Research Affairs

2012 Emerging Science Seed Grant Program

Program Description
Eligibility
Evaluation Criteria
Budget
Application Deadline
Assurances
Review Process
Awards
Final Report
Engaging the Research Community
Application Form
Contact

Program Description

The Boonshoft School of Medicine at Wright State University sponsors internal seed grant programs to further the goal set in the 2008-2010 Strategic Plan to "accelerate research growth and achievement by targeted investment in clinical and basic science funded research."

The Emerging Science Seed Grant Program invests in innovative new research projects by eligible faculty that have a strong potential for generating future external funding. Projects are funded for one (1) year with maximum funding of $15,000.

Emerging Science Seed Grants can fund promising projects in basic biomedical research, clinical research, or translational research. The principal criteria for selection are scientific merit and the project's potential for additional funding from external sources such as the National Institutes of Health, National Science Foundation, or other state or national agencies. Emerging Science Seed Grants fund new research projects, by new and established investigators. Proposals by established investigators must demonstrate how the proposal moves their research activities in a significantly new direction. Emerging Science Seed Grants do not provide operating funds for ongoing research projects. Collaborations between clinicians and basic scientists are strongly encouraged.

Eligibility

All BSOM fully affiliated faculty who are directly employed by Wright State University and who have not received BSOM Emerging Science Seed Grant funding during the previous two years are invited to submit proposals as principal investigators. Eligible faculty may submit one request as a principal investigator. If the proposal involves several investigators, one person must be identified as the principal investigator.

The applicant's department chair must endorse the proposal. The endorsement documents the chair's support of the project and the faculty's effort on the project if the project is funded. By signing the application, the chair recognizes that the P.I. is required to submit an external grant stemming from this research through WSU within twelve (12) months of the award end date.

Evaluation Criteria

Emerging Science Seed Grant proposals will be evaluated using criteria based on the NIH Enhanced Review Criteria implemented in 2009. Modifications have been made to fit the scale of the BSOM's internal seed grant programs. Reviewers will evaluate proposals using a 9-point scoring system similar to that used by NIH. A proposal's overall impact score will take into consideration, but not be a numerical average of, individual scores for the specific criteria listed below.

Overall Impact

Will the project yield a strong return on investment that advances the BSOM strategic goal of accelerating research growth and achievement?

Core Scientific Criteria

Significance

Does the project address an important problem or a critical barrier to progress in its field? If the aims of the project are achieved, how will scientific knowledge, technical capability, and/or clinical practice be improved? How will successful completion of the aims change the concepts, methods, technologies, treatments, services, or preventative interventions that drive this field?

Innovation

Does the project challenge and seek to shift current research or clinical practice paradigms? Does it utilize novel theoretical concepts, approaches or methodologies, instrumentation, or interventions? Are the innovations novel to one field of research or novel in a broad sense? Does the project propose refinements, improvements, or new applications of current practices in its field? Does the project reflect truly new work by the investigator, or does it seek operating funds for ongoing projects?

Approach

Is the project organized according to a clearly defined hypothesis with feasible specific aims? Are the overall strategy, methodology, and analyses well-reasoned and appropriate to accomplish the specific aims? Are potential problems, alternative strategies, and benchmarks for success presented? How will particularly risky aspects be managed?

Investigator(s)

Are the key personnel (Principal Investigator, Co-Investigator(s), collaborators, and other researchers) well suited to the project? If a new investigator, does the PI have appropriate experience and training to conduct the project? If an established investigator, does the PI demonstrate how the project will take the PI's work in a significantly new direction? Does the PI have an ongoing record of scientific productivity?

Environment

Will the scientific/clinical environment in which the work is done contribute to the probability of success? Are the departmental support, equipment and other physical resources available to the investigators adequate for the project proposed? Will the project benefit from unique features of the scientific/clinical environment, subject populations, or collaborative arrangements?

Additional Project Criteria

Time Feasibility

Can the project be completed in a one-year period? Is it likely to achieve meaningful results in that period? Will results enable the investigator to submit the required external grant proposal after the project is completed?

Potential for External Funding

Is the project's significance and innovation as emerging science likely to generate external research funding? Has the investigator identified potential funding sources with detailed information about program announcements, funding cycles, and application deadlines? Does the investigator have a successful record of applying for and obtaining external funding?

Project Budget

Emerging Science Seed Grant funding is limited to one year with a maximum award of $15,000. University policy and procedures, based on federal and state regulations, define allowable project costs. Allowable costs for the Emerging Science Seed Grant program include supplies, travel required to complete the project, staff salaries and non-major pieces of equipment. Emerging Science Seed Grant funds cannot be used to pay faculty salaries; however, funds can be used for student support. Typically, the Research Committee does not support requests for laptop computers, equipment maintenance contracts, major pieces of equipment, or travel that is not project essential.

The Research Committee encourages departments to cost-share, especially if requesting equipment. Documentation of cost-sharing will strengthen the budget justification of a proposal. In keeping with the goals of this program, faculty must return unexpended Emerging Science Seed Grant funds if the proposed work is funded by another source (e.g., internal or external sponsor) during the award period.

Application Deadline

Applications must be received by 4:30 p.m. on February 1, 2012, in the Boonshoft School of Medicine, Office of Research Affairs located in Room 234 Biological Sciences Building. Download and explicitly follow the guidelines to fully complete all sections of the Emerging Science Seed Grant application (MS Word). Submit the original and twelve (12) single-sided, unbound copies of the complete proposal package by the above deadline. Download a map to Research Affairs (PDF).

Assurances

Investigators should begin the institutional review process by the time the seed grant proposal is submitted.

Investigators using human subjects, animals, biohazards, radioactive materials or recombinant DNA must submit appropriate forms to Research and Sponsored Programs (RSP) 201J University Hall or to affiliated hospitals for institutional review. Call RSP (775-2425) for appropriate university forms, or download forms from the RSP website.

Investigators must provide the Boonshoft School of Medicine, Office of Research Affairs (Room 234 Biological Sciences Building) documentation of all institutional assurance approvals, or notices of pending protocol revisions, by 4:00 p.m. on April 1, 2012, to be eligible for funding consideration. Final assurance approval documentation must be received in the BSOM Office of Research Affairs no later than 4:30 p.m. on June 1, 2012.

FUNDS WILL NOT BE AWARDED IF FINAL ASSURANCE APPROVAL DOCUMENTATION IS NOT RECEIVED IN THE BSOM OFFICE OF RESEARCH AFFAIRS BY THE ABOVE DATE.

Review Process

The BSOM Research Committee will review and score the proposals. Recommendations will be made for the top ranked proposals and submitted to the BSOM Associate Dean for Research Affairs for final decision.

Awards

Announcements of awards will be made by June 7, 2012. Note: Funds will not be awarded if assurances are required for the project and final assurance approval documentation is not received in the BSOM Office of Research Affairs by 4:30 p.m. on June 1, 2012.

Any significant changes in the research plan or budget must receive prior approval by the BSOM Associate Dean for Research Affairs.

Project awards will have a start date of July 1, 2012, and should be completed within one year. A maximum six (6) month extension may be submitted for approval by the BSOM Associate Dean for Research Affairs prior to the award end date. Submit written requests for extension to the Boonshoft School of Medicine, Office of Research Affairs, Room 234 Biological Sciences Building.

Investigators are required to submit a proposal for external funding based on the work funded within twelve (12) months of the award end date. Confirmation of such submission(s) must be included in the final report or in a separate note to the BSOM Office of Research Affairs.

Final Report

To ensure future funding eligibility for BSOM internal grant programs, awardees are required to submit a final report within three (3) months of the award end date. Download and fully complete the Emerging Science Seed Grant Final Report (MS Word). Submit the final report to the Boonshoft School of Medicine, Office of Research Affairs, Room 234 Biological Sciences Building.

Engaging the Research Community

Emerging Science Seed Grant recipients will be invited to participate in the BSOM Central Research Forum through poster presentations and other means of sharing their work with students, colleagues, and potential collaborators.

Contact

If you have questions about the Emerging Science Seed Grant Program, contact Mark Willis, research coordinator (mark.willis@wright.edu; 775-3814). If you have questions about using the application form, contact Kathleen Friedman, administrative assistant (kathleen.friedman@wright.edu; 775-3018).
Last updated 11/1/10(mw). For more information, contact Mark Willis.

 

Last updated: October 19, 2011