The Fraternal Order of Eagles Diabetes Research Center (FOEDRC) at the University of Iowa is pleased to announce another cycle of Pilot and Feasibility (P&F) Grants for studies related to diabetes and obesity.
In 2024, the FOEDRC will award up to two Catalyst Grants and up to two Seed Grants to support new projects led by PIs at the University of Iowa. Applicants are encouraged to identify which type of award is most aligned with their research goals.
Deadline for Applications: Friday, June 21st, 2024
· Awards will be announced in August/September 2024.
Catalyst Grants
Up to two Catalyst Grants will be awarded to PIs at the University of Iowa. Funding for Catalyst Grants will be up to $50,000 per year in direct costs, renewable for a second year pending satisfactory progress ($100,000 maximum award). Salary for the PI cannot be included in the budget of a Catalyst Grant. Catalyst Grants are intended to provide support for studies that allow University of Iowa investigators to develop data sufficient to prepare a competitive application for independent research support through external granting mechanisms. Catalyst Grant investigators will be required to prepare a yearly progress report, and to present their research at the FOEDRC’s Frontiers in Obesity, Diabetes, and Metabolism Seminar Series, at the annual Fall Retreat, or at Diabetes Research Day. These progress reports will serve as criteria in determining whether the grant will be renewed for a second year of funding. The funding mechanism ceases if the project is successfully converted into an externally funded program. Catalyst Grants cannot be used for bridge funding; they must represent a new initiative. Some examples of studies which are eligible for Catalyst Grant funding are:
· A study proposed by an early-stage investigator with a research interest in diabetes or obesity prior to securing independent grant support.
· A study proposed by an established investigator with expertise in other areas and who wants to apply this expertise to address a question that is related to diabetes or obesity.
· A study by an established investigator in diabetes or obesity who wants to pursue a question in a totally different area from his/her current research field.
· A study involving clinical and basic investigators aiming to test a question of translation relevance to diabetes or obesity.
Seed Grants
The FOEDRC aims to encourage testing of innovative, high reward, early-stage diabetes and obesity research at the University of Iowa. This year up to two Seed Grants of $5,000 or less will be available to University of Iowa PIs for discrete, specific, new objectives. Objectives should be completed within 6 months of funding. Seed grants are not renewable. Examples of work that might initiate a new project are:
· Preliminary high throughput testing
· Producing a genetically modified mouse
· Sequencing required to initiate a project
· Producing a gene transfer vector
· Microscopic imaging to test feasibility of an approach
· Collection of initial clinical samples
· Testing an idea using metabolomics
Application Process
Full proposals should be submitted electronically as a single PDF to jonathan-t-thomas@uiowa.edu by the above deadline. Full proposal content differs for catalyst versus seed grants, as follows.
Full Catalyst Grant Proposals
1. Cover Page. Please use this template, and include a title, PI(s) and Co-PI(s), contact information and the total budget requested. Budgets for Catalyst Grants are limited to up to $100,000 for up to two years ($50,000/year). Budgets for Seed Grants are limited to a single, nonrenewable award of up to $5,000.
2. Abstract. This section should provide a summary of the project. Not to exceed 1/2 page.
3. Biosketch. Current NIH biosketch for the PI(s).
4. Response to review of prior P&F submission, if applicable. Up to one paragraph.
5. Research Plan. This section should include a full description of the study, including Background, Hypothesis/Specific Aims, Prior Work Summary (previous work on this project), Experimental Plan (including sex as a biological variable), Timeline (describing when project goals will be completed), and References. Not to exceed 6 pages
6. Current and Pending funding for the PI(s)
7. Budget. Budgets should be framed within NIH guidelines and allowances. Indirect costs will not be allowed. Direct costs that are eligible include all allowable NIH costs, with the exception that faculty salary requests will not be supported. All other
calculations for equipment, patient care costs, supplies, animal costs etc., should be handled consistent with NIH policies.
8. Letter of support (1 page maximum per letter) if needed to signify availability of core services or resources.
Full Seed Grant Proposals
1. Abstract. This section should provide a summary of the project. Not to exceed 1/2 page.
2. Biosketch. Current NIH biosketch for the PI(s).
3. Proposal, Outcomes, and Importance: a description of the new objective proposed, the expected outcomes, and overall importance. Not to not exceed 1 page.
4. Timeline and Budget. This section should describe the goals to be completed within 6 months. Note that Seed Grants are not designed to support ongoing projects, therefore no salary support is allowed. Not to not exceed 1 page.
Review Criteria
P&F applications should present a testable hypothesis, clearly delineate the question being asked, detail the procedures to be followed, and discuss how the data will be analyzed and lead to future studies. Emphasis is placed on how the research might lead to new research ideas or research funding. For junior investigators, additional considerations include how this award will impact their career and the potential of the applicant to compete for independent research funding in the future. Research track faculty MUST include a letter from their laboratory director or departmental chair describing how this award will serve in developing an independent research program and external research funding.
General Considerations
· Applications in all areas of diabetes and obesity research are eligible. Must advance the understanding or evaluate the natural history/mechanism, prevention, diagnosis or treatment of diabetes or obesity.
· A proposal may be resubmitted once. A description of the changes made from a prior application should be included as part of the application.
· Catalyst Grants are expected to result in a successful NIH application (e.g., R, P or U series) within two years of completion.
· Note that it is NOT necessary for the application to go through the Office of Sponsored Research prior to submission.
· Principal investigator(s) of funded projects will be required to provide a final report and an accounting of all funds expended at the completion of the project. A progress report will be required at the end of the first fiscal year. Further information about how to submit this information will follow upon receipt of award.
· Awarded funds from this mechanism cannot be transferred or spent at other institutions.
Eligibility Guidelines
· • A faculty member may apply for only one grant per cycle on which they would be a PI. There is no limitation to the number of grants on which a faculty member can participate as a collaborator.
· All applicants must be a member of the University of Iowa faculty.
· Past recipients are ineligible for five years from the completion of their P&F funding (7 years from start date of a two year P&F grant), and only applications in directions/areas distinct from their prior award will be considered. Seed grants, however, do not preclude subsequent Pilot and Feasibility awards in the same area in any time frame, provided strong progress has been made.
· FOEDRC faculty recruits are not eligible during the period of their receipt of FOEDRC startup support.
· P&F support is usually intended for early-stage faculty investigators, for investigators from other fields intending to bring their research expertise to a diabetes-relevant research area, for investigators currently working in the diabetes area whose proposed research would constitute a significantly new direction, and for clinical and basic researchers who propose a joint research project.
Contact Information · Questions should be addressed to: jonathan-t-thomas@uiowa.edu