The Institute of Translational Health Science (ITHS) and the Washington National Primate Research Center (WaNPRC) are pleased to sponsor an Ignition Award, focusing on the use of nonhuman primate models of human disease. The purpose of this Ignition Award is to explore innovative areas of nonhuman primate research and generate preliminary data to serve as a basis for submission of new research grant applications (e.g. R01-type grant to NIH or other funding agency) and/or subsequent clinical studies. Please pay close attention to the submission instructions and due dates, as there are several important differences from the standard ITHS opportunities.
Key Dates:
- Feb 17, 2012 – Full application due to the WaNPRC
- April 2, 2012 – Notice to awardees and other applicants
- May 1, 2012 – Budget initiation
All faculty members or those with equivalent titles are eligible to apply.
Note: All applicants must join ITHS prior to submitting an application.
The WaNPRC intends to award one or two separate awards of up to $75,000 for one year. These funds must be used for Primate Center costs only, including animal costs, per diem, and procedures. Costs of supplies and salaries must be administered by the Primate Center.
Purpose
This program is designed to support innovative studies utilizing resources within the WaNPRC. Nonhuman primates are the preeminent animal model of the human condition. This award program will facilitate use of NHP models and services of the WaNPRC and resources within the ITHS to provide information applicable to subsequent grant and/or clinical studies. This program will advance research programs through the translational process of therapeutics, diagnostics or device development.
Examples of types of projects include, but are not limited to:
1. The development of clinical tests/diagnostics/therapeutics that have the potential to
a. speed translational research (i.e., new outcome measures)
b. develop highly relevant model systems
c. improve clinical treatments (i.e., new therapeutics or new indications for approved drugs)
2. Advanced neuroscience applications
3. Reproductive / developmental studies
Eligibility and review criteria
All faculty members (or those with equivalent titles) are eligible to apply, except those who have received an ITHS/Primate Center Ignition Award within the previous three years.
Applicants are encouraged to contact the WaNPRC [Ann Schmidt (Research Liasion) or Pat Jobe (Pre-Award Aide)] at: PrimateITHS@wanprc.org to discuss the scientific components of their projects and general costs of the services to be provided. Complete budgets are required for the Full Applications and must be developed in collaboration with the WaNPRC. The budgets for the NHP studies may only be used for costs within the WaNPRC.
- It is the PI’s responsibility to clearly demonstrate how the proposed research has the potential to positively impact the quality or the conduct of clinical and translational research.
- The PI should clearly describe how the proposed evaluation methodology provides an innovative approach to conducting the proposed research.
- Up to $75,000 per selected applicant will be directly applied to the costs at the WaNPRC.
- No additional funds will be provided for indirect costs. The budgets associated with these awards will be administered by the WaNPRC.
Anyone in the WWAMI region is eligible to apply, provided that all costs are incurred at the Primate Center.
Review committee
The combined Research Review Committee (RRC) for the Ignition Award applications will consist of members of the WaNPRC, and the ITHS Drug and Device Advisory Committee (DDAC). Members of the committee are selected to provide interdisciplinary insight into the proposed research. The committee is composed of core and affiliate scientists. If potential conflict of interest exists, ad hoc members will be appointed.
As needed, the WaNPRC will also invite representation from the Technology Transfer Office of the applicants’ institution for guidance on innovation represented by the technology.
Note: In order to expedite the review and award of the NHP Ignition awards, the WaNPRC has instituted an accelerated review process for this announcement. There is only one review step – the fullapplication. No pre-application process is involved.
Full applications will be critiqued and scored by the RRC. It is anticipated that the projects with the lowest score/highest priority will be funded. Based on funding levels, it is anticipated that two or three projects will be funded during this 2012 review cycle.
Reviews are performed according to the following standards:
- Applicability to the WaNPRC and ITHS missions
- Scientific merit
- Proposed activities conducted on site at the WaNPRC
- Innovation
- Potential impact on human health
- Probability of future grant funding and/or clinical studies
Application form and process
Key Dates:
Feb 17, 2012 – Full application due to the WaNPRC
April 2, 2012 – Notice to awardees and other applicants
May 1, 2012 – Budget initiation
Step 1 – Submit the full application to WaNPRC by February 17, 2012 (PrimateITHS@wanpr.org).
Step 2 – Review of Applications
Reviews are performed utilizing the standards described above
Applicants will be notified of their status by April 2, 2012.
Investigators are offered assistance with their applications and budgets by WaNPRC staff, including Ann Schmidt and Pat Jobe. They can be contacted via PrimateITHS@wanprc.org
Step 3 – 2012 Awardees
Budget period is anticipated to begin May 1, 2012 and must be spent by April 30, 2013. There will not be any no-cost extensions.
All final applicants will receive a detailed critique of their application
Unsuccessful applicants may resubmit their applications for the next round up to a total of two (2) times. The RRC may deny the opportunity to resubmit an application if the reviewers determine the application does not meet the intent of the program.
Reporting requirements
Ignition Awards are an investment in translational research to improve human health. Meetings with ITHS representatives to assess the effective utilization of ITHS resources and required progress and results reporting are important aspects that aid in evaluating the success of this funding mechanism.
ITHS and WaNPRC each have specific requirements for reporting.
The ITHS requires the following reports and presentations:
- Pre-award meeting with the DDAC to establish other ITHS resources that would benefit your program.
- A brief semi-annual progress report to the ITHS Center for Scientific Review during the award period, and subsequent annual reports to track impact of the funding.
- Annual report and presentation to DDAC.
The WaNPRC requires an annual report to be included with the grant report to sponsor.
Quarterly in-person meetings with an ITHS representative may be requested to track the progress of funded activities.
Publicity
The WaNPRC and the ITHS reserve the right to publicly disclose information about their granting activities. ITHS communications to the public may include lists of funded applications, the names of principal investigators and applicant institutions and departments, titles of proposed activities and reports about progress and outcomes. Please note that records produced at the University of Washington are subject to the Washington State Public Records Act, Chapter 42.56 RCW
Contact
For more information regarding the application process, please contact:
Preclinical Research Development Network – ithsprdn@u.washington.edu
WaNPRC staff Ann Schmidt or Pat Jobe – PrimateITHS@wanprc.org