A PROGRAM OF THE RICHARD AND SUSAN SMITH FAMILY FOUNDATION
MGH Internal Call for Pre-Proposals
Internal Deadline: Tuesday, February 4, 2020 at 5:00PM
DESCRIPTION OF THE AWARD
"The Smith Family Foundation is committed to effecting permanent positive change in the lives of the residents of Greater Boston, particularly individuals and families in economically disadvantaged communities. In the area of health, the Foundation supports the advancement of biomedical research and the expansion of access to high-quality health care at safety net institutions serving low-income individuals and communities of Greater Boston.
The new Smith Family Foundation Odyssey Award was created in 2017 to fuel creativity and innovation in junior investigators in the basic sciences. The Award supports the pursuit of high impact ideas to generate breakthroughs and drive new directions in biomedical research. The awards will fund high-risk, high-reward pilot projects solicited from our brightest junior faculty in the region. Projects should be conceptualized as either a novel research line or a distinct and novel off-shoot from the applicant’s current research. The review committee weighs this criterion heavily in making final funding decisions. Both the applicants as well as any institutional review committees should bear this in mind in preparing/vetting applications.”
The two-year Award supports established junior faculty engaged in basic biomedical research. Investigators in the physical sciences (physics, chemistry and engineering) whose projects focus on biomedical science are also encouraged to apply. Clinical research is beyond the scope of this Program.
In recognition of the importance of research collaboration within the scientific community, collaboration is an additional, but not required, positive ancillary factor. These projects may involve researchers within and/or outside the applicant’s institution.
MGH is eligible to nominate two candidates. Pre-proposals will be reviewed and assessed by the ECOR Subcommittee on Review of Research Proposals (SRRP). Nominees will be asked to prepare an online application directly to the Medical Foundation.
The Smith Family Foundation Odyssey award is separate from the Smith Family Awards Program for Excellence in Biomedical Research, which is offered in the summer. While the Smith Odyssey Award supports junior faculty, who have become independent within the last 4-9 years, the Smith Award for Excellence in Biomedical Research supports faculty who are newly independent within the last two years. Please check Research News in the spring of 2020 to see the internal call for applications for the Smith Family Foundation Awards for Excellence in Biomedical Research.
DEADLINES
MGH Internal Pre-Proposal: Tuesday, February 4, 2020 at 5pm
Foundation Deadline: Wednesday, March 18, 2020 at 12pm (noon) (EST)
AWARD AMOUNT
Up to five $300,000 two-year awards inclusive of 5% institutional overhead will be awarded. It is paid as $150,000 per year, effective July 1, 2020.
This funding opportunity is not exempt from the 15% indirect cost (IDC) floor minimum. However, ECOR policy states that for MGH investigators selected through a competitive process as the institutional nominee for the Smith Family Foundation Odyssey Award, in which the grant will bring in less than 15% indirect cost (IDC), ECOR will cover the IDC gap up to a maximum of $50,000 per year.
ELIGIBILITY
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United States citizenship is not required.
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Applicants must have a full-time faculty appointment at MGH at the time of application.
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Previous awardees of the Smith Family Awards Program for Excellence in Biomedical Research may apply for the Smith Odyssey Award, as long as they fulfill all other eligibility requirements.
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Applicants must have received their first independent faculty appointment on or between July 1, 2011 and July 1, 2016.
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Assistant Professors are eligible to apply. Instructors may apply; however, their department chair must clearly confirm when the applicant became independent with committed institutional support. Typically, this includes designated laboratory and office space, core facility and staff support, size of start-up package, and access to graduate students and postdoctoral fellows, including those on training grant support.
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Eligible applicants must not have achieved tenure or its equivalent by the funding start date of July 1, 2020.
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Applicants are ineligible if they have combined federal and non-federal funding totaling $750,000 or more in direct costs, including any funds they receive notification of securing on or prior to May 1, 2020. This figure refers to external funding only and not an Applicant’s start-up package, other intramural support or the Smith Award for Excellence in Biomedical Science. Notification of funding after May 1, 2020 will not impact eligibility for a Smith Family Award.
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Applicants who have pending R01s or other large applications to the NIH and other agencies are encouraged to submit proposals to the Smith Family Foundation Odyssey Award.
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If an Applicant has been on medical or family leave, or if research was interrupted for other reasons, this period of absence does not count towards eligibility. Please address any gaps in work history in the Personal Statement on the Biosketch. The Department or Division Chair’s letter must also confirm the leave of absence as well as applicant eligibility.
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Institutional commitment is important. In addition to addressing the Applicant’s qualifications, the Department or Division Chair should explain how the institution will contribute and support the Applicant’s proposed research.
SELECTION CRITERIA
The Smith Family Foundation Scientific Review Committee uses the following criteria to evaluate applications.
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Impact potential of the research for generating breakthroughs and driving new directions in biomedical research
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A clearly stated hypothesis, based on sound precedents, rationale and supported by relevant literature
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Preliminary data may be minimal
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Objectives that are technically feasible and personnel who are qualified to carry out the proposed research
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Applicant’s potential to successfully carry out innovative research
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Institutional commitment to the applicant
PRE-PROPOSAL REQUIREMENTS
The MGH pre-proposal must include the following 7 items (PDF documents only):
1. Project Title
2. Month and year of the applicant's first independent faculty appointment.
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If the applicant is an Instructor, please include a signed letter from the department chair that confirms when the applicant became independent with committed institutional support. Please also include any detail regarding a designated laboratory and office space, core facility and staff support, size of start up package (if applicable), and access to graduate students and postdoctoral fellows, including those on training grant support.
3. Research Proposal (A maximum of 3 pages is permitted, exclusive of references. PDF documents only) including:
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Specific aims
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Background and significance
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Preliminary data (if available)
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Research design and methods
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Potential limitations
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Project Timeline
4. A Current Biosketch in the NIH Format. Please include the month and year of all faculty appointment(s) and completion of post doc training. Click here for the NIH format.
5. Funding Support including all current and pending support with dates and dollar amounts. The NIH formatted Other Support is required. Click here for the NIH Format.
6. Budget Justification. Please describe how you would use the funding for your research.
7. One Letter of Support from Unit, Service or Department Chief. The letter should explain how the institution will contribute and support the Applicant’s proposed research.
HOW TO APPLY
ECOR accepts all applications online via the MGRI Online Grant Management Portal. This user-friendly system will allow MGH researchers to submit electronic applications to ECOR. The system has been designed to allow users to:
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Create a personal profile, which will auto-populate your future ECOR applications
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Assign a delegate to submit an application to ECOR on behalf of the applicant (optional)
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View current calls and apply to open opportunities
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Save and edit current applications in progress
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Submit completed applications to ECOR
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View all your ECOR applications that have been submitted via the online grants system
Instructions for Applying Online
1. Create your account: Login using your Partners credentials and fill out the profile information.
2. Complete the application: Once your profile is complete, you will automatically progress through the online application. If you cannot complete the application at one time, “save” the application and return to it at a later time to finish. Before submitting your application, you will have the ability to make changes to the application.
3. Submit your application: Once you have completed the application click on the “submit” button at the bottom of the page. Once you submit it, you will not be able to make further changes unless you send a request to ECOR (note that once the deadline passes, requests to make changes will not be accepted).
Useful tips:
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To avoid losing your work, remember to save frequently
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You can only upload PDF documents
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If you previously created a profile, please ensure your information is current
Click 'Apply' below to begin the application.
QUESTIONS
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For further information, click here for the Smith Family Foundation website.
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To see a list of 2019 recipients, click here.
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Any questions regarding the internal submission and process please email ECOR.