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Jumpstart Grants Program

Application deadline: February 7, 2024 by 5 p.m.

COMPLETE RFA

ATTENTION

Jumpstart grant applications that propose the initiation of a new study meeting the definition of a clinical trial (see NIH definition) are NOT eligible for the WVCTCI Jumpstart grant program. Please consider other WVCTSI funding opportunities for this type of project. Note: We recognize that in rare cases, a Jumpstart grant could be used to fund a specific or add-on part of an existing clinical trial study. Such projects may qualify for our Jumpstart grant program pending special permission from WVCTSI. Please direct any inquiries to Meg Haller, Pilot Grant Program Coordinator at mehaller@hsc.wvu.edu PRIOR to submitting your grant application. Submitted proposals qualifying as clinical trials but lacking special WVCTSI approval will NOT be considered.

Overview

Limited funds are available from the WVCTSI Jumpstart Grants Program to support small, well-defined projects which will lead to measured outcomes, such as critical preliminary data for a larger grant submission. Funds may be used to initiate a new project or to accelerate existing projects but are not intended for bridge support.

Applicants are required to meet with the Pilot Grants Program Coordinator (Meg Haller, MPA, MSW) prior to application submission.
Applications that involve human subjects are required to present at a PI Academy’s Idea Lab. Please reach out to Debbie Lee at debbie.lee@hsc.wvu.edu to set up a time and date to present.

Budget

For this funding cycle, the budget is limited to a maximum of $10,000 in total direct costs for a six (6) months.

Compliance Requirements

PIs submitting a full proposal in response to this RFA must include CITI certification for investigators conducting research or collecting outcomes with human and/or animal subjects. Documentation for these requirements should be included in the Appendix of the application. IRB/IACUC approval are not required prior to application submission deadline. For animal studies, proof of IACUC submission is required in application. Note that all WVCTSI Pilot awards require official proof of IRB/IACUC approval before project start. Therefore, no project can start, nor funds be released without proper compliance documentation.

Past Pilot Funded Principal Investigators

Any Principal Investigator submitting a full proposal that has received past WVCTSI and/or IDeA (COBRE, INBRE) pilot grant funding must include the following in their appendix:

  1. A paragraph that, in layman’s terms, clearly describes how this proposal differs from past funded projects. Please describe if this is a new project, or an extension of past funded projects.
  2. Please list all publications that resulted from past funded pilot grants as well as document any external grant submissions, and subsequent results (funded, scored, not funded). If other items demonstrate the productivity of past WVCTSI or IDeA funded pilot grants, please describe them as well.

Note: Significant prior WVCTSI, IDeA (COBRE, INBRE), and/or current NIH funding will likely result in lower priority scoring during the review process unless the new proposal is radically different from previous projects. The WVCTSI Pilot Core Program’s mission is to support the growth of investigators in order to promote high-quality research resulting in increased team science, dissemination of findings, and extramural funding success. As such, priority is given to researchers in early stages of their career and who have not yet secured other funding sources. We respect the time and effort that all applicants dedicate to their proposals, and welcome inquiry about eligibility prior to any formal submission. 

Resubmissions

Any application that has previously been submitted to WVCTSI Pilot Grants Program, but not funded is eligible for resubmission once. PIs submitting a revised proposal must respond to the previous panel review summary and will have one additional page within their application to do so.

Resubmitted applications must be received by the relevant due dates, will be evaluated in competition with other pending applications in the appropriate area to which they are assigned, and will be reviewed according to the same evaluation criteria as new applications.

Regardless of designation, applications appearing to be resubmissions are regarded as such by the program and the panel, and compete on the same basis with all other applications submitted to the WVCTSI Pilot Grants Program during that funding cycle.  

If you are planning on completing a resubmission, please contact the WVCTSI team prior to re-submitting your application.

Eligibility Information

  • Principal Investigator (PI) must hold a faculty appointment or equivalent at the time the award is announced. Appointments can be held at CAMC Institute/WVU Charleston, Marshall University, West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine, and West Virginia University.
  • For the purposes of this RFA, these are individuals who can independently apply for federal or non-federal investigator-initiated, peer-reviewed Research Project Grants (RPG). Individuals holding postdoctoral fellowships or other positions that lack independent status are not eligible to lead pilot projects.
  • Note that Marshall University faculty members must hold a full-time appointment in the School of Medicine. Other Schools and Colleges at Marshall University are NOT currently eligible for WVCTSI Pilot grants.

Restrictions

  • Pilot projects may not overlap with other ongoing WVCTSI-funded projects.
  • The Project lead for Pilot projects may not concurrently have funding from other IDeA Program award mechanisms (e.g. INBRE, COBRE).
  • Faculty named in the WVCTSI organization (i.e. program chairs and key personnel) are restricted from serving as PI on WVCTSI pilot grants, as well as prohibited from having funds directed to their labs or programs. However, such individuals may be included on pilot grants in supportive roles such as Co-Investigators, mentors, and consultants.
  • ** No clinical trials allowed for this funding mechanism **

Note: We recognize that in rare cases, a small grant could be used to fund a specific or add-on part of an existing clinical trial study. Such projects may qualify for our Jumpstart grant program pending special permission from WVCTSI. Please direct any inquiry to Meg Haller, Pilot Grant Program Coordinator at mehaller@hsc.wvu.edu.

Contact: 

Meg Haller, MPA, MSW - Pilot Grant Program Coordinator

mehaller@hsc.wvu.edu