The Harvard Stem Cell Institute (HSCI) invites applications for Pilot Grant funding for 2015 under the NIH-funded P01 grant “Dissecting the establishment and regulation of human pluripotency” (PI Alexander Meissner, Harvard Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology). The purpose of this funding program is to provide resources for labs with a focus on computational biology. These pilot grants are intended to increase our understanding of the basic biology of human pluripotent cells and their utility for translational applications.
HSCI may fund up to 2 pilot grants in this round. Each project will be funded at a maximum of $50,000 in direct costs per year, and the indirect costs allowed for Federal research projects (as demonstrated in your institution’s current negotiated Federal rate agreement) for a period of 1 year. Year 2 funds may be awarded to projects that have made clear progress at the end of the first year and would benefit from the extension to complete the proof of concept.
The number of grants awarded will depend on the number and quality of proposals submitted and the funding available. HSCI reserves the right not to fund any project. The decision on the appropriate level of funding for the project will be made by the review committee and will be based on availability of other funding sources.
It is understood that any tool or reagent generated as part of this Pilot Grant program will be available for sharing with the wider HSCI community.
Grant recipient will be invited to join the interlab meetings of the other program PIs (Eggan, Meissner, Gnirke, and Rinn).
Pilot grants are targeted to members of the Harvard and Broad community with PI rights. Only individuals with PI status in their home institutions, independent laboratory space assigned to them, and prior independent funding sources in their name (such as start-up funds or sponsored awards), as verified by a home institution research/finance administrator, are eligible to apply for a 2015 Pilot Grant.
Priority will be given to excellent projects from PIs not currently funded by the HSCI.
Bauer Building, Administrative Suite, 7 Divinity Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02138 T 617.496.4050 F 617.496.6625 www.hsci.harvard.edu
Application Process
1. Project Title
2. PI and institution name
- Brief statement summarizing the key points of the proposal
- Specific Aims
- Benefits of interaction with the P01
- HSCI budget template (recommended)
- Total direct costs may not exceed $50,000, plus indirect costs.
- Include up to 5 recent/relevant publications
- Highlight support relevant to the proposed project
- No page limit
- Authorized institutional signature (as determined by applicant’s home institution policies for research proposal submission—usually a central grants office official) as confirmation that the host institution approves the proposed scope and budget; upload PDF with signature.
- Letters of recommendation are not needed
- Papers in press can be included in the references and submitted with the application
Submission process
Please send your application by email to robert_perez@harvard.edu no later than 11:59 PM Eastern Standard Time on Tuesday, Nov 2, 2015. Incomplete and/or late applications will not be considered.
Members of the HSCI scientific community will independently evaluate the proposals primarily for their potential to advance the program and general understanding of human pluripotency.
Programmatic questions regarding the Pilot Grants may be addressed to Alex Meissner, PI, alexander_meissner@harvard.edu
Administrative questions on the Translational Program Pilot Grants may be addressed to Robert Perez, Grant Programs Assistant, at (617) 496-5295 or robert_perez@harvard.edu.