Request for Proposals: Faculty Recruitments by the Partnership

Background

The Minnesota Partnership for Biotechnology and Medical Genomics has invested in research projects, research infrastructure, and new research facilities. The Partnership also wishes to invest in our most important asset – our faculty. Therefore, in 2007 the Partnership will again make funds available for start-up packages for new faculty recruits to the two institutions.

Principles for Recruiting Faculty for the Partnership  

• Recruitments will build on existing partnership strengths (either adds to an area of competitive advantage or fills a gap to yield competitive advantage)
• Recruitments should have strategic fit with existing or planned future partnership research and infrastructure projects
• Preference will be given to proposals that seek to hire established investigators with national and international recognition for achievement in their field
• Preference will be given to proposals that seek to hire investigators who emphasize innovation and translation of their work
• New faculty should be hired into permanent-track positions
• Preference will be given to proposals that provide for symmetry of new faculty hires (employment home at Mayo or University) by splitting an even number of hires between the institutions.¹ However, all proposals must be of value to both institutions by recruiting faculty whose expertise would be valued by other researchers at both institutions
• Funds may be used in support of all aspects of faculty recruitment, as specified in the submitted recruitment plan. There will be no recurring support from the Partnership except as obtained through other RFAs. Long-term (tenure/salary) obligations will be the responsibility of the institution doing the hiring.
• New recruits will be hired by one of the two partner institutions according to the usual employment rules of that institution. However, these new hires will be expected to seek collaborations with their counterpart(s) at the partner institution.
• Searches would be expected to be substantially completed within one year of authorization. If unsuccessful, the funds would be unobligated and used for a different proposal.

Process  

Proposals should be developed in consultation with faculty and administrative leadership from both institutions. Submissions should be developed by department heads (at the University of Minnesota) and by designees of the Director for Research (at Mayo Clinic—proposals for new positions at Mayo will require advance approval from the Director for Research).

• The proposal should contain the following elements ( no more than 3 pages; single spaced, Ariel or Helvetica typeface, font size 11 or larger, contained in one .DOC or .PDF file. )
  • Nature of the proposed hires (area of expertise, seniority, allocation between the two institutions)
  • Justification for these hires (how does proposal address the above first two principles?)
  • Budget (a high level outline) – it is anticipated that most packages will be developed in multiples of $ 1 million, with the total proposal budget between $ 2-4 million
  • Recruiting strategy (method, possible candidates, timeline, etc.)

 

• The deadline for receipt of proposals is June 1 2007 (4 pm)

• Applicants are encouraged to consult with either of the Partnership directors for questions:

Mark S. Paller, MD, MS
Assistant Vice President for Research
University of Minnesota Academic Health Center
palle001@umn.edu

       or

Eric D. Wieben, PhD
Director
Mayo Genomics Research Center
wieben.eric@mayo.edu

• Applications should be sent electronically to both of the following:

troc0021@umn.edu
(Jen Trochinski, Academic Health Center, University of Minnesota) 

        and

skaese@mayo.edu
(Scott Kaese, Department of Research Administrative Services, Mayo Clinic Rochester)

Review Process  

• A committee composed of the executive steering committee plus one or more AHC college deans and the Director for Research at Mayo Clinic will select which proposal(s) to fund
• Each institution will use its own search procedures, with the following additions:
  • One or more faculty members from the partner institution will be a member of the search committee
  • For multiple hires, coordination of the two search committees will occur (eg., a single advertisement will be placed in prestigious journal

¹ Example: There is sufficient need for clinician-investigators expert in utilizing proteomics that two would be hired, one at each institution. Example: There is an overall need for bioinformaticists. A data base designer would be hired at one institution, while a data mining expert would be hired at the other. Example: To develop new drugs for disease X, a structural biologist would be hired at one institution, while a medicinal chemist would be hired at the other.