Internal Research Grants At VUMC

 
Melbourne-Vanderbilt University Partnership Grants – Award winners

Click here for more information about this program and other internal funding available through the University Office of the Vice Provost for Research.
 
 
Request for Proposals
 
 
Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center “Provocative Questions” FUNDING OPPORTUNITY

The VICC is pleased to announce the availability of funds to generate preliminary data to respond to a future NCI Provocative Question RFA. These funds will support projects that challenge cancer researchers to think about specific problems in key areas of cancer research that are deemed important but have not received sufficient attention.  The areas of focus fall into three broad categories:

– Ignored or neglected cancer-related problems for which satisfactory, rigorous research answers are still lacking

– Recent findings that are perplexing or paradoxical, revealing important gaps in current knowledge

– Problems perceived as particularly difficult to explore but may now be addressed as a result of recent scientific discoveries and technical advances

Funds are available to all VICC members and will support projects from individual investigators or collaborative teams.  Original cancer-related projects with the potential to develop into independent R21 or R01 grants are encouraged.  We anticipate awarding 3 grants with individual awards limited to a maximum of $75,000 (direct costs).   All grants will be evaluated by peer review and will be funded for a one-year period beginning July 1, 2012.

The deadline for applications is Monday, April 30, 2012 by 5:00 p.m. The awards will be announced in June 2012.  Additional information, including a list of the 24 Provocative Questions, may be obtained from the VICC website (www.vicc.org/research/funding/pq or from Brandon Fox (brandon.fox@vanderbilt.edu).
 
 
Pilot & Feasibility Funding Opportunity for Diabetes Translation Research
 
The Vanderbilt Center for Diabetes Translation Research (CDTR) has funds available (up to $35,000 per year for two years) to support pilot studies in translational research in the area of diabetes or obesity beginning September 1, 2012. The aim of the Vanderbilt Center for Diabetes Translation Research is to improve prevention and treatment of diabetes by promoting research that supports rapid dissemination, implementation, and sustained use of effective interventions/approaches.
These funds are intended for new investigators with an interest in a career in diabetes or obesity research, for investigators from other fields willing to bring their research expertise to diabetes- or obesity-relevant research, for investigators currently in the diabetes area whose proposed research constitutes a new direction, or for clinical and translational researchers who propose a joint research project. The center seeks to support type II translation research. The NIDDK definition, defines type II translational research (e.g. bedside to practice and the community) as testing innovative adaptations of evidence based approaches to prevent and treat diabetes that can be disseminated and sustained in clinical health care practice and other settings outside of the traditional academic research setting.

The CDTR continues a collaborative relationship with the Vanderbilt Diabetes Research and Training Center in the pursuit of translational research. This funding opportunity is, however, distinct from those of the Vanderbilt Diabetes Research and Training Center.

Application deadline is 4 p.m., Tuesday, May 1.
Application forms and detailed instructions can be obtained from the CDTR P&F website:
 
 
Drug, Gene, and Biomarker Discovery Pilot & Feasibility Funds

The Vanderbilt Diabetes Research and Training Center (DRTC) announces a new pilot and feasibility program (P&F) for innovative studies that use the VICB High-Throughput Screening Facility, BioVU, or the Mass Spectrometry Research Center for research on diabetes, obesity, and metabolism.

Application deadline is May 14, 2012, 9:00 AM. Application forms and detailed instructions can be obtained from the DRTC P&F website: http://www.mc.vanderbilt.edu/diabetes/drtc/pilot2012.php
 
 
Internal Funding Sources

O’Brien Vanderbilt Mouse Kidney Physiology and Disease Center (MKPDC) PILOT AND FEASIBILITY PROPOSALS
The O’Brien MKPDC has funds available for use in supporting pilot studies commencing June 1, 2012. The guidelines related to eligibility and application procedures are shown below and should be examined carefully prior to submission of a grant application. The deadline for submission is March 15, 2012. Grants receive review by a committee with internal and external members. For more information, click here

Cancer Center Support Grant (CCSG) [Cancer Center members only]
$110,000/year direct
1 year project period
Up to $35,000 direct costs
Application Deadline: May 1; award begins: September 1

Institutional Research Grant (IRG) [junior investigators only]
$170,000/year total
1 year project period
Up to $25,000 direct costs
Application Deadlines: April 1 or October 1; awards begin: July 1 or January 1

SPORE (Specialized Program of Research Excellence) in GI Cancer: Pilot Projects
$175,000/year direct
1 year project period
Up to $50,000 direct costs
Application Deadline: February 1; award begins: May 1

SPORE in Breast Cancer: Pilot Projects
$195,700/year direct
1 year project period
Up to $50,000 direct costs
Application Deadline: March 1; award begins: June 1

SPORE in Lung Cancer: Pilot Projects
1 year project period
Up to $50,000 direct costs
Application Deadline: January 1; award begins: May 1

Cancer Training Grants

The National Cancer Institute has awarded Vanderbilt a $4.4 million, five-year grant to fund training for senior fellows and junior faculty for careers in cancer-oriented research. This is a renewal of a current grant program.

The goal of the Vanderbilt Clinical Oncology Research Career Development Program is to train skilled clinician scientists who can design and implement clinical oncology trial research and lead translational research projects.

The deadline to apply for the grant is Feb. 1, and awards will be announced in April.

Core Center in Molecular Toxicology pilot projects

All faculty in the University are eligible (including any research-track faculty eligible to submit other grants for external funding)
1 year project period with a possible second year of funding
Up to $40,000 per year
LOI due November 15
Full application due January 15

Vanderbilt Institute for Chemical Biology Pilot Projects
Applicants must be full members of the VICB
Preference for collaborative projects and young investigators
Projects should employ tools of chemical biology
Up to $40,000 for 1 year
Applications due in January, funding begins in March

Vanderbilt Physician-Scientist Development Program
$75,000/year; may be extended 2nd year
These awards are for mentored research with an established investigator and are given to newly appointed assistant professor physicians who wish to pursue a career in academic medicine. The award is $75,000/year; a second year of funding is dependent upon the awardee’s progress. The expectation is that the applicant will apply for a K- or R-type award during the funding period. The competition is held once a year with a deadline of March 1. Approximately five grants are awarded each year. Details of this award may be found at: https://medschool.mc.vanderbilt.edu/vpsd

Digestive Disease Research Center (DDRC) Pilot & Feasibility Project Funding Opportunity
$10,000 – $25,000/year for 2 years; 4 grants a year total
Applications are solicited for pilot projects to conduct basic, translational, clinical or collaborative research relating to digestive diseases. Applications will be considered in all areas of digestive disease research. Funds will support focused projects from individual investigators and are intended to provide support to collect preliminary data sufficient to support an application for independent research support through traditional NIH mechanisms. Funded projects will range from $10,000 to $25,000 per year. DDRC funding is limited to two years support at a maximum level of $25,000 per year.

DDRC Young Investigator
$25,000/year for 2 years
Exceptional applicants at the junior faculty level with a high likelihood for progression to extramural funding and a successful career in investigative gastroenterology are eligible to be named as a DDRC Young Investigator. Salary support for such an individual is limited to 24 months and cannot exceed $25,000/year and requires 80% of faculty effort to be focused on research. The deadline for submission of a complete application is listed on the DDRC website at http://www.mc.vanderbilt.edu/root/vumc.php?site=ddrc .

Nicholas Hobbs Discovery Award Program
This competition is open to Vanderbilt Kennedy Center faculty Investigators or Members for conducting pilot projects consistent with the mission of the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center. The Kennedy Center’s mission is to conduct and support collaborative research that investigates fundamental mechanisms of behavioral, cognitive, and brain development and plasticity relevant to developmental disabilities, across the lifespan. The Vanderbilt Kennedy Center’s aims are to better understand children’s development, to prevent and solve developmental problems, and to enable people with developmental disabilities to lead better lives. Due dates for submissions: annually in August.

Diabetes Research and Training Center (DRTC) Pilot and Feasibility Program
The goal of the DRTC Pilot and Feasibility Program is to support small research projects by new investigators (who have little or no independent research support) or established investigators who are turning to diabetes research for the first time. Three new projects are normally funded each year. After a university-wide solicitation of proposals, four individuals (two internal and two external to the institution) review each grant. The critiques of the proposal are evaluated by the P&F Review Committee (equivalent to an NIH study section), and each proposal is assigned a priority score. The proposals and priority scores are then presented to the DRTC Executive Committee (equivalent to the NIH Council) for a funding decision. Support for a second year of research is awarded when satisfactory work is completed in year one and if external support for the projects has not been obtained in the interim. Due dates for submissions: December 5.