February 12, 2013
The purpose of the Young Investigator Grant for Probiotics Research (YIGPRO) is to contribute to the advancement of probiotics and gastrointestinal microbiota research in the United States.
This program seeks to support the best science that addresses the grant objectives. Attempts will be made to support young investigators who do not yet have independent funding (such as NIH R series awards that are likely to progress to RO1 research awards), Young investigators who are senior fellows with a committed faculty appointment or early faculty members within a maximum of 5 consecutive years of his/her first faculty appointment (appointments must be in the United States) are eligible. Applicants must be interested in understanding the health benefits of probiotics or microbiota and the relationship between probiotics, gastrointestinal microbiota and the body. Candidates must be part of an established research program with the capacity to do research on microbiota and its role in health and disease. Applicants are limited to one submission per investigator.
The focus of the 2013 grant is to improve understanding of mechanisms by which potential probiotics, including beneficial commensals, interact with the host and gastrointestinal microbiota to improve physiology and bodily function.
Proposals on dietary intervention to improve physiological function, health status and reduce disease risk are preferred over proposals on disease pathogenesis, drugs and therapies.
Research cannot employ commercial probiotic strains, but publicly available, non-commercial strains are acceptable.