CBR Research Grants
Proposal Guidelines
IMPORTANT DATES |
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Objective
Criteria for Funding
How To Apply
Proposal Content
Submission Process
Proposal Deadline is April 17, 2012 at 4:30 pm for a June 1 start date.
Objective
In alignment with the NIH's "roadmap" for medical research in the 21st century our goal is to “stimulate interdisciplinary research teams.” CBR grants are intended to facilitate the formation of interdisciplinary teams that focus on important medically related research questions. It is expected that CBR funding will help position our research teams to compete successfully for funding at the national level.
Criteria for Funding
The current level of funding is a maximum of $25,000 per project. The following criteria are used to evaluate proposals:
- Proposal objectives
- Background information
- Intellectual merit of proposed research
- Technical approach
- Strength of collaboration
- Potential for future funding
If the CBR proposal is funded, it is expected that the Principal Investigators will pursue a minimum of one request for extramural funding related to the CBR funded project during the year subsequent to CBR project completion.
Investigators can apply for a CBR competitive renewal if substantial progress has been made during the funding period and if a compelling justification is made for additional funds.
How To Apply
Please use the CBR Grant Application form.
Study Design
Co-Principal Investigators from the Baystate Medical Center and the University of Massachusetts Amherst meet to explore possibilities and eventually agree upon a research collaboration. Co-Principal Investigators write a grant proposal using the format outlined below.
IRB/IACUC Approval
If the proposed research involves human subjects, the Baystate Institutional Regulatory Board (IRB) and the University of Massachusetts—Amherst Human Subject Committee must approve appropriate protocols. Projects involving animals must seek IACUC approval. Grant awards may be approved by the Program Oversight Committee subject to the IRB/IACUC approval of protocols.
The release of funds is predicated upon your obtaining the necessary IRB approval. The funding application is typically not sufficient as a protocol for the IRB as the IRB requires more detail relevant to how the research will actually be executed and how the subjects and their data will be protected.
To submit completed proposals, see Submission Process page.
Proposal Content
All proposals must include the following items. Incomplete proposals will not be reviewed.
Cover Page
Complete the Cover Page of the Research Plan and list 4 potential UMass Amherst or Baystate faculty that could serve as reviewers.
Biographical Sketches of Principal Investigator and Co-Investigators
Use NIH biosketch forms (4 pages), which can be found at: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/phs398/biosketch.pdf
Budget Guidelines
- Maximum allowed request $25,000 per project
- No indirect costs to be included
- Show percent efforts for Investigators even if no funding is requested
- For salaried positions/ graduate students include any usual fringe benefits, or other required administrative fees. For Baystate Medical Center salaries use a fringe rate of 25% of salaries.
- Provide detailed information on supplies, equipment and any other non salary items
- The budget justification should simply outline how the funds will be used, and can be brief.
The grant generally does NOT support:
- The writing and preparation of manuscripts intended to be used as standard textbooks
- The preparation of lectures, demonstrations, syllabi or other course-related materials
- Departmental symposia, seminars, retreats, colloquia, etc.
- Projects whose primary purpose is to support student-initiated projects for graduate students or post-doctorates. However, this does not preclude students from being funded in the proposed budget as research assistants or from allowing students to use the data for a thesis/dissertation
- The remedy of budgetary deficiency in other research contracts or grants
- Travel to sabbatical research sites
- Salaries or other direct remuneration to faculty members of the University of Massachusetts or clinicians from the Baystate Medical Center
- Reprint costs
- Publication costs for individuals or department/disciplinary monographs or series
- Library fees
- Typing or office expenses related to research (if it is not available through your departmental secretary)
The grant MAY support:
- A stipend for a graduate student, including graduate health insurance. The graduate student must be in good standing in a University of Massachusetts Amherst graduate program
- A resident physician or postdoctoral fellow. The resident physician must be in good standing in a residency program at Baystate Medical Center
- Expendables for the project
- Animal Lab expenses negotiated with Baystate Animal Care Facility
- Patient Care Costs utilizing Baystate Medical CenterFederal rates. For more information contact BMC SPA office noted on last page
Research Plan (limited to 5 pages)
The research plan should be well conceived, feasible and responsive to an existing federal or national-level funding initiative. It is recommended that the target initiative be stated in the Background section of the proposal and considered throughout the proposal. A successful proposal will build upon the existing strengths of the Principal Investigators to generate data that will help support the hypotheses anticipated for the full research proposal.
A. Specific Aims, Hypotheses, Research Questions
Succinctly state the aims and specific hypotheses (if any) to be tested. This section should provide a very clear indication of what will be done in the project and should be reasonable for a one year pilot project.B. Background and Significance
The rationale for and importance of the project should be clearly indicated. Relevant preliminary data should be included in this section as well as the agency and initiative that is targeted for the subsequent full research plan. If available, provide a url link for the targeted initiative.C. Experimental Design, Methodology and Expected Results
A brief description of the design and methods to be used in the project should be provided. List each member of the research team and indicate each individual's specific role. Indicate how the expected results will support/refute the hypothesis/research questions, and how the results will impact the subsequent full application.
It is critical to address how the collaboration between the two Principal Investigators/Institutions will work. Provide information regarding the interactions between Baystate Medical Center clinicians and UMass Amherst faculty and, if pertinent, a description of the role of the student, postdoc, or resident physician involved in the project.
State specifically where the research will actually be performed. If space at Baystate Medical Center is required, indicate the proposed nature of the space, the duration of its use, and any important equipment needs.D. Timeline
Provide a detailed timeline for each portion of the project, including organization of the project, data collection and analysis schedules, and estimated submission date for the subsequent full research proposal. Also, please explain which targeted initiative will be pursued and what strategies (based on the proposed findings) will be used to make the subsequent proposal more competitive. The timeline can be provided in tabular form. It is expected that each pilot project will take no more than 12 months to complete.E. References
Citations should be numbered in the body of the proposal and fully cited at the end of the proposal. We expect that this section will be limited to only those references that are necessary to support the rationale for the proposal.F. Final Report
A final report must be submitted to the CBR Program Oversight Committee within 90 days following completion of the budget period. The report will consist of a short summary of work conducted under the grant and copies of any datasets and/or publications resulting from work performed. Alternately, a copy of an abstract submitted as part of a targeted future funding initiative will be accepted.