OAKLAND, Calif., Jan. 10, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Kenneth Rainin Foundation encourages scientists worldwide to pursue unconventional ideas outside the boundaries of mainstream Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) research. Letters of Inquiry for its $100,000 Innovator Awards program will be accepted online from January 15 through February 15, 2017.
"The Rainin Foundation understands that our support plays a critical role in advancing the early stages of scientific research. We welcome projects from researchers outside of the traditional IBD circles. Our funding comes when researchers need it most--when they have an idea or a question and they need a partner to begin working toward a solution," said Dr. Jennifer Rainin, CEO of the Kenneth Rainin Foundation.
The Innovator Awards program awards $100,000 grants for one-year proof of concept research projects that could potentially lead to transformative discoveries about IBD. The Foundation's criteria for funding include innovation, scientific merit, collaboration, and capability to execute the project. The program is open to researchers, in any scientific discipline, and from any nonprofit research institution worldwide.
"We believe that providing early support to innovative researchers with potentially transformative projects can lead to improvements in predicting, preventing, and curing IBD," said Dr. Averil Ma, chair of the Rainin Foundation's Scientific Advisory Board.
Letters of Inquiry are accepted through the Foundation's online application system. The submission should describe the basic idea and central experiment. Applicants selected by the Foundation's panel of scientific advisors will be invited to submit a full proposal by May 15, 2017. For complete program information, eligibility requirements and application guidelines, visit krfoundation.org/health.
Complementing its funding of scientific research, the Foundation will host its sixth annual Innovations Symposium on July 24-25, 2017, in San Francisco. This event brings together scientific leaders, trainees, researchers and clinicians from around the world to encourage dialogue and advance the understanding of IBD.
"We are committed to funding promising research and creating opportunities for early-career and seasoned investigators to build bridges and brainstorm together," stated Dr. Jennifer Rainin, CEO of the Kenneth Rainin Foundation. "Our annual Innovations Symposium facilitates discussion and collaboration among innovative researchers and clinicians to enhance discoveries.
This year's event will broadly focus on early onset IBD and will feature international speakers and Rainin Foundation grantees who will present their work. The deadline for Travel Awards and the Call for Abstracts is March 31, 2017. An early bird registration rate of $125 is available until May 1, 2017. For more information and to register, visit krfoundation.org/symposium.
About the Kenneth Rainin Foundation
Kenneth Rainin Foundation is a family foundation that collaborates with creative thinkers in the Arts, Education and Health. At the Rainin Foundation, we believe in taking smart risks to achieve breakthroughs. We support visionary artists in the Bay Area, create opportunities for Oakland's youngest learners, and fund researchers on the forefront of scientific discoveries. Since 2010, the Foundation has awarded over $11 million in funding for promising scientific research projects with the potential to cure Inflammatory Bowel Disease. The Foundation's Scientific Advisory Board, comprised of leading scientists throughout the U.S. and abroad, guides the Foundation's Health grants program. More at krfoundation.org.
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SOURCE The Kenneth Rainin Foundation
