Harold Hamm Diabetes Center Grant Opportunities

Opportunities for Harold Hamm Diabetes Center members include funding awards and access to core facilities. A variety of funding awards are available to members to encourage the further development of their work. Award applications are evaluated on a competitive, peer-reviewed basis by the Harold Hamm Research Grants Committee and an External Review Panel. Additional awards, such as matching awards to other funding opportunities, will be announced if they become available.

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Spring 2022 Award Opportunities

Funding Opportunity Summary

The Harold Hamm Diabetes Center (HHDC) is pleased to announce pilot funding opportunities for 2022. The HHDC Pilot Program will consider funding seven types of proposals including Team Science proposals, Pre-Team Science proposals, Novel Pilot Projects, Novel Pilot Projects for Post-Docs, Bridge Funding, Equipment grants and a Travel Stipend. Based on a matching gift, the HHDC will award up to $1.6M to researchers to launch investigations for Diabetes research. These funds will be augmented with a collaboration with the Stephenson Cancer Center for projects specifically aimed specifically at collaboration between researchers in diabetes and cancer.

Key Information

HHDC FUNDED PROGRAMS:

• Team Science Grant: $100,000 per year up to 3 years
• Novel Pilot Project Grant: $50,000 for 1 year
• Novel Pilot Project Grant for Post-Docs: $70,000 per year for up to 2 years
• Bridge Grant: $75,000 for 1 year
• Equipment Grant: up to $250,000
• Travel Stipend: up to $2,000

HHDC-SCC FUNDED PROGRAMS:

• Team Science Grant: $100,000 per year up to 3 years
• Pre-Team Science Grant: $25,000 for 1 year
• Novel Pilot Project Grant for Post-Docs: $70,000 per year for up to 2 years

Funding Priorities:

Applications that address the themes of the HHDC will be given higher priority. Each proposal must address one or more of the following themes that describe HHDC funding priorities:

Theme 1: Cancer and Diabetes. Proposals that aim to answer questions about the relationship surrounding obesity, diabetes, and cancer. Some examples include:

• Mechanisms through which obesity and/or diabetes and co-morbidites promote cancer risk, or progression to lethal disease. Successful applications will leverage basic science tools across disease models to address a transdisciplinary problem.
• The impact of cancer therapies or cancer growth on metabolic health in basic, preclinical, or clinical studies. Successful applications will evaluate long term effects of physiologically relevant cancer treatments on issues such as diabetes risk, cachexia, neurodegeneration, or other adverse outcomes.
• Disparities in obesity/diabetes or cancer risk/prognosis that associate with poor health outcomes in one of these areas (e.g. in obesity-associated cancers). Successful applications will explore the social, economic, or individual contributors to those inequalities.

Theme 2: Diabetes and Aging across the lifespan. Proposals that aim to gain basic science and clinical knowledge on the inter-relationship of obesity, diabetes and aging across the lifespan. Some Examples include:

• Genetic, epigenetic, and environmental basis of susceptibility to developing insulin resistance, metabolic dysregulation, inflammation, and macrovascular and microvascular diabetic complications, across the lifespan.
• The impact of obesity and diabetes on organ and cellular mechanisms that contribute to the development of chronic diseases of the elderly including frailty, sarcopenia, cognitive decline, osteopenia, etc.
• Clinical and epidemiological studies that aim to identify risk factors and develop interventions to improve diabetes care in the elderly.

Theme 3: Pancreas and Beta Cell Function. The early stages of obesity/metabolic-related insulin resistance are characterized by hypersecretion of insulin but as the disease progresses, beta cell exhaustion results in insulin insufficiency. In patients with type 1 diabetes autoimmune destruction of insulin production capacity leads to exogenous insulin dependency. We encourage investigators interested in all aspects of pancreatic function in diabetes and associated conditions to submit their research proposals in this area. This includes studies that utilize pancreatic tissue samples, relevant cell culture and animal models, and human-based studies of in-vivo and ex-vivo pancreatic function.

Some examples in this domain include:

• Physiology and mechanisms for insulin and c-peptide production, secretion, or action; modulation of pancreatic function with obesity, diabetes, aging, or related conditions.
• Strategies to modulate, maintain, or restore insulin secretion in the presence of diabetes, pre-diabetes, or during the aging process.
• Genetic, autoimmune, or environmental processes leading to reduction in beta cell mass or function with diabetes, obesity, or aging.
• Studies of the action of pancreatic-derived proteins such as glucagon, somatostatin, or digestive enzymes, especially if the intent is to understand the metabolic causes and consequences of obesity, aging, or diabetes.

If your research could benefit from use of human pancreatic samples, please contact us about opportunities to acquire these tissues locally.

Covid-19 related proposals: Proposals studying Covid-19 are welcome if they are related to the HHDC mission, e.g. exploring the relationship between diabetes and Covid-19 presentation or outcomes, and there is a plan for follow-on studies by applying for extramural funding.

Application Process

LETTER OF INTENT:
A Letter of intent due to HHDCGrants@ouhsc.eduby 5PM February 7, 2022. Applications selected for full application submission will be notified by February 15, 2022. The projected start date for the award will be July 1, 2022.

LOI due February 7, 2022, and must include:

• Cover Page
• One-page Abstract
• Budget
• NIH Biosketch for Key Personnel
• Mentor Support Letter (required for MD and PhD fellows and senior postdoctoral fellows only)

FULL APPLICATION:
The sponsored programs grant routing form and completed application must be received by ORA at least three business days prior to the March 15, 2022 grant application deadline. You must submit an electronic routing form using SOONERTRACKGRANTS (https://soonertrackgrants.ouhsc.edu). A copy of the application must be attached to the SoonerTrack ticket or emailed for review to your Sponsored Program Administrator. Once the review is complete, the Face Page of the grant application must be signed by the ORA Official before the PI submits the final application to HHDC.

SUBMISSION OF FINAL APPLICATION
Send the final application by e-mail to HHDCGrants@ouhsc.edu no later than 5 pm, Tuesday, March 15, 2022. Please title the application attached to the e-mail: HHDC <Type of Grant> Grant-[PI Last Name, First Name]. Please submit the application as a single file in pdf format. Failure to follow these steps could cause your application to be overlooked and not reviewed by the HHDC Grants Review Committee.

PROGRAM APPLICATION AND GUIDELINES
All applications will follow the HHDC Application Form, Terms and Guidelines found here:

HHDC Diabetes Programs:

• Team Science Grant - Year 1
• Novel Pilot Project Grant
• Novel Pilot Project for Post-Docs
• Bridge Grant
• Equipment Grant
• Travel Stipend

HHDC-SCC Diabetes/Cancer Programs:

• Team Science Grant
• Pre-Team Science Grant
• Novel Pilot Project for Post-Docs

Questions

For questions or for special exception of the announcement approval, please contact Katie Hoefling at HHDCGrants@ouhsc.edu.