CAPS Innovative Grants Program
Request for Applications
Letters of Intent Due: Monday, October 19, 2009
Complete Applications Due: Friday, November 20, 2009
A. Overview
The UCSF Center for AIDS Prevention Studies (CAPS) Innovative Grants Program announces its 2009 Request for Applications. The Program supports pilot studies for innovative HIV/AIDS prevention and policy research. The Innovative Grants Program prioritizes the funding of projects that will lead to future NIH R01 grant proposals or other substantive extramural funding.CAPS and the Innovative Grants Program are supported by a grant from the United States National Institute of Mental Health (P30MH062246).
B. Funding Opportunity
The Innovative Grants Program welcomes applications in two areas: (1) New Investigator Awards and (2) New Research Directions Awards.
New Investigator Awards will support the work of scientists who have not previously been awarded NIH R01 funding (or otherwise received extramural grant funding that is equal to NIH R01s in terms of size and scope). New Investigator Awards are intended to foster research careers among early career scientists by providing seed money to collect preliminary data in support of independent extramural funding applications. Because mentorship is important in developing a scientific career, principal investigators (PI) of New Investigator Awards are asked to identify a mentor and to describe the role that this individual will play in guiding the research.
New Research Direction Awards will support the work of established investigators who are pursuing research topics that represent (for them) a substantial departure from their prior work. New Research Direction Awards are intended to provide seed money to collect preliminary data that will support future extramural grant applications in the new area of study.
Funding decisions will be based on merit, responsiveness to this call for proposals, feasibility of completing the project in a timely manner, and availability of funds. For the 2009 submission round, the maximum award amount per project is $20,000. Proposed research projects should be completed within one year of receipt of funding.
The CAPS Community Advisory Board has requested that the following guidelines be considered in the selection of projects:
- The proposed study should be innovative rather than something that is already well studied.
- The proposed study should involve the target population in the formation of the protocol.
- The application should explain how the proposed study fits into the larger body of published knowledge in the area.
- The "So what?" question should be addressed. That is, the application should highlight the practical implications of the proposed project. The proposal should answer these questions: "To what will this study lead?" "Why is the proposed project a crucial step?" and "What does the study (or the line of research of which it is a part) add to the HIV research puzzle?"
C. Eligibility
The primary purpose of the CAPS Innovative Grants Program is to foster innovative HIV prevention science and the research careers of promising new HIV prevention investigators. As such, a Principal Investigator (PI) on an Innovative Grant must:
- Hold a doctoral degree (PhD, MD, etc.) or equivalent educational credential.
- Have a UCSF faculty appointment
OR
Hold a UCSF academic/staff position (e.g., postdoctoral scholar, research specialist, principal statistician) and be working toward independent funding for promotion to the faculty. - Have a UCSF home accounting department.
D. Budgets
Budgets may not exceed $20,000. Because this is an internal UCSF grant, there are no indirect costs. Award money should be spent within one year of receipt of funding. Because of the small award amount and limited project time, subcontracts are only permitted with special permission.
Supplies and Expenses: Laboratory supplies, office supplies, and other necessary and reasonable expenses are allowed and must be fully justified in the application.
Equipment: Equipment is defined as non-expendable, tangible personal property that has an acquisition cost of $1,500 or more, is freestanding, and has a normal life expectancy of two years or more. Only equipment requested and fully justified in the application and approved in the award budget may be purchased with these funds.
Effort: Most PIs, mentors, and co-investigators cannot "donate" time to a project. They must invest effort on the project, even if only 1%. An exception occurs if an individual faculty member has a discretionary source of salary that permits the donation of effort. (Funds from grants and contracts are rarely discretionary.) A second exception occurs for individuals who are supported by NIH training awards. (Examples include postdoctoral training grants and early career K-awards.) Individuals on these grants cannot be paid for their effort, as stipulated by the rules of their training award.
E. CHR/IRB Approvals
All studies that involve human participants ultimately require approval by the UCSF Committee on Human Research (CHR). However, approval is not a prerequisite for submission. If a project is selected for funding, proof of CHR approval must be supplied before funds can be released. If CHR approval is not obtained within 90 days of award notice, the offer of funding may be withdrawn. Per the requirements of the National Institute of Mental Health (which supports CAPS and the Innovative Grants Program), projects that are conducted in international locations must also obtain approval from an appropriate foreign Institutional Review Board and secure U.S. State Department clearance prior to commencing research activities in the foreign location. Details on the process for securing State Department clearance will be provided, as appropriate, to applicants selected for funding.
F. Peer Review Process
CAPS will convene a panel to review applications and make recommendations for funding. The panel will include HIV/AIDS prevention and policy scientists, as well as members of the CAPS Community Advisory Board. Each proposal will be reviewed in detail by at least three members of the panel. The proposal then will be discussed in a meeting of the full review panel. The recommendations of the panel will be forwarded to the CAPS Senior Leadership Group, which makes final award decisions.
G. Research Resources
CAPS offers multiple core resources for the design, conduct, and analysis of pilot research and PIs are encouraged to use them in preparing proposals for this submission. CAPS Cores include (1) a scientific mentoring and research training program (Developmental Core); (2) consultation on clinical research study design, biostatistical analyses, qualitative research methods, and data management (Methods Core); (3) consultation on issues related to international research (International Core); (4) consultation on issues of policy and ethics (Policy and Ethics Core); and (5) consultations on community collaboration and dissemination (Technology & Information Exchange (TIE) Core).
As part of the submission, applicants also will be asked to describe other resources and infrastructure that may be available to them to facilitate timely completion of the project. Demonstrating access to such resources is particularly important for international projects, which often face additional hurdles in establishing successful collaborations and obtaining multiple IRB and governmental approvals.
H. Progress Reporting
All awardees are required to submit a brief progress report at the end of 6 months and a final report after 12 months. Awardees also will be asked to deliver a presentation about their research findings at a CAPS Town Hall. Funds are awarded with the expectation that the pilot studies will lead to extramural funding, and progress reports should be written with this in mind.
I. Submission Process
Submission to the Innovative Grant Program is a two-step process.
- All prospective applicants should supply a Letter of Intent (LOI). This letter is not used to screen applicants. Anyone who submits a Letter of Intent is then welcome to submit a full application. However, the LOI is essential because it helps CAPS plan for the review panel. The LOI should be no longer than one page in length and organized into the following sections:
- Project Title
- Principal Investigator (Name, UCSF position, and contact information)
- Co-Investigators (Names, position, and affiliation)
- Submission Category (New Investigator Award or New Research Directions Award)
- Project Abstract
One electronic copy of the LOI must be submitted by 5:00 p.m. Monday, October 19, 2009. It should be emailed to Leslie Roos at Leslie.Roos@ucsf.edu. - A complete application package is due by 5:00 PM on Friday, November 20, 2009. Please see the directions for completing the application package. The application includes a description of the research project and a proposed budget. Nine hardcopies and one electronic copy should be supplied to:
Leslie Roos
CAPS, UCSF
UCSF Box #0886
50 Beale St. Suite 1300
San Francisco, CA 94105
Email: Leslie.Roos@ucsf.edu
Telephone: (415) 597-9106
J. Anticipated Award Timeline
| Late September, 2009 | Request for Applications Released |
| Monday, October 19, 2009 | Letters of intent (LOI) are due |
| Friday, November 20, 2009 | Complete applications are due |
| Early December, 2009 | Peer review of applications |
| Mid December, 2009 | Final funding decisions are announced |
| Summer, 2009 | Six month progress reports are due |
K. Program Contact
For questions concerning the CAPS HIV/AIDS Innovative Pilot Awards Program, please contact
Wayne Steward, PhD, MPH |
Leslie Roos |