UCEM Infrastructure Award
Topic of Interest: Projects to enhance UCEM infrastructure for exercise and skeletal muscle research
Length of Award: 1 year
Award Amount: up to $30,000
Submission Deadline: June 1, 2024 (5 p.m. CT)
Award Date: September 1, 2024
Contact: Purnima Janarthanan kjpurni@uab.edu 

Request for Applications

The UAB Center for Exercise Medicine (UCEM) is pleased to announce an RFA to fund infrastructure related requests that will spur and facilitate collaborative research efforts related to exercise and/or skeletal muscle research. Infrastructure related requests could include (but not necessarily be limited to): 1) pilot projects to support data collection for a wide array of investigators, 2) establishment of biobanks or related resources to share with the campus community, or 3) equipment that is necessary to expand UCEM capabilities and ultimately complete for collaborative extramural funding opportunities. Applications must demonstrate how the requested resource will support a wide array of investigator groups and how it will lead to subsequent extramural funding applications. Projects responsive to an upcoming/issued RFA or Program Announcements from NIH will be deemed highly responsive to the RFA. Additional consideration will be given to applicants with matching institutional support and is highly encouraged.

If funded, the proposed award date of the pilot grant will be September 1, 2024. A total of $60K will be allocated to support up to two projects; budgets should not exceed $30,000. Funds will be awarded based on merit of the applications. Awards are not renewable. Awardees will be required to present at the annual UCEM symposium if requested and to provide a final report on accomplishments relevant to the award.

ELIGIBILITY and EXPECTATIONS

• Open to all full-time UAB faculty members at the Instructor rank or above.

• Multi-investigator, team-based proposals – with emphasis on new collaborations – are encouraged.

• A statement describing how this infrastructure will impact collaborations and extramural funding applications must be included.

• For equipment requests, equipment can be relevant to basic and/or clinical research but must propose to expandcapabilities of either the UCEM Exercise Clinical Trials Facility (ECTF) or Pre-clinical Exercise Core (PEC). Requests to enhance individual laboratory capabilities will not be supported. A statement describing how this equipment willdiffer from what is currently available through current labs and cores must also be included.

• While not required, applicants are strongly encouraged to seek matching funds from other sources.

• Awardees are expected to submit an extramural NIH or equivalent grant application within 12 months of completion of the award.