RFA, printable version [pdf]

Background

The Duke Translational Medicine Institute (DTMI) has funds available through the CTSA grant to support research projects in biostatistical methodology applicable to clinical and translational science. In addition, funds are available from the Department of Biostatistics and Biomathematics for the same purpose. Applications relevant to either of the major translational blocks in the DTMI, Bench to Bedside or Trials to Populations, are especially welcome. Multiple individual awards will be available each year over the next few years.

These internal grants are intended primarily to provide sufficient protected time for recipients to develop pilot results in anticipation of research grant applications to external agencies and to submit these results for peer-reviewed publication.

Eligibility

Several awards are anticipated, with funding coming from two different sources. Awards funded by the DTMI are available to all full-time faculty members at Duke University. Awards funded by the Department of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics (B&B) are available only to faculty of the Department of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics. Priority will be given to junior faculty and those whose effort is directed primarily toward collaborative research and who are currently supported largely by “soft money.”

Although it is anticipated that most applications will be from a single individual, joint applications from more than one faculty member are allowed. Applications from a research team will be reviewed with the additional criterion that the backgrounds and expertise of the individuals involved are consistent with the goals of the proposal.

Amount and Duration of the Awards

Each award is intended to cover partial salary and benefits for the recipient for a period of two years. Successful applicants may apply for a second two year award at the end of the initial period. For individual applications, the total award per year will be $35,000. For joint applications, the maximum allowable request will be $35,000 per year per individual. The actual amount of the award for successful joint applications will be determined separately from the technical review.

Application Procedures

The entire proposal, including references, figures, and tables must be no longer than five pages (using 11-point Arial or Helvetica font). For joint proposals involving more than one faculty member, up to three additional pages (i.e., a maximum of eight pages) may be added. Applications exceeding the page limit will be rejected without review. A current CV for each participant should be provided as well. Applications should be prepared in an electronic format and submitted to dawn.hails@duke.edu.

Review Criteria and Process

Applications will be reviewed by a panel of reviewers consisting of selected senior members of the Department of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics and several external reviewers chosen for their expertise in biostatistics or translational medicine. The application should provide sufficient details to allow the reviewers to judge the technical merit of the proposal, the relevance of the proposed research to clinical and translational science, and the likelihood of future success in an external grant application. Joint applications should explain the role of each person on the application and how they will work together. Further details concerning joint applications are provided in a separate document, “Guidelines for multiple awards to the same person”. Enhanced NIH review criteria and enhanced scoring process will be used. Grants will be awarded each year up to the amount of available funds. A brief summary statement will be provided to each applicant after the review.

Progress Reports

A progress report is required at the end of the first year and at the end of each subsequent year. The first annual progress report is due on the one year anniversary of the start date.

Dates

A one page letter of intent to submit an application is due on May 1, 2009. The deadline for the receipt of the applications is June 1, 2009. Awards are anticipated to start on September 1, 2009.

Questions

For questions about this award program, contact:

Stephen L George, Ph.D.

Professor of Biostatistics

Department of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics

2424 Erwin Road, Suite 802, Room 8037

Durham, NC 27705-3841

Tel: 919-681-2224

Fax: 919-668-9335

e-mail: stephen.george@duke.edu

General Q & A

Does the 5-page limit include the references?
No, but there is no need for an exhaustive list of references. From the NIH guidelines: "The references should be limited to relevant and current literature. While there is not a page limitation, it is important to be concise and to select only those literature references pertinent to the proposed research."

Do you required the Duke CV or the NIH biosketch?
Either one is fine.

Is there a format for budgets? Should we use our own? Should it be a detailed budget?
This year, the awards will be limited to salary and benefits, so the format of the budget isn't critical. For example, if it is a single application, there is no need for a budget at all. Successful applicants will receive $35,000 for salary and benefits. If others are involved in the application, the amount requested for each should be specified, along with a clear justification of what the others are doing. The amount requested can exceed $35,000 for multiple investigator applications, but the maximum amount possible expense for each individual is $35,000. Budgets of multiple investigator applications will be carefully reviewed.

If it is a collaborative research project with researchers from other departments, can some money be used towards these researchers time?
Yes, for the money supplied by the CTSA grant; no, for the money supplied by B&B. You don't need to worry about the source of the funds except to be aware that B&B money will only be allocated to B&B faculty.