Research Funding Development Grants (RFDGs)

The Office of Research and Graduate Education announces the availability of funds to support RFDGs for projects up to one year in duration, which are directed by faculty at the rank of Instructor or above, in the Schools of Medicine, Pharmacy, Dentistry, Nursing, and Public Health.

IMPORTANT CHANGE: R03, R15, and R21 grant applications, regardless of submission status, are not eligible for Bridge Funding Grants. The RFDG mechanism should be used for these; a recent summary statement can be included as supplemental material. R01 applications are only eligible for Bridge Funding Grants during the period following the review of the A0 application by NIH and prior to submission of the A1 application. Those R01 Applications not meeting this requirement should use the RFDG mechanism. Non-NIH grants that are R01 level, in terms of scope and funding, can be bridged if they meet the same, general criterion.

Applications for a BFG can be submitted at any time after the summary statement is received and will be reviewed on an ongoing basis.

Deadline for submission of RFDGs is Monday, March 5, 2012

SUBMISSIONS BEYOND 5:00 PM CANNOT BE ACCEPTED

If you have questions please contact James O’Donnell, Ph.D., 293-2433, Assistant Vice President for Research, before submitting an RFDG.

Research Funding Development Grants:

Basic, clinical, and translational research projects are eligible for RFDGs.

RFDG funding is available to full-time faculty. Its main purpose is to stimulate new research projects and thus is primarily intended for junior faculty who have not yet established independent research programs. However, this funding is also available to senior faculty who wish to expand their research programs in new directions.

An RFDG is awarded on the assumption that the investigator will submit a grant to external funding agencies.

Eligibility: RFDGs are available to WVU HSC faculty, both tenure-track and non tenure-track, at the level of Instructor or above.

A faculty member can be principal investigator on only one RFDG at a time.

Review Criteria: RFDGs are reviewed by a committee composed of faculty members with expertise in research and knowledge of external grant review processes. To be helpful, written critiques organized in the format of NIH study section reviews will be provided to all applicants.

Research Funding Development Grants: The major criteria for funding are scientific merit of the project and the likelihood that funding will result in submission of a competitive, extramural grant application. Review criteria are those used during NIH reviews and include: Overall Impact; Significance; Investigator; Innovation; Approach; and Environment.

Award and Use of Grants: RFDG's are awarded for a period of up to one year. Unexpended funds are returned to the Office of Research and Graduate Education at the end of the funding period in order to help other faculty in need. Residual funds must also be returned if the principal investigator plans to leave WVU during the award period. In such an event, the Office of Research and Graduate Education must be notified immediately by both the investigator and department chair. Funds can be used to support technical personnel, purchase supplies, or purchase and upgrade equipment directly used in the research project. Funds cannot be used to support faculty salaries, purchase general office equipment, or for international travel. Hiring of new personnel with RFDG funds must be approved in advance by the Office of Research and Graduate Education.

Maximum Grant to be Awarded: $25,000. Clear justification should be provided for all requests.

Application Process: Applications and support material should be submitted electronically by the close of business (5:00 pm) on the deadline date to the Office of Research and Graduate Education Holly Legleiter (hlegleiter@hsc.wvu.edu).

Step 1: Complete and submit an Online Application Form.

Step 2: Research Plan in NIH format (limited to three single-spaced pages) should include:

1. Research Plan (a and b below must be 3 pages or less combined, but not including references)
   a. Specific Aims: Outline the goals of the project, the hypotheses to be tested, and
   key aspects of the experimental plan (less than one page)
   b. Research Design and Methods: Description of experimental plan and methods; preliminary data can be included
2. Biosketch submitted electronically in NIH format, limited to three pages
3. Copies of IRB, IACUC, and IBC approval via email or postal services. If approval has not been obtained, provide evidence that protocols have been submitted to the relevant institutional review committees.
4. Prior, recent summary statement from an external review: This can be included as supporting material. This is not required since prior submission to an external funding agency is not required.
5. If the present application is a revision of a previously submitted but unfunded RFDG, provide a letter detailing how the new proposal addresses the concerns raised in the prior review.

PLEASE NOTE: Completion of this online application is only the first step in the application process. You will need to email the items listed above to Holly Legleiter. All parts of the application must be received before the due date listed above.

The Research Funding Development Grant Committee Chairs are: Lan Guo, Ph.D. and Slawomir Lukomski, Ph.D.

Each grant application is assigned to a primary reviewer a secondary reviewer and a reader, each of whom provides a written critique following the general NIH review format. These written critiques are provided to the applicant.

Overall evaluation: Addresses scientific merit, qualifications of the principal investigator, and likelihood that funding will result in the submission of a competitive application for external funding.

Review Process:

1. Primary and secondary reviewers present their reviews, readers comment if necessary
2. Primary and secondary reviewers suggest initial priority scores (1 to 9 with 1 being the best score)
3. Discussion by committee members
4. All committee members score each grant