Duke School of Medicine and Duke-NUS GMS in Singapore are pleased to announce a call for proposals for research initiatives that support areas of collaboration between faculty based in North Carolina with those based in Singapore. The ultimate goal of this program is the development of international research teams that advance Signature Research Programs (SRPs) or Clinical Research Programs (CRPs) conducted jointly by faculty of the two medical schools.

Funding of $75,000 per year for up to two years will be provided to Duke faculty based in North Carolina for pilot research projects judged as superlative based on four criteria:

• Scientific merit
• Strength of existing or proposed collaborative ties to faculty of Duke-NUS GMS based in Singapore
• Advancement of SRPs or CRPs endorsed by the Scientific Advisory Board of the Duke-NUS GMS
• Clarity of plans for obtaining extramural research funding to expand and extend the project

We expect to fund at least three projects during 2009-2010. The number and scale of future grants will be determined annually. Continued funding for the second year will be dependent on demonstration of adequate progress during the initial year.

Application Instructions

Letter of Intent: Faculty interested in submitting a new proposal should submit by June 1, 2009 a one page letter describing the nature of the proposed project, the participating investigators from Duke and Duke-NUS GMS, and the relevant SRP or CRP with which the project would be associated. Descriptions of currently active SRPs and CRPs are available at http://www.duke-nus.edu.sg/index.php?Research/Signature%20Programs. For the purposes of this award, Duke-NUS GMS faculty are defined as those based primarily in Singapore. Please submit electronically to Ms. Patricia Joseph, Director, Duke Singapore Project Office, at josep005@mc.duke.edu.

Completed application

Letters of intent will be screened for consistency with the purposes of this collaborative research program, and invitations to submit full proposals will be issued by July 1, 2009 to those applicants judged to be most responsive. Full proposals will be due by August 1, 2009 and should include:

• Title page listing participating faculty and their respective roles in the project
• Abstract of 150 words or less describing the project
• Project summary of 2000 words or less (not including citations), addressing the four selection criteria
• Figures (up to 3)
• Biographical sketches for participating faculty. Please use the “NIH Biosketch Form” http://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/phs398/phs398.html leaving the eRA COMMONS USER NAME field blank. A sample biosketch may also be found at this web site

Selection Process for New Awards

Proposals will be peer reviewed, and evaluations provided to the Scientific Advisory Board (SAB) of the Duke-NUS GMS, who will rank the proposals based on the above criteria. Current SAB members include Drs. Peter Agre, Kevin Campbell, Risa Lavizzo-Mourey, Suzanne Corey, and Keith Peters. Selection of peer reviewers and funding decisions will be made by the Senior Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs at Duke in consultation with the Deans of the two schools. Applicants will be notified of funding decisions but will not otherwise receive feedback from the evaluation process. We anticipate announcing awards by November 1, 2009.

Applications should be submitted as Word or .pdf files to Ms. Patricia Joseph, Director, Duke Singapore Project Office at josep005@mc.duke.edu.