Biomedical Sciences Blog

International Senior Research Fellowships provide support for outstanding researchers, either medically or scientifically qualified, who wish to establish an independent career in a Croatian, Czech, Estonian, Hungarian, Polish, Slovakian, Slovenian or Indian academic institution.

Candidates are expected to have a substantial track record in their chosen area of research and have between five and ten years' experience at either postdoctoral level or clinical equivalent.

Applications are particularly encouraged from researchers working outside their own countries who wish to return home.

The Fellowship provides five years of full salary support and research costs.

The scheme provides support for research across the Wellcome Trust's scientific remit, from laboratory-based basic research to clinical, population and public health studies.

This is an annual competition.

• Preliminary application deadline: 6 June 2008
• Full application deadline: 1 September 2008
• Funding Committee review: February 2009
• Short-listed candidate interviews: April 2009

Late applications will not be accepted at any stage. Fellowships must be started within one year of award.

Click here to access the Program.

BioPharm International is conducting a media usage survey of Pharmaceutical professionals across the country: Magazines, Websites, Online CE and more.

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Stuck in a postdoc? Economic times like these breed despondency, not hope, but even dark clouds have silver linings.

In response to a number of recent crises, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced plans to make 1317 new hires, including "hundreds with science and medical backgrounds." Many of the hires will be made at the postdoctoral level. According to a press release, the "critical need occupations are medical officers, consumer safety officers, chemists, nurse consultants, biologists, microbiologists, health/regulatory/general health scientists, mathematical statisticians, epidemiologists, pharmacologists, pharmacists, and veterinary medical officers."

Positions will be available throughout the agency, including the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (133 positions), the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (663 positions), the Center for Devices and Radiological Health (116 positions), the Center for Food Safety and Nutrition (104 positions), the Center for Veterinary Medicine (34 positions), the National Center for Toxicological Research (22 positions), the Office of the Commissioner, and the Office of Regulatory Affairs (245 positions). "Many of these positions are located in the Washington metropolitan area, as well as across the country in the FDA's five regions, 20 districts, more than 179 resident posts, and the newly created FDA offices overseas," according to the press release.

Kim Holden, FDA's assistant commissioner for management, says the majority of these posts will be in the DC area ("specifically Rockville, Silver Spring, and College Park, Maryland," she says) Exceptions are the Office of Regulatory Affairs, which is hiring for positions nationwide, and the National Center for Toxicological Research, which is located in Jefferson, Arkansas. According to Holden, many of these positions can be filled by people with a wide range of education and experience, from a bachelor's degree on up. But scientists with Ph.D.s will be competitive for most of the positions and can expect to earn a salary commensurate with their training and experience.

Specifically, Holden says that a scientist with an a relevant Ph.D. and (for example) 2 years postdoctoral experience probably would be hired at either the GS13 or the GS14 level on the government pay scale. Government scales vary by region; in the Washington, DC area, GS13 starts at about $83,000 while GS14 starts at $98,000 annually. Higher salaries can be negotiated in special circumstances. For scientists with clinical degrees, the "Title 38 medical officer" pay system applies, Holden says, which allows FDA to compete with the private sector when hiring people with medical credentials. The FDA also offers loan repayment programs, flexible schedules, a work-from-home program, and the ability to negotiate advanced credit toward annual leave. U.S. citizenship is required.

A working group at FDA "has prepared a strategy for recruiting the best talent available, through job fairs, conferences, etc. that focus on these disciplines," according to a backgrounder released by FDA.

FDA expects to fill its open positions during the current fiscal year, which ends on 30 September. The hiring is expected to continue in 2009.

Source: ScienceCareers.org

Thankful for the internet. Now the federally funded proposals are largely public available. Feel free to search...

For NIH, you can search current and historic awards spanning from 1972 to 2008 through the database called CRISP.

For NSF, you can search any awards (historical, active or expired) for any individual PI or specific institute/university through AWARD SEARCH.

In addition, for Department of Defense, the sponsored medical research programs can be search through this link.

Good luck to find the funding situations for your boss or future boss!