Request for Internal Pilot Project-PHORG’ Proposals-due July 20, 2015
Request for Internal Pilot Project-PHORG’ Proposals--(Pediatric Hematology Oncology Research Group)
Monday, July 20 2015: NOTE- changes to funding duration
Purpose
The goal of the pilot project program is to stimulate an environment within the Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center that fosters translational initiatives that can lead to new methods for diagnosing, preventing, and treating disease. Special consideration will be given to proposals that include the development of a clinical trial with a laboratory component. Translational initiatives that include the study of patient samples that will further the development of an innovative clinical initiative will also be strongly considered.
An additional aim of the PHORG grant is to facilitate intra-programmatic collaborations and interactions among the members of the Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center. For these reasons, proposals should ideally involve collaborative studies between two Aflac faculty members. If appropriate, more than two groups may be involved in a pilot project but applicants should bear in mind the total level of support available to be distributed among recipient groups.
Eligibility
Faculty members of the Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center, as well as members of the Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Center of Excellence, are eligible to be PI’s.
Criteria for Evaluation and Selection
Awards will be based on scientific merit (significance, approach, innovation, short-term translational potential) and the impact of the proposal on supporting novel clinical or translational studies initiated within the Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center. It is expected that a proposal for a clinical research project/clinical trial or a correlative biology proposal will be initiated within 3 months of funding this proposal. The clinical or research study should be submitted with the proposal as an appendix and should be submitted to the CRO Regulatory team for approval through Aflac and subsequent IRB submission within 30 days of funding notification. Each proposal will be reviewed by a committee comprised of scientific leaders from the Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center and the Winship Cancer Center.
Duration
It is anticipated that two or more seed grants of approximately $50,000 per grant will be funded for a two-year period October 1, 2015 to September 30, 2017. If only one meritorious proposal is found, the additional $50,000 will be held until 2016-2018 funding cycle. Operating supplies, small equipment items, and travel directly associated with the research activities are eligible for support. Funds may be used for investigator salary, non-faculty partial salary and fringe benefit support for research personnel (students, post-docs, research specialists, research coordinators) but may not be used for general staff or administrative support. There will be no extensions in funding period allowed. Unused funds will not be disbursed after the end of the funding period and will revert to the Aflac account and be available for future funding applications.
Proposal Length
The length of each proposal is limited to three (3) pages of text (not including references and reprints). Page 4 describes the proposed budget. All submissions must be in Arial 11 point font (9 point for figures and tables is acceptable). See below for details.
Submission
Applications will be submitted online through Wizehive at: https://app.wizehive.com/appform/login/PHORG_2015 (Wizehive URL updated 6/25/2015)
Applications must be submitted by 5PM on Monday, July 20, 2015. Questions should be directed to:
Faith Barron
Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center
2015 Uppergate Drive NE, Room 428
Atlanta, GA 30322
faith.barron@emory.edu
Please Note updated submission contact information.
Application Components
· Three pages of text that should include:
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The proposal title, names of investigators, amount requested and a one paragraph summary of the project (1/2 page max)
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A concise research description including cancer or blood disease relevance, brief background, aims, and major experimental strategies (2 ½ pages)
· A one-page budget (NIH PHS 398 budget forms “fp4”) with budget justification
http://grants1.nih.gov./grants/funding/phs398/fp4.doc
· Key References (one page minimum)
· NIH Biosketches for all investigators including “Other Support.” It has to be made clear that the requested support does not overlap with existing funds and constitutes a new collaboration.
· Appendix (not required, but if essential for the review of the proposal, applicants may include up to 3 reprints of publications, including manuscripts in press or submitted). If a clinical research project/clinical trial is proposed the protocol must be provided in the appendix. There is no guarantee that reviewers will read papers in the Appendix.
Pilot Grant Proposal Evaluation/Selection Process
Applications will be reviewed, ranked, and selected for funding by ad hoc group of reviewers selected by the Aflac Scientific leadership committee co-leaders from within Emory University. Applicants will be notified about the status of their application (i.e. funded or not funded) by August 31, 2014.
Reporting Requirements
A one to two page progress report is due at the end of the first year and within 30 days following period of seed grant support. The year one progress report should include a status of the project and expenditures to date. The final report should address progress on the specific aims, a summary of the studies and results and future plans for continuing and supporting the collaborative studies. In addition, usage of Aflac facilities and other University resources (if applicable) should be outlined.