Request For Application 2018
A central goal of the CGM is to develop and support pilot projects that allow biomedical scientists and practitioners to apply genomic technology in ways that (1) serve as a platform for additional sponsored projects and/or clinical services; and (2) benefit the broader community. Previous pilot programs have emphasized the former, i.e. investigator-initiated research proposals; this year’s pilot program will emphasize the latter, i.e. community-based initiatives that build on our current strengths and successes, and focus on services, utility, and community impact.
Developed in conjunction with the UAB Hugh Kaul Precision Medicine Institute (PMI), this year’s pilot program will support initiatives in three different areas:
(1) Functional evaluation of human genetic variation
(2) The impact of genetic variation on patients and/or practitioners
(3) Annotation of existing large-scale genomic data
This year’s CGM symposium will include community-based discussion of these ideas in a format that will be engaging and collaborative. During the afternoon of the symposium, there will be breakout groups corresponding to each of the three areas, in which participants and facilitators from UAB and HudsonAlpha will discuss and refine specific ideas. The goal of the breakout groups is to develop brief outlines for the ideas, and then present those ideas to a panel of potential users. The format for the outlines (together with a potential example) will be as follows:
What is the problem? Genomic testing often identifies variants of uncertain significance for which knowledge of gene expression in a specific cell type (e.g. hepatocytes, neurons) would inform clinical decision-making.
What is the proposed solution? Establish an iPS core in which differentiated cell types can be produced from biobanked patient material (e.g. fibroblasts, PBMCs)
What are the deliverables? Ability to provide iPS cells differentiated along one of five alternative pathways within 4 weeks of receiving the patient cells, and funding for reagents
Approximate budget and justification? $15,000 to support a 25% technician salary for 1 year
Each breakout group will seek to develop, discuss, and refine 1 - 3 outlines during an hour, followed by a 30 min presentation and informal Q&A in a Shark Tank-like format. These outlines will serve as examples for additional potential outlines to be submitted and evaluated by the CGM executive team, followed by invitations for a limited number of “full proposals” over the following weeks, with final funding decisions provided several weeks later. The goal will be to maximize community utility and impact, using an efficient approach for proposal preparation and evaluation.
TIMELINE AND EXPECTATIONS
June 15: Deadline for additional outlines
June 30: Evaluation by CGM executive team and invitation for 3 – 5 full proposals
July 15: Deadline for full proposals
July 30: Funding decisions, with funding to begin Oct 1, 2017
APPLICATION INSTRUCTION
OUTLINE: Include Title of the pilot program, name of communicating PI, title, department, phone number and e-mail address; names, titles and department affiliations of key participants (co-investigators) Describe the problem, proposed solution, deliverables and approximate budget and justification in half (½) single-spaced page, 11 pt Arial, ½ inch margins, saved as communicating PI’s last name (i.e. Korf.pdf)
FULL PROPOSAL: Combine the following components into one .pdf file, saved as communicating PI’s last name (i.e. Korf.pdf. Length (not including biosketch) should be 1 – 2 pages). Please use 11 pt Arial with ½ inch margins. a. Title and contact information - include Title of the pilot program, name, title, affiliation, and contact information of communicating PI, names of any additional co-investigators, followed by original outline (as above).
b. Proposal – using the previous outline as a starting point, provide additional information as follows:
What is the problem? Describe an overview and relevant efforts by others both local and remote.
What is the proposed solution? Describe the approach, rationale, and community impact with sufficient detail to inform feasibility.
What are the deliverables? Describe the timeline, deliverables, and potential for future funding after 1 year.
Budget and budget justification? Budget should be for 12 months, to begin in Fall, 2018.
c. Biosketch – include Other Support.
REVIEW PROCEDURES: All the review processes will be conducted by faculty at the UAB Heersink School of Medicine and HudsonAlpha with appropriate expertise. Evaluation will be based on the track record of the PI and team expertise, the community utility and impact, the innovativeness of the proposed pilot program, the lack of duplication with existing programs, and the integration of genetics and genomics in the subject discipline
APPLICATION SUBMISSION: Applications must be submitted online via the SOM research funding website. Complete the requested form fields and upload the application as one .pdf, naming the file with the last name of the communicating PI (i.e., Korf.pdf).
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
Q. Can faculty salary support be requested?
A. No. Only support for non-faculty personnel can be requested.
Q. If a co-investigator or a component of the pilot program is from another institution, can support be provided?
A. No. Support for this RFA must stay at UAB/HudsonAlpha and be used internally.
Q. If the investigators are proposing a pilot program that requires IRB, IACUC, FDA approval (IND approval) before the pilot program can begin; can they use the JIT “option” and not start the regulatory paperwork unless the pilot program is chosen for funding?
A. Yes.
Q. Can the investigator request funding for pilot program that will be submitted to non-NIH entities for funding?
A. Yes. The investigator can send applications to other federal agencies (i.e. DOD, DARPA, NSF etc) or foundations, however highly competitive applications that are targeted to NIH are preferred.
Q. Are the pilot programs required to go through OSP?
A. No.
Dr. Aida El Kholi StarlingUAB-HudsonAlpha Center for Genomic Medicine
HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology
T: 256.327.5240 E: aida@centerforgenomics.org
Dr. Shaila P. HandattuUAB-HudsonAlpha Center for Genomic Medicine
University of Alabama at Birmingham
T: 205.934.9417 E: shaila@centerforgenomics.org