University of Maryland Development Research Program

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The key objectives of the MARCE Developmental Research Plan are to test innovative concepts, develop new technologies, and support "high-risk" opportunities that demonstrate potential for "highyield" novel results in the broad area of biodefense and emerging infectious diseases research. All applicants for theses Awards will be expected to relate their Developmental Project plans to the over-arching theme of the MARCE, "Emerging pathogen-host interactions", as well as to one of our Research Programs. In year 1, the MARCE will solicit applications for five Developmental Research Awards in the amount of $120,000 each for 2 years to support the Diagnostics Program (VI). Projects will be encouraged that apply novel technologies through broad-spectrum platforms for the detection of agents or toxins under study in Programs -V. In year 3, Developmental Research Awards projects will be solicited that focus on emergent technologies and novel concepts and that can integrate within any of the 6 Research Programs. An external review committee will assist in the application review process. A structured system to monitor and evaluate the progress of the selected projects will ensure the success of the Plan. Overall, the Developmental Research Plan is anticipated to enhance and support the MARCE Strategic Plan in several ways. First, the addition of new investigators and institutions to MARCE will complement the existing interactions among established MARCE researchers and will inject fresh ideas and new perspectives into the field. Second, the incorporation of these new projects into MARCE will further expand the scope of the research portfolio. Third, the Developmental Research Projects will enhance synergies within the existing Research Programs by serving as bridges to link programmatic project themes and by providing new methodologies that may be applicable to several projects. Ultimately, the investigators who receive these Awards will increase the overall pool of qualified researchers in this field. In addition, the recipients of these Awards will become part of the network of MARCE investigators whose exchange of ideas and expanded areas of collaboration are made possible via direct interaction at MARCE meetings and training events. As was the case during the first funding period, recipients will be encouraged to exploit the preliminary data that they generated through research supported by these Awards into the acquisition of additional competitive grant support. In this way the most successful research projects and promising new technologies can be amplified and extended for the benefit of biodefense and emerging infectious disease research.