Resources for Members

NFRI Workshop [May 16, 2018]

In 2017, a formal working group began conducting monthly calls to advance discussions on IP and technology transfer, reimbursement of research operating costs, and how to streamline administrative requirements. These discussions led to a May 16, 2018 meeting supported by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine’s (NASEM) Government…

HRA Regional Meeting: NYC Tri State Area [January 31, 2018]

The inaugural Tri-State Regional Meeting (co-hosted by NYSCF and the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation) was held in the NYSCF’s office January 31, 2018. With over 15 member organization represented, this meeting was a huge success! The meeting had plenty of networking time as well as presentations focused on “Translational Science…

Preregistration: Improve Research, Rigor, Reduce Bias [Webinar, December 10, 2018]

Preregistration is the act of submitting a research plan (often with a detailed analysis plan) to a registry prior to conducting a study. It adds credibility to all research by ensuring that the most rigorous, confirmatory findings are distinct from exploratory research discoveries. Preregistration improves research by addressing: • Selective…

BEST (Broadening Experiences in Scientific Training) [Webinar, December 6, 2017]

BEST (Broadening Experiences in Scientific Training) is an effort by 17 institutions to explore ways of improving biomedical career development. A fraction of biomedical PhDs will take a tenure-track faculty position, so training programs are developing innovated approaches to prepare students and postdocs for a range of career options. BEST…

National Center for Advancing the Career Development of Scientists [Webinar, January 10, 2018]

There has been a large movement to broaden the career development of Ph.D. trainees for a variety of career paths, including those outside of academia but still in research-related positions. Although many such programs exist, and best practices are often shared, there has not yet been a structured, central effort…

RWJF Report and Data Sharing Policies [Webinar, May 10, 2018]

The HRA Data Sharing Working Group hosted a webinar where participants learned about the RWJF-funded report including many funder data-sharing policies/practices, and recommendations to funders as they consider their own policies. The report and webinar  were aimed to be informative to organizations with minimal data sharing policy framework to organizations…

NIH’s RFI on Proposed Provisions for a Future Draft Data Management and Sharing Policy

The NIH is soliciting public input on proposed key provisions that could serve as the foundation for a future NIH policy for data management and sharing.  Comments using the process described in the document above will be accepted until December 10, 2018. The American Heart Association has drafted a very…

Stronger Together: How Collaboration Can Lead to Greater Impact [HRA Members Meeting, Fall 2018]

Collaboration is often the key to scientific success, bringing together individuals with different expertise and skills to advance the field. This type of teamwork can also elevate and improve the efforts of biomedical research grant makers, bringing organizations together toward a common mission. This session will begin with an introduction…

Implementing New Ways to Model Human Disease for More Effective Drug Discovery [HRA Members Meeting, Fall 2018]

The cost of drug R&D makes up the bulk of the cost of prescription drugs because consumers not only pay for the medicines they are prescribed, but also for all the ostensibly promising agents emerging for the laboratory only to fail in clinical trials. The preclinical drug discovery and testing…

FIRST Group Update [HRA Members Meeting, Fall 2018]

This session will provide context for and discuss recent activities aimed at building effective working relationships between funders and universities. We will report on topics addressed at both the May 16th and November 7th Nonprofit Funder – Research Institution Partnership Workshops. We will discuss next steps for the effort in…

Peer Review Under the Microscope: From Best Practices to Current Challenges [HRA Members Meeting, Fall 2018]

Scientific peer review has long been the gold standard for evaluating grant applications, but different organizations implement peer review in different ways. In addition, issues like unconscious bias and data reproducibility has brought these processes under greater scrutiny. This session will focus on peer review best practices that are informed…

Measuring Funding Impact Through Grantee Outputs [HRA Members Meeting, Fall 2018]

Measuring the impact of a non-profit organization’s grants program can be a difficult, and sometimes ambiguous, process. For example, answering a seemingly simple question like, “how successful are we at accomplishing our mission?”, typically results in more questions than definitive or tangible answers.  One approach to gauging organizational success is…

NFRI Workshop [November 7, 2018]

The Nonprofit Funder -Research Institution (NFRI) partnership hosted its second workshop to advance discussions on IP and technology transfer, reimbursement of research operating costs and how to streamline administrative requirements. Like the first meeting, the second meeting was also supported by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine’s (NASEM)…

HRA Regional Meeting: Metro DC [October 16, 2018]

The theme of the October 2018 Regional Members Meeting (hosted by HHMI) was Diversity and Inclusion.  After an active networking breakfast, Dr, Hannah Valantine, NIH’s first Chief Officer for Scientific Workforce Diversity, kicked off the meeting.  Dr. Valantine presented compelling data as to why diversity matters.  For instance, her data…

Understanding Visual Intelligence & Data Visualization [Webinar, October 24, 2018]

The Donaghue Foundation and the Health Research Alliance joined with HealthDataViz, a Boston firm that specializes in helping healthcare organizations design and present visual displays of data, and offered this webinar on the fundamentals of data visualization. The webinar: Offered guidance on best practices for creating and distributing visualizations Provided…

Listserv Responses: Culling LOIs [October 2018]

What is your process of LOI review for a program or mechanism?  What is the count of LOIs you get and what number do you allow to submit full applications?

How NCI is Leading on Data Sharing [Webinar, October 9, 2018]

The Data Sharing Working Group hosted a webinar featuring Jaime Guidry Auvil, the Director of NCI’s Office of Data Sharing. Jaime shared the efforts that are in motion at NCI and NIH that aim to promote the data sharing ecosystem. Importantly, she reported on the impressive steps that NCI is…

Finding, Evaluating, and Promoting the Impact of your Research for Nonprofit Funders – how to use the new Dimensions functionality (led by Dimensions). [Webinar, September 18, 2018]

To identify and showcase how organization’s resources have made an impact attendees learned how to answer questions such as: Did your funding keep researchers in the field? Has your research impacted policy? Are there links between patents and your funding or publications? Did publications from your research become prominent, widely…

ORFG “Open 101” Tip Sheets for Research Stakeholders

ORFG has made available a suite of resources designed to help specific audiences understand the benefits of open science. Comprised of a mix-and-match set of tip sheets designed for grantees, program officers and staff, and foundation leadership, the materials can help research funders build effective campaigns for the adoption of…

European Funders Announce “Plan S” for Open Access

Indirect Costs (aka “F&A”): There are more to IDC’s than you think [Webinar, September 6, 2018]

In this webinar, we continued the productive dialogue between Universities and Funding Organizations.  We discussed what are “indirect costs” – what are behind these expenses, how may some of these be research project-specific costs, what does this all mean. Be informed and understand the nuances of this discussion as we…

FIRST Group Survey on Funder Institution Relations

Nonprofit Funding Models

The philanthropic sector in general and the membership of the Health Research Alliance in particular, is composed of a diverse set of organizations who have contributed to advancing biomedical research by developing human capital; building knowledge and expanding scientific disciplines; supporting institutions; stimulating innovation; translating discoveries into cures, therapeutics and…

How Funders Can Diversify the Healthcare Workforce [HRA Members Meeting, Spring 2018]

Evidence has shown that a diverse healthcare workforce not only improves patient care outcomes, it also allows organizations to be more productive, creative and innovative. Still, minorities face slower promotion rates and are significantly less represented in leadership and academic career positions. At the Spring 2018 Health Research Alliance Members…