New NIH R&D Opportunity Targets Environmental Exposures
Federal stimulus money is behind a $200 million National Institutes of Health program named "Grand Opportunities," which is inviting new applications for research in a variety of public health, health care delivery, and biomedical R&D areas. The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) is one of the participating NIH units; its opportunity will fund small businesses' development of portable devices for measuring environmental chemicals and biological agents in the field and sensors to monitor exposures to airborne chemicals and biological agents.
The NIEHS opportunity targets these priority environmental exposures: ozone, particulate matter; diesel exhaust; metals such as arsenic, cadmium, and mercury; volatile organic compounds such as benzene; pesticides; polybrominated diphenyls (PBDEs); polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs); mold/microbial toxins; and allergens.
Application are due April 28, with the funded research expected to begin in October 2009 at the earliest.
"With this new program, we will support large biomedical and biobehavioral research endeavors that will benefit from a significant two-year jumpstart in funds and are ready for immediate implementation," said Acting NIH Director Raynard S. Kington, M.D., Ph.D. "The goals are to fund high-impact research that will lead to growth and investment in these fields and stimulate the economy in the process."
For more information about the grants, visit this site.