The National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), is investing $42.3 million for grants in scientific areas it identified as "Grand Opportunities (GO)." NIH developed the GO grant program to stimulate biomedical research and the economy using funds provided by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (Recovery Act).
"The GO grants fund projects that promise to have a significant impact on a field of biomedical science over two years," said NIGMS Director Jeremy M. Berg, Ph.D. "By closing specific knowledge gaps, creating new technologies, or building community-wide resources, these awards will dramatically propel progress in key scientific fields with a one-time investment."
The Recovery Act grants will also contribute to the economic recovery by creating jobs for researchers, technical and support staff, the makers of scientific equipment and others across the country. States receiving GO grants are: Arkansas, California, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Texas, Tennessee, Washington and Wisconsin.
The GO grants include a broad range of projects. Several establish new databases, service centers or other resources that will be accessible to the entire scientific community, advancing biomedical research—and possibly medical care—for years to come. Others tackle large projects, such as understanding the activity of all the genes in human white blood cells, which require the collaborative work of dozens of scientists.
NIGMS has awarded 14 GO grants to scientists in 13 states:
For project details, go to http://projectreporter.nih.gov/reporter.cfm , check the box that says "Show only projects supported by NIH Recovery Act funds" and enter the name of the scientist in the Principal Investigator field.
NIGMS is a part of NIH that supports basic research to increase our understanding of life processes and lay the foundation for advances in disease diagnosis, treatment and prevention. For more information on the Institute's research and training programs, see http://www.nigms.nih.gov .
The National Institutes of Health (NIH)—The Nation's Medical Research Agency—includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. It is the primary Federal agency for conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and translational medical research, and it investigates the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit http://www.nih.gov .
The activities described in this release are being funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). More information about NIH's ARRA grant funding opportunities can be found at http://grants.nih.gov/recovery/ . To track the progress of HHS activities funded through the ARRA, visit www.hhs.gov/recovery . To track all federal funds provided through the ARRA, visit www.recovery.gov .