CALL FOR PROPOSALS
UNSOM WOMEN’S HEALTH INITIATIVE GRANTS
Introduction:
The School of Medicine (SOM) announces the anticipated availability of funds in Fiscal Year
2016 sufficient to fund programs designed to further women’s health.
Eligibility. This solicitation is open to all SOM faculty with appointments of 0.5 or greater. Both
clinical and basic science faculty are eligible to apply. This funding opportunity offers support
for the development and implementation of programs for women’s health. Projects must be
directed specifically to women’s health. Projects that may benefit patients in general will not be
viewed as responsive. While women’s health is a broad topic, funding is available for projects
that improve access to care for women, seek to improve health outcomes for women through
clinical or laboratory investigation, or address areas of need for assessing the delivery of care for
women and girls. Projects may employ a range of approaches from basic research targeted at
translational outcomes for patients, to new models for providing clinical care to rural patients or
underserved populations. The expectation of this program is to enhance or initiate scholarly
programs that can grow and flourish under this funding mechanism and win national recognition
with extramural funding to sustain programs into the future. The use of funds for short term
efforts may not be viewed as competitive if programs are not to be continued. Investigators are
encouraged to submit one request. Multiple requests are not specifically prohibited, but funding
of multiple applications from the same PI is unlikely.
Funding. Both pilot projects and more mature investigations can be proposed for up to two years
under this funding source. Funding requests at various budget levels will be considered based on
strong programmatic need and convincing budget justifications. Requested budgets must
accurately reflect the scope of work that can be realistically undertaken in a one-year period.
Future funding will be considered on an annual basis with continuation subject to competitive
renewal that assesses progress toward the stated goals of the program. Awards are made one year
at a time and can be funded for two years based on sufficient progress in the first year. For
additional years of funding, it is the expectation of the Initiative that extramural funding will be
secured during the first two years.
Future Years. It is the intention of this solicitation to fund programs that can advance women’s
health well beyond the period of this funding mechanism. Therefore, applicants will need to
describe the pathway to be used to secure future funding of the proposed project. This should be
explicitly described in the Relevance section on form page 2 using the embedded font and
spacing (Arial 11 pt., single space).
Submission. Grant requests can be submitted in June for the Fiscal Year 2016 funding cycle and
at future dates to be announced on an annual basis. Completed applications requesting funding
must be submitted electronically (mharney@medicine.nevada.edu) no later than June 1, 2015.
Decisions on funding will be the result of peer review and will reflect closely the intended
purpose of improving women’s health together with the mission of the SOM. Funding decisions
will be available on or before June 30, 2015. Project start dates will be July 1, 2015 through
June 30, 2016. Competitive renewal applications will be due June 1, 2016. New applications
may be submitted in future years depending on the availability of funds.
Letter of Intent. Applicants are expected to submit a letter of intent describing their project to
(mharney@medicine.nevada.edu) no later than May 15, 2015. The letter should be a brief
description of the proposed project limited to one page and will be used to organize a set of
competent reviewers. Letters are required.
Instructions for Completing an Application for a UNSOM Award.
Page 2
Review. Review of grants will begin immediately following submission. Applicants will be
notified of the outcome of review but should not expect to receive detailed reviewer comments.
The final decision to submit a proposal to the Nevada Attorney General’s Office will be made by
the Dean with the input of a scientific advisory committee. The Nevada Attorney General’s
Office retains the final discretion on whether to approve funding.
Please use the forms provided. You will need Adobe Acrobat to fill in the forms electronically.
If you do not have this program, get it (SOM IT can assist you). All applications must be
submitted electronically.
1) Form Page One is self-explanatory. Provide all information requested.
a) Human subjects and or animal welfare approvals if involved must be in place before
funding can begin so you are encouraged to plan accordingly. Indicate if the status is
approved or pending.
b) In item six, list the proposed project period up to but not beyond four years. Item 10 may
be skipped if the project is proposed by a single department.
2) Form Page Two: Provide the requested information using the embedded font (Arial 11 pt.,
single space) and complete in the space provided.
a) Project Summary. Provide the project summary in general terms understandable by a
non-scientific audience. Describe the goals of the project, the methods that will be
employed and the measures that will be collected.
b) Relevance to Women’s Health. You must make the case that the proposal represents a
scholarly program with clear gender-specific benefit and that if completed the project will
represent an advance over the status quo. This section should contain the significance of
the proposed activity, how the effort will be innovative, what will be learned or
accomplished and over what period of time will the work be accomplished. The
proposed timeline and plans for continuation of funding to support the program should be
clearly described within the space provided on Page 2.
3) Form Page Three: Provide the requested information on the form provided.
a) Key Personnel. These are all of those individuals making a significant intellectual
contribution to the project whether paid or unpaid. Do not list consultants here.
b) Leadership Plan. If appropriate, list the manner in which collaborating investigators will
interact. If students, residents, postdoctoral fellows, or research faculty will be involved
in the project, their role and management must be clearly described and justified. Where
students are involved, approval of the OME will be needed and clerkship coordinators
must be consulted for input.
4) Form Page Four: Use the Table of Contents to organize your proposal.
5) Form Page Five: Prepare a detailed budget using those categories needed to fund the work.
Provide sufficient detail to support the total request. Use calendar months to determine effort
on the project. List all key personnel whether or not salary is being paid. Faculty must limit
the funds requested for their salary to no more than 10% or a maximum of $25,000. Effort
may exceed salary if clearly justified. In the case that 10% or greater effort is planned by
faculty, a letter of support from the Department Chair must accompany the application as a
scanned image appended following the References section. Other support letters from
cooperating faculty or other entities involved in the project may also be included.
UNSOM Grant Instructions
Page 3
a) On a separate page following form page 5, prepare a detailed budget justification. Use
Arial 11 pt. font and single spacing. Do not modify the font or spacing requirements.
Justify all funds requested in sufficient detail to make it clear that the requested funds are
needed to accomplish the project goals.
b) Equipment is defined as any item costing over $2,000. Non-computer equipment such as
laboratory equipment or medical devices is considered equipment if the cost is over
$2,000. Carefully justify all such items. Any computer equipment such as tablets, smart
phones, etc. are considered sensitive equipment and must be listed and justified.
6) Form Page Six: If additional years are anticipated, include form page six for additional
years. If the category of budget needs change in future years, include this detail in the budget
justification.
7) Biographical Sketch Pages: Use the Word template provided to describe principal
investigator and participating faculty accomplishments and suitability to engage in the
proposed project. (One Biographical Sketch per faculty.) Follow the instructions provided
on the form. Not to exceed two pages per individual. This Biographical Sketch is provided
as a template in Word to be completed with the PDF Grant Application package at the time
of submission.
8) Proposal Pages: In a maximum of 5 pages state the hypothesis being investigated or the
problem being addressed or the service being developed. Describe the scientific or medical
background of the problem, the proposed aims, and the evidence of feasibility. A detailed
method of approach, potential obstacles and alternative approaches and expected outcomes.
Use the headers listed below and conclude with literature cited in the proposal. Do not count
the reference list or support letters (optional) in the page limit. Use Arial 11 pt. font, single
spacing. Applications that do not follow these formatting instructions may be returned
without review.
a) Background
b) Aims/Goals of the Proposal
c) Feasibility
d) Methods or Approach
e) Expected Outcomes
f) Timeline to Achieve the Proposed Goals
g) Plans for Continuation of the Program
h) References Cited (use Nature Medicine reference style format) Example1
i) Support Letters (if needed)(no length requirement)
Reference List
1.
Schwenk, T.L., Davis, L. & Wimsatt, L.A. Depression, stigma, and suicidal ideation in
medical students. JAMA 304, 1181-1190 (2010).