Preterm Birth Initiative

• Proposals must be submitted from degree-granting institutions in the United States or Canada. The principal investigator must have a faculty appointment at a degree-granting institution in the U.S. or Canada.

• Researchers working at research institutes, national laboratories, within the federal government, or outside of North America may be partners but all funding must be channeled through a U.S. or Canadian degree-granting institution.

• Proposals should address the biomedical causes and mechanisms underlying (preterm) parturition including but not limited to peri-implantational events, placentation, fetal determinants, fetal-maternal immune responses, biological basis for racial-ethnic disparities, mechanisms relating preterm birth to other adverse pregnancy outcomes, biology of normal labor, etc. Proposals seeking to identify biomarkers predicting preterm birth are welcome.

• Proposals must have an interdisciplinary approach.

• One member of the team must have training and expertise outside the traditional areas of reproductive science.

• Proposals that cross institutional boundaries (partnerships between multiple universities or collaborations within larger universities) are encouraged.

• The Planning Grant may be used for, but not limited to: travel for meetings between members of research groups, sample acquisition for later proposed studies, collection of pilot data, resources to support protocol generation, etc. Also, personnel costs, analysis costs, consumable supplies, animal studies, or human subject recruitment can be supported by the planning grant.

• Indirect costs may not be charged against BWF grants.

• Institutional overhead may not be charged against BWF grants.

Questions regarding candidate or institutional eligibility should be directed in advance to BWF by calling Rolly Simpson, Program Officer, (919) 991-5110, or Debra Holmes, Program Associate, (919) 991-5134.