Boston MCRC 2022 Pilot Grant RFA
Boston Musculoskeletal Clinical Research Collaboratory, a NIAMS funded CCCR, is delighted to announce a Request for Applications (RFA) for Pilot Project Grants
Funding Start Date: August 1, 2022
Funding available: $22,500.00
Key Dates
RFA Release Date: April 1, 2022
Notification of Intent: May 1, 2022
Application Due: New Due Date July 1, 2022
Funding Start Date: August 1, 2022
Boston MCRC awards one grant per year for a project period of 12 months. Pending progress of the awarded pilot, the PI may submit a competitive renewal for a 2nd year of funding, which will be reviewed with all other applications.
The goal of the Pilot Program is to catalyze new collaborative opportunities with core investigators of the MCRC to grow research community ties to the Boston MCRC. The MCRC focus is on musculoskeletal disorders and their impact.
The award cannot be used for capital equipment, travel, meals, foreign components, or overhead costs. The PI must have their primary appointment at a United States institution and an MD/PhD/DDS or equivalent degree.
BUDGET AND SUBMISSION
The Boston MCRC has committed $22,500 for a one-year period (August 1, 2022 – July 31, 2023).
The pilot proposal application is due July 1, 2022 at 5:00 pm ET. Applications received after this time will not be considered.
A letter of intent emailed to mcrc@bu.edu (with investigator name, institution, and title of project) is requested but not required by May 1, 2022 to facilitate recruitment of appropriate reviewers.
ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA
PI must be a US Citizen or a permanent resident
- have MD/PhD/DDS or equivalent degree
- be a faculty member of BU/BMC or other US Academic Institution
- have a MCRC core group member listed and substantially engaged in the proposed project
- be a registered member of the Boston MCRC research community
CRITERIA USED BY THE SELECTION COMMITTEE TO SELECT THE PILOT AWARDEE
The Selection Committee will give strong preference to early career investigators (defined as members of the research community at the rank of Assistant Professor or Instructor if the latter is considered faculty) and new collaborations with those outside our core group who introduce new expertise or areas of inquiry to the group. We also will give preference to proposals that collect data that can be used to pursue later funding opportunities.
Review panels will be organized in a manner similar to NIH study sections, with primary and secondary reviewers assigned to each proposal, and the final vote representing an average of all panel members’ scores.
Numerical scores 1-5 will be applied to the overall impact of the research plan evaluated based on the significance of the hypothesis and approach, including the inclusion of appropriate controls, statistical considerations, potential challenges and alternative strategies.
To learn more about becoming a member of the Boston MCRC Accelerator research community, please visit https://www.bumc.bu.edu/bostonmcrc/membership.
PROGRESS REPORT REQUIREMENTS
- Brief narrative of your progress, including a list of publications/abstracts derived from this work (manuscript writing: in progress, submitted for review)
- Presentations delivered concerning this work
- Grants obtained to support this work subsequent to Boston MCRC funding
- New collaborations
- Innovative methods, tools resulting from research
- Continued research in area of pilot funding
APPLICATION
Submit your proposal as a single pdf including:
- Boston-MCRC-RFA-Cover-Page
- Current NIH biosketchfrom the applicant as well as any other key/senior personnel included in the application
- Letter of support from the applicant’s research supervisor or division chief
- Abstract (200 words)
- Research proposal (3 pages, 11-point font, Arial, at least ½ inch margins), including Background, Research Plan (including the specific Boston MCRC Research Accelerator service requested and any associated statistical justification).
- Detailed proposed budget and budget justification
- Other support page