Funding Announcements

The Josiah Macy Jr. Foundation’s Ensuring Fairness in Clinical Assessment Program supports demonstration projects that develop, implement and evaluate innovative strategies to enhance fairness in clinical assessment within medical and nursing education programs. Funded projects will serve as exemplars for schools of medicine and nursing, highlighting approaches that center assessment on its core purpose: ensuring that all graduates are fully prepared to provide the highest standard of patient care.

The Foundation will support three projects in medicine or nursing education, each receiving $200,000 over two years to develop and evaluate fair, systems-based learner assessment programs aligned with the 2022 Macy Conference recommendations.

Project period: November 1, 2026 – October 31, 2028.

Proposals will be evaluated based on alignment with the 2022 Macy Conference recommendations or recent assessment scholarship, emphasis on clinical assessment, appropriate budgeting, evidence of learner co-creation, and collaboration across institutions and departments.

LOI Deadline: Monday, March 30, 2026.

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The 2026 Military Health System Research Symposium (MHSRS), the Department of Defense’s premier medical research meeting has released its call for abstracts for this year’s annual symposium.

MHSRS provides a unique opportunity for researchers to connect directly with Department of Defense (DOD) program managers and officials, key stakeholders who are often difficult to engage without an established connection. The symposium focuses on advancing military biomedical and health-related research.

The 2026 theme, “Harnessing the Power of Military Medical Research,” highlights the impact and innovation driving the field forward.

Thematic tracks span a wide range of priority areas, including:

• Combat casualty care
• Traumatic brain injury (TBI)
• Infectious disease
• Psychological health
• Environmental exposures
• And other emerging military health topics

Researchers interested in contributing to cutting-edge military health research are encouraged to submit an abstract.

Two types of abstracts will be accepted:

• Research Abstracts must include data and conclusions and follow the format: Introduction, Materials and Methods, Results, and Conclusions.
• Advanced Product Development Abstracts should highlight mature technologies addressing an existing DOD capability gap and follow the format: Introduction, Capability Description, Methods/Technical Approach, Results, Applicability to Medical Roles of Care, Impact to the Warfighter/Significance, and Developmental Status.

Key Dates and additional Information
The call for abstracts is open through March 31, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. ET, and late submissions will not be accepted. Applicants will be notified of acceptance between May and June 2026.
Additional details on abstract guidelines and 2026 scientific breakout sessions are available on the MHSRS website. Please note that MHSRS has launched a new website this year, and the submission process may differ from previous years.

The 2026 MHSRS is tentatively scheduled for August 3–6, 2026. In recent years, the symposium has been held at the Gaylord Palms Resort and Convention Center in Kissimmee, Florida. However, the 2026 dates and location have not yet been officially confirmed, and registration information is not currently available.

Please see attached Lewis-Burke Best Practices – Attending the Military Health System Research Symposium developed by Lewis-Burke, to prepare interested researchers for presenting at and attending the MHSRS. Please let us know if you have any questions.

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The Boston University Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center (BU ADRC) Pilot Grants  invites proposals for innovative research in biomedical, epidemiological, behavioral, legal, ethical, health systems, or other areas related to Alzheimer’s disease.

• Funding: Two NIH-funded awards of $25,000 in direct costs for one-year, non-renewable studies. Grant Mechanism: Development Grants (NIH-funded, P30-AG072978)
• Purpose: To support new investigators entering the ADRD field and pilot studies generating preliminary data for future grant applications.
• Not Eligible: Established investigators seeking to expand or supplement existing funded projects.
• Eligible Applicants: Assistant professors, instructors, postdoctoral fellows, doctoral students, or senior investigators new to ADRD research.

ADRC Research Day

Join us in person on November 21, in the Hiebert Lounge to learn more about BU ADRC Pilot Programs and the grant application process.

Why attend: Get details about the Pilot Grant, ask questions, and network with fellow researchers.

RSVP and indicate if you’ll present a poster.

 

Submission Guidelines

• Deadline: March 31, 2026
• Format: Submit a single PDF using the NIH PHS 398 form.

Proposal Requirements

1. Title Page: Grant program name and proposal title
2. Research Plan: Specific aims, background, preliminary results, and experimental methods (max. 5 pages, excluding references)
3. Key Personnel: Biosketch(es)
4. Budget: Detailed budget and justification
5. Advisor Letter: Required for postdoctoral and student applicants

• No appendices allowed.
• If involving human subjects, include a Target Enrollment form.
• Department or administrative signatures are not required.
• Email the completed proposal to sheppard@bu.edu.

Review & Funding

• Proposals will be reviewed by at least two experts and scored on scientific merit.
• The Executive Committee will make final funding decisions.
• Funding period: July 1, 2026 – June 30, 2027
• No extensions or carry-over of funds permitted.

Additional Considerations

• Proposals using BU ADRC resources (e.g., participant registry, brain bank) or addressing Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) are strongly encouraged.
• Partnerships that support recruitment and retention of diverse research participants are encouraged.
• All resulting publications and abstracts must cite NIH grant P30-AG072978.

Contact: Dean Sheppard — sheppard@bu.edu | (561) 312-8174

More details are available under the “For Investigators” tab at bu.edu/alzresearch.

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The Health Assessment Laboratory (HAL) invites applications for the 2026–27 Alvin R. Tarlov & John E. Ware Jr. Doctoral Dissertation and Post-Doctoral Awards in Patient Reported Outcomes (PROs). These awards support doctoral and post-doctoral research projects that use patient-reported outcomes as a dependent variable. Up to two awards will be made for the 2026–27 academic year.

Objectives

• Encourage high-quality doctoral dissertations and post-doctoral research using patient-reported outcomes
• Advance the science and application of patient-centered measurement in health research
• Support emerging scholars and early-career clinicians conducting PRO-focused research

Funding Amount: $25,000 per award:

• $20,000 disbursed in September 2026
• $5,000 disbursed upon receipt of a satisfactory progress report, due no later than July 1, 2027

Award Period: All proposed work must be completed within 12 months of receiving initial funding.

Eligibility: Eligibility is limited to U.S. citizens enrolled in or affiliated with U.S.-based programs, including:

1. PhD doctoral students or PhD post-doctoral fellows in U.S. research programs
2. MD residency or fellowship trainees in U.S. residency programs
3. MDs within 1–3 years post-residency working in U.S. academic medical systems

Fundable Research Topics:  Projects must use patient-reported outcomes (PROs) as a dependent variable, including:

Acceptable PRO Measures

PROMs (Patient-Reported Outcome Measures):

• Symptoms
• Health status
• Health-related quality of life

PREMs (Patient-Reported Experience Measures):

• Access to care
• Communication
• Caring and concern
• Patient–clinician relationship
• Shared decision-making
• Engagement in care planning
• Continuity of care

Applicant Requirements: Doctoral dissertation applicants must:

• Have successfully defended their dissertation proposal or
• Have a proposal defense scheduled, with:
• Date listed in the cover letter
• Confirmation included in the advisor’s recommendation letter
• Applicants may apply more than once.

Required Application Materials

• Brief description of applicant and project
  • Degree-granting institution and program (with contact info)
  • Dissertation advisor or primary mentor contact information
  • Dissertation proposal defense status or scheduled date (if applicable)

• Curriculum Vitae (CV)

• • Must include school email, personal email, and contact information

• Two Letters of Recommendation
  • One must be from the dissertation advisor or primary mentor
  • Dissertation advisors must confirm proposal defense status
• 8–10 Page Narrative (excluding appendices), including:
  • Title
  • Overall aims
  • Specific research questions
  • Conceptual framework or model
  • Proposed methods
  • Importance/implications of using PROs as the dependent variable
  • Project timeline or Gantt chart demonstrating completion within 12 months

  Key Dates

  • Application Deadline: Saturday, May 30, 2026 (before midnight EST)
  • Initial Funding Disbursement: September 2026

  Submission Instructions

  Submit applications by email to healthassessmentlab@gmail.com.

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The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), in collaboration with the Applied Research Institute (ARI), has updated its long-term open call under the Expedited Research Innovation System (ERIS), now renamed the Expedited Research Innovation Series. This initiative seeks novel technologies, methods, or research that support DARPA-related objectives. Submitted ideas, presented via video pitches, will be evaluated and curated for potential rapid funding and acquisition by the Department of Defense. The update includes new ERIS topic areas and revised selection criteria.

The updated ERIS call introduces new topic areas:

• Detecting and tracking elusive objects across air, land, and space domains
• Overcoming limitations of current sensing systems
• Enhancing resilience, efficiency, and effectiveness of strategic systems
• Defending against chemical and biological threats (natural or human-made)
• Optimizing human health and performance across all phases of military operations
• Developing innovative methods and metrology for complex, emergent, and adaptive systems, including:
• Scalable quantum-aware metrology
• Engineering materials across length scales
• Designing adaptive, resilient human–AI ecosystems

Applicants must submit a video pitch (max seven minutes) outlining a DARPA-relevant problem, potential innovations, team expertise, and market impact. Selected pitches will be featured in the ERIS Marketplace for 12 months, allowing DARPA and other DoD entities to review and rapidly acquire promising technologies. DARPA recently used this process for its Ag X BTO initiative under the Biological Technologies Office (BTO).

Submission Criteria: DARPA’s updated ERIS submission criteria now include two categories: New Submissions (first-time submissions or those corrected for compliance issues) and Resubmissions (previously peer-reviewed submissions deemed “non-awardable”).

The updated call also includes revised ERIS selection criteria.

Evaluation Criteria: DARPA updated the Evaluation Criteria ERIS video submissions with the following weightings:

• Advancing the state of the art – 40%
• Team capability – 30%
• Problem definition – 20%
• Defense or commercial impact – 10%

DARPA emphasizes that being assessed as “awardable” and placed in the ERIS Marketplace does not guarantee a current or future award.

Due Date: ERIS submissions are accepted monthly, with a deadline at noon (ET) on the last day of each month. Early submissions may receive feedback and can resubmit before the deadline if necessary.

Additional information:

• Submission checklist: ERIS Checklist v2
• Training course: ARI Navigating and Using the DARPA ERIS Marketplace

Contact: Email the ERIS coordinator at eris@darpa.mil

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