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Finding and applying for funding

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Finding funding sources
          UVA and School of Medicine
          Private sources
          Commonwealth of Virginia
          Federal agencies
          Search engines for funding opportunities
          Programs with restricted numbers of nominees per institution
          Funding and other resources for individual postdoctoral fellows
          Medical Student research and funding opportunities
          Awards for medical research (SOM Faculty Development)

Finding funding sources

UVA and School of Medicine funding programs

The Vice President for Research and Graduate Studies (VPRGS) 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 (VPRGS) funds highly innovative one-year feasibility or pilot proposals, with total costs up to $50,000.
Interim funding (VPRGS 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 VPRGS, SOM, and the PI's Department/Center (in a 2:1:1 ratio). See the VPRGS 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 (SOM) shared equipment solicitations. The RAC annual solicits requests from faculty for shared equipment. Requests for proposals are sent to all faculty in March, and depend on the availability of Commonwealth of Virginia Equipment Trust Fund monies (see most recent solicitation, deadline March 2008). Additional details concerning this program are available from the Assistant Dean for Research. Of 15 applications submitted under the previous year's competition, the following were funded or co-funded by the SOM:
- Stuart Berr (Molecular Imaging Core): multinuclear option for ClinScan small animal MRI
- Amy Bouton (Microbiology): digital camera with image capture software
- David Brautigan (Cell Signaling): PCR unit
- Joanne Lannigan (Flow Cytrometry Core Facility): iCyt Reflection cell sorter
- Bernhard Maier (Medicine): Li-Cor Odyssey imaging system
- John Shannon (Protein Sciences Core): circular dichroism spectrapolarimeter
- Nicholas Sherman (Mass Spectrometry Core/Biomarker Discovery Core): MALDI-TOF mass spectrometer
Research and Development Committee (SOM) funds a limited number of small research projects to SOM faculty. These awards provide seed money for new faculty members and well-justified requests from established investigators who wish to develop new methods and/or reagents or to enter a new field. The recipients of the most recent R&D awards were Paula Barrett, Timothy Bender, Robert Ketchum, C. Edward Rose, Diane Rosin, and Corinne Silva. 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:
UVA Tobacco Research Program (SOM). This program supports research on tobacco-induced diseases and the development of new methods to prevent risk behaviors in adolescents. The request for applications can be found on the UVA intranet (requires log-on). Also on the intranet is a description of the administration of this program.
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, and/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. The awardees for the 2007 competition (deadline 2/25/08) are:
- J. Randall Moorman and John Kattwinkel - Cardiac and respiratory monitoring in neonatal apnea
- Craig L. Slingluff and Scott T. Acton - Pilot study of the Dermagram - complete skin imaging by automated photo booth

David Chen (243-7357) can provide information on future deadlines. See the link to the most recent program announcement.

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 competition (see program guidelines) has a deadline of May 9, 2008. Additional information on this program can be obtained from Dr. Steven Wasserman, Assistant Dean for Research.
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. Additional information on this program can be obtained from Dr. Steven Wasserman, Assistant Dean for Research.
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. 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.

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Private funding sources

The UVA Health System Development Office has created a funding opportunities database (UVA intranet) with a search function, calendar of program deadlines, and an alphabetic list of funding organizations. SOM personnel can sign up for monthly e-mail notification of deadlines in focused research areas.

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.

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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. Note:

No more than 15 applications may be submitted per institution.
The grantee institution must provide matching funds representing at least 33% of the total budget.
Before submitting a pre-proposal, please contact the Assistant Dean for Research.

Dr. Joanna Goldberg (Microbiology) was awarded a CHRB grant in 2007 for her project titled "A novel vaccine approach to combat pathogenic bacteria: a focus on the Category B biodefense agents causing melioidosis and glanders."

Commonwealth Technology Research Fund. The CTRF provides matching fund, strategic enhancement, industry inducement, and technology commercialization programs. Substantial institutional matching is required; contact the SOM Office for Research or Vice President for Research and Graduate Studies before applying. The most recent deadline was in January 2007.

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.

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Federal funding sources

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:

NIH Office of Extramural Research (OER) is the central site for information on NIH grant funding opportunities, application procedures, and research policies.
NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts is a weekly publication of OER, announcing grant and contract opportunities and notices affecting research. The site offers a search engine, electronic delivery of the Guide, and a list of currently active Program Announcements and Requests for Applications (RFAs).
NIH Requests for Proposals (RFPs: announcements of research and development contracts) are listed at this NIH-sponsored site. Each Institute maintains its own contracts page, and there is no search engine. These sites often include pre-solicitation documents, presaging a contract opportunity.
NIH Shared Instrumentation Grants (SIGs) are awarded by the National Center for Research Resources. Proposed equipment ($100,000 to $300,000) must be used by no fewer than three NIH-funded investigators, who together will utilize at least 75% of available use time. Applications are due in March. The more intermittent High-End Instrumentation Grant Program, last advertised in 2005, funds items costing $750,000 to $2,000,000.
NIH training and career development programs (F-, T-, and K-series awards) fund students, fellows, and junior to senior faculty, fostering the development of skills as independent investigators or a change in one's area of investigation.
- Individual National Research Service Awards (F-series) fund postdoctoral training (F32) and senior fellowships (F33). The latter are for individuals with at least 7 years of relevant research or professional experience since receiving their doctoral degree, who have established an independent research career, and who are seeking support for retraining or additional career development. F30 [for minority students] and F31 awards (for students with disabilities) support pre-doctoral studies.
- Career Development Awards (K-series) provide multi-year support for faculty in various stages of their careers. NIH provides a Career Award Wizard that helps investigators select among the various career development opportunities. Note: not all NIH Institutes support every career development program: please contact the appropriate individual at your target Institute before applying. To help prospective applicants, the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute has published a K08 model proposal on its Web site. The recently-created Pathway to Independence Award (K99/R00) provides up to two years of postdoctoral support followed by up to three years of early faculty support, with the aim of bringing the recipient to the point of the submission of competitive grant proposals to support his/her research career.
- Institutional National Research Service Awards (T-series) provide short- and long-term support for pre- or post-doctoral trainees in a defined didactic or research-based program. The Graduate Programs Office (x4-2181) can support the application development process.
NIH small business opportunities. The Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program represents 2.5% of each federal agency's extramural budget; the Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Program is somewhat smaller.

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.

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. Specific PAAs in federal FY06 cover research in: ovarian, breast, and prostate cancer; acute myelogenous leukemia; tuberous sclerosis complex; and neurofibromatosis. The Navy (Office of Naval Research) offers University Research Initiative programs that span areas such as (from the FY06 announcement) remote sensing, human performance, vaccines, and so on.

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 project such as threat detection, development of community preparedness models, and so on.

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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 and for undergraduate science education.

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Funding and other resources for individual postdoctoral fellows

Three general resources for postdoctoral fellows:

UVA Postdoctoral Office (Vice President for Research & Graduate Studies). Provides information on internal funding sources, benefits, training in English as a second language and writing, seminar series, and more.
National Postdoctoral Association. Statistics and comparative policies from academic institutions, information on career development and for international scholars, etc.
"Making the Right Moves," published by The Burroughs Wellcome Fund and The Howard Hughes Medical Institute, covers topics as diverse as negotiating one's contract, structure of academic institutions, staffing a research group, time and project management, etc. A must-read for postdoctoral fellows and new faculty.

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:

Cancer Research Institute
Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation
Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation
National Kidney Foundation
Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of America
American Heart Association (Virginia affiliate)
American Academy of Neurology

You and your mentor should discuss possible fellowship funding opportunities from professional organizations. Information on individual foundations can be obtained from the Health System Development Office private funding opportunities database (UVA intranet) or 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.

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University of Virginia Health System

Finding and applying for funding