Call for Proposals: 2022 HSCI Cardiovascular Program Translational Pilot Grant

December 3, 2021

AWARD AMOUNT

Up to $50,000 for one year project period

 

POSTED DATE

Monday, December 6, 2021

 

DEADLINE FOR APPLICATION

 Friday, February 11, 2022

 

ANTICIPATED AWARD DATE

Friday, April 1, 2022

 

The Harvard Stem Cell Institute (HSCI) Cardiovascular (CV) Program invites applications for a pilot grant specifically for translational science to advance cardiovascular cell therapy for heart failure. The purpose of this program is to provide funding for one innovative project to bring cell therapy closer to the clinic. The HSCI CV Program intends to award one grant in response to this call for proposals.

In general, proposals that fall into the category of translational science are those which aim at:

  • Producing new therapies and/or therapeutic products (e.g. cellular products, large/small molecules, biomaterials, etc.), or
  • Discovering mechanisms or pathways to enable such therapies/therapeuticproducts, or
  • Manufacturing and testing stem cell-based therapies using studies designed to fulfill all federal regulatory requirements

Any pilot grants awarded during this cycle will be funded at up to $50,000 in total costs (including indirect costs, maximum 20% of total direct costs-basis), for the total project period of one years.  

 

Basic science proposals will not be reviewed. All proposals will be reviewed by the HSCI CV HSCI Cardiovascular Program leadership and impartial delegates. The HSCI reserves the right to not award any seed grants in this cycle.

 

Application Due Date:  Friday, February 11, 2022

Eligibility criteria

All principal investigators working in the field of cardiovascular stem cell and regenerative biology, and affiliated with Harvard, are welcome to apply.  Junior investigators are especially encouraged to apply. Investigators must meet all of the following criteria (as verified by a research/finance administrator at each investigator’s home institution):

  • Have Principal Investigator status at their home institution
  • Have independent laboratory space assigned to them in their own name (i.e. not assigned space via another investigator)
  • Have independent funding sources in their own name (i.e. start-up funds or sponsored awards)
  • Have any necessary approvals for proposed research in place no later than April 1, 2022.

Application requirements and guidelines

All proposals submitted in response to this call for proposals must contain the following components, each of which must include the enumerated elements:

1. Proposal Title & Abstract (1 pg. max.)

1.1. Proposal title, PI(s) name(s), PI(s) home institution(s)

1.2. Abstract (lay-oriented language, 2,500 characters, incl. spaces, max.)

2. Research Proposal (3pgs. max., with pages numbered)

2.1. Background/Rationale

2.2. Specific research aims

2.3. Preliminary studies (if applicable)

2.4. Anticipated research milestones

* Pages listing references do NOT count against 3 pg. limit

3. Annual Budget Pages

3.1. Total annual costs may not exceed $50,000, including indirect costs for up to two years

3.2. Indirect costs may not exceed 20% of total direct costs

3.3. Submit separate budgets which show the amount of funding called for each PI, whether PIs have different home institutions or not

* Equipment is not allowed on HSCI seed grants

* Travel may not exceed $1k

* HSCI budget template strongly encouraged (template available upon call)

4. Budget Justification (1 pg. max.)

4.1. Justify all proposed budget items at the line-item level of detail

4.2. Describe effort committed by all personnel on budget, even if no salary called

4.3. PI is required to commit effort on the project

5. PI Biosketches (4 pgs. max. per biosketch)

5.1. NIH format

5.2. List recent financial support, indicate if directly applicable to the proposed project

5.3. May include up to 10 listings of recent/relevant publications

6. Letter of Institutional Review & Approval

6.1. Must be signed by an authorized institutional representative (as determined by investigator’s home institution’s policies for research proposal submission) as confirmation that the home institution has reviewed and approved the research and budget

* For a proposal in which PIs have different home institutions, a letter from each institution is required

7. Appendices (optional)

7.1. One copy each of no more than two relevant publications may be attached to the proposal

Submission process

The 2022 HSCI CV Disease Program Pilot Grant application can be found at: https://hsci.formstack.com/forms/2022_hsci_cv_pilot

 

Applicants must complete the online application by the submission deadline.

  • Complete all required fields

  • Upload all proposal documents in PDF format

  • Proposal components should be ordered according to the order listed above

  • Proposals must be submitted by 11:59 PM Eastern Standard Time on Friday, February 11, 2022

  • You will receive an email confirmation of your submission; save this email for your records

 

Incomplete applications will not be considered.

 

Applications will be reviewed by the HSCI Cardiovascular Program and Executive Committee in late-February/early-March, and all applicants will be notified of the outcome of the review process in late-March. Successful applicants will be issued a pilot grant with a funding start date of April 1, 2022. Project period is for April 1, 2022 to March 31, 2023.

Review criteria

The goal of the HSCI CV Program is to improve human health by supporting basic, translational, or clinical work in any field of cardiovascular stem cell biology. Factors for reviewers’ consideration include: scientific quality, relevance to the HSCI Cardiovascular Program mission, career development and recruitment/retention, value for money, potential to promote collaboration within the HSCI community, and regulatory issues.

 

The HSCI Executive Committee will evaluate proposals primarily for their potential to advance these goals. However, the HSCI will also consider the potential of the proposal to secure funding from other sources as-is, and/or the potential of the proposed research, if successful, to secure follow-on funding from public, philanthropic, or commercial sources.

Inquiries

Questions about the HSCI CV Program may be addressed to Robert Perez, HSCI Grants Officer, at robert_perez@harvard.edu.

Thank you for your interest in the HSCI CV Disease Program.

2022_hsci_cardiovascular_translational_pilot_grant.pdf44 KB