To:            School of Medicine Faculty

From:       Jon Lindstrom, PhD - Chair, PSOM Limited Applications

                   Committee

Re:             Brain Research Foundation (BRF) Seed Grant Program

Deadline:  November 2, 2018

 

The University has been invited to nominate one faculty member for the 2019 Brain Research Foundation (BRF) Seed Grant Program. The Office of the Vice Provost for Research (OVPR) is coordinating the final candidate review and selection process.  Each school within the University may put forth one candidate. 

 

This funding opportunity is for projects that may be too innovative and speculative for traditional funding sources but still have a high likelihood of producing important findings in a very short timeframe. It is expected that investigations supported by these grants will yield high impact findings and result in major grant applications and significant publications in high impact journals.

 

The objective of BRF Seed Grant Program is to support new and innovative projects, especially those of junior faculty, who are working in new research directions. BRF Seed Grant awards are not intended to supplement existing grants.

 

Applicants are encouraged to review the Foundation’s guidelines and FAQ on their website at: http://www.thebrf.org/Grants/Fay+Frank+Seed+Grant+Program

 

Funding and award period:

Each total award is limited to $80,000 (direct costs) for a two-year grant period ($40,000 per year).  

 

Eligibility:

Applicants must be a full-time Assistant or Associate Professor working in the area of studies of brain function. This includes molecular and clinical neuroscience as well as studies of neural, sensory, motor, cognitive, behavioral, and emotional functioning in health and disease. The grant proposal must detail a new research project that is not funded by other sources.

 

Funding preferences:

Funding is to be directed at pilot research projects that are both innovative and will likely lead to successful grant applications to NIH and other public and private funding entities.

Assistant Professor – Junior faculty with a new research project that will generate pilot data that will lead to RO1 funding or a comparable outside grant will be first priority. Must provide abstract and specific aims for current grants and indicate if there is any overlap.

Associate Professor – Faculty who are pursuing new research directions.  Must explain how the project is a new research direction.  Must provide abstract and specific aims for current grants and indicate if there is any overlap.

• Note: A new technique is not considered a new direction unless it pertains to a different area of study.

Seed Grants are NOT to be used for bridge funding between grants

PSOM Research Review Process:

Each candidate must submit:

• Cover page with name, academic rank, department, date of appointment to faculty, contact information: including email address, phone number, title of research proposal
• A letter of support from Department Chair or Division Chief;
• A research proposal (no longer than two pages, references are not part of the two page limit);
• A Biographical sketch (using current NIH format) with other support page (five page maximum)  

 

Submission should be in a single pdf file in the following order: cover page, letter of nomination, research proposal, Biosketch.  The pdf document should be titled as follows: BRF__InvestigatorSurname_Investigator first name. For example: BRF_Doe_Jane.  Proposals must be submitted to Connie Weinstein at clw@pennmedicine@upenn.edu by 9:00 AM, Friday, November 2, 2018.  Questions can be directed to Connie Weinstein at clw@pennmedicine.upenn.edu or 215-898-0132.