Mini-Sabbatical Award
BU Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI)
Mini-Sabbatical Award
Funding Period: April 1, 2017- March 31, 2018
Notice of Intent due: February 13, 2017
Application Deadline: February 28, 2017
The CTSI’s mission is to support BU’s basic researchers, patient-oriented researchers, and population-based researchers working in all areas of translational research related to the prevention, diagnosis, and management of human disease.
The CTSI aims to fund three mini-sabbaticals annually at other academic and research institutions, which are intended to encourage intellectual growth and multidisciplinary and inter-institutional collaboration.
Mentored faculty, post-doctoral scholars, project coordinators and research staff are eligible to apply. Applicants are required to identify a sponsor institution or company where they are planning to take the mini-sabbatical, which must be used to learn about a technique, method or a field different from their own and relevant to their mentored research and career development plan. The CTSI awards mini-sabbaticals up to three months, supported by $6,000. Foreign travel is not allowed on this award.
The Mini-Sabbatical Award extends through March 31, 2018. Persons interested in the support should submit a Notice of Intent by February 13, 2017. Full application deadline is February 28, 2017. NOI/Application submit here
Full Instructions on Application Submission here
Application Materials
The full application will consist of the following:
- A project plan with clear and achievable research goals and timelines (3 pages at most)
- Identification of appropriate institution or company, with a brief description of their potential contributions to the applicant’s career development.
- In the project plan, you must make cogent arguments regarding the importance of the field to be studied and the particular focus of the scholarship. Given that these are traveling mini-sabbaticals (awards), it is important to make a compelling case as to why travel of the scholarship applicant to a given site and host is necessary. Could the research and collaboration be done as effectively without the travel – e.g. electronically? What is unique about the proposed host institution, such that the research could not be done by the applicant without the visit? In funding the mini-sabbatical, will the CTSI be helping to establish a new collaboration that otherwise would not happen? Will the new collaboration arising enhance the career and research capability of the applicant (and ideally their home institution, i.e., BU).
- In the project plan, describe the applicant’s background paying specific attention to the scientific foundation that will be leveraged to bridge into translational or clinical research.
- If you are a scholar or investigator, please provide an NIH Biosketch. If staff, a C.V. is required.
- Letter of support or recommendation from mentor or supervisor at BU or BMC;
- Letter from institution to which the applicant will travel, offering to host the applicant.
- Budget: you can use the money for travel, subsistence, payment to host institution or even support of your own salary when away.
Eligibility Criteria
- Must be currently employed full time at BU/BMC
- Applicants must hold green card or be a US citizen
- Mentored faculty, post-doctoral scholars, project coordinators and research staff are eligible
Review and Selection Process
Applications that are complete and responsive to the RFA will undergo a standardized review process. They will be assigned a priority score and the Review Panel will discuss the merits of the application.
Please contact Sharon Tomlinson with questions regarding your pending submission (stomlin@bu.edu).