Develop Radical Solutions to the Opioid Epidemic at “Innovation Lab Buffalo”
Applications are now being accepted for the first Innovation Lab to Drive Early Career Grants program, which will be held in Buffalo, NY from November 6th to 10th, 2017. The five-day creative problem-solving event is meant to help early-career scholars develop novel transdisciplinary collaborative grant proposals to address the growing opioid abuse epidemic.
Opioid-related deaths have quadrupled in the US over the past 15 years, mirroring the increase in legal opioid prescriptions dispensed. The National Institutes of Health will commit new funds to support investigation of this growing public health issue in hopes of attracting new researchers from many different disciplines to develop novel approaches to this critical problem.
Innovation Lab Buffalo will help early career investigators collaborate to develop those novel approaches and draft proposals that incorporate transdisciplinary input. These teams of CTSA institution–affiliated scientists will work to pursue radical solutions to opioid over-prescription and abuse.
Innovation Labs bring together early career investigators from across the CTSA network, as well as facilitators and content experts/mentors. This group works together to develop sketches of impactful and novel grant proposals on a specific topic, which are honed through real-time peer review over five days.
Innovation Lab Buffalo will accept about 25 early stage investigators from CTSA hub institutions or regional partners. According to the NIH, an early investigator is “within 10 years of completing his/her terminal research degree or is within 10 years of completing medical residency (or the equivalent).” Women and under-represented groups, including individuals with disabilities, are especially encouraged to apply. Travel and lodging will be provided.
The University at Buffalo Clinical and Translational Science Institute (UB CTSI) and Vanderbilt Institute for Clinical and Translational Research (VICTR) will co-sponsor this Innovation Lab with funding from the National Center for the Advancement of Translational Science (NCATS).
To apply, complete the application form and submit by August 20.
For more information, click here.
Michael Hazard | 7/31/2017
