A continuing resolution passed into law on Sept. 28 will allow the Department of Health and Human Services, including the National Institutes of Health to operate through March 27, 2013. The resolution continues government operations at the FY 2012 level plus 0.6 percent until FY 2013 appropriations are enacted. During this time, the NIH will issue non-competing research grant awards at a level less than what was indicated in the most recent Notice of Award.

The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), invites R21 and R01 applications to conduct studies on the functional relationships between alcohol abuse, circadian rhythms and sleep disorders.

The NHLBI has announced an opening for a program director to join the National Center on Sleep Disorders Research (NCSDR) focusing on sleep disorders medicine and the development of a portfolio in sleep research training. This is a full time position with a duty station at the NIH, in Bethesda, MD. NCSDR is located in the NHLBI Division of Lung Diseases, 6701 Rockledge Drive, Bethesda, MD.

The NIH National Heart Lung and Blood Institute announced an SBIR/STTR contract funding opportunity for programs that integrate oral appliances and electronic monitoring technologies. The contract solicitation aims for the development of oral appliances devices capable of tracking adherence to satisfy regulatory requirements and facilitate future research and clinical trials.

Dr. Gary H. Gibbons, the new acting director of the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, hosted a recent town hall meeting to introduce himself to the scientific community. In the meeting he laid out the fiscal and scientific challenges that the NHLBI faces. Responding to those challenges,Dr. Gibbons shared his vision on how the institution can adapt to the changing environment. A video of Dr. Gibbon's presentation is available in the full story.

The NIH National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI) recently issued a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) for the development of programs that would equip young investigators with the ability to apply pan-omics and integrated approaches to studying lung diseases. Letters of intent for the funding opportunity Career Development Program in Omics of Lung Diseases (K12)(RFA-HL-13-023) are due on Sept. 26. For more information, view the funding opportunity announcement on the NIH website.

Earlier this week, Gary H. Gibbons, became acting director of the NIH National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI). Gibbons is the founding director of the Morehouse School of Medicine Cardiovascular Research Institute in Atlanta. He replaces Susan Shurin, MD, who served as acting director for the previous two and half years

The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), the main institute for stroke at the National Institutes of Health, is in the second phase of reviewing new or unmet challenges and opportunities in stroke research.