Objective
The CFRI Early Career Physician Scientist Development Program supports clinical and basic research at Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital (LBCH). The award will provide physician scientist recipients with up to 20% salary support to allow protected time for research. The program prioritizes research proposals from junior faculty members.
Eligibility
Junior faculty members at LBCH with UTHSC faculty appointments who are also less than 5 years out of training and interested in pursuing pediatric research are eligible to apply. The applicant must propose an independent research project with a pediatric focus that they will undertake after receiving the award. Principal investigators can submit only one project for review. Investigators are limited to funding for no more than three consecutive years. No adult studies will be considered.
Grant Description
Grants provide salary support for protected time for one year of funding up to $30,000. Additionally, up to $30,000 with appropriate justification may also be requested to support personnel costs, supplies, and approved equipment. Grants may be renewed twice, for a total of three years of funding by submitting a renewal application with a progress report and a budget report at the end of the first and second years. Renewal applications will be judged for additional funding based on progress made over the past year. Instructions for a renewal application should be followed. Requests for a no-cost extension of the award may be considered on a case-by-case basis. Click the green arrow link at the bottom of the page to download the application.
Applicants should complete the CFRI Early Career Physician-Scientist Development Program Grant Application and include a cover letter that outlines his/her research career development plans and how the funding will facilitate these plans. Applicants will need to identify a faculty mentor who will supply a letter of support, as well as an NIH-style biosketch. Applicants may use these grant funds to supplement other funding sources if there is no budgetary overlap, and the budget is well justified.
Applicants submitting grants for clinical studies using CFRI/Le Bonheur resources and personnel should contact Thomas Hobson (901.287.5221; thomas.hobson@lebonheur.org) before preparing budgets to discuss these charges.
The application deadline is 5:00 p.m. on October 31, 2024 (no exceptions). Grants selected for funding will have a starting date of January 1, 2025.
The Institutional Review Board (IRB) or Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) must approve all studies involving human or animal subjects prior to the start of funding. Applicants should contact Dalia Aguilar-Canseco (901.287.6872; dalia.aguilar-canseco@lebonheur.org) in the CFRI for assistance with the IRB application. Investigators who do not meet this requirement will have their funding revoked and awarded to another investigator.
Applicants are also urged to meet with the CFRI biostatistician, Rumana Siddique, PhD, MBBS, (901.287.7546; rumana.siddique@lebonheur.org) regarding study design and statistical considerations for their planned research.
Procedure
A research oversight subcommittee of the Clinical Trials Research Advisory Committee will review each grant. External reviewers will be engaged for their expertise when necessary. Reviewers will consider the following points when selecting applications:
A. Does the study have scientific merit?
B. If the study includes human subjects, does the benefit of the study outweigh the risks and discomfort? How will the applicant identify and recruit study subjects? A draft consent form must be included. IRB approval is required before the project can be initiated.
C. For studies involving animals, IACUC approval is required.
D. Is the project feasible? Can the applicant complete the proposal in the time allotted? Is the applicant qualified to carry out the proposed study? Does the proposed work advance the research career of the applicant? Is there an appropriate mentor? The mentor’s biosketch should be included. Is there a clear plan for how the grant will bridge to a K award or other external funding to become sustainable?
E. Is the proposal clear and concise? Has the applicant consulted and cited appropriate literature? Is the proposal carefully written? Can reviewers tell exactly what the applicant plans to do and why?
F. Is it clear how the applicant will analyze data? Are appropriate statistical tools used? Is the applicant appropriately utilizing support from the CFRI Biostatistics Core and/or the Le Bonheur Office of Data Management and Analytics?
G. Is the budget appropriate? Will it be possible to document how the money is spent?
H. Did the applicant follow directions in completing the application?
Funding decisions are not subject to appeal.
Reports
By the conclusion of the 12-month period of grant support, the investigator must provide a Progress Report to the Committee. This report must include the following:
A. Results of the study
B. A list of resulting abstracts, presentations, manuscripts and extramural grant applications
C. A detailed budget report.
Awardees must acknowledge the support of Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital and the Children’s Foundation Research Institute on all publications related to the proposal.
Instructions
All applicants must use the Le Bonheur Research Grant application form. Please type and number the pages of the application. The required font is Arial 11-point. Click the green arrow link at the bottom of the page to download the application.
The grant face sheet should be completed. The applicant should also include a cover letter outlining his/her research career development plans and how the funding will facilitate these plans. These applicants should identify a faculty mentor who will supply a letter of support, as well as a NIH-style biosketch.
Follow the instructions listed below:
A. Face Sheet
B. Budget
C. Budget Justification: Provide the exact cost of each item to be included. Justify the need for each item.
D. Current and pending sources of support: List support for the investigator and all co-investigators for the last five years, including past support by the Le Bonheur/CFRI Research Grant Program.
E. Personnel Listing: All individuals who will participate should be included with a description of their role in the project. You can calculate the percent effort on the project by multiplying the percent of time per week by the percent of time per year. For example, one day per week for 6 months would be (0.20) X (0.5) = 0.10 or 10%.
F. Description of the study: This segment of the proposal should be no longer than six pages, not including the bibliography and consent form (for human studies). Use the following format:
a. Abstract (250 words)
b. If this is a revised grant, you may include a one-page Introduction summarizing your responses to the previous review that will not count toward the six-page limit.
c. Hypothesis and Specific Aims (one half page)
d. Background and Significance
e. Experimental Approach and Methods (include a timetable indicating when various parts of the study will be completed)
f. Expected Outcomes and Data Analysis, as well as potential pitfalls and alternative approaches
g. Bibliography
h. Consent form draft for human research (should be in the style required by the UTHSC IRB)
G. Biographical sketch (NIH style; no more than 5 pages) of the PI and mentor, as well as key collaborators or consultants.
H. Departmental Signatures: Department of Pediatrics Interim Chair, Terri Finkel, MD, PhD, and CFRI Scientific Director and Vice Chair for Research, Dennis Black, MD. Electronic signatures are acceptable.
Submission of a Competitive Renewal Application
- Face Sheet – After the title, indicate that the application is a competitive renewal.
- Budget – Indicate how much money has been spent in each category in the first 7 months of funding. Use a second budget sheet to indicate how money will be spent in the second year of funding.
- Abstract of proposal (may be the same as the first year)
- Hypothesis and Specific aims (may be the same as the first year)
- Progress Report – In no more than 3 pages, summarize the results obtained in the first 7 months of funding. List any resulting manuscripts, abstracts or scientific presentations.
- Proposal – In no more than two pages, indicate the studies planned for the second year of funding. Please indicate any changes in the approach from the original proposal. If the proposal involves pediatric subjects and includes changes that affect the subjects, you must include a revised consent form.
- To permit easier review of the competitive renewal application, include a copy of the description of the original study (see item F under “Instructions”)
- Biographical sketches (NIH style; no more than 5 pages)
The review committee will not consider incomplete applications.
Submit the application and attachments via email to:
Andrew Gienapp
Children’s Foundation Research Institute
