To:       School of Medicine Faculty 

From:  Katherine L. Nathanson, MD and Scott D. Halpern, MD, PhD  

            Co-Chairs, PSOM Limited Applications Selection Committee

Re:      W. M. Keck Research Program in Medical Research and Science & Engineering

            https://www.wmkeck.org/research-overview/ 

Date:   April 13, 2023

 

The University has been invited to submit one proposal for each of the two W. M. Keck Research Program grant categories: (1) Medical Research and (2) Science & Engineering. The Office of the Vice Provost for Research (OVPR) will oversee the final proposal review and selection process for the June grant cycle.  The proposal selection is a two-step process:

 

• Step #1: Each School may submit a one-page concept paper for a project that has been previously reviewed by federal agencies (but not awarded) by May 12, 2023. Candidates MUST include the federal agency reviews with the concept paper. An internal panel will review and identify which concept papers will be presented by OVPR (acting as the designated institutional liaison) to the Foundation for feedback sometime in early July 2023.

• Step #2: Based on the Keck Foundation’s feedback on the concept papers, one proposal for each of the two grant categories will be selected for a Phase I Application due November 1, 2023.

 

Purpose

The mandate of the Research Program is to support pioneering discoveries in Science, Engineering, and Medical Research.  The Foundation funds the high-risk and high-impact work of leading researchers to lay the groundwork for new paradigms, technologies, and discoveries that will save lives, provide innovative solutions and add to our understanding of the world.

 

Keck funded projects are distinctive and novel in their approach, question the prevailing paradigm, or have the potential to break open new territory in their field.  Keck prioritizes grants that pioneer biological and physical science research and engineering, including the development of promising new technologies, instrumentation or methodologies.

 

Award details

• The Foundation states that grants range from $1 million to $5 million, but recent awards have typically been ~$1 million.  Please see the Foundation’s grant abstracts for examples of funded projects and award amounts.

• Multi-PI proposals are encouraged

 

Keck Funding Guidelines

Keck funds projects that:

• Focus on important and emerging areas of basic research with potential broad impact.

• Have potential to develop breakthrough technologies, instrumentation, or methodologies (proposal needs to convey a rigorous, scientific approach).

• Are innovative, distinctive, and interdisciplinary.

• Demonstrate a high level of risk due to unconventional approaches or challenge the prevailing paradigm.

• Have potential for transformative impact such as the founding of a new field of research, enabling of new observations, or altering perception of a previously intractable problem (successful proposals answer the question, “so what?”).

• Fall outside the mission of public funding agencies.

  • Successful proposals must have been reviewed and declined by NIH, NSF, etc. for being high-quality but “too risky”; reviewer comments must be included at the concept paper stage and will be submitted as an attachment with the Phase I application.

• Demonstrate that W. M. Keck Foundation support is essential to the project’s success.

 

Keck DOES NOT fund:

• General operating expenses, endowments, or deficit reduction.

• Grants to individuals.

• Public policy research, medical devices and translational research, or research that is narrowly focused on a specific disease.

  • Please note that proposed research can be patient-oriented (i.e., patients are the subjects of the research) if there is sufficient reason to think the work will be transformative in opening up new paradigms for care (as opposed to providing insights pertaining to a single disease).

• General and federated campaigns, including fundraising events, dinners, or mass mailings.

• Book publication and film productions.

• Conference or seminar sponsorship.

• Treatment trials or research for the sole purpose of drug development.

• Capital Projects

 

PSOM review process

Candidates must submit the following in the order below:

• Cover page: Candidate name, academic rank, school, department, email address, phone number, title of proposal, and grant category (i.e., Medical Research or Science & Engineering).

• Concept paper: Concept papers are limited to one page, single-spaced, using 12-point font and 1-inch margins, inclusive of references.  Please include:

  • Project title

  • An abstract/overview of the research proposed, which situates the research in the field and answers “so what?” for a lay audience.

  • A mention of any pilot studies or data – including unpublished findings – that support the idea.

  • A brief description of the methodologies and key personnel.

  • A brief justification of the need for Keck support.

    • Proposals previously declined from federal agencies are critical to obtaining Keck support; justification for Keck support must address federal reviews in the argument; reviewers comments/scores will be submitted with the Phase I proposal.

  • An estimated budget breakdown (no larger than $1 million), by major areas, e.g., personnel, equipment, consumable supplies, etc.

  • With any remaining space within the 1 page limit, authors may add other details.  If a reference is necessary, abbreviate it as (Science, 323, 45, ‘11). DO NOT USE (Jones et al., 2011). Please avoid any illustrations.

 

Materials must be submitted in a single pdf file in the following order: Cover page, concept paper.

 

Subject line should read: PI last name_first name_Keck 2024.pdf (Example: Smith_Jane_Keck 2024).  

 

Proposals must be submitted by 9:00 AM on Friday, May 12, 2023 to Kaitlyn Hagarty at kaitlyn.hagarty@pennmedicine.upenn.edu.