ACCM Seed Grants
The goal of ACCM SEED grants is to increase the level of extramural departmental funding at the individual (e.g., NIH R awards) and program (e.g., NIH PPG awards) levels. SEED grants can be obtained by junior and senior investigators, by collaborating investigators, and by individuals seeking to organize program grants. Funding of the SEED grants will be determined primarily by the likelihood that the SEED grant will enable extramural funding for the project. SEED grants are designed to support applications to programs that provide full indirect costs (e.g., NIH), and not foundation grants that provide only partial costs (e.g., AHA). Likewise, NIH K awards that provide only partial indirect costs are not eligible. Junior faculty interested in applying for these awards should consider Beginner SEED grants.
SEED grants can be used to support new projects that have not been previously submitted to external agencies (e.g., NIH) or to help generate a revised application to those agencies. When supporting revised extramural applications, the SEED application will not be considered until the applicant has received the agency’s review comments and had the opportunity to plan a revised application. Applications that were previously submitted for SEED funding but were unsuccessful, can be revised and resubmitted. Incomplete applications will not be reviewed. Questions regarding the application process can be directed to the Research & Grants Office (ACCM-research@jhmi.edu).
1. SEED GRANT CATEGORIES
Seed grants will be awarded under the following categories:
- Unfunded junior faculty members.
- Established or funded investigators working in a new research area.
- New interactive projects between ACCM faculty members (co-Principal Investigators).
- Program grant proposals involving three or more Principal Investigators (Program Director for the SEED and the extramural application must be an ACCM faculty member).
The maximal level of funding is up to $30,000 for categories a and b, up to $35,000 for category c, and up to $70,000 for category d. The award is designed to support personnel who will actually perform the experiments and materials for those experiments. The awards cannot be used to purchase capital equipment, to support faculty salaries, or to support renewals of existing grants. They are not designed to provide gap funding when a faculty member loses existing extramural funding. However, this type of award could be considered if the investigator can effectively explain why his/her extramural funding wasn’t renewed and how the SEED grant will be used to regain funding.
2. PROPOSAL GUIDELINES
These instructions are provided as general guidelines. If the information required for the SEED application (e.g., Background section) is already presented in an extramural grant application (draft or completed), then the applicant can merely provide the application and refer to it in the SEED application.
Please use standard NIH page format.
I: Categories a, b, and c
SECTIONS SPECIFIC TO THE SEED GRANT
- Title Page. Include name(s) of key individual(s), with divisional and departmental affiliation, and contact information for the Principal Investigator(s). Identify category of application (a, b, or c) and where the research will be conducted.
- NIH-style biosketches for key individual(s).
- Other funding support for key individual(s); include previous funding in last three years, current funding, and any pending applications. Describe the degree of overlap of the present application with previous, current, or pending awards.
- Proposed budget for the SEED grant (0.5 page maximum).
- Background and Significance (2 pages maximum).
- Overall goals for the SEED Grant (1 page maximum).
- Preliminary data supporting proposed experiments (3 pages of text maximum; figures and tables do not count toward page limit).
- Description of protocols and methods (3 pages maximum).
- Short letter of support from any non-ACCM faculty that are listed as key participants (they should detail their support for the SEED application and for the extramural application). Junior investigators should identify any faculty mentor(s) who will be assisting them with the application and provide a letter(s) of support from the mentor(s).
-
Timeline for proposed experiments and for the extramural grant application (0.5 page maximum). Identify the agency and type of award.
-
Preliminary Specific Aims for the extramural grant application and relationship of the SEED grant to the extramural application (2 pages maximum). If this SEED grant is to support a revised extramural grant application, please provide the last submitted version of that application along with agency’s review sheets. Provide a detailed rebuttal to the reviewers’ comments and explain how the SEED grant will be used to revise the application (4 pages maximum).
Appendix – can include relevant published manuscripts (limit 3 manuscripts).
RELEVANCE TO EXTRAMURAL GRANT APPLICATION
II: Category d
SECTIONS SPECIFIC TO THE SEED GRANT
-
Title Page. For each project, provide name(s) of key individual(s), with divisional and departmental affiliation, and contact information for the Principal Investigator. Identify where the research will be conducted. Identify the Program Director.
-
NIH style biosketches for all key individual(s).
-
Other funding support for all key individual(s); include previous funding in last three years, current funding, and any pending applications. Describe the degree of overlap of the present application with previous, current, or pending awards.
-
Proposed budget (1 page maximum).
-
Overall Background and Significance (2 pages maximum) with special emphasis on interaction and synergy between the different projects.
-
For individual projects, provide items 4 though 9 from Section I above. Principal Investigators (ACCM and non-ACCM) should provide letters detailing their support for the Program Director in the extramural application.
RELEVANCE TO EXTRAMURAL GRANT APPLICATION
-
Timeline for proposed experiments and for the extramural program grant application. Include details of program group meetings and organizational details of grant assembly. Identify the agency and type of award. (1 page maximum)
-
Indicate whether the application is in response to a funding announcement (e.g. RFA). If not, indicate what, if any discussions have been held with NIH officials. Identify the officials and their level of enthusiasm for the proposed application (0.5 page maximum).
-
Provide preliminary specific aims for each project of the extramural program grant application and relationship of the SEED grant to the extramural application (5 pages maximum). Describe whether additional individual applications will be encouraged. If this SEED grant is to support a revised extramural grant application, please provide the last submitted version of that application along with the agency’s review sheets. Provide a detailed rebuttal to the reviewers’ comments and explain how the SEED grant will be used to revise the application (8 pages maximum).
Appendix – can include relevant published manuscripts (limit 3 manuscripts/project).
3. SUBMISSION DATES
Applications are due at the ACCM Research Grants Office on July 1st at 5 PM or on December 1st at 5 PM; no extensions will be considered. Electronic submissions are preferred (to ACCM-research@jhmi.edu). July submissions will be reviewed during July and August; funding decisions will be announced in early September, and the anticipated start date will be October 1st. December submissions will be reviewed during December and January; funding decisions will be announced in early February, and the anticipated start date will be March 1st. Revised applications can be resubmitted during subsequent cycles and should include a summary of the substantial changes to the original submission and a response to the criticisms and issues generated in the review (2 pages maximum for the summary; indicate changes in the application using lines in the margin or colored font). If submission deadlines fall on weekends, the application can be submitted by 5 PM on the following Monday.
4. REVIEW PROCESS
The primary criterion when reviewing these applications will be the likelihood that the SEED grant will generate independent extramural funding. This in turn will be determined by standard NIH review criteria (Significance, Approach, Innovation, Investigator(s) and Environment,
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-05-002.html).
Applications will be reviewed by at least two anonymous reviewers followed by a NIH-style committee review. Applicants will receive a written critique detailing the strengths and weaknesses of the application. Decisions regarding funding will be based solely on the peer review process. The Research Committee will oversee the review process and ensure a fair and accurate ranking of the applications.
5. AWARDS AND POST AWARD
Awards will be paid in two installments (six months apart), with the second installment dependent on demonstrating satisfactory progress. Award recipients must agree to present their research progress and findings at departmental research meetings. On completion of the proposed studies, the Principal Investigator must provide a report summarizing the progress made during the funding of the award (2 pages maximum, NIH format). He or she must also provide details (including specific aims) of any extramural applications that resulted from the award. If no applications were forthcoming, then the investigator will not be eligible for future departmental grant awards.
6. CHAIR’S GRANTS
Chair Grants are available to assist new internal faculty establish research programs. There are two components for these awards – a “time” component, which enables clinical faculty to convert effort from clinical care to research, and a “start-up” component, which provides support for laboratory supplies and small equipment. New faculty should develop their proposals for Chair Grants in collaboration with their mentors and in consultation with the Department Chair and the Vice-Chair for Research. Justification will be needed to support the time and/or start-up components of an award. Chair’s Grants may also be available for specialized investment, including the establishment of new program areas and bridge support.
