October 10, 2019

VUMC Limited Submission Opportunity: 2020 Takeda Innovators in Science Award - Rare Diseases; deadline is Oct. 15

These instructions are for VUMC investigators. VU investigators should apply through InfoReady and address any questions to VU-LSO@vanderbilt.edu.

Overview:

VUMC may nominate one early career scientist and one senior scientist in a field of rare diseases for the 2020 Innovators in Science Award, sponsored by Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited and administered by the New York Academy of Sciences. This year’s award competition is focused on the therapeutic area of rare diseases. Awardees will receive $200,000.

Each nominee will be evaluated based on the quality of their research, the impact of their research on human health, the novelty of their ideas and methods and the promise they show for future contributions to their field. Full guidelines and review criteria are found on the program website.

Eligibility Criteria:

Note: Individuals in receipt of current or prior research support from Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited or its affiliates are not eligible for nomination.

Early career scientist nominees must:

  • Currently hold a junior level post-doctoral or faculty position
  • Have been engaged in active research for 10 years or less since gaining their doctorate degree (eligibility extension may be requested for exceptional circumstances)
  • Hold a doctorate degree (PhD, DPhil, MD, DDS, DVM, etc.)
  • Have made impactful research contributions and show exceptional promise for significant future achievement in one of the rare disease subdisciplines (below)

Senior scientist nominees must:

  • Currently hold a senior level faculty position
  • Have been engaged in active research for more than 10 years since gaining their doctorate degree
  • Hold a doctorate degree (PhD, DPhil, MD, DDS, DVM, etc.)
  • Have made multiple, extensive and impactful research contributions to advance one of the rare disease subdisciplines (below).

Rare disease subdisciplines:

  • Autoimmune/autoinflammatory diseases
  • Bacterial infections
  • Blood diseases
  • Chromosome disorders
  • Congenital and genetic diseases
  • Connective tissue diseases
  • Digestive diseases
  • Ear, nose and throat diseases
  • Endocrine diseases
  • Eye diseases
  • Female reproductive diseases
  • Fungal infections
  • Heart diseases
  • Hereditary cancer syndromes
  • Immune system diseases
  • Kidney and urinary diseases
  • Lung diseases
  • Male reproductive diseases
  • Metabolic disorders
  • Mouth diseases
  • Musculoskeletal diseases
  • Nervous system diseases
  • Newborn screening nutritional diseases
  • Parasitic diseases
  • Rare cancers
  • Skin diseases
  • Viral infections
  • Other

Internal review process:

Please submit the following (in a single PDF) to LSO@vanderbilt.edu by 5 p.m. on Oct. 15, 2019. Contact LSO@vanderbilt.edu with any questions.

  1. Nominee’s subdiscipline of rare disease (see list above)
  2. Research summary (1,000 words max)
  3. Future research plan (500 words max) *required for early career scientist nominees only
  4. CV of nominee (4 pages max)
  5. Letter of support from department chair/center director