2008 Seed Grant Program

Program Description

The Boonshoft School of Medicine awards seed grants to eligible faculty to support pilot research projects that have a strong potential to generate additional external research funding. Projects are funded for one year with maximum funding of $15,000. Proposals are peer-reviewed by the SOM Research Committee. Final award decisions are made by the SOM Associate Dean for Research.

Seed grants can fund projects in basic biomedical research, clinical research, and medical education research. Uniform selection criteria are applied to each research category. The principal criterion is the project's potential to generate additional research funding from external sources such as the National institutes of Health, National Science Foundation, and others. Seed grants can fund either new or ongoing research, but priority will be given to proposals by new investigators or experienced investigators who are taking their research in a significantly new direction. Collaborations between clinicians and basic scientists are strongly encouraged.

Eligibility

All Boonshoft School of Medicine (SOM) fully affiliated faculty who are directly employed by Wright State University and who have not had SOM seed grant funding during the previous two years are invited to submit proposals as principal investigators. Preference will be given to new investigators, or to experienced investigators who are taking their research in a significantly new direction. Eligible faculty may submit one request per year 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 indicates that the chair is supportive of the project and the faculty's effort on the project if the project is funded.

Evaluation Criteria

Seed grants generally have a maximum award of $15,000. University policy and procedures, based on federal and state regulations, define allowable project costs. Allowable costs include supplies, travel required to complete the project, staff salaries and equipment. Seed grant funds cannot be used to pay faculty salaries; however, funds can be used for student salaries. 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 seed grant funds if the proposed work is funded by another source (e.g., internal or external sponsor).

Proposal Deadline

Proposals must be received by 5:00 PM, Monday, December 10, 2007, in the Office of Research Affairs , 002 Math and Microbiology Building. Submit 12 copies of the complete proposal package (including cover page and all required sections of the proposal). Download a PDF of the map to Research Affairs.

Assurances

Investigators using human subjects, animals, biohazards, radioactive materials or recombinant DNA must submit appropriate forms to Research and Sponsored Programs (RSP) or to affiliated hospitals for institutional review. Call RSP (775-2425) for appropriate university forms, or download forms from the RSP Web site. Institutional approvals must be received by Monday, March 3, 2008, to enable final funding decisions.

Review process

The SOM Research Committee will review and rank proposals, then recommend the amount of support for top ranked proposals. The Research Committee will submit final funding recommendations to the Associate Dean for Research Affairs for approval.

Awards

The chair of the Research Committee will inform applicants of the final decision and, if funded, the amount and duration of the award. Assurance committee approval must be received by Monday, March 3, 2008, for applications to be considered for funding. Announcements of awards will be made by March 31, 2008

Projects will be funded by April 30, 2008, and should be completed within one year. A maximum six-month extension may be approved by the Research Committee. Submit written requests for extensions to the chair of the Research Committee (002 Math and Microbiology Building).

Final report

Within three months of the end of the project period, investigators must submit a one-page report describing how seed grant funds were used . At the time of the final report, investigators are expected to have submitted a proposal for external funding based on the work funded by the seed grant. The final report should explain progress made toward obtaining external funding, including specific information about proposals submitted, sponsors, dollar amounts, and review/notification dates. Submit final reports to the chair of the Research Committee (002 Math and Microbiology Building).

Proposal Guidelines

A complete seed grant proposal includes all of the following sections presented in this order:

1. Cover page
2. Abstract
3. Research plan & references
4. Potential for future funding
5. Budget and budget justification
6. Other support
7. Biographical sketch

Section 1 is an MS Word file that can be downloaded from this web page. Sections 2-4 are generated by the principal investigator following instructions provided below. sections 5-7 use fillable forms and page formats that can be downloaded from the NIH Instructions and Forms for PHS 398 web page. Instructions for sections 5-7 generally follow NIH application instructions (revised 4/6/06) with modifications meeting specific needs of the SOM seed grant program.

General Instructions: The seed grant proposal should be written for scientific reviewers outside the investigator's primary discipline. In following the page limits listed below, use single-space text in an 11-point font size or larger. For sections 2-4 (abstract, research plan & references, and potential for future funding), each page should include the investigator's last name and page number to help keep the proposal in proper order. Submit 12 copies of the complete proposal package.

Section 1. Cover page

The cover page requires signatures by the principal investigator, all co-investigators, and the PI's department chair. The chair's signature is an endorsement of the project and the PI's level of effort on the project if funded.

Section 2. Abstract

The abstract summarizes the significance, objectives and specific procedures of your project. Limit the abstract to 300 words.

Section 3. Research plan & references

The research plan should answer these questions:
(1) Why is the work important?
(2) What do you intend to do?
(3) How are you going to do the work?

Accordingly, organize the research plan using the following categories:
(1) Background and Significance
(2) Specific Aims
(3) Research Design and Methods.

Limit the research plan to 3 pages, plus references.

Section 4. Potential for future funding

In this section, discuss the project's potential for future external funding. Be sure to explain how the proposed project relates to funding priorities of external sponsors. Be specific about funding sources, program announcements, and future proposal deadlines. Limit this section to 1 page.

Section 5. Budget & budget justification

Personnel: Starting with the principal investigator, list the names and types of appointments of all personnel who will be involved in the project who are employees or students of Wright State University. Include all collaborating investigators, individuals in training, and support staff. This includes any "to-be-appointed" positions. Identify the role of each individual listed on the project. Describe their specific functions on the budget justification page.

Months Devoted to Project. NIH forms now use person months (instead of percent of F.T.E.) to quantify level of effort. Enter the number of months devoted to the project. Three columns are provided depending on the type of appointment being reflected, academic, calendar, and/or summer months. Individuals may have consecutive appointments within a calendar year, for example for an academic period and a summer period. In this case, each appointment should be identified separately using the corresponding column. If effort does not change throughout the year, use only the calendar months column. If effort varies between academic and summer months, leave the calendar months column blank and use only the academic and summer months columns. In cases where no contractual appointment exists with the applicant organization and salary is requested, enter the number of months for the requested period.

Salary Requested: SOM seed grant funds cannot be used to pay faculty salaries. Leave the "Institutional Base Salary" and "Dollar Amount Requested" fields blank for project personnel who are faculty. Seed grant funds can be used to pay research staff salaries and fringe benefits and graduate student stipends.

Consultant Costs: Enter the total for this category on the Detailed Budget form; provide other details on the budget justification page. Whether or not costs are involved, provide the names and organizational affiliations of all consultants, other than those involved in consortium/contractual arrangements. Include consultant physicians in connection with patient care. Describe the services to be performed. Include the number of days of anticipated consultation, the expected rate of compensation, travel, per diem, and other related costs.

Equipment: Enter the total for this category on the Detailed Budget form; provide other details on the budget justification page. List separately each item of equipment with a unit acquisition cost of $500 or more. Justify equipment needs and costs. Document cost-sharing wherever possible. In the past, the Research Committee has rejected funding requests for computers.

Supplies: Enter the total for this category on the Detailed Budget form; provide other details on the budget justification page. Itemize supplies in separate categories such as glassware, chemicals, and radioisotopes. If animals are involved, state the species, the number to be used, their unit purchase cost, their unit care cost, and the number of care days.

Travel: Enter the total for this category on the Detailed Budget form; provide other details on the budget justification page. State the purpose of any travel, giving the number of trips involved, the destinations, and the number of individuals for whom funds are requested.

Patient Care Costs: Enter the total for this category on the Detailed Budget form; provide other details on the budget justification page. If inpatient and/or outpatient costs are requested, provide the names of any hospitals and/or clinics and the amounts requested for each on the budget justification page. Indicate, in detail, the basis for estimating costs in this category, including the number of patient days, estimated cost per day, and cost per test or treatment. If both inpatient and outpatient costs are requested, provide information for each separately. If multiple sites are to be used, provide detailed information by site. Include information regarding projected patient accrual for the project/budget periods and relate this information to the budget request for patient care costs. If patient accrual is anticipated to be lower at the start or during the course of the project, plan budget(s) accordingly.

Provide specific information regarding anticipated sources of Other Support for patient care costs, e.g., third party recovery or pharmaceutical companies. Include any potential or expected utilization of General Clinical Research Centers.

Alterations and Renovations: SOM seed grants do not cover costs for physical plant alterations, renovations or repairs.

Other Expenses: Enter the total for this category on the Detailed Budget form; provide other details on the budget justification page. Itemize by category and unit cost other expenses such as patient travel, patient participation incentives, donor fees, publication costs, page charges, books, computer charges, rentals and leases, minor fee-for-service contracts, and student-related expenses. Requests for other reasonable expenses will be considered. In the past, the Research Committee has rejected funding requests for equipment maintenance contracts.

Consortium/Contractual Costs: This category does not apply to SOM seed grants.

Section 6. Other support

Other support is defined as all available financial resources (federal, non-federal or institutional) that directly fund an investigator's overall research effort. Other support may include but is not limited to research grants, cooperative agreements, contracts, and/or institutional awards.

Information on other support (active and pending) is required for all key personnel, excluding consultants. For individuals with no active or pending support, indicate "None."

Using the NIH Other Support format, provide the following information for each current source of research support:

Project/Grant Number: If applicable, include a code or identifier for funded projects.

Source: Identify the agency, institute, foundation or other organization that is providing the support.

Major goals: Provide a brief statement of overall objectives of the project, subproject, or subcontract.

Dates of approved/proposed project: Indicate the inclusive dates of the project as approved/proposed. For example, in the case of NIH support, provide the dates of the approved/proposed competitive segment.

Annual direct costs: In the case of an active project, provide the current year's direct cost budget. For a pending project, provide the proposed direct cost budget for the initial budget period.

Level of effort: For an active project, provide the level of effort (even if unsalaried) as approved for the current budget period. For a pending project, indicate the level of effort as proposed for the initial budget period. In cases where an individual's appointment is divided into academic and summer segments, indicate the proportion of each devoted to the project.

Overlap: After listing all support, summarize for each individual any potential overlap with the active or pending projects and this proposal in terms of the science, budget, or an individual's committed effort.

Section 7. Biographical sketch

Provide a biographical sketch of the principal investigator and other key personnel using the NIH Biographical Sketch Format Page. Limit each sketch to 4 pages.

Follow the instructions on the Biographical Sketch Format Page. This section must contain the biographical sketches of all Key Personnel and Other Significant Contributors, including consultants.

The Biographical Sketch may not exceed four pages. See sample MS Word or PDF files. This 4-page limit includes the table at the top of the first page.

Complete the educational block at the top of the format page, and complete sections A and B only.

A. Positions and Honors. List in chronological order previous positions, concluding with your present position. List any honors. Include present membership on any Federal Government public advisory committee.

B. Selected peer-reviewed publications or manuscripts in press (in chronological order). Do not include manuscripts submitted or in preparation.

Contacts

Need more information about the Seed Grant Program? Have questions about the proposal process? Contact Mark Willis, research coordinator (775-3814).