Resources for Researchers Page

Welcome to the American Tinnitus Association's
Resources for Researchers Page

Here you will find the latest research funding announcements, information about the results of ATA's advocacy efforts and links to important facts, statistics and published research articles.

Quick jump to:
NIH Welcomes Proposals for 2010
Exploratory/Developmental Phased Innovation (R21/R33) Grants Available
Latest Funding Opportunities: $40.6 Million for Psychological Health & Traumatic Brain Injury Research!
ATA's Continuing Efforts to Increase Research Funding
Resources and Statistical Information on Tinnitus in Military Populations
Helpful Research Articles
Web Resources

NIH Welcomes Proposals for 2010: Transformative Research Projects Program

NIH Roadmap Transformative Research Awards provide up to $25 million total costs per year for a single project.

A major goal of the NIH is to foster bold and creative investigator-initiated research. In pursuit of this goal, the Transformative Research Projects Program has been created under the auspices of the NIH Roadmap for Medical Research to enhance submission and support of exceptionally innovative, high risk, original and/or unconventional research that has the potential to have a profound impact in clinical, basic, and or behavioral/social science arenas.

Applications are encouraged for the Transformative Research Projects Program from scientists representing all disciplines relevant to the NIH mission, including the biological, behavioral, clinical, social, physical, chemical, computational, engineering, and mathematical sciences. Interdisciplinary teams as well as individual investigators with bold ideas are encouraged to apply.

The deadline for submitting Transformative Research Project applications is January 22, 2010 with Letters of Intent due by December 22, 2009.

See the instructions in the RFA (RFA-RM-09-022). Additional information, including frequently asked questions about the Transformative Research Projects Program is available at: http://nihroadmap.nih.gov/T-R01/. Send questions to T_R01@mail.nih.gov. 

Exploratory/Developmental Phased Innovation (R21/R33) Grants Available

There are two R21/R33 grants available for translation and clinical research:
PAR- 09-056 and PAR- 09-057

These Funding Opportunity Announcements (FOA) promote the development of new efficacious intervention, treatment and diagnostic tools in the communication sciences. The goal is to develop new or enhanced diagnostic, intervention and treatment paradigms with potential for widespread, cost-effective application in the NIDCD mission areas of hearing, balance, smell, taste, voice, speech and language.

The PAR-09-057 FOA, Improving Interventions for Communication Disorders, is targeted towards translational or clinical research approaches and methodologies with the potential for immediate or short-term (~5 years) successful intervention outcomes in patient-oriented populations.

The companion PAR-09-056 FOA, Improving Intervention Possibilities for Communication Disorders, encourages new or early-stage experimental approaches at the basic science level, with the intent to develop markedly different intervention, diagnostic, or treatment tools with implementation possible in a longer time frame (~10 years).

PAR- 09-056 details

Encourages new or early-stage experimental approaches at the basic science level, with the intent to develop markedly different intervention, diagnostic, or treatment tools with implementation possible in a longer time frame (~10 years).

Project and budget period: Five year maximum project length. The R21 phase may not exceed two years or $275,000 in direct costs, with no more than $150,000 in direct costs in any single year of the R21 phase. The R33 phase may not exceed four years (assumes the R21 component is for one year) or $1.5M in direct costs with no more than $400,000 in direct costs in any single year of the R33 phase.

Letters of intent receipt date(s): May 28, 2010

Application due date(s): June 28, 2010

Expiration date: June 29, 2010

For complete details on the PAR-09-056 funding announcement please visit:
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PAR-09-056.html

PAR- 09-057 details

Targeted towards translational or clinical research approaches and methodologies with the potential for immediate or short-term (~5 years) successful intervention outcomes in patient-oriented populations.

Budget and project period: 5 year maximum project length. The R21 phase may not exceed two years or $275,000 in direct costs, with no more than $150,000 in direct costs in any single year of the R21 phase. The R33 phase may not exceed four years or $1.5 M in direct costs with no more than $400,000 in direct costs in any single year of the R33 phase. Separate detailed (non-modular) budgets are required for the R21 and R33 phases.

Letters of Intent receipt date(s): May 28, 2010

Application due date(s): June 28, 2010

Expiration date: June 29, 2010

For complete details on this funding announcement please visit:
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PAR-09-057.html

Scientific/Research Contact (research/scientific-specific questions):

Amy Donahue, Ph.D.
Division of Scientific Programs
NIDCD
6120 Executive Blvd, EPS 400C MSC 7180
Bethesda, MD 20892-7180
Telephone: (301) 402-3458
Fax: (301) 402-6251
E-mail: donahuea@nidcd.nih.gov

Financial/Grants Management Contact (financial/grant management-specific questions):

Mr. Christopher Myers
Division of Extramural Activities
NIDCD
6120 Executive Blvd, EPS 400B MSC 7180
Bethesda, MD 20892-7180
Telephone: (301) 402-0909
Fax: (301) 402-1758
E-mail: myersc@mail.nih.gov

$40.6 Million Available for Psychological Health (PH) and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) Research 

ATA's Continuing Efforts to Increase Research Funding

For a second consecutive year, ATA's advocacy efforts have resulted in tinnitus research funding available through the Department of Defense (DoD). The 2009 Appropriations bill includes requests for tinnitus-related proposals for the DoD's $50 million Peer Reviewed Medical Research Program (PRMRP). This program was established by Congress in 1999 to study combat-related illness.

For the second year in a row, tinnitus is the number one service-connected disability for returning Global War on Terror veterans. This sharp increase is disconcerting, but we are pleased that our advocacy efforts have resulted in this opportunity for tinnitus investigators to continue and broaden their work toward finding a cure for all who suffer.

We are also excited to inform you that two tinnitus investigators have been awarded funding for their tinnitus proposals submitted for the 2008 funding allocation of $50 million - tinnitus research garnered nearly $2 million of that allocation all on its own. Competing with 21 other maladies and hundreds of proposals, Drs. Hinrich Staecker, current ATA Scientific Advisory Committee member, and Didier Depireux  are the recipients of these Investigator Initiated awards. You can read more about their projects here.

(return to top)
 

Resources and Statistical Information on Tinnitus
in Military Populations

The following documents provide current statistical information, research and resources on tinnitus in military populations. ATA is happy to provide this helpful information to you at the click of your mouse.

• This military fact sheet provides data on the incidence of tinnitus within military populations, as well as the alarming increase in tinnitus seen over the past six years.
• These graphs provide startling visuals of the increase in incidence of tinnitus within veterans since 2001. Additionally they illustrate the rising cost of disability compensating veterans for tinnitus disability and provide projections out to 2011, should these trends continue.
• The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) recently reported that tinnitus is the number-one service connected disability for Global War on Terror veterans for the second year in a row. These charts demonstrate that increase and indicate that factors other than noise exposure may be contributing to tinnitus in military personnel, given that there has not been such a dramatic increase in hearing loss disability claims.
• The PRMRP's annual report from 2007 provides a snapshot of the types of grant proposals received and funded during the 2007 funding cycle.
• The Veterans Independent Budget for 2010 provides an editorial of the issues surrounding tinnitus in both active duty and veterans populations.

(return to top)
 

Helpful Research Articles

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17691685?ordinalpos=2&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum

Tinnitus, blast exposure, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), global war on terror, soldiers, veterans, traumatic brain injury (TBI), military, service-connected disability.

Web Resources