INSTITUTIONAL RESEARCH GRANT (IRG) PROJECTS COMMITTEE
GUIDELINES FOR APPLICATIONS (effective 8/31/03)
The Principal Investigator must hold a full-time faculty appointment at the School of Medicine.
Awards are made for pilot studies, interim and emergency support of on-going research projects described as follows. Funds are not intended for principal project support. (Supplementation of on-going PHS-funded research project grants is permitted only for unexpected or emergency needs which are unfunded by PHS.)
PILOT STUDIES
Pilot studies are those that address a specific hypothesis and generate data that will enhance the investigator’s ability to obtain extramural funding. Pilot grants may be used to strengthen the initial research efforts of young faculty or those who have limited research experience or to test a new idea or to help support a new area of research by more established investigators. Most applications submitted to the IRG fall into this category.
Awards may support new mouse model feasibility studies involving projects using transgenic or gene-targeted mice constructed through the Transgenic Core Laboratory in the School of Medicine. Awards will be for approximately one year to support construction and initial characterization of transgenic mice, or chimera construction and breeding for gene-targeted mice. Projects in which plasmid constructs for transgenic or gene-targeted mice are well advanced will also be considered. Although there is no special funding designation for mouse feasibility studies, these applications will receive competitive review as pilot studies.
INTERIM SUPPORT
Interim support may be requested when a competing renewal application to an extramural funding agency has not received a fundable priority score and needs additional data to support a resubmission. Interim support is provided only under special circumstances and when the investigator can present a strong case that:
1. Other sources of interim support have been considered and/or sought (e.g., departmental research funds, private grantor sources).
2. Information, data or suggestions contained in the external funding agency’s project review evaluation are being or will be incorporated into the revised application as a result of the interim support requested. Interim support funds are intended for materials/supplies and specialized equipment. The funds can be used to support existing technical personnel.
EMERGENCY SUPPORT
Emergency funding is provided in cases where an unexpected event seriously jeopardizes continuation of important and essential research in progress. Such events include major research fund cutbacks from external sources, damaged equipment, sudden loss of an animal colony or cell line, etc. Include a detailed description of the financial need and a letter from the chair indicting steps that the department has taken to provide the needed emergency support with the application.
FUNDING LIMITATIONS
The Committee cannot accept an application for funds if NIH has previously disapproved the research work.
The Committee cannot allocate funds for faculty salaries or trainee stipends, nor does it provide funds to support student-initiated projects.
The need for all funds requested in the application must be fully justified. Insufficient justification for the funds requested or failure to describe completely the sources and use of other funds available to the investigator will result in deferral or disapproval of the application. Most approved budgets are in the range of $15,000 - $20,000 but there is no absolute cap or minimum. The Committee offers 80% of the budget subject to the department’s ability to fund the remaining 20% for pilot, interim, and emergency funding.
Funding is rarely provided for more than one year. Requests for continued funding must have specific purpose and sound justification.
OTHER REVIEW REQUIRED
If the project involves the use of human subjects, provide documentation of approval from the Office of Human Subjects Research (OHSR) with the application. Please consult the following website for information on review and submission of applications to the OHSR: http://irb.jhmi.edu/
If the project involves the use of potential biohazards, provide the approval information from the Biosafety Officer on the Information Sheet.
If the project involves use of vertebrate animals, provide a copy of the protocol submitted to and the approval information from the Animal Care and Use Committee of the Division of Comparative Medicine (Animal Services Section) with the application. Please consult the following website for further information and forms: http://www.jhu.edu/animalcare/services_intro.html
The Transgenic Facility Advisory Board will provide ad hoc evaluation for any mouse feasibility study application. For information or clarification about the suitability of specific pilot studies for support by this program, contact Dr. Roger Reeves at x5-6621.
PROPOSAL SUBMISSION
The original and sixteen (16) copies of all application materials (including the JHU School of Medicine eInformation Sheet for Grant and Contract Applications) must be submitted to the Secretary of the Committee:
Joanne Frantz (410-955-8921)
Office of Research Administration
Broadway Research Building, Room 117
Applications are due by the FIRST TUESDAY in September, November, February, and April. The Committee meets and reviews applications on the fourth Tuesday of these months. The lead time is necessary for processing, assigning reviewers, and distributing the applications to the Committee so that members have a reasonable amount of time to review all applications for discussion at the meeting. Applications received after the deadline and incomplete applications will be returned to the applicant without review.
Applicants may be contacted by a Committee member to obtain additional information.
Applicants will be notified of the Committee’s action immediately after the Committee’s review.
Successful applicants are required to submit a brief progress report at the conclusion of the project. A progress report form is located here.
GRANT APPLICATION FORMAT
All of the items detailed below must be included in the application before it will be considered by the Committee. Incomplete applications will be rejected or deferred until the requested information is provided.
- JHU SCHOOL OF MEDICINE eINFORMATION SHEET, signed by the Principal Investigator, departmental director, and departmental administrator. The eINFORMATION SHEET can be obtained here.
- TITLE PAGE, click here for format.
- TEXT OF APPLICATION:
A. Classification of research project. Indicate which category (pilot, interim or emergency) and explain clearly how the project meets the criteria for the category.
B. Do you intend to submit this project to any internal JHU funding sources? If yes, please indicate the funding source, amount of requested funding, and title of grant.
C. Overall Objectives (brief statement).
D. Description of Research Plan. (LIMIT – EIGHT (8) PAGES OR LESS)
As with a scientific publication, the applicant should present his/her research logically and clearly and show that the proposed research is meaningful. Because the Committee includes members of diverse scientific backgrounds, the proposed project must be understandable to a general scientific audience.
1. Specific Aims: State in a concise and explicit manner what is to be accomplished and the hypothesis being tested during the request period of support.
2. Significance: State why the work proposed is important. Briefly identify gaps in existing knowledge which will be filled and relate specific aims to the longer term objectives.
3. Methods: Discuss the experimental design, procedures, and data analysis to be used to test the hypothesis or accomplish the specific aims of your project. While you may safely assume that the reviewers are familiar with current methodology, they will not make the same assumption about you. Thus, it is not sufficient to state, in example, that a “variety of viruses will be grown in cells using standard in vitro tissue culture techniques.” The reviewers will want to know which viruses, which cells, and which techniques, as well as the rationale for using the particular virus-cell system and exactly how the techniques will be used. The burden of proof is on you to show, through a succinct explanation, that you understand and are capable of handling the research methodology. The reviewers are not interested in the recipe for every buffer, staining solution, etc; instead refer to the literature for such routine details. However, if new procedures and protocols are proposed, describe advantages over existing methodologies. Potential pitfalls and alternative approaches should also be discussed. Include information about human subjects, animals, and biohazards.
E. Interim or Emergency Support. In the case of interim or emergency support, it is assumed that the investigator has recently or it is currently receiving external funding. For this reason, it may not be necessary to submit a detailed proposal of the scientific aspects of the work. Instead, submit the following:
- A brief description of the work to be performed during the interim period. Details will depend on the problem being addressed.
- Explain how the proposed work will specifically address the criticisms of the extramural sponsor’s review committee.
- A copy of the scientific portion of the most recent grant application. The information noted above should summarize this sufficiently to allow the reviewers to know what the aims and methods are.
- A copy of the sponsor’s most recent scientific review that explains why the grant could not be funded.
- An application for interim or emergency funds should stress justification for the funds, an explanation of the circumstances involved and a report of efforts that have already been made to secure funding through other sources including the principal investigator’s parent department.
F. Listing of Literature Cited
G. Research Funding
1. Indicate the source, amount, and time periods for all funds expected to be available to the participating investigator(s) during this project.
2. Indicate why funding listed in #1 above is inadequate to support the work proposed in this application.
3. Indicate plans for obtaining support for continuation of the project beyond the work proposed in this application.
4. If you have received prior support from the Committee, explain the results of the past project and identify any additional support obtained as a result of the institutional grant.
H. Budget Proposal
List expenditures in the following main categories and give details and justification of the items in each category. Indirect costs are not charged to Institutional Research Grants.
-Personnel (include percentage of effort for all named Personnel, including the Principal Investigator).
-Fringe Benefits
-Consumable Supplies
-Travel (travel funds are allowed only if absolutely essential for the conduct of the research).-Equipment (identify each item, show unit cost and explain why it cannot be borrowed). Equipment is rarely funded unless absolutely necessary to conduct of the research and ample justification is provided.
Other Expenses (only those essential to the conduct of the research).
TOTAL COSTS
I. Supporting Materials
A brief Biographical Sketch of all investigators (Not to exceed two pages for each investigator).
A letter from Department Director that:
-Indicates approval of the application.
-Comments on the merit of the project.
-States explicitly that the Director or a designate has reviewed the application to ensure that the proposal is written in a manner consistent with the instructions given in the application guidelines.
-Explains the extent to which the Department is supporting the applicant’s research in terms of funding and available facilities.
J. Reprints (optional). Should only be included to assist the Committee (a general scientific audience) to better understand your project.
In summary, the reviewers are asked to comment on your application with respect to:
- significance and originality of the proposed study in its scientific field
- the validity of the hypothesis
- the logic of the aims
- the feasibility and adequacy of the procedures
Reviewers will also want to know if the research is likely to produce new data and concepts that will enable you to apply for NIH or other sources of funding. Therefore, make sure you provide the information needed to make this evaluation.
MECHANISM FOR AWARD
All applicants will be notified in writing after the Committee has met and decisions have been made.
If an applicant is successful, his or her chair will be notified and asked to provide the source of funds for the departmental match. No account will be established until this information is received by the Secretary of the Committee.
For transgenic mouse pilot studies:
Successful applicants for mouse feasibility studies will be notified and will receive $2,500 at the time of award. When a transgenic mouse with at least one unrearranged copy of the transgene or a chimeric mouse carrying the ES line has been generated, and evidence provided to the chair of the Transgenic Facility Advisory Board, the remainder of the award will be released to the investigator, minus the preparation fees to the Facility.
