Finding and applying for funding |
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Developing, writing, and submitting your application The Vice President for Research (VPR) and the School of Medicine (SOM) fund a variety of individual research projects, translational research, new research core facilities, and research programs. Distinguished Young Investigator Grant Program (VPR) funds highly innovative one-year feasibility or pilot proposals, with total costs up to $50,000. Recent SOM recipients of this award are:
FY10: Daniel Foltz (Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics) Interim funding (VPR with co-support by SOM) may be obtained to support a previously-funded project that is not re-funded at competitive renewal. Awards of up to $100,000 require support from the VPR, SOM, and the PI's Department/Center (in a 2:1:1 ratio). See the VPR program guidelines and application form and the SOM implementation of this program. Deadlines for proposals, to the Office for Research, are March 5, July 5, November 5. Research Advisory Committee/Equipment Trust Fund (SOM) shared equipment solicitations. The RAC annually solicits requests from faculty for shared equipment. Requests for proposals are sent to all faculty in March, pending availability of Commonwealth of Virginia Equipment Trust Fund monies. The most recent solicitation is no longer active. Contact: Assistant Dean for Research. The following items were purchased or co-purchased under this program over the past few years:
2007 Research and Development Committee (SOM) provide a limited number of small research awards as seed money for new projects, development of new methods or reagents, or to enter a new area of research. The most recent R&D awardees were Ian Glomski, Joseph Hart, Larry Merkel, and Scott Wylie. Applications are due on September 1, December 1, March 1, and June 1 (see application form and instructions). SOM Department and Center funding programs. Pilot or feasibility grants are available to members of the following programs:
Clinical and Translational Science Award Pilot Grants (institutional) support projects that could lead to major external funding or to clinical trials. Preference is given to projects that utilize the developing infrastructure of the Virginia Institute for Clinical and Translational Research (VICTR). The most recent RFA is no longer active. The following projects were funded in February 2009. The first three were funded by the Cancer Center, the fourth by the CVRC, and the last by VICTR.
UVA Tobacco Research Program (SOM) supports research on tobacco-induced diseases and the development of new methods to prevent risk behaviors in adolescents. In July 2008, nine grants were awarded in the following research areas:
Proposals to the program were reviewed by internal and external scientists. Awards were made on the basis of adherence to the research areas listed in the Request for Applications, significance, approach, innovation, investigator(s), environment, and programmatic needs. Please refer to the description of program administration and independence of the funding procedure from the sponsor. There is no active request for applications. It is anticipated that another RFA will be announced in 2010. Thelma R. Swortzel Collaborative Research Award (SOM). This program, conducted since 2004, provides support for innovative research collaborations in the areas of ear, eye, heart, or cancer. The goal of this program is to support collaborative research that is translational, addresses unmet clinical needs, and leads to improvements in health care. Program contact: David Chen (x3-7357). The awardees for the most recent competition are:
Contact David Chen (x3-7357) for information on future deadlines. Annette Lightner Research Award in Rheumatology, Autoimmune Diseases, and Arthritis (SOM). This program supports medical research in rheumatology, autoimmune diseases, and arthritis (with particular interest in dermatomyositis). The current RFP has a deadline of December 18, 2009; see current program guideline. Program contact: Dr. Steven Wasserman. The 2008 Lightner Award went to Umesh Deshmukh (Medicine) for his project titled "Inhibition of autoantibody responses by adenosine receptor agonists." Biomedical Innovation Fund (VPR). This program (see description) supports biomedical innovation and translational research projects. Investigator teams from multiple departments are desirable but not required. Examples of desirable outcomes include improved diagnosis and treatment of disease through inventions and patents, commercial products, commercial partnerships, licenses and startup companies. This year's deadline has passed (October 1, 2009). Listed below are recent awards that include School of Medicine investigators:
2009
2008 Henry Rose Carter Research Award in Malaria or Public Health (SOM). This program provides support for innovative research related to malaria or other public health problems. Proposals must have a clear link to human populations. The most recent competition for these funds was held in mid-2005. Program contact: Dr. Steven Wasserman. Academy of Distinguished Educators grants in undergraduate medical education research (SOM). These awards are designed to stimulate medical education research by SOM faculty. Quantitative and qualitative research projects are appropriate, as are meta-analyses of the medical education research literature. Wallace H. Coulter Foundation Translational Research Partnership (Biomedical Engineering). Under a grant from the Coulter Foundation, this program supports collaborative research projects that address unmet clinical needs and lead to improvements in health care and commercial products. The program requires that one collborating investigator be on the BME faculty, the other a clinician. Examples of desirable outcomes include improved diagnosis and treatment of disease through inventions and patents, commercial products, commercial partnerships, licenses and start-up companies. Awarded project teams benefit from the participation of a Project Director and board of advisors. Both short-term and long-term projects are eligible. The most recent program announcement had a deadline of February 11, 2009. Program contact: David Chen. UVA Cancer Center - American Cancer Society Institutional Award program. Supports the development of newly independent investigators to conduct cancer research including basic, translational and psychosocial and behavioral research, and cancer care in the economically disadvantaged. PI eligibility: may be U.S. citizens or noncitizen nationals of the U.S. or have been admitted to the U.S. for permanent residence; must be within 6 years of their first independent research or faculty appointment. Senior investigators, postdoctoral fellows, and investigators currently supported with national research awards are not eligible. However, investigators whose initial grant was not renewed and are still at level of assistant professor and within 6 years of their first appointment may apply. Awards will be made up to a maximum of $30,000. Deadline: November 25, 2009. Program contact: Dr. Timothy Bender. The Thomas F. and Kate Miller Jeffress Memorial Trust supports biomedical research within the Commonwealth of Virginia. One-year awards up to $30,000 (plus up to two additional years of funding at $10,000) are provided. Submission deadlines are March 1 and September 1. Other private funding sources can be found using search engines such as SPIN or GrantsNet. Commonwealth of Virginia funding sources Commonwealth Health Research Board. The CHRB funds "research to advance the understanding of biological systems, to improve the treatment and control of human disease, and to improve human health services and the delivery of human health care." Awards of up to $200,000 ($100,000 per year) may be funded. Program guidelines usually are released in August, with concept papers due at the end of September. Investigators whose pre-proposals that are accepted will be asked to submit full proposals in February of the next year. Final decisions are made in May. There is a limit of 15 applications per institution. Please contact the Assistant Dean for Research if you wish to submit a CHRB proposal. Three UVA faculty were awarded CHRB grants in 2008:
Virginia Tobacco Settlement Foundation. The VTSF was created after the 1998 Master Settlement Agreement between 46 state Attorneys General and the four largest U.S. tobacco manufacturers. The Commonwealth of Virginia allocated 10% of these funds to the VTSF, which awards collaborative grants for research on and prevention of tobacco use. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) funds investigator-initiated research projects, coordinated program projects, multi-center basic, clinical, and translational research projects, training grants, research contracts, and other programs. The following links are useful in negotiating the funding opportunities at NIH Institutes and Centers:
Health Resources and Services Administration awards grants and contracts to expand and improve primary health care for medically underserved people, health services for people with HIV/AIDS, maternal/child health, health professions training and education, rural health, telemedicine, and organ donation. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) awards grants and contracts in public health, epidemiology, immunization, and related areas. National Science Foundation awards grants and contracts in science and engineering, accounting for about 20 percent of federal support to academic institutions for basic research. Department of Defense. The Army (U.S. Army Medical Research Acquisition Activity) publishes annual Broad Agency Announcement and Program Assistance Announcements (PAAs), funding grants and contracts. Certain areas are funded under Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs, including ovarian, breast, and prostate cancer, acute myelogenous leukemia, tuberous sclerosis complex, autism, and neurofibromatosis. The Navy (Office of Naval Research) offers University Research Initiative programs that include remote sensing, human performance, vaccines, etc. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) recently has funded UVA projects in the areas of regenerative medicine, protein crystallography, and cell culture. The Department of Homeland Security provides funding for a wide variety of projects such as threat detection, development of community preparedness models, and so on. Search engines for research opportunities SPIN: InfoEd International's database of federal and private funding sources allows users to store complex searches for later use. Grants.gov: Users can search for federal grants and sign up for e-mail notifications of funding opportunities (select "Grant Opportunity Subscription Services"). FedBizOpps : Information on federal government contracts, including a search engine and an electronic notification capability ("Vendor Notification Service"). GrantsNet (from the AAAS): This site can be used to search for funding opportunities for training in the sciences (e.g., postdocs) and for undergraduate science education. Funding and other resources for individual postdoctoral fellows Three general resources for postdoctoral fellows:
Foundations and professional organizations. Many of these organizations support postdoctoral fellowships in basic or clinical research. Recent fellowship awards to the SOM include the following sources:
Discuss with your research mentor possible fellowship funding opportunities from professional organizations. Information on individual foundations can be obtained from search engines such as SPIN. Federal sources. Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Awards for Individual Postdoctoral Fellows (NIH F32 awards) provide support of up to three years for U.S. citizens or Permanent Residents. The National Science Foundation administers a Postdoctoral Research Fellowships in Biological Informatics program. |