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Pilot Grant Application Announcement
UAB Alzheimer's Disease Research Center
Pilot Project Grant Program
Deadline for Applications: Friday, November 17, 2006
The UAB Alzheimer's Disease Research Center (ADRC) is soliciting pilot grant applications focused on dynamic basic and clinical science studies of Alzheimer's disease. Each of the awards is intended to provide seed funding that will facilitate the initial testing of novel hypotheses, leading to national-level funding of an expanded research plan based on the pilot work. The program welcomes innovative proposals from new investigators and from investigators who are outside of the traditional Alzheimer's disease field but who want to bring their expertise to bear on this disease.
The successful applicant may be in any scientific discipline and should target their proposed research toward increasing understanding of the mechanisms underlying Alzheimer's disease or the clinical management of Alzheimer's disease and associated behaviors. Basic science proposals investigating tau, beta-amyloid clearance and vascular mechanisms that contribute to the disease are encouraged. In addition, researchers are encouraged where possible to incorporate the ADRC's existing Cores (Clinical, Pathology and Biostatistics) into their research plan.
The applicant must clarify how the pilot funding will potentially lead to major support to sustain the research efforts after the end of the one-year grant.
Funding: Two $30,000 research awards will be made for a one-year project period.
Funding Period and Program Requirements: The funding period will begin April 1, 2007 and continue for 12 months. On November 1, 2007, the grant recipients will provide the ADRC with an interim report on their progress, and they will provide a formal written progress report to the ADRC after completion of the one-year funding period. Investigators funded through this program will participate actively in the ADRC's Investigators' meetings and symposia. In addition, recipients will be expected to present the results of their research at scientific meetings and the ADRC Seminar Series and publish their findings in scholarly journals.
Eligibility: Applicant must have Principal Investigator status at UAB and a primary faculty appointment. As discussed, we are especially interested in using the pilot mechanism to encourage junior faculty to pursue Alzheimer's disease research and more senior faculty to turn their well-developed expertise toward Alzheimer's disease. We also encourage applications from established researchers who wish to pursue a new and untested but promising research hypothesis.
Application Format: Successful applicants must concisely describe their proposed projects in NO MORE THAN 5 pages (single-spaced using no less than an 11 point Arial font and 1/2" margins). The body of the application should include: Abstract, Specific Aims, Significance, Preliminary Work/Background and Experimental Design. The application must also include the following sections that are NOT included in the 10 page limitation: Human and Animal Subject Welfare Information and Literature Cited. Application for support of research involving human subjects must carefully consider a study design with gender and/or minority representation appropriate to the scientific objectives of the research.
Further, each applicant should submit the following material, using the forms from the PHS 398: (Form FF) Biographical Sketch (limit two pages); (Form DD) Budget for First 12-month Budget Period with Justification; and, (Form GG) Other Support (also the applicant must append the Specific Aims page for all funded research). Up to four of the applicant's reprints may be submitted in an appendix, if they are pertinent to the application.
If an application is approved for funding, the award will not be activated until UAB oversight board approvals have been provided (e.g., CIRB, IRB, IACUC).
Any application that does not conform to the above format will be returned to the investigator without review.
APPLICATIONS MUST BE ELECTRONICALLY SUBMITTED AS PDF FILES TO: Sara Krzywanski (sarak@uab.edu), Alzheimers Disease Research Center
Campus Address prior to 10-23-06: Sparks Center, Room 765
Campus Address after 10-23-06: Sparks Center, Room 640 E
Deadline: All applications must be received on or before 4:30 p.m., Friday November 17, 2006.
Application Review: Applications will be reviewed for scientific merit and programmatic relevance by a panel of UAB and external faculty with expertise in the fields covered in the applications. Written critiques will be provided to the applicant at the end of the review process.
Notification: Applicants will be notified about the outcome by February 1, 2007.
Questions: Any questions regarding this announcement should be addressed to Sara Krzywanski (sarak@uab.edu).