🪴 Oliver’s Note: organoids are coming to your research neighborhood
The NIH announced the launch of the Standardized Organoid Modeling (SOM) Center, signaling a push towards the use of these tools. If you are preparing grant proposals, it is likely worth examining whether you can incorporate organoids into your research approach, if you are not already doing so, and whether they might usefully substitute for animal studies.
The SOM is a national resource funded with $87 million over three years to develop standardized organoid protocols and new approach methodologies using AI, robotics, and diverse human cell sources, with open access to protocols and data to improve reproducibility, accelerate drug discovery, and reduce reliance on animal models.
Organoids are small, lab-grown tissue models that replicate the structure and function of human organs, offering alternatives to animal models. The center’s focus is to make these more standardized and accessible to more scientists from academia, industry, and government.
Located at Frederick National Lab (FNLCR), the new center will serve the research community and also collaborate with FDA to align organoid models with preclinical testing standards. While the initial focus is on liver, lung, heart and intestine models, other systems as well as disease-specific models are on the roadmap.
A new SOM Advisory Board will guide scientific priorities and research directions that the center will focus on. The center is a collaboration between NIH’s Division of Program Coordination, Planning, and Strategic Initiatives and several institutes, including NCI, NIAID, NHGRI and NCATS.
If you are new to organoids or have never tried them, consider this ATCC Guide as a place to start.
🗓️ Upcoming Grants
Standard NIH Due Dates
For new R01 submissions these are Feb 5, June 5, Oct 5
For R01 renewal, resubmission or revisions these are Mar 5, July 5, Nov 5
For more information check out the NIH Standard Due Dates page.
National Science Foundation
The NSF ART program solicitation (NSF 25-548) outlines a five-track framework to accelerate research translation from institutions of higher education (IHEs) and non-profits into tangible societal and economic benefits. Tracks 1–5 vary by Research Translation Readiness Level (RTRL) and institutional capacity, offering funding up to $178M across up to 40 awards to build infrastructure, training, and coordinated ecosystems for technology transfer, entrepreneurship, and industry collaboration, with emphasis on sustainability, mentorship, and regional impact. The solicitation details eligibility, review criteria, proposal preparation, budget constraints, and reporting requirements, and emphasizes alignment with NSF policies, data management, and compliance.
Notice NSF 25-548
eligibility: institutions of higher education are the applicants
deadline: January 15, 2026 for some tracks and March 12, 2026 for others
funding amount: see notice
🦋 Growth Mindset - Take Responsibility for Your Inner State
My favorite iPEC Foundation Principle is: "Pain is inevitable, suffering is optional."
What that means to me is that we cannot control some of the painful or even traumatic events that happen to us in our lives. We cannot help but feel that pain. But what we do control is after the acute pain has passed, how long we suffer.
For me, this suffering shows up as replaying scenes in my head, having protracted what-if conversations with myself, and generally wallowing in guilt and self-pity, sometimes periodically over the course of years.
Ultimately, that suffering is needless, it's unproductive, and it's corrosive. In my coaching practice, I often talk to my clients about this part of life and how by reframing and thinking about their energy levels they can increase control over how much time they spend in a catabolic state.
The first step is taking responsibility for your thoughts, emotions and actions. A coach can help.
🗞️ Science & Policy Updates
Information for the NIH Extramural Community During the Lapse of Federal Government Funding
NIH issued a notice with detailed information on how the government shutdown is affecting its work. In brief, ongoing awards, submissions, oversight, and communications will be affected during the appropriations pause, including limited eRA functionality, restricted staff support, and guidance on grant drawdowns, RPPRs, NoAs, NCEs, animal welfare reporting, and contact points—returning to normal operations when funding resumes. Activity on already funded grants may continue, but with some limits on reporting requirements.
Book a meeting via my website www.bogler.cc
Send an email to me at: [email protected]