The HSC Office of Research offers opportunities as well as support for researchers seeking both internal and external funding. The Office of Research maintains a list of select funding opportunities that is distributed once a week. These announcements include traditional funding opportunities within NIH, but also announce opportunities from other key agencies such as AHRQ, HRSA and private foundations like PCORI, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the McKnight Foundation.
The UNM HSC Office of Research supports its investigators in their pursuit of funding opportunities by offering editing services, general strategic grantsmanship training as well as training for specific funding opportunities, e.g., PCORI, SBIR/STTR, CTSC Pilot Program.
Internal funding opportunities
Funds are available for equipment purchases in the School of Medicine, College of Pharmacy, and College of Nursing.
The UNM Clinical and Translational Science Center is building interdisciplinary research bridges that hasten translation of medical discovery into practice. Key to this strategy is the CTSC Pilot Awards Program that provides intramural funding for clinical and translational research at the Health Sciences Center including two rounds of funding for our standard RFAs annually.
The SOM Research Allocation Committee (RAC) reviews grant applications and makes recommendations to the Senior Associate Dean for Research in the School of Medicine for the distribution of award monies from the Medical Trust Fund and Tobacco Settlement Pilot Project funds. The purpose of the RAC is to provide pilot funding for grants that will be submitted from the HSC School of Medicine.
- Medical Trust Funds awards may be used for research on any topic
- Tobacco Settlement Funds may only be used to support tobacco-related research
Faculty with primary appointments in the School of Medicine may apply in one of five categories:
- New Investigator
- Interim Funding Request
- Peer Reviewed Proposals Not Funded by an External Agency
- Development Proposals/Pilot Projects
- Matching Funding for Postdoctoral Fellows and Visiting Scientists
RAC funding is awarded primarily to provide funds for career development, to provide preliminary data that may lead to extramural funding, and to cover emergency needs between periods of extramural funding. An important goal of these awards is to provide support that will allow investigators to successfully compete for extramural funding.
David Peabody, PhD
HSC SOM RAC Chair
Due to the nature of limited competitions, each opportunity will have specific submission guidelines. For further information on any limited competition, please contact the HSC Office of Research at 505-272-6950.
Extramural Grant Opportunities
The UNM HSC Sponsored Projects Office is responsible for reviewing, approving, negotiating, and advising HSC Principal Investigators, Faculty and Staff members who seek external funding from federal, state, local and business entities. SPO also negotiates Material Transfer Agreements (MTS) and Confidential Disclosure Agreements (CDA) and Clinical Trial Agreements (CTA) with pharmaceutical companies.
The Grants.gov program management office was established, in 2002, as a part of the President's Management Agenda. Managed by the Department of Health and Human Services, Grants.gov is an E-Government initiative operating under the governance of the Office of Management and Budget.
Under the President's Management Agenda, the office was chartered to deliver a system that provides a centralized location for grant seekers to find and apply for federal funding opportunities. Today, the Grants.gov system houses information on over 1,000 grant programs and vets grant applications for federal grant-making agencies.
Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) investigators are based at host institutions across the United States. This arrangement currently represents collaborative partnerships with more than 60 research institutions. Investigators continue to participate in educational and administrative activities at their host institutions and receive additional research support from a variety of sources.
Through periodic competitions, HHMI accepts applications from researchers at more than 200 research institutions across the United States, with the aim of identifying individuals who have the potential to make significant contributions to science. Investigators continue to be based at their host institutions; however, HHMI investigators and some of their laboratory personnel are Institute employees and are supported by HHMI field offices throughout the country. Each investigator receives his or her full salary, benefits, and a research budget from HHMI. Appointment is for a five-year term, which may be renewed after an exacting review process.
HSC space allocation
Space at The University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center is allocated to colleges or departments and tracked in the FAMIS space management database, the official record of space allocation for The University of New Mexico.
Requests for new space or space “swaps” with another college or department may be made by completing a space request form. There are separate committees established to review requests for research space and non-research space. Each of these committees evaluates space requests and prepares recommendations to the chancellor for Health Sciences. Research space requests are administered by the HSC Office of Research. All other HSC space requests (non-research) are administered by HSC administration. Once space is designated to a college/school, department, or center, the unit decides on assignments within that space.
To submit a request:
- Complete either the research space request form or non-research space request from, as appropriate
- Upload a letter of support (required) from the requesting school dean, department chair or equivalent,
- Upload space map illustrating requested space (available from your school or department FAMIS administrator)