Research and Graduate Education
Research Funding Development Grants (RFDG's)

BFG's and RFDG's have separate submission dates.

The Office of Research and Graduate Education announces the availability of funds to support RFDG's for projects up to one year in duration, which are directed by faculty at the rank of Assistant Professor or above, in the Schools of Medicine, Pharmacy, Dentistry, and Nursing. Priority will be given to projects that are relevant to the overall goals of the Strategic Research Plan and its six research focus areas (Neuroscience, Cancer Cell Biology, Cardiovascular Sciences, Respiratory Biology & Lung Diseases, Immunopathology & Microbial Pathogenesis, as well as Diabetes & Obesity)

Deadline for submission of Research Funding Development Grant is October 15th, 2008

SUBMISSIONS BEYOND 5:00 PM on October 15th CAN NOT BE ACCEPTED

If you have questions please Contact Dr. James O’Donnell jodonnell@hsc.wvu.edu; (293-2433), Professor and Assistant Dean for Research, School of Medicine before submitting an RFDG .

Research Funding Development Grants
RFDG's are provided to assist faculty in obtaining extramural grant support for basic, translational, clinical, population-based, health services and educational research projects. They are available to faculty who have not as yet received significant extramural support and to faculty with existing extramural grant funding who wish to obtain funding for a new research project. Recipients of RFDG's must submit an external grant application to a federal agency (e.g., NIH, NSF, USDA), voluntary association (AHA, ACS), industry, or some other funding agency including the state, within six months after the end of the internal funding period. RFDG's are intended to facilitate external research funding and not to provide a source of long-term, internal support for research.

Eligibility:
RFDG's are available to WVU HSC faculty, both tenure-track and nontenure-track, at the level of Assistant Professor or above.

A faculty member can be principal investigator on only one internal grant, either RFDG or BFG, at one time.

Review Criteria:
RFDG's 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 , likelihood that funding will result in submission of a competitive, extramural grant application, and relevance to one of the six thematic research focus areas as identified in the Strategic Research Plan for Health Sciences. Factors that will be evaluated include the significance of the planned research, the strength of the experimental plan, and the research training, expertise, and productivity of the principal investigator.

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 existing technical personnel, purchase supplies, or purchase and upgrade equipment directly used in the research project. Funds cannot be used to support faculty salaries, stipends for students in the HSC or WVU graduate programs, purchase general office equipment, international travel, or to hire new personnel. 

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

Research Development Funding Grant [back to top]

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, 2267 Health Sciences South (to Barbara Allen).

 Step 1
 Completed online application form

Step 2

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

1. Specific Aims: Outline the goals of the project, the hypotheses to be tested, and the key aspects of the experimental plan
2. Background and Significance: Review the relevant scientific literature and provide the rationale for the overall research plan
3. Preliminary Data: Provide preliminary data relevant to the project
4. Experimental Design and Method: Discuss experimental design and methodology, as well as potential outcomes and interpretations.

3) Biosketch submitted electronically in NIH format, limited to three pages

4) 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

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.

Click here to access the Application Form

Please NOTE

Completion of this application is only the first step in the application process. You will need to email the items listed above to Barbara Allen. All parts of the application must be received before the due date listed above.

The Research Funding Development Grant Committee Chairs are: Dr. Jeffrey Coben and Dr. Jefferson Frisbee

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, as follows. These written critiques are provided to the applicant.

Description:  A brief summary of the scientific rationale and goals and research plan

Critique: Significance: Overall scientific merit and strength of rationale and relevance to funding agency goals

Innovation: Unique and novel aspects of the rationale, methodology, or design

Investigator: Research training, expertise, and productivity

Budget: Appropriateness of amount requested and justification

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: