Request for Research Proposals

Awards Description and Criteria:

Total research awards of up to $5 million total costs. Awards of any size will be considered as long as all criteria are met. Most proposals will be in the $200,000 to $1,000,000 range.

• Must be a joint project that the Mayo Clinic and the University of Minnesota could not perform individually
• Applications in all areas related to human health and disease are eligible
• Novel applications of recent advances in biotechnology, genomics, proteomics, and bioinformatics to significant issues in human health are strongly encouraged
• Must advance the understanding of a disease or disease process
• Must have a high expectation for success
• Must outline goals that will be completed in two years
• Expected to result in a successful NIH application (eg, PPG or large R01) from each funded joint research project within 2 years
• Addresses an issue in disease prevention, diagnosis, or therapeutics
• Leads to the development of a commercializable product (preferred)
• Preference will be given to applications in the areas of heart disease, diabetes/obesity, and neurodegenerative disease
  
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Application Process:

1. Interested faculty members should submit a proposal that describes the following information (a single application for each project produced jointly by Mayo and University faculty):
   1. Abstract.  This section should provide a summary of the project.
   2. Scientific Rationale and Plan.  This section should include a full description of the study hypothesis(es) or question(s), design, scientific background of the project, and scientific approach.
   3. Timeline.  This section should describe the goals to be completed within two years.  In addition, it should describe necessary steps and an estimated timeline until this research would be available for clinical use.
   4. NIH Submission.  This section should describe how a subsequent NIH grant application will be developed.
   5. Prior Work Summary.  This section should highlight previous work on this project, both separately and as a team.
   6. Funding sources.  This section should list any other previous, current, or pending funding for this project.
   7. Synergy.  This section should describe why the project cannot be performed individually at the Mayo Clinic or the University of Minnesota.
   8. Disease-orientation.  This section should describe how the project advances the understanding of a disease.
   9. Success.  This section should describe why the project has a high expectation for success.
   10. Commercialization Opportunities.  This section should discuss why this research is likely (or not) to result in a commercializable product.
   11. State-wide Impact.  This section should describe the potential impact of the project on the State of Minnesota.
   12. Layperson Summary.  A summary of the project that could be understood by a lay audience (not to exceed 1 page).
   13. Faculty Roles.  This section should provide faculty descriptions and roles on the project (be specific in describing which components will be performed at Mayo and which at the University).

   (Page limit for items a-m is 15 pages, single spaced, Ariel or Helvetica typeface, font size 11 or larger, fully contained in a single .DOC or .PDF file. Page limitation includes references.) Additional pages and attachments, except as noted below, will be discarded)

   14. Biographical Sketches.  This section should include a biographical sketch (NIH format; must include Current and Pending Research Support) for each investigator.
   15. Resource Inventory.  This section should provide a listing of resources at the two institutions available for the project.
   16. Budget.  This section should include a single line item budget showing direct and indirect costs, along with two separate budgets for expenditures at the Mayo Clinic and the University, each showing direct and indirect costs. Each institution should include full Facilities and Administrative (F&A) rates for their portion of the project (i.e. do not treat either institution as a subcontractor for purposes of determining indirects). Indirect calculations for equipment, patient care costs, etc. should be handled consistent with NIH policies.
   17. A cover page with following information is required:

2. A faculty member may apply for only one grant per cycle on which he/she would be the PI or co-PI. There is no limitation to the number of grants on which a faculty member would participate as an investigator.

3. A proposal may be resubmitted once. A description of the changes made from original application must be provided as part of the 15 page application.

4. Special instructions for University of Minnesota faculty: A Proposal Routing Form (PRF) is not required. However, your department may wish to approve your proposal prior to submission.

5. The deadline for receipt of complete proposals is September 25, 2009 (4 pm)

6. Applications should be sent electronically as a single pdf or doc file to both of the following:

dole0025@umn.edu
(Erica Dolesy, Academic Health Center, University of Minnesota)
        and
skaese@mayo.edu
(Scott Kaese, Department of Research Administrative Services, Mayo Clinic Rochester)

Review Process:

• Applicants will submit complete proposals by September 25, 2009.
• An internal peer review panel composed of Mayo and University researchers, appointed by the Executive Coordinating Committee, will select finalists by mid-November, 2009.
• The most scientifically promising proposals will be evaluated by the Mayo Clinic and University of Minnesota technology transfer offices for the likelihood of the proposed research to lead to the development of a commercializable product. This information will be used by an executive review panel (the Executive Coordinating Committee of the Partnership plus additional faculty experts as deemed necessary) to make funding decisions, which will also consider programmatic needs and the partnership goals.
• Awards will be announced in January, 2010 or earlier

Reporting Requirements:

Principal investigators of funded projects will be required to provide a final report and an accounting of all funds expended at the completion of the project. A progress report will be required at the end of each grant fiscal year. In addition, semi-annual “brief progress reports” focused on observations relating to the inter-institutional collaboration will be submitted by e-mail.

Additional Information:

Questions about the application process should be directed to either:

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
Advanced Genomics Technology Center
wieben.eric@mayo.edu