2022 Wooten Initiative for Brain Health

Published Mar 31, 2022 by
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Wooten Family Initiative for Brain Health Research Grant Program

 

Objective: The Wooten Family Initiative for Brain Health Research is a seed/bridge grant program to assist faculty in generating data for research proposals to extramural funding agencies. Funded projects should advance our understanding of brain health and the pathophysiology underlying Alzheimer’s Disease and related dementias. Direct support of patient outreach and treatment will not be funded.

Application Guidelines:

  • The Principal Investigator or Co-PIs must have a full-time primary faculty appointment in BSOM
  • Projects should be multidisciplinary basic and translational research and are expected to extend our understanding of the neurophysiological and pathological processes that are associated with Alzheimer’s Disease, related dementias, and other neurodegenerative diseases.
  • Application submission deadline is 5pm on April 15, 2022.
  • The project term shall be 12 months. Under extenuating circumstances, a one-time, no-cost extension may be requested. All requests will be reviewed by the Wooten Brain Health Advisory Board.
  • A relationship between the proposed work and key elements of a future grant application (specific aims, significance, innovation, etc.) is expected.
  • Applications will be evaluated by a BSOM review panel with particular emphasis on the likelihood the project will lead to a competitive extramural application.
  • Proposals that have a strong translational potential and focus are likely to be more competitive.
  • The proposal may request a maximum of $20,000 for one year. A budget and justification should be included as part of the proposal package.
  • Funds for successful proposals will be set aside in individual PI subaccounts managed through the Medical & Health Sciences Foundation and ECU ORA. PIs will have 12 months to expend the funds with a start date of June 1, 2022.
  • Funds may only be used for direct project expenses, including research laboratory supplies, equipment, animal purchase/husbandry, core laboratory fees, hourly wages for undergraduate students, medical students, or other temporary personnel directly associated with the project. Direct support of patient outreach and treatment will not be funded.
  • IACUC/IRB approvals must be in place at the start date of the award.
  • Faculty members should have a grant advisory panel (GAP) to support their extramural funding efforts. If a GAP has not been established, the PI must establish one as a condition of award. BSOM/RGS will assist with identifying GAP members, if needed.
  • If the proposed work is supporting a resubmission, study section comments (“pink sheets” and scores) must be attached or the application will not be considered.
  • Follow the indicated proposal format, including page limits.
  • For any applications in which a conflict of interest or perceived conflict of interest in the review process exists, the PI or others involved will be excluded from the review process.

Proposal Format: The proposal (items 1-4 below) should not exceed 4 pages. Please do not change the order of the format.  Additional materials will not be considered. Proposals not prepared in accordance with the guidelines may be administratively rejected without review.

  1. Project Summary: Provide a concise (one paragraph) summary of the proposed work. The project summary should include the project’s broad objective and specific aims.
  2. Significance, Innovation, Background: From your narrative, the reviewer should be able to identify the controversy and/or important problem this project will address, the importance of this particular problem, and the innovation demonstrated in understanding/approaching the problem.
  3. Purpose and Specific aims: Concisely describe the purpose and aims of the project.
  4. Methods, Planned Approach: Describe the experimental approach/design, methods/techniques, potential pitfalls, and when appropriate, alternative approaches.
  5. Future Funding Plan: Describe how the data will be used for an extramural funding application (e.g., does it validate a model, demonstrate feasibility of a new approach, demonstrate translational significance, etc).
  6. Timeline: Explain the planned timeline for completing the proposed work, seeking advisory panel input and developing and submitting an extramural grant application.
  7. Budget: Provide a budget table, and brief justification.
  8. References: References should be appropriate to document the significance and feasibility of the work to be performed.
  9. NIH Biographical sketches of PI, Co-PI and Co-I: (do not exceed 5-page NIH limit)
  10. Lay Summary: Provide a single paragraph summary using language appropriate for an educated, non-scientific lay person.

All applications should be submitted as a single pdf file to BSOM-Research@ecu.edu by 5:00pm on April 15, 2022

BSOM PIs are encouraged to see prior email communications for a complete grant proposal packet, including coversheet & chair signature pages.