RFA for MRI Research Center (MRIRC) Pilot Funding Grants 06.23.2016

The MRI Research Center (MRIRC) is seeking proposals for MRIpilot funding to support promising NEW projects that are likely to lead to major funding proposals (RO1's, PO1's, Research Resource grants, etc.).Please be sure to send all submissions to Dr. Greg Karczmar ()and cc Ashley Swidnicki () by the deadlines listed below.

The requirements for eligibility are:

–Proposal can come from anyone who is eligible to serve as a University of Chicago P.I. on an NIH proposal or other major funding proposals

–Funding level will be for up to $10,000 direct costs for one year

–Investigators must commit to submitting a full grant application based on the pilot data within 3 months of completing the pilot data project.

–If a grant is funded as a result of pilot data supported through a seed grant, the investigator agrees to perform all subsequent imaging for the duration of the project on MRIRC resources unless there is a mutual agreement to stop or the inability of the MRIRC to perform the studies at a rate not to exceed that listed in the request

–Priority is to be given to new investigators without existing NIH funding and investigators with NIH funding for whom imaging is new

Submission requirements:

Summarize the research project briefly in the format of an NIH R21 (basically one page of specific aims and 6 pages for the research plan) including:

  1. Specific Aims
  2. Significance

–How will this impact clinical care or basic science

  1. Innovation
  2. Pilot data required for submission
  3. Experimental plan for pilot data
  4. Projected MRIRC use if pilot data lead to a funded grant (system time, personnel support)
  5. Budget – rough estimate of total dollar amount needed up to $10,000

Deadlines for submission: September 1, 2016 and March 1, 2017

Funding to start: November 1, 2016 and May 1, 2017

Review Process:

Expert review focusing on science and clinical issues

  • Clinical/Biological Significance
  • Major concerns to be addressed by the grant
  • Feasibility of scientific aims

Expert Review on Technical Aspects

  • Technical feasibility(Technical Director, as appropriate)
  • Development requirements (hardware, personnel etc.)
  • Technical novelty/merit of the methods
  • Resource Requirements (Scheduling, technologists, and other staff support)

Financial Review (Finance Director)

  • Costs to the program for pilot
  • Financial benefits if subsequent grant application is funded

Alignment with programmatic objectives of the MRIRC/ University and overall probability that a subsequent grant will be funded