Lied Basic Science 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, Wichita and  salary. Funding for this program is derived from Research Institute income and through the generosity of the Lied Foundation Trust.

The objective of the Lied Basic Science Grant program is to develop new and innovative ideas that have a high probability of leading to the submission of a new application for national peer-reviewed funding. 

Applications will be assigned NIH-type priority scores and awards will be based upon those scores and availability of funds.

Scope of the Program

The type of research may include, but is not limited to, basic biomedical investigations in topics related to health, disease, therapies and outcomes in animal models and/or in human subjects, populations, or specimens. Outside of the emphasis on basic pilot research, the particular scope is defined by the faculty member.

Eligibility Requirement

All faculty at the University of Kansas Medical Center including the Kansas City, Wichita and Salina campuses are eligible to apply if their applications meet the following criteria. Adjunct faculty with primary appointments at another university may be co-investigators 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) forms found at http://grants.nigh.gov/grants/funding/phs398/phs398.html :

1. Face Page (Page 1): Include project title and Principal Investigator/Program Director information.
2. Project Summary, Relevance, and Performance Sites (Page 2) including broad, long-term objectives and specific aims.  The description should address how the proposed work will lead to future extramural funding.
3. Research Grant Table of Contents (Page 3)
4. Detailed Budget (Page 4):
   • Requests should not exceed $35,000 direct cost (no indirect dollars are awarded)
   • Equipment should not exceed 10% of the total
   • No faculty or PI salary is allowed; research staff and student salary is permitted
   • Travel is not permitted unless clearly needed to collect data
5. NIH Biographical Sketch. For each investigator, use the current NIH format including a project-specific paragraph concerning the role of each investigator.  Include information about past grant support and effort allocation on pending applications and current research projects.
6. Research Plan.  Use Arial 11 font size and at least 0.5 inch margins.  The research plan may not exceed five (5) pages (excluding references) and should include the following:
   • Specific Aims
   • Research Strategy
   • Significance
   • Innovation
   • Approach
   • Indicate how data from this study will contribute to successful applications to extramural funding agencies.
   • Identify potential extramural funding agencies to which future applications using data generated by this funding will be submitted.
   • References
7. Appendix: Include measurement instruments and similar items. The Appendix may not be used to provide data or information that should be part of the 5 page proposal.
8. Letter(s) of Collaboration: If any, explaining collaborator roles in the project and confirming their willingness to participate in the research.
9. Letter(s) from the Respective Chairs or Directors confirming investigator time commitment to the research and specifying any other contributions to the project.  If applicable, provide documentation concerning matching or contributed funds.
10. Status of IACUC or IRB Approval (if applicable): Include documentation confirming approval by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee if animals are used and IRB approval if Human Subjects are used.  If Institutional approval is not complete, indicate whether it is under considerations; if so, submit documentation and a draft of the application.

Prioritization Criteria

Well-crafted proposals are given higher priority than those that are difficult to understand. The RI Research Committee strongly recommends that new investigators take a grant-writing course prior to submission. The KUMC RI Research Committee also recommends that proposal be reviewed and recommended by the respective research committee of the applicant's school, and by mentors and colleagues.

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 the 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 the human subjects
• Compliance with the Conflict of Interest Policy
• Potential for future external funding possibilities

Peer Review

The KUMC RI Research Committee will seek peer review of proposals through a committee composed of investigators from Frontiers institutions. Applicants may submit the names of up to three (3) persons they wish to exclude as reviewers, although no assurances can be made. The KUMC RI Research Committee will make the final determination on funding based, in part, on the reviews/critiques submitted by Frontiers peer-reviewers, potential for future funding, and priorities with respect to available resources.

Key Deadlines Dates and Details (please read carefully as changes have been made to the previous process)

Announcement Date : August 31, 2012

• Submit an email of intent to submit an application to:
• Kelly Robertson, KUMC Research Institute (krobertson@kumc.edu)
• Include the following email subject heading: KUMC RI Lied Basic Science Grant Program LOI
• Include title and bief (200 words) description to facilitate identifying expertise needed on the review committee.  Also include 4-5 keywords.

We are requesting this Confirmation of Intent to Submit Application information so that we can estimate the number and type of reviewers that will be needed for this round of funding. Full applications will be submitted online using the REDCap database, and we will provide the applicants with the appropriate web links to REDCap and additional information following submission of the e-mail intent to apply.

PLEASE NOTE: Starting with this funding cycle, we will be giving KUMC faculty who are applying for the KUMC Research Institute Lied Basic Science Grant Program the opportunity to have their proposal also considered for funding through the Frontiers Pilot Funding Program. There will be an opportunity for the applicant to choose this option on the questionnaire portion of the REDCap submission form. If this option is chosen, please recognize that the eligibility requirements, rules and required submission items could be different as stated in the respective RFPs, and must be addressed on the questionnaire.

Application Deadline: November 15, 2012 (5:00 PM CST)

Funding Start Date: January 2, 2013