AGENCY: The Medical Foundation

PROGRAM: Smith Family Awards for Excellence in Biomedical Research

OBJECTIVES: This program provides funding to launch the careers of outstanding biomedical researchers with the ultimate goal of accelerating medical discoveries. The three year award supports newly independent scientists engaged in basic biomedical research. Projects that focus on biomedical science may also be submitted from departments of physics, chemistry and engineering. Clinical research is beyond the scope of this program. In recognition of the importance of research collaboration by the scientific community, collaboration is an additional, but not required, positive ancillary factor.

ELIGIBILITY RESTRICTIONS: Only two applications per institution may be submitted. Each hospital, medical school or free standing biomedical research facility is considered a separate institution.

Applications will be accepted from investigators who have completed no more than two years of their first independent faculty appointment as of July 1, 2009. Eligible candidates will have received this appointment on or between July 1, 2007 and December 1, 2009. Applicants must be full-time faculty. They must have completed their postdoctoral training and not be receiving salary support from training funds at the time of the award. United States citizenship or residency is not required.

The Smith Family Awards for Excellence in Biomedical Research are targeted towards investigators who have held limited independent federal grants. Acceptable concomitant federal funding include an R03, R21 and K awards. Applicants are not eligible to apply if they are currently or have previously been designated as Principal Investigator on an R01, P01 or New Innovator Award. Likewise, current or prior multi-year grant support from the National Science Foundation or other federal multi-year awards of a similar dollar size of an R01 or greater would also preclude consideration for a Smith Family Award for Excellence in Biomedical Research. Non-federal grant support is acceptable as long as the combined total does not exceed $250,000 in annual direct costs each year over the three-year duration of the Smith Family Award. This figure refers to external funding only and not an applicant’s start-up package or other intramural grants.

DEADLINES:
BU Internal Deadline: July 1, 2009
Application Deadline: September 9, 2009 at 12:00pm

FUNDING INFORMATION: Up to five three-year awards will be made at a level of $100,000 per year (inclusive of 5% institutional overhead), for a total award amount of $300,000.

AGENCY CONTACT:
Gay Lockwood, Senior Program Officer
The Medical Foundation
95 Berkeley Street, Suite 208
Boston, Massachusetts 02116
Telephone: (617) 279-2240, x702
Email: glockwood@tmf.net
Web: http://www.tmfnet.org/grantmake.html

INTERNAL REVIEW PROCESS: Only two applications may be submitted from the Charles River Campus (CRC). Faculty wishing to be considered for nomination should provide the following proposal material to Associate Provost Joan Kirkendall, Office of Sponsored Programs, 25 Buick Street, Boston, MA 02215, for internal review purposes:

(1) Letter of recommendation from the appropriate Department Chair or Research Mentor, highlighting the nominee's achievements and outlining the nominee’s level of experience and independence;
(2) Description of the nominee's proposed research project (maximum length 3 pages); including the rationale for the proposed work, its potential importance, and the approach to be taken;

(3) Nominee’s biographical sketch (2 pages)

(4) Comprehensive list of all past, current and pending grants (both Federal and non-Federal) received by the nominee.

Nomination material will be collected and forwarded to the Office of the Vice President for Research for final selection. All nomination material should be received by Wednesday, July 1, 2009.

REMARKS: The complete application process for selected candidates requires online submission as well as a mailed copy of the application materials that are submitted on-line. The online version must be submitted by September 9, 2009. On or before Septemebr 14, 2009, the Foundation must receive the Application face sheet with original signatures and one printed copy of the documents that were uploaded.