Funding Opportunities

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GSK Consumer Healthcare’s alli® Clinical Research Grant Program

RFA: Clinical Pilot Studies in Obesity

The alli® Clinical Research Grant Program is pleased to announce an opportunity for investigators interested in performing a clinical pilot study (up to 1 year) using orlistat 60 mg. Possible study questions to be explored include, but are not limited to the

1) effects of orlistat on disease states (Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus, NASH, CVD)
2) effects of orlistat on feeding behavior (binge eating disorders, eating patterns)
3) effects of orlistat on gene expression
4) role of orlistat as a weight loss tool
Studies may be blinded controlled, open label or in vitro. Orlistat 60 mg cannot be used in any animal studies. Any application for animal studies will not be reviewed.

Applicants are asked to submit:

• An Application Form
• A Full Research Protocol
• A Full CV for Principal Investigator (PI)
• An IRB Approval Letter (Necessary for commencement of study)

Awards of $25,000 (including supplies) will be awarded to up of 2 proposals. There are no indirects costs provided with this grant program. Clinical packaging, labeling and storage of orlistat 60 mg and statistical support will be considered on an individual basis.

All proposals will be reviewed and approved based upon the scientific quality of the study and its alignment with GSK’s ethical and commercial interests. In some cases, the PI may be required to open an Investigator IND.
All funded trials are required to register with the National Clinical Trial Registry.
Data obtained from these studies may be used to support claims for orlistat 60 mg products.

All questions and proposals should be submitted electronically to:
Dr. Evan Berk at evan.s.berk@gsk.com

The Deadline for Submission is May 15, 2009
Recipients of Grant will be notified by June 30, 2009
Funding/Supplies to be available by September 30, 2009
Study to be completed by September 30, 2010
Final Report to GSK is due January 1, 2011

In addition to this research grant program, GSK Consumer Healthcare continues to offer a clinical supplies only program. There is no deadline to apply for this option and applications are evaluated on a rolling decision process.

RWJF Funding Alert: 2009 Call for Proposals for Rapid-Response Round 2 Grants

Purpose
Active Living Research and Healthy Eating Research are national programs of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) that support research to identify promising policy and environmental strategies for increasing physical activity, promoting healthy eating and preventing obesity.This call for proposals (CFP) supports time-sensitive, opportunistic studies to evaluate changes in policies or environments with the potential to reach children who are at highest risk for obesity, including African-American, Latino, Native American, Asian-American and Pacific Islander children (ages 3 to 18) who live in low-income communities or communities with limited access to affordable healthy foods and/or safe opportunities for physical activity. Research studies may focus on one or both sides of the energy balance equation—on physical activity (including sedentary behavior), healthy eating or both. Studies funded under this
CFP are expected to advance RWJF’s efforts to reverse the childhood obesity epidemic by 2015.

Eligibility Criteria
Eligibility requirements include the following:

Preference will be given to applicants who may be either public entities or nonprofit organizations that are tax-exempt under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.

Applicant organizations must be based in the United States or its territories at the time of application.

The timing of the program, event or policy change to be studied must justify the rapid-review process in order to answer the proposed research questions.

Total Awards

Up to $1.675 million total will be awarded for rapid-response research grants, with the majority of funds in this CFP focused on physical activity studies.

The maximum amount for a single grant is $150,000, with a maximum funding period of 12 months.

Deadlines

Grants are awarded on a rolling basis. Letters of intent may be submitted at any time until July 17, 2009, at 5 p.m. ET.

Deadlines for receipt of invited full proposals are May 14, 2009, at 5 p.m. ET or August 14, 2009, at 5 p.m. ET, and funding may be initiated as early as October 1, 2009, or January 15, 2010, respectively.

*A national program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

Other Funding Sources

Johns Hopkins General Internal Medicine Postdoctoral Fellowship Program: The Johns Hopkins University Division of General Internal Medicine is seeking applicants for its postdoctoral fellowship program. A diverse faculty base in the Division allows for a broad range of research options in obesity research. For additional details, please visit: http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/gim/fellowship/interest_area.html

The Nutritional Science Research Group, in the Division of Cancer Prevention at the National Cancer Institute, has issued a new funding opportunity announcement titled "Exploratory/Developmental Clinical Research Grants in Obesity (R21)." Information about this Program Announcement (PA) can be found at http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PA-06-256.html. The goal of this PA is to encourage exploratory/developmental clinical studies that will accelerate the development of effective interventions for prevention or treatment of overweight or obesity in either adults or children. Please direct any questions about scientific/research issues that relate to obesity and cancer to Dr. Sharon Ross by phone at 301-594-7547 or by e-mail at rosssha@mail.nih.gov.