Discovery Funds for Industry Partnerships with UCLA Faculty

Supported by the Brain Mapping Medical Research Organization (BMMRO), the UCLA Ahmanson-Lovelace Brain Mapping Center (ALBMC) has recently installed a new Siemens Biograph mMR instrument dedicated for research use. Combining 3 Tesla magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and positron emission tomography (PET) in a single device, this instrument offers unique opportunities to explore brain structure and function. The new device complements existing resources within the Center, which also include a 3 Tesla Siemens Prisma MRI scanner, a cyclotron capable of generating short-lived radioisotopes, a neuromodulation laboratory with transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) capabilities, and a supercomputing facility. Combined with superb basic neuroscience and clinical neuroscience resources at UCLA, the ALBMC affords unparalleled research opportunities.

To facilitate new research within the ALBMC, the BMMRO is currently soliciting applications for research proposals involving industry/academia partnerships and has earmarked $150,000 in funds to be disbursed for this purpose. Eligible projects must include a UCLA faculty member in the professorial or researcher series from any department as well as a non-UCLA industry research partner. Proposals should be applicable to the central nervous system or robustly generalize to brain applications. Planning proposals and pilot projects are encouraged, and successful execution of the proposed work should concretely lead to subsequent extramural funding that will make use of ALBMC resources. As mechanisms already exist for non-UCLA entities to purchase ALBMC scanner time and to hire UCLA faculty as consultants, applications will be considered non-responsive if they could be as effectively completed through those existing mechanisms. Proposals should be submitted by [2025 DATE TO BE ANNOUNCED], and the BMMRO expects to fund up to three such proposals by [2025 DATE TO BE ANNOUNCED].

Applications should include a narrative portion no more three pages in length, describing the proposed project and addressing the following:

1. Name(s), academic series, rank and departmental affiliation(s) of UCLA faculty
2. Name of participant(s)
3. Does the industry partner company have a dedicated research division?
4. Describe any pre-existing relationships between faculty and industry partners
5. What goals will funding allow the partnership to address? What will be the success metrics and consequences?
6. What resources will the industry partner provide, and when (e.g., during the funded period or later)?
7. What will the UCLA faculty member(s) bring to the partnership beyond access to ALBMC resources?
8. Total direct costs; listing any ALBMC scanning costs separately by scanning time and, for PET, identifying required ligand(s)
9. Estimated time needed to complete the project
10. What alternative mechanisms for supporting this partnership have been explored, and why is BMMRO funding preferred over other options?

The budget and budget justification should not exceed two pages and should include direct and indirect costs (8% ICR) with a total not exceeding $50,000. Project durations should not exceed 18 months.

Proposals will be reviewed by a committee appointed by the BMMRO to include Dr. Roger Woods and selected BMMRO board members.

Applications should be electronically submitted to:
Roger Woods, M.D.
Director, Ahmanson-Lovelace Brain Mapping Center
RWoods@mednet.ucla.edu

Funded applicants will be expected to present the outcomes of their completed projects at a future BMMRO meeting