The Chicago Community Trust has recently invited the University of Vermont to submit an application for the Searle Scholars Program with a deadline of September 27, 2013. The Program seeks applications from invited universities to support the independent research of exceptional young faculty in the biomedical sciences and chemistry (for details see the description at http://www.searlescholars.net/ ).  The University may put forward a single candidate for this award.  The deadline for submitting nominations to the Sponsored Project Administration office is June 24, 2013.

The Program makes grants to selected academic institutions to support the independent research of outstanding young scientists who have recently been appointed as assistant professors on a tenure-track appointment. Grants are $300,000 for a three-year term with $100,000 payable each year of the grant, subject to the receipt of acceptable progress reports. Generally, the program makes 15 new grants annually.

At this time we are asking Department Chairs to forward this announcement to all eligible faculty, including new faculty who may not have arrived on campus yet, according to the criteria listed below and to encourage and support the development of their pre-proposal for internal review.

Eligibility criteria:

• Applicants will be expected to be pursuing independent research careers in biochemistry, cell biology, genetics, immunology, neuroscience, pharmacology, and related areas in chemistry, medicine, and the biological sciences.
• Candidates should have begun their appointment as an independent investigator at the assistant professor level on or after July 1, 2012. The appointment must be their first tenure-track position (or its nearest equivalent) at an invited institution.
• The Program does not ordinarily support purely clinical research but has supported research programs that include both clinical and basic components. Potential applicants who are unsure if their research is appropriate for the Program are encouraged to examine the research interests of present and former Searle Scholars on their website.

For any faculty eligible and wishing to apply, please send a pre-proposal, consisting of the following, to Ruth Farrell (Ruth.Farrell@uvm.edu) no later than June 24th:

• research project summary (no more than three pages)
• curriculum vitae
• a letter of support from the department chair

These materials will be evaluated by an internal selection committee who will select the most suitable applicant for the Searle Scholars Program award.

Please direct questions concerning this announcement to Ruth Farrell or Hilda Alajajian (Hilda.Alajajian@uvm.edu).

In order to meet the changing needs of academia and develop new options to accommodate better the interests and commitments of today’s scholars, the program has introduced several innovations to the 2014-2015 program, including: Fulbright Flex Awards, Fulbright Postdoctoral/Early Career Awards, Salary Stipend Supplements, and Teaching English as a Foreign Language Awards.

Interested faculty and professionals are encouraged to learn more about these opportunities, and hundreds of others, by visiting the Catalog of Awards.

The application deadline for most awards is August 1, 2013.  U.S. citizenship is required.  For other eligibility requirements and detailed award descriptions visit our website at http://www.cies.org/us_scholars/us_awards/ or contact us at scholars@iie.org.