U.S. National Institutes of Health, Centers for AIDS Research and International AIDS Society Announce New Round of Innovative HIV Research Awards
Saturday, 29 June, 2013 (Geneva, Switzerland) - The International AIDS Society (IAS), in partnership
with the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the NIH - supported Centers for AIDS Research (CFARs), today announced the
launch of a new round of the joint research grant programme, Creative and Novel Ideas in HIV Research (CNIHR).
The CNIHR grant programme invites innovative proposals from early - stage scientists without prior experience in HIV
research with the potential of answering essential questions in HIV research, including emerging issues of long - term survival
with HIV infection, prevention of HIV transmission, and research toward a cure. The new round of the CNIHR grant programme
builds on the success of previous rounds that supported cutting - edge research in the field of HIV and led to
international collaborations. Since the first round in 2010, the programme has awarded more than
US $12.8 million to fund research projects of promising early - stage researchers. Each
awardee is funded for up to two years with up to US$150,000 (direct costs) p er year plus applicable indirect costs.
"By competitively funding new, very promising scientists from many disciplines and countries, CNIHR ensures innovation and
new a pproaches to HIV/AIDS research," said King Holmes, director of the Center for AIDS Res earch at the University of Washington.
Major breakthroughs in HIV research, such as the functional cure of the "Berlin patient" after stem cell transplantation,
are evidence that HIV research can strongly benefit from knowledge and techniques of other dis ciplines. There is a continuing need
to support a new generation of HIV researchers and to encourage those from a variety of disciplines to focus their energy and
expertise on the many challenges facing the HIV field.
"The Towards an HIV Cure Global Scie ntific Strategy highlights the need to enga ge with the next generation of young
HIV researchers - this new round of the joint research grant programme is an important part of that process," said IAS President
Françoise Barré - Sinoussi.
The first step of th e competitive application process is now open on the CNIHR website ( www.cnihr.org ) and will close
on 16 October 2013. Applicants will be asked to complete a two - step process to outline their research projects. Awardees
will be selected by April 2014 and will receive a scholarship to attend a networking and training programme in
conjunction with the 20 th International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2014) , which will be held from 20 to 25 July
2014 in Melbourne, Australia, where the grantees will be officially announced. The proposed research
projects will be supported in collaboration with a CFARs institution with expertise in each
candidate's area of proposed research.
"The Centers for AIDS Researc h (CFAR) are critical to the success of CNIHR," said Michael Saag, Director of CFARs at the University of
Alabama at Birmingham. "CFAR leadership has worked closely with the Office of AIDS Research and the IAS to manage the grant reviews and
implement the program. It is a great partnership."
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About the IAS:
The International AIDS Society (IAS) is the world's leading independent association of HIV professionals, with over 16,000 members
from more than 196 countries working at all levels of the global response to AIDS. The IAS members include researchers from
all disciplines, clinicians, public h ealth and community practitioners on the frontlines of the epidemic, as well as
policy and programme planners. The IAS is lead organizer of the IAS Conference on HIV Pathogenesis, Treatment and
Prevention, which will be held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 30 June - 3 July 2013 and custodian of the biennial
International AIDS Conference, which will be held in Melbourne, Australia, 20 - 25 July 2014.
www.iasociety.org | www.ias2013.org | www.aids2014.org
About the National Institutes of Health
The National Institutes of Health (NIH), the United States' medical research agency, includes 27 institutes
and centres and is a component
of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The NIH is the
primary federal agency conducting and supporting basic, clinical and translational medical research, and
is investigating the causes, treatments and cures for both common and rare diseases
. For more
information about the NIH and its programmes, visit www.nih.gov
About the Centers for AIDS Research
The Centers for AIDS Research (CFARs) programme at the NIH provides administrative and shared research suppo rt to synergistically
enhance and coordinate high - quality AIDS research projects. CFARs accomplish this through core facilities that provide
expertise, resources and services not otherwise readily obtained through more traditional funding mechanisms. The CFAR program
emphasizes the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration, especially between basic and clinical investigators as well as
behavioral scientists to support translational research. The CFAR program also encourages training and mentoring of young
investigators as well as an inclusion of women and minorities. . The University of Alabama at Birmingham CFAR, the
University of Washington CFAR in Seattle, and the University of California San Francisco CFAR participate in the CNIHR grant programme.
For more information:
Siân Bowen (Geneva, Switzerland) IAS Senior Manager, Communications Email: Sian.Bowen@iasociety.org Tel: +41 22 710 0864
Francesca Da Ros (Geneva, Switzerland) IAS Communications and Media Officer, IAS Email: Francesca.Daros@iasociety.org Tel: +41 22 710 0822 Mob: +41 796 109679
Source: International AIDS Society
"Reproduced with permission - International AIDS Society"
International AIDS Society
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