RFA - Boston University Integrated Biomedical Pilot Grant Program - 2012
Boston University Integrated Biomedical Pilot Grants Program
Request for Applications
Deadlines
ONLINE APPLICATION SUBMISSION: Deadline Sunday, April 15, 2012, 12 midnight
Purpose of this RFA
To fund innovative research at Boston University, integrating the application and review process of a
number pilot grant programs at Boston University:
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BU Clinical and Translational Science Institute (BU CTSI)
Department of Medicine
-- including Obesity (co-funding with Boston Nutrition Obesity Research Center
Center for Nanoscience and Nanobiotechnology
Department of Biomedical Engineering - Coulter Translational Partnership
High-Throughput Screening Core
Research objectives of the participating programs
The participating programs focus on diverse although overlapping areas of research and have different
eligibility requirements. Projects relevant to more than one category may be co-funded by more than one
funding source.
BU CTSI:
These pilot grants are focused on translational research that may fall into one of four possible
categories:
 T1 - From Basic Science to Health Application
 T2 - From Health Application to Evidence-based Guideline
 T3 - From Evidence-based Guideline to Health Practice
 T4 - From Health Practice to Health Impact in the Population.
Department of Medicine (DOM):
The purpose of these pilot grants is to foster collaborative, novel and creative research in the DOM.
Investigators are encouraged to explore new, currently unfunded, avenues of research with the goal of
acquiring sufficient new information to successfully apply for extramural grant support within one year.
This includes basic, translational, clinical, and educational projects that serve as the basis of an RO1 or
equivalent submission.
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RFA - Boston University Integrated Biomedical Pilot Grant Program - 2012
Center for Nanoscience and Nanobiotechnology (CNN):
These grants, which will be co-funded by CNN and BU CTSI, will support pilot projects that
apply advances in nanotechnology materials and platforms to the diagnosis, prevention, or treatment of
disease. The specific focus of this year’s pilot grant will be using nanotechnology for targeted drug
delivery.
Department of Biomedical Engineering - Coulter Translational Partnership
These grants, which will be co-funded by the Coulter Translational Partnership and BU CTSI, will
support pilot projects that involve translational research collaborations between biomedical engineers and
clinicians in order to accelerate the successful translation of appropriate innovations to improve patient
care.
High-Throughput Screening Core (HTS)
These awards (co-funded by BU CTSI) are intended to help the applicant build a high-throughput
assay, by providing assay development consultation, equipment, training, and pilot screening. Once an
assay has been developed it can then be used to screen large compound libraries for potential new drug
targets, diagnostic agents, and/or research tools. The Screening Core enables standard target-based
screening techniques (such as enzymatic assays, radiometric or spectrometric binding assays, and
receptor-coupled assays) but also functional screening of cell-based assays that measures cellular
endpoints (such as secreted proteins, fat content, metabolic markers). Please note that all screens will be
designed, optimized, and executed by the researcher in collaboration with the Screening Core staff. For
more information about the HTS core please go to: http://www.bu.edu/cores/cores/high-throughputscreening-core-2/ .
Eligibility
Applicants must have a full-time faculty appointment at Boston University. For the DOM awards,
applicants must have a full-time faculty appointment in the Department of Medicine.
Funding available
Direct costs may be requested as follows:
 Pilot grants not involving human subject recruitment or data collection: Up to $15,000
 Pilot grants involving human subjects: Up to $25,000
 Pilot grant involving nanotechnology for targeted drug delivery (co-funded by Center for
Nanoscience and Nanobiotechnology and BU CTSI): Up to $25,000
 High-Throughput Screening Core pilot projects: These awards involve the provision of services
and resources of the BU’s High-Throughput Screening Core, as described above, to help the
applicant develop a high-throughput screening assay. (No direct funding is provided to the
investigator, so no budget is required if applying for this category only.)
The level of funding awarded to successful applicants, and the source(s) of funding, will be determined
after review of the budget request and budget justification.
Funds may be used for any purpose other than faculty salary support. Typical expenses include laboratory
supplies, small equipment, patient costs, consultants, or support for pre/postdoctoral students, technicians,
or research assistants. Awards are not transferable to any other institution.
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RFA - Boston University Integrated Biomedical Pilot Grant Program - 2012
The award period will begin in approximately June 2012 and be of approximately 1 year duration,
depending on the funding source(s) of a given award. (No CTSI funding can be awarded until all relevant
FINAL approvals such as IRB, IUCAC, and IBC are obtained.)
Review criteria
Applications will be reviewed and ranked for funding priority by a research review committee. Some
review criteria are shared by all of the award categories. These include:
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Significance of the work in terms of potential health impact
Scientific rigor and novelty of the proposed approach
Likelihood that the project will lead to subsequent external funding and/or commercial
development
Qualification of the research team
Need for the funding
Although it is not required that applicants be junior investigators, the review process will take
career development into consideration.
Other review criteria are specific to award categories, as follows.
BU CTSI:
 Projects with a multidisciplinary research team (generally involving key personnel in more than
one division or department or school within BU) will be assigned higher priority.
 For projects in the T1 category, those closer to translation to an impact on disease prevention,
diagnosis, and management will be assigned higher priority, whereas projects that are more remote
from clinical translation will be ranked with lower priority.
 Projects with a well-defined role for a community-based partner will receive special consideration.
Department of Medicine:
 The program does NOT serve to provide bridge funding, to extend an existing grant, or to fund a
project that will not lead to an RO1 or equivalent submission.
 Special consideration will be given to
applications on diseases disproportionately affecting the unique populations served by the
BMC DOM
collaborative translational proposals
proposals that foster new inter-sectional collaborations
proposals in preparation for a Program Project.
(Proposals to obtain preliminary data in support of a PPG or multi-disciplinary translational project could
consist of up to four requests from single individuals each with the same title but a unique sub-title. They
should all include the same short introductory paragraph explaining the overall goal of the PPG or
translational project. Each component will be assessed individually and as a part of the whole and could
be approved for funding as a separate entity or as part of the group.)
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RFA - Boston University Integrated Biomedical Pilot Grant Program - 2012
Boston Nutrition Obesity Research Center (BNORC)
Applicants must belong to one of the following categories:
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New scientist without previous or current NIH research grants (R01 or P01) or equivalent
support. Recipients of T32, F32, K01, K08, K23, KL2, K99 or R03 funding are eligible for this
category.
Established investigators not currently working in the area of nutrition or obesity who propose to
study a problem in these areas.
Established investigators in nutrition or obesity who propose an innovative project that is a
substantial departure from previous areas of study.
Application review criteria include (1) scientific excellence and importance, (2) innovation, (3) relevance
to the programmatic goals of BNORC, (4) eligibility category of applicant (from list above), (5)
applicant’s productivity and promise, and (6) likelihood that the project will lead directly to additional
outside funding (e.g. from NIH or NSF).
Center for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology (CNN):
 The project must apply advances in nanotechnology materials and platforms to targeted drug
delivery.
 Special consideration will be given to projects that are multi-disciplinary collaborations between
CNN and Medical Campus investigators.
Department of Biomedical Engineering - Coulter Translational Partnership
 Priority will be given to projects that represent partnerships between a primary or secondary
faculty of the department of Biomedical Engineering and a clinician from BUMC.
 The objectives of the project should be to advance an area of translational research that has
promise to address an unmet clinical need in the prevention, diagnosis, or treatment of disease.
 Evaluations are made on the basis of scientific merit, potential healthcare impact and significance,
experience of the investigators, and the potential for future commercialization or obtaining further
support to bring the technology to fruition.
 Futher information on the Coulter Translational Partnership can be found at
www.bu.edu/bme/coulter .
High-Throughput Screening Core
 Proposed projects must seek to discover compounds with potential use as research tools,
diagnostic agents, and/or drug development.
 Novelty and commercial potential will be review factors.
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RFA - Boston University Integrated Biomedical Pilot Grant Program - 2012
Submitting an application
To submit an application, use the application form that is included as the last 5 pages of this RFA. On
the application form, please make sure to check the award category(ies) for which you wish to be
considered. You may check as many categories as are relevant to you application.
After completing and saving your application on your own computer as a single PDF file including ALL
application components (see below), go to http://wwwapp.bumc.bu.edu/medfunding/pilot/pilot.aspx and
follow instructions to upload your application to the online submission site. Submissions uploaded after
the submission deadline (Midnight, Sunday, April 15, 2012) will not be considered.
The scientific plan portion of the application cannot be more than 3 pages long, plus one additional page
with a timeline and one page (maximum) of literature citations. The format of the scientific plan should
be:
 Specific aims
 Background and significance, including discussion of translational significance
 Preliminary studies (if applicable)
 Research methods, including timeline
 Intellectual property considerations (if applicable)
 Commercial potential (if applicable)
 Plans for future grant submissions or commercial development
In addition to the scientific plan, the application form must include:
 All form pages THOROUGHLY completed including PI eraCommons name; information on PI’s
school / department / section; BU unit and department numbers; administrative contact (i.e. name
of the administrator that will oversee expenditure of awarded funds); signatures (electronic
acceptable) of PI and PI’s section chief; completed and signed project-specific conflict of interest
form.
 If human subjects are involved, the application must include documentation that the project has
been submitted to the BUMC and/or BU IRB by the application deadline. (Projects that have not
been submitted to the IRB will not be accepted for review.)
 If animal research is involved, the application must include documentation that the project has
been submitted to the IUCAC be the application deadline. (Projects that have not been submitted
to the IUCAC will not be accepted for review.)
 If laboratory research is involved, the application must documentation that Institutional Biosafety
Committee (IBC) approval has been obtained or applied for if required by BU regulations for the
project to proceed.
Progress reports
By accepting these funds, the applicant agrees to submit a brief progress report to the funding program
mid-way though the grant period. The applicant also agrees to submit a report after the end of the grant
indicating key results and any publications, grant applications, and grants that resulted from the project.
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RFA - Boston University Integrated Biomedical Pilot Grant Program - 2012
Where to send inquiries
We encourage inquiries concerning this RFA and welcome the opportunity to answer questions from
potential applicants. Direct your questions to:
BU CTSI:
George T. O’Connor, MD, MS goconnor@bu.edu 617-638-4470
DOM and Obesity:
Maria LoSurdo Maria.LoSurdo@bmc.org 617-638-6957
Center for Nanoscience and Nanobiotechnology:
Mario Cabodi, PhD cabodi@bu.edu 617-358-1793
Department of Biomedical Engineering - Coulter Translational Partnership:
Alessadra Pavesio (apavesio@bu.edu) 617-358-6925
High-Throughput Screening Core
Tom Grammatopolous, Ph.D. tomg@bu.edu 617-414-2965
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Application Form
Boston University Integrated Biomedical Pilot Grant Program – 2012
Please submit entire application as single pdf file, either by completing electronically and converting to pdf
format OR by printing, completing, and scanning into a pdf file. The completed application must be
submitted as a single pdf file at http://wwwapp.bumc.bu.edu/medfunding/pilot/pilot.aspx
Deadline: Submissions uploaded after the submission deadline (Midnight, Sunday, April 15, 2012) will not be
considered.
1. Application categories
Principal investigator name and degrees:
Project title:
Which grant programs are you applying for (check as many as are applicable)?
BU CTSI
Department of Medicine
Boston Obesity Nutrition Research Center
Center for Nanotechnology and Nanobiotechnology
Department of Biomedical Engineering - Coulter Translational Partnership
Awards supporting early high-throughput compound screening
Which review panel would be most appropriate for reviewing your application (check one)?
Basic research, animal models, early translational research
Clinical, epidemiologic, and health services research; translational human clinical studies
Has an application for extramural funding has been previously submitted for this topic?
No
Yes  if yes, please specify:
Funding agency:
Please check if already reviewed:
If reviewed, please attach review to the application form.
Have you previously received a BU pilot grant?
No
Yes  if yes, please provide details:
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Application Form
Boston University Integrated Biomedical Pilot Grant Program – 2012
2. Proposal summary
Principal investigator information
Principal Investigator (Last name, first name, MI):
Academic Appointment:
Institution affiliation (check one):
BU/CRC
BUSM
BUSPH
BUSDM
BMC
School / Department / Division or Section:
Funds Center #:
Area of research expertise:
PI Phone Number:
PI Fax:
PI email:
PI eRA commons user name:
Financial Administrator:
Administrator phone number:
Administrator email:
(Note: Pilot award funding will be administrated by the awardee’s administrator. This contact information
should be for the person who will be responsible for financial administration of the award.)
Project Information
Project title:
Effective dates of project (MM/DD): From
to
[To be determined - Please leave dates blank]
Key Personnel in Addition to PI (name/degrees/school/ dept/ division or section:
Please indicate which of the following this project will require:
Yes No
a.
Use of human subjects
If yes, provide date / protocol # of IRB approval:
b.
Use of animals
If yes, provide the date / protocol # of IUCAC approval:
c.
Use of radioisotopes
If yes, provide date / protocol # of approval:
d.
Use of recombinant DNA If yes, provide the date / protocol # of IBC approval:
e.
IBC approval
If yes, provide date / protocol # of approval:
f.
Select agents?
If yes, what NBL level?
g.
page.
Human subjects certificate training If yes, list each name and current certification date on separate
h.
Use of GCRU
For items a-h, please attach documentation and certificates.
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Application Form
Boston University Integrated Biomedical Pilot Grant Program – 2012
2. Proposal summary (continued)
Budget for Proposed Year
Budget:
Salaries and Wages
Fringe Benefits
Consultants
Consumables
Travel
Equipment
Total Direct Costs:
NO INDIRECT COSTS ARE AWARDED.
Conflict of interest forms
A completed and signed Boston University Project-Specific Conflict of Interest Form (download at
http://www.bu.edu/orc/files/2010/06/PSD.pdf) for each investigator should be attached to the end of this
application form.
Certification
PI/Sponsor Certification: I certify that: (1) in conducting the proposed program, I am familiar with and will
adhere to applicable Boston University/Boston Medical Center and NIH policies including, but not limited to,
human and animal research, conflict of interest, misconduct in research, and patents and technology transfer
(http://www.bu.edu/research/policies/rreach.html); (2) the information submitted within the application is true,
complete, and accurate to the best of the my (the PI's) knowledge; (3) any false, fictitious, or fraudulent statements
or claims may subject me (as the PI) to criminal, civil, or administrative penalties; (4) I (as the PI) agree to accept
responsibility for the scientific conduct of the project and to provide the required progress reports if a pilot grant is
awarded as a result of the application; (5) I (the PI) accept payment for any and all over-expenditures should they
occur as a result of this award; and (6) I will abide, as applicable, by the Federal clinical trials ClinicalTrials.gov:
http://clinicaltrials.gov/) and NIH Public Access (http://publicaccess.nih.gov) regulations.
PI Signature
Date
Dept. Assurance: Faculty status, space/facilities, personnel/efforts/salaries/wages, budgets, and assurances have
been reviewed and approved.
Chief of Service Signature
Date
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Application Form
Boston University Integrated Biomedical Pilot Grant Program – 2012
3. Detailed Budget
Principle Investigator:
Grant Project Title:
Budget Start/End Date:
Personnel Budget (Note: PI and co-investigator salary may not be requested)
Name
Role
Annual
Salary
%
Effort
Project
Period
(months)
Salary
Fringe
Benefits
Total
Totals
Please specify here the applicable fringe benefit rate for each listed personnel:
Consumables and Other
Category
Detail/Comments/Justification
Amount
Consultants
Consumables/Other
Expenses
Travel
Equipment
Total Consumables and Other:
Total Costs Requested For This Project:
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Application Form
Boston University Integrated Biomedical Pilot Grant Program – 2012
4. Other Support for PI and Co-investigators in NIH Format
Please provide “other support” information for all investigators
Format
NAME OF INDIVIDUAL
ACTIVE/PENDING
Project Number (Principal Investigator)
Source
Title of Project (or Subproject)
The major goals of this project are…
OVERLAP (summarized for each individual)
Dates of Approved/Proposed Project
Annual Direct Costs
Person Months
(Cal/Academic/Summer)
5. NIH-format biosketches for all key personnel
6. Scientific Plan:
The scientific plan portion of the application cannot be more than 3 pages long, plus one additional page
(maximum) of literature citations. The format of the scientific plan should be:
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Specific aims
Background and significance, including discussion of translational significance
Preliminary studies (if applicable)
Research methods, including timeline
Intellectual property considerations (if applicable – required for Ignition Award applications)
Commercial potential (if applicable – required for Ignition Award applications)
Plans for future grant submissions or commercial development
Literature citations
7. Project-specific conflict of interest forms for all investigators
This form may be obtained at http://www.bu.edu/orc/files/2010/06/PSD.pdf.
8. Documentation of relevant approvals (or submitted status) by IRB, IACUC, and IBC, as appropriate. Project
must be submitted to or approved by appropriate committees at the time of application. Please provide tracking
number (e.g. IRB # H-11111, IACUC # AN-11111, or IBC # 11-111). Proposals for which relevant IRB or
IACUC applications have not already been submitted will not be accepted.
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