Research Grant Program

Primary goals and objectives:

• stimulate research in pathology
• generate collaborative investigations between faculty members within pathology
• encourage partnerships between pathology faculty, fellows or residents
• attract potential medical students to engage in scholarly activities within the department
• support development of preliminary results for submission to local or national funding agencies

Eligibility requirements:

• must be a clinical faculty member with full-time appointment within pathology
• at a minimum, must collaborate with other faculty members within pathology or with a pathology fellow or resident, or with a medical student interested in research in pathology
• if a faculty member has another project(s) currently funded by the program and on which s/he serves as PI, that project must have been approved for continuance of funding (see Progress Reports below) before another project, on which the same faculty member wishes to serve as PI, can be submitted for consideration of funding.

• a faculty member can act as a co-PI on a project that is being submitted for funding while also serving as a PI on another project that is currently funded by the program. In this instance, the contingency for a prior approval of continuance of funding for the active project does not apply.

Period of funding:

• funding is provided for projects anticipated to be completed within a 12-month period of time.

Application submission:

• these awards are designed to provide relatively short-term support (generally, 12 months) and to accomplish relatively small-scale projects. Thus, the overall aim and scope of the project should be highly focused and permit completion of the intended work within a realistic time frame. When applicable, preceptors and trainees should develop a joint scientific concept.
• submit six copies of the application form and other relevant documents to Dr. Rajagopal Ramesh, PhD, and Joey McCall, MBA
• there is no deadline for submission of proposals – proposals are accepted and reviewed as received

Application review:

• a committee, composed of clinical and experimental pathologists, reviews applications, within six weeks of submission
• review of applications by the committee will involve consideration of the scientific merit, feasibility (time, resources, proposed budget), and other elements of the proposal
• a recommendation for approval or denial of funding and any pertinent recommendations or suggested contingencies on funding for a project is provided by the committee to the PI
• a final decision regarding funding of the project is communicated to the PI by Dr. Ramesh

Funding:

• up to $5000 is available for funding of individual projects
• funds will be transferred to a separate research account for use by the PI
• funding is contingent upon approval by the IRB, IBC, SRC, or other entities, as applicable
• funds must be used only for the project designated in the protocol

Progress reports:

• progress reports detailing the status of the study must be submitted by the PI for committee review within 6 months from the date of initial funding and again at the completion of the funding period. Part of the review process will involve examination of expenditures for the project.
• the committee may recommend continuation of funding with or without contingencies or termination of funding for the project based on its review of the progress report(s)
• a final decision and any pertinent recommendations or contingencies on continuation of funding of projects are communicated to the PI by the Dr. Ramesh
• funded applicants will present progress of their research at six months of funding in one of the departmental Monday Noon Conferences

Outcomes:

• a highly desirable outcome of a funded project involves the submission of a manuscript(s), abstract(s) and/or grant application(s)
• presentation of research results by the trainee (preferable) or faculty member in a departmental and/or regional or national forum is also anticipated

• Guidelines
• Application