Pilot Project Applications – RFA IS NOW CLOSED

The call for Delaware INBRE Pilot Project Applications was issued on February 3, 2021 for a potential start date of projects in November 2021.

Interested investigators can attend  Q&A workshops offered by Delaware INBRE. There will be two zoom sessions where Q&A will be run by Dr. Robert Akins and Dawn Everhart. Please check back for dates/times after Tuesday February 9th, 2021 or contact Dawn Everhart at dawnm@udel.edu for more information.

Information Sessions Summary PPT – “Flight School”

Please note a Pre-Submission “Letter of Intent” Survey is required and is due March 29, 2021.  Please use the below link to complete the pre-registration survey.

Pre-submission Letter of Intent Survey (https://redcap.nemoursresearch.org/redcap/surveys/?s=XNXNFLWTTF)

Required Components:

  1. The name, email address, and office phone number for the applicant.
  2. The name, email address, and office phone number for the applicant’s administrative support person (if available).
  3. The name, email address, and office phone number for the Office of Sponsored Projects contact who will support the submission.
  4. Draft title of the Pilot Proposal.
  5. The mechanism of support that will be sought (Research Independence Award or Research Engagement).
  6. Draft specific aims page.

It is important to note that Delaware INBRE Pilot Project awards in response to this call are contingent upon the University of Delaware receiving notice of award from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) for the Delaware INBRE proposal.

The complete RFA with instructions

Pilot Project Request for Applications and Application Instructions. Once completed, submit your Delaware INBRE Pilot Project application as a pdf to info@de-inbre.org  no later than 11:59 pm on April 29, 2021.

Application Face Page

Program Goal

Background, Goals, and Objectives
The fundamental goal of Delaware INBRE is to develop broad-based biomedical research capabilities that support the growth of a diverse, self-sustaining biomedical research enterprise in the state. To accomplish this goal, DE-INBRE supports a statewide network including the University of Delaware (UD), Delaware State University (DSU), Christiana Care Health System (CCHS), Nemours – Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children, Wesley College, and Delaware Technical Community College (DTCC). Principal objectives of this network are to increase research engagement across DE-INBRE institutions and to increase the number of independent investigators in the state.

Pilot Awards are offered to support these objectives. Two types of pilot awards are offered through the DE-INBRE Developmental Research Project Program (DRPP): Research Independence Awards and Research Engagement Awards. These awards support research and development activities that lead to grant applications that clearly propel an investigator toward establishing a sustainable research program.

Eligibility

Pilot Investigators
Regardless of the type of submission (Individual, Collaborative, or Team), the INBRE Pilot applicant must:

  1. Hold a full-time tenured, tenure-track, or equivalent faculty appointment;
  2. Be based at an INBRE institution;
  3. Fulfill the criteria of an NIH New Investigator (http://grants.nih.gov/grants/new_investigators/index.htm ).

Early-Stage Investigators (ESIs) are encouraged to apply. ESI’s are a subset of the NIH New Investigator category (see https://grants.nih.gov/policy/early-investigators/index.htm for details) being within 10 years of their terminal degree or their medical residency. Senior faculty having extensive programmatic and institutional experience who also qualify as NIH New Investigators are also eligible and encouraged to apply. Non-career employees such as consultants, post-doctoral fellows, visiting scientists, and limited-term researchers are not eligible.

Eligible applicants with a record of prior INBRE support may compete for new awards. However, these INBRE investigators must document sufficient outcomes and progress towards research independence from past INBRE support to be deemed competitive.

Investigators are prohibited from receiving simultaneous support as PI or co-PI from more than one IDeA source. Investigators who have active support from other Institutional Development Award (IDeA) mechanisms (e.g., Centers of Biomedical Research Excellence [COBRE] or Center for Translational Research [CTR]) are not eligible for INBRE Pilot Projects and unless they separately petition the Delaware INBRE Director of Research to explore eligibility status prior to submission of an application. PIs may, however, involve collaborators in an INBRE Pilot Project who are simultaneously funded by other IDeA sources.

Applicants are encouraged to collaborate with institutions and organizations in Delaware and/or other IDeA states. A list of IDeA states can be found at https://www.nigms.nih.gov/Research/DRCB/IDeA/Pages/default.aspx. Individuals from non-IDeA states may not receive Delaware INBRE funding as a PI or co-PI, and any involvement of theirs with an INBRE Pilot Project must be limited to technical assistance (e.g., no scientific contribution). If there is a need for a scientific contribution from collaborators from non-IDeA states, please contact the Delaware INBRE Director of Research for guidance.

Support Provided

Applicants will be expected to submit budgets at levels that reflect justified projected needs up to and not exceeding $60k in direct costs per year (Research Independence Awards and Research Engagement Awards).  They will be required to provide itemized, not modular, budgets, using NIH-approved forms (https://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/phs398/phs398.html). A typical Delaware INBRE Pilot Project will provide support (but are not limited to):

Buyout of PI salary will generally not be permitted. However, institutional policies and employee expectations vary across Delaware INBRE institutions. Therefore, petitions for PI salary buyout will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis by the Delaware INBRE Research Committee. Research Committee recommendations will be forwarded to the Delaware INBRE PI for final decision with oversight and review by the Delaware INBRE External Advisory Committee (EAC).

The Delaware INBRE Pilot Projects are designed to provide funding for a period of up to 24 months broken down into 3 project periods: project period 1-6 months, project period 2 -12 months and project period 3 – 6 months.

The anticipated start date for this cohort of Delaware INBRE Pilot Projects is November 1, 2021