Applications for this grant are no longer being accepted.

Interim Support Funding 21-1

  

Application Deadline: Tuesday, December 1, 2020, 5:00pm

 

 

DESCRIPTION OF THE AWARD

The Executive Committee on Research (ECOR) is now accepting applications for Interim Support Funding (ISF).  This is open to Principal Investigators during a lapse or delay in their research funding from the NIH or another Federal agency (e.g., the National Science Foundation, the Department of Defense).  Investigators must have applied for independent, long-term support (R01, R21, U01 and P01). The intent of the program is to rescue strong scientific programs that are in need of bridge funding in order to sustain their research.  

 

 

AWARD EXPENDITURES AND START DATE

  • The funds are to be used for research performed at MGH. The purchase of consulting services requires prior written approval from ECOR.
  • The award is not transferable to any other institution.
  • The awards are unrestricted as to area of study.
  • This award is to be used only for the specific studies cited in the budget of your NIH application or research needed to respond to reviewer critiques in the NIH summary statement. All other expenses are not allowed.  These funds are not to be treated as an unrestricted sundry fund. 
  • The funds may be used for salaries and fringe benefits for Principal Investigators and/or their key laboratory personnel, supplies, and other essential items for the project. 
  • ECOR funds may not be used to support salary over the NIH salary cap.
  • Funds cannot be used to cover the 15% IDC minimum on another grant.
  • Funds cannot be used to clear a deficit incurred on another grant.
  • Equipment, capital and non-capital, may not be purchased with the award funds. The purchase of computing devices, i.e. laptops, computers, and printers require prior written approval from ECOR.
  • Recipients are required to reference ECOR ISF funding in research publications, presentations, etc.
  • The nominal start date of the unfunded application must be within roughly eight months of this ISF application deadline; i.e. the nominal start date of the unfunded application must fall between March 1, 2020 - June 1, 2021 
  • ISF awards will be effective no earlier than the nominal start date of the unfunded application. 
  • R01 awards or equivalent are for $75,000 direct costs, plus 15% indirect costs ($86,250 total award costs).
  • R21 awards are for $37,500 direct costs, plus 15% indirect costs ($43,125 total award costs).

 


ELIGIBILITY

  • Applicants must have a full-time MGH appointment at the time of application and during the entire award period.
  • New award applications and competing award applications (both A0 and A1) are eligible.
  • A PI can only submit one application per review cycle.
  • Applicants must demonstrate a great need for bridge funding, as it will be a contributing factor in selecting the awards. The review panel will consider this an important criterion.
  • Multiproject research (P01, U01) applications are eligible. The number of awards that can be made in the multiproject research grant history cannot exceed 50%. (e.g. a multiproject research grant with four projects cannot get ISF for more than two Projects ever.) Cores within a multiproject research grant are not eligible for ISF. 
  • No more than one project in a multiproject research grant can apply for ISF in any given cycle. 
  • A PI from a multi PI grant is eligible to apply. A letter must accompany the application stating that all MGH PIs agree to the submission and proposed budget. This letter must be signed by all MGH PI's. 
  • Subcontracts to MGH are not eligible for ISF.
  • Given that it takes roughly 2 months to review applications, any updates that an applicant receives from the NIH or another Federal agency regarding the status of their grant must be communicated to ECOR. Some examples include receiving a notice of award, communication from NIH that your application will be funded, etc. Do not submit updates regarding publications or scientific progress after the application deadline for this call.  ECOR will not forward this type of information to the review panel.
  • If you receive your NIH funding or alternate funds for the same work covered by this ISF award, PIs or department administrators must notify ECOR (ecor@mgh.harvard.edu) and work with our office to return the balance of the ISF award.  This program operates with limited funding, and the return of unspent funds allows us to support more awards in the future.
  • If a PI applied for interim support during the last cycle and did not receive an ISF award, the PI may resubmit the same application in this cycle if s/he has not yet received external funding and the nominal start date falls within the eligible range.  

 

 


DIVERSITY STATEMENT

At Mass General Hospital we believe that because of diversity we excel. Therefore, women and URM candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.

The National Institute of Health (NIH) diversity statement encourages institutions to prioritize opportunities in biomedical, behavioral, and social sciences for individuals from groups identified as underrepresented. Based on national data analyzed by the National Science Foundation, the following racial and ethnic groups have been shown to be underrepresented in biomedical research and health-related sciences: Blacks or African Americans, Hispanics or Latinos, American Indians or Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders. 

 

 

ISF REVIEW PROCESS

The ECOR Subcommittee on Review of Research Proposals (SRRP) will consider how the PI has responded or intends to respond to the review and the likelihood that NIH (or other federal agency) will eventually fund the research. The review committee will be particularly cognizant of financial need, and it will be a contributing factor in the selection of each award.  The reviewers will also consider other resources available to the applicant.  Due to the number of applications received, PIs will not be provided with written or oral critiques of their applications.


 

SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS

The application process requires the following thirteen items to be submitted:

1. Project Title

2. Application Type. Please provide the following:

  • Please indicate whether the NIH application was a multi-PI grant
  • Type of Application (R01, R21, etc)     
  • Grant Percentile.  Select the option that best describes your unfunded application.
  • NIH Institution (if applicable)

         - My application received a Percentile.  (Provide the Percentile)  

         - My application only received an Impact Score.  It did not receive a Percentile.  (Enter "Impact Score Only")

         - My application was not discussed, did not receive a Percentile and did not receive an Impact score.  (Enter "Not discussed")  

          - None of the scenarios above apply to my unfunded application.  (Enter "n/a" and explain)

  • Type of Submission  to NIH (New, Competing Renewal, Resubmission)   
  • Insight Agreement Number of the unfunded application
  • NIH Grant Number (if applicable) of the unfunded application

​3. Early Stage Investigator (ESI) or New Investigator. Indicate whether the applicant is an Early Stage Investigator and/or New Investigator by selecting "yes" or "no".

Early Stage Investigator definition:  “An individual who is classified as a New Investigator and is within 10 years of completing his/her terminal research degree or is within 10 years of completing medical residency (or the equivalent) is considered an Early Stage Investigator (ESI).” To see a list of NIH grants that a PD/PI can hold and still be considered an ESI, click here

New Investigator definition:  “PD/PI who has not previously competed successfully as a PD/PI for a substantial independent research award is considered a New Investigator.”

4. Previous ECOR Interim Support Funding.  

4a. If you have previously applied for ECOR Interim Support Funding (Formulaic or Deliberative) for this grant, please indicate below and whether the application was funded.

4b. Please list all ECOR Interim Support (Formulaic and Deliberative) that you previously received between 2016 and 2020. This is based on the start date of your ECOR ISF award. Please provide the type of application (R01, R21, etc.), Interim Support Dates, Project title and briefly describe the impact these ISF funds had (for example, did this grant lead to renewed external funding?). 

5. Other Previous ECOR Support.  List any previous support from ECOR with dates (e.g., Claflin Distinguished Scholar Awards, Howard Goodman Award, Martin Prize, MGH Research Scholars Program, MGH-MIT Award, PSDA, Tosteson-FMD Fellowship, Shared Instrumentation Grant commitments, etc.)

6. Other Support. Include the following:

  • List all current and pending research support using the NIH format (click here) including annual funding amounts available to the PI, funding period and effort.
  • List any sundry accounts as well as any limitations on these sundry funds. If you are still in a period of a startup package please list any funds remaining.  Include the project start date, initial balance and current balance. 
  • List endowed chairs, HHMI support, or comparable "hard money" salary support, if applicable.
  • Do not list ECOR support in this section.  ECOR support should be included in section 4 and 5 above. 

7. Biosketch of applicant in NIH format, including a full bibliography. Click here for a sample NIH biosketch.

8. Status of Project. Include the following:

  • Summary statement (pink sheet), critique or other written information from federal agency program staff.
  • Applicant’s response to the review, including the “Introduction to the Resubmission”, responding to reviewer critiques, for a planned resubmission.   If this ISF application is based on an unfunded A0 or A1 submission, please describe your plan for this research project going forward, e.g., respond to reviewer critiques and describe how you will re-organize the work for a resubmission or new grant submission (1-page limit).
  • If you are using references, list all references in section 9, "Summary of the Revised Research Plan."

9. Summary of the Revised Research Plan. (3-page limit, excluding references)  Include the following:

  • Specific aims
  • Background, significance and report of recent progress
  • Description of key personnel 

10. Proposed Use of Interim Support Funding (ISF). Include a Budget Justification detailing how the funds will be used. If the NIH application was a multi PI grant and MGH is not the primary institution, you must also submit the MGH portion of the proposed budget submitted to NIH for year 1 only.

11. Description of need (1 page). Include the following:

  • Describe how COVID has impacted your funding.
  • List any key personnel that were or will be impacted by the lapse in your funding.
  • Description of applicant’s plans for requested salary support if ISF support is not approved.
  • Description of applicant's plans regarding his/her research program if the pending application for long term support is not funded

12. Letter of Support. The letter of support must be from the Division/Unit Chief or Thematic Center Director (signature from the Chief of Service is not required). The Letter of Support must address the questions listed below.  Division/Unit Chief or Thematic Center Directors who are co-investigators in the grant, should not write the letter of support.  You may also click here to download the list of questions.  

  • Please comment on the potential consequences of the specific cutbacks (i.e., non-salary and salary effects; for salary effects, please detail how many lab members are affected and how essential they are to the project).
  • How will the funds be used? (Salary support for PI and/or other staff; assist with experiments essential to resubmission of the application).
  • How and why is this research important to the department and/or the thematic center (the merit/value to the department/center/hospital)?
  • Please discuss the PI’s career trajectory and his/her importance to the institution (including if this project or resource is a critical aspect of a collaborative research effort). For investigators transitioning from K awards or other mentored awards, please also discuss independence.
  • Please detail current financial resources available to the PI for this project. In addition, please clarify the following possible alternative sources of support:

- Does the PI have his/her own funding (include startup money and/or sundry funds?

 - What other resources does the PI have access to (including departmental funds)?

13. Letter from MGH Co-PIs on a multi-PI grant

  • If there is more than one MGH PI on the grant please upload a letter stating that all MGH PIs agree to the submission and the proposed budget. This letter must be signed by all MGH PIs.

 

 

HOW TO APPLY

ECOR accepts all applications online via the MGRI Online Grant Management Portal.

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, request to make changes will not be accepted).

Useful tips:

  • To avoid losing your work, remember to save frequently
  • You can only upload PDF documents
  • If you previously created a profile, please ensure your information is current

Click 'Apply' below to begin the application.


 

QUESTIONS

Please visit the ECOR website http://ecor.mgh.harvard.edu/ and specifically the FAQ page for ISF under the Awards and Grants tab of the site.  Please visit this link to find suggested guidelines for a successful ISF application.

If you still have questions remaining, please submit your questions via e-mail to ECOR.