Drive

Post Office Box 13901

Research Triangle Park, NC  27709-3901



Tel: 919-991-5100

Fax: 919-941-0695 

E-mail: info@bwfund.org



Website: http://www.bwfund.org

KEYWORDS:

Keycode Keyword

A006000 Foundation Funding Opportunities

0502024 Medical Education

072000A All Education & Instruction (Health & Safety & Medical)

0700000 Health & Safety, Medical & Biomedical Sciences

0720000 Education & Instruction (Health & Safety & Medical)

1014000 Science, General & Other

101400A All Science, General & Other

1000000 Science & Technology & Mathematics & Computer Science

0760000 Molecular & Cellular Entities

076000A All Molecular & Cellular Entities

1002032 Parasitology

100200A All Biological Sciences

1002000 Biological Sciences

0715000 Disease Entities & Medical Problems

071500A All Disease Entities & Medical Problems & Behavior

0765033 Pathogenesis

076500A All Natural Processes (Health & Safety & Medical)

0765000 Natural Processes (Health & Safety & Medical)

1002029 Mycology

0720005 Biomedical Research Training

1003002 Biochemistry

0765012 Drug Resistance

0901015 Economic Development

1400000 Environment

0408040 Feasibility Studies

0402009 Field Work

1002019 Genetics

0710070 Immunology

0112000 International

0715151 Parasitic Diseases

0710100 Pharmacology

0000034 Research

071000A All Disciplines & Fields, Health & Safety, Medical & Biomedical

0400000 Behavioral & Social Sciences

011200A All International

0710000 Disciplines & Fields, Health & Safety, Medical & Biomedical

0505025 Graduate Education

0745027 Disease Prevention

0745055 Preventive Medicine

074500A All Intervention, Types of (Health Safety & Medical)

0745070 Treatment, Medical

0745000 Intervention, Types of (Health & Safety & Medical)