KBRIN-Academic Research Enhancement Awards (AREA)

2008 Application Guidelines
(The deadline for year 08 is February 28th, 2008.)

• Year 08 begins 5/1/08 and ends 4/30/2009
• Awards will be for one project year
• Year 08 awards will be limited to $12,500 direct costs with a maximum of $1,000 F&A.

Faculty from Kentucky regional institutions may apply for funds to develop research collaborations with the state’s research intensive universities to enhance their competitiveness in seeking research funding from NIH. Requests for funding may include expenses for supplies, equipment, use of core facilities, housing and travel costs while visiting UK or U of L, to offset summer salary, and to pay research expenses of undergraduate students assisting in the research. Normally, awards will be limited to a maximum of $12,500 per year. As a condition of the award, institutions must grant the PI release time from teaching (at least 25%) for the duration of the award, and the PI must agree to submit an NIH-Academic Research Enhancement Award (AREA, R15) grant proposal prior to the conclusion of each grant period. Awards will be made to the applicant’s institution. A 10% facilities and administrative (F&A) cost up to a maximum of $1000 will be provided in addition to direct costs, except for tuition and equipment.

APPLICATION PROCEDURES

To facilitate the preparation of future NIH-AREA (R15) proposals, applications must be prepared using the PHS 398 research grant application instructions and forms (rev. 5/2001). The PHS 398 is available at http://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/phs398/phs398.html in an interactive format or on this Web site on the PHS grant forms and instructions page.

The PHS 398 contains instructions on submission procedures that must be observed by KBRIN-AREA applicants. These instructions must be adhered to, except where they have been modified by the following Supplemental Instructions. Applications not following the guidelines will be returned without review.

PHS 398 - SUPPLEMENTAL INSTRUCTIONS

Form Page 1: FACE PAGE:

Item 2 -- Check the "YES" box and enter "KBRIN-Academic Research Enhancement Award" as the title.

Item 6 – The start date will be May 1st. The entire proposed project period must not exceed two years.

Form Page 2 – DISCRIPTION, PERFORMANCE SITES, ETC. - Complete.

Form Page 3 – RESEARCH GRANT TABLE OF CONTENTS – Complete

Form Page 4 – DETAILED BUDGET FOR THE INITIAL BUDGET PERIOD – Complete.

Form Page 5 - BUDGET FOR THE ENTIRE PROPOSED PERIOD OF SUPPORT – Complete.

Modular Budget Format Narrative Page – DO NO COMPLETE

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH - The Biographical Sketch provides information used by reviewers in the assessment of each individual's qualifications for a specific role in the proposed project, as well as to evaluate the overall qualifications of the research team. A biographical sketch is required for all key personnel, including collaborators, following the instructions below. A sample biographical sketch may be viewed at: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/modular/modular.htm
- Complete the educational block at the top of the form page;
- List position(s) and any honors;
- Provide information, including overall goals and responsibilities, on
research projects ongoing or completed during the last three years;
- List peer-reviewed publications, with full citations.

For the principal investigator only, provide information on his or her: (a) previous or current experience in supervising students in research, and/or (b) other relationships within the institutional framework (e.g., cross-departmental research collaborations).

OTHER SUPPORT - Do not submit this page. However, the Biographical Sketch for each of the key personnel should include information on the other projects that the person is working on or has worked on that are relevant to the proposed project (see above).

RESOURCES - In addition to the information requested on the Form, under "Other," provide the following information:

• a profile of the students of the applicant school/academic component and any information or estimate of the number who have obtained the baccalaureate degree and gone on to obtain an academic or professional doctoral degree in the health-related sciences during the last five years;
• a description of the special characteristics of the school/academic component that make it appropriate for an AREA award, where the goals of the AREA program are to: (1) strengthen the research environment of schools that are not research intensive; (2) expose students in such environments to research, and (3) provide support for meritorious research.
• a description of the likely impact of an AREA award on the principal investigator and the school/academic component. How will the AREA award strengthen the research environment of the school/academic component? How will the AREA award expose students to research?
• a statement of institutional support for the proposed research project (e.g., release time, other support, matching funds, etc.). At a minimum, PIs must receive 25% release-time from teaching for each semester of the award duration.
• a statement describing the nature of the collaboration, indicating the name and location of the UL or UK faculty collaborator and/or the specific facilities to be used.

RESEARCH PLAN
Complete items A – J where applicable. The maximum allowable number of pages for A-D is 10 Pages. A timeline for the completion of the project as well as the submission of an NIH-R15 AREA grant proposal must be included.

• j. Letters of Support – Include a letter verifying institutional support (e.g., release time, matching funds, etc.), and a brief letter from a UL or UK collaborating faculty member. It is expected that the collaborator will also be willing to provide input into the NIH proposal development process. In the case of use of a core research facility, include a letter from the administrator of the facility indicating availability and agreement with the conditions stated in the research plan and budget.

CHECKLIST – Do not submit this page.

PERSONNEL REPORT - Do not submit this page.

REVIEW CONSIDERATIONS:

KBRIN-AREA applications are reviewed by scientific review groups administered by the KBRIN Fellowship Committee and are evaluated for scientific and technical merit according to the following review criteria:

Review Criteria:

(1) Significance: Does this study address an important problem? If the aims of the application are achieved, how will scientific knowledge be advanced? What will be the effect of these studies on the concepts or methods that drive this field?

(2) Approach: Are the conceptual framework, design, methods, and analyses adequately developed, well-integrated, and appropriate to the aims of the project? Does the applicant acknowledge potential problem areas and consider alternative tactics?

(3) Innovation: Does the project employ novel concepts, approaches or method? Are the aims original and innovative? Does the project challenge existing paradigms or develop new methodologies or technologies?

(4) Investigator: Is the investigator appropriately trained and well suited to carry out this work? Is the work proposed appropriate to the experience level of the principal investigator and collaborator? Is the investigator committed to seeking NIH funding? Will this work increase the investigator’s competitiveness in seeking NIH – R15 funding?

(5) Environment: Does the scientific environment in which the work will be done contribute to the probability of success? Do the proposed experiments take advantage of unique features of the scientific environment or employ useful collaborative arrangements with either the University of Louisville or the University of Kentucky? Is there evidence of institutional support?

Is the applicant school/academic component suitable for an award in terms of strengthening the research environment.

In addition, all applications will be evaluated with respect to the appropriateness of the budget, the inclusion of children, minorities, and women in clinical research projects, the procedures for the protection of animal or human subjects, and the adequacy of protections for research personnel from biohazards. Further information about these considerations is available at: http://www.csr.nih.gov/guidelines/proc.htm.

AWARD CRITERIA

Funding for KBRIN-AREA grants is limited and grants are awarded on a competitive basis. Funding decisions on individual applications will be based on the proposed research project's scientific merit and its relevance to NIH programs.

Annual progress reports will be due to the KBRIN-INBRE office no later than January 15th. A Final Progress Report and evidence of submission of the NIH-R15 proposal will be required of all AREA grantees. Copies of all submitted NIH proposals must be submitted to the KBRIN-INBRE office.

The deadline for year 07 is February 15th, 2007.