PURPOSE: The Department of Medicine invites exploratory/developmental grant applications for the establishment of an infrastructure for eventual applications for multi-investigator research programs, such as Program Project grants (P01), SPORE grants, or Center grants (P50 or P60) from NIH or other funding agencies. The purpose of these short-term grants is to enable Department of Medicine faculty members to organize and integrate multi-disciplinary teams of accomplished investigators that will compete successfully for long-term support from funding agencies. Support will provide them with the opportunity to prove the feasibility of their working as a cohesive team and aid in the acquisition of resources, preliminary data, and/or administrative support needed to operate as an interdisciplinary research program.
ELIGIBILITY: The Principal Investigator should have a primary faculty appointment in the Department of Medicine and a record of accomplishment in the subject area. He should have demonstrated capability to organize, administer, and direct the team. The overall theme of the research should be relevant to the mission of the Department of Medicine, however, investigators with qualifications to be project leaders may be members of different Departments. Indeed, interdepartmental and interdisciplinary collaborations are encouraged if scientifically appropriate. Because the duration and total amount of support available are limited, applicants are strongly encouraged to seek additional support through an HSF-GEF application.
APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS: Application forms may be requested electronically from Susan Winn (swinn@uab.edu) in the Office for Research and will include:
- Cover Page – include title of project, Principal Investigator name, budget amount requested, abstract of proposed work, signatures of Principal Investigator and Division Director
- Key Personnel, Budget, Budget Justification
- Proposal – 4 single-spaced pages
- Biosketches – include a biosketch (PHS 398 forms) for all key personnel
Critical elements of applications submitted should include:
- a clear and concise description of the central theme and goals of the program
- an overview of the proposed team and the interactions among individual team members
- an explanation of how the proposal will lead to successful external funding from the NIH or other funding agency
- a description of existing or proposed core facilities that would support research activities
- a plan for the distribution and management of funds
- *important - an overall timeline which shows progress (include planning meetings between investigators and the Research Office to discuss preparation of the external application and anticipated date for submission).
FUNDS AVAILABLE: It is anticipated that one or two grants will be awarded during this period of support. Funding for the award will be limited to a maximum of $50,000 and a project period of one year. Because the scope and nature of the proposed research will vary from application to application the size of the award may also vary. Awards are not renewable. Funds provided under this award can be utilized for support of critical pilot projects, development of core facilities, partial support for administrative personnel, and other expenses that are crucial to developing a competitive proposal.
REVIEW PROCEDURES: Applications will be reviewed by members of the Department of Medicine Research Council, as well as, ad hoc faculty with appropriate expertise. Evaluation will be based on the standard review criteria used in the review of applications by the NIH, which include significance, approach, innovation, investigators, and environment. Particular emphasis will be placed on the quality of interactions among team members, the track record of the participating investigators, the leadership ability of the PI, the ability of the proposed project to promote integration across disciplines, the lack of duplication with existing programs and how well the proposal fits the overall mission of the Department.
Successful applicants will be expected to provide a Progress Report due 1 year from the date funding began.
DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS: Applications must be submitted electronically to Susan Winn (swinn@uab.edu) in the Office for Research by 5:00 pm on Monday, October 1, 2007.
Questions regarding scientific issues should be addressed to:
John Volanakis, M.D.
Department of Medicine
SHEL 411
934-5235 or volanaki@uab.edu
Electronic requests for application forms should be addressed to:
Susan Winn
Department of Medicine
Office for Research – SHEL 178H
934-5035 or swinn@uab.edu
Schedule:
September 17 Announcement
October 1 Deadline for Receipt of Applications
October 23 Reviews Completed
October 26 Administrative Review and Approval
November 1 Funding Start Date
