Clinical Pilot Research Grant Program

The KUMC Research Institute is pleased to announce the availability of grant funds for research conducted by faculty members of the University of Kansas Medical Center at Kansas City and Wichita. Funding for this program is derived from Research Institute income and through the generosity of external philanthropic programs.The objective of the Clinical Pilot Research program is to provide support to promote research development in a highpriorityarea for funding nationally and to stimulate multidisciplinary teams with broad internal support.

Scope

The initiative for the program is broad in scope. The type of research may include, but is not limited to, outcomes, applied, translational, human populations, human specimens, and/or human subjects. Therefore, outside of the emphasis on pilot clinical research, the particular scope will be defined by the faculty member.

Eligibility Requirement

All faculty at the University of Kansas School of Medicine in Kansas City and Wichita are eligible to apply, if their applications meet the following criteria. Adjunct faculty with primary appointments in another university may be coinvestigators, but may not submit a proposal as Principal Investigator. 

Required Submission Items (In the following order)

The proposal is to follow the basic NIH format and include the following PHS-398 (Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Services) grant application form:

1. Face Page (Page 1): Contains project title and information regarding Principal Investigator/Program Director.
2. Description relating to broad, long-term objectives and specific aims, performance sites, key personnel and other significant contributors (Page 2)
3. Research Grant Table of Contents (Page 3)
4. Detailed Budget (Page 4):
   • Requests should not exceed $35,000
   • Equipment should not exceed 10% of the total
   • No faculty salary will be allowed, but research assistants are permitted
   • Travel is not permitted unless clearly needed to collect data
   • We do not fund faculty (PI) effort.
5. Biographical Sketch. Should be brief and include one for each participant
6. Research Plan. To be typed in Microsoft WORD with a font size of 11 points. The research plan should not exceed five (5) pages and include the following:
   • Specific Aims
   • Background and Significance
   • Preliminary Studies
   • Research Design and Methods
   • Scientific Data
   • Data collection on critical outcomes questions that will be included in a future proposal for funding at a
     national level.
   • The names of potential funding sources to which this pilot research will be submitted for future research
     and the probability of such funding.
   • References
7. Appendix: Describing the measurement instruments and other essential items.
8. Letter(s) of Collaboration: From the collaborator(s), if any, explaining their role(s) in research.
9. Letter(s) from the Respective Chair(s): Indicating support for time allocation of the clinical and basic science investigator(s) to do the research.

Prioritization Criteria

The Research Committee strongly recommends that a grant-writing course be taken prior to submission of a Clinical Pilot proposal in order to achieve high quality that will successfully compete at the NIH level. The Research Committee also strongly recommends that the proposal be reviewed and recommended by the respective research committee of the applicant's school; those grants will be given higher priority.

Projects should be designed for completion in one year. The review criteria for this RFP are essentially the same as those used by Federal agencies, such as NIH, NSF and the Department of Education:

• Scientific, technical, or clinical significance and originality of proposed research
• Appropriateness and adequacy of the research design and methodology proposed to conduct the research
• Qualifications and research experience of the Principal Investigator and staff, particularly, but not exclusively, in the area of the proposed research.
• Availability of the resources necessary to perform the research
• Appropriateness of the proposed budget and duration in relation to the proposed research
• Provisions for the protection of human subjects
• Compliance with the Conflict of Interest Policy
• Potential for future external funding possibilities

Peer Review

The Research Committee will seek national level peer-review of these proposals. Applicants may submit the names of three (3) peers they wish to have excluded from the review process. This is being allowed to avoid selection of someone with whom the applicant does not wish to share the proposal.

The Research Committee will make the final determination based in part on the critiques submitted through the external peer-review process.

Requirements for Submission

All proposals are to be submitted electronically in either a WORD or PDF format via e-mail to RIGRANTS@kumc.edu. Incomplete proposal applications will not be accepted.

For questions or additional information, please contact Kim Barksdale at (913) 588-2186 or e-mail at kbarksdale@kumc.edu.