Seed Grants

The letter of intent submission deadline has passed and is now closed (May 22, 2023).

There are two award mechanisms to be supported, one for graduate students/trainees/fellows and one for faculty:

MIDB Graduate Student and Postdoctoral Fellow Research Awards

Up to 5 awards; awards can be proposed for any amount up to 20k ($100k total to be awarded)

These awards are intended to encourage trainees’ research by providing support to graduate students or fellows who are pursuing training in child development, psychology, neuroscience, cell biology or a related discipline. Human as well as preclinical studies are encouraged. These awards are also intended to support post-PhD /MD trainees. The proposed work must be consistent with the mission of the MIDB and preferably conducted at the MIDB*. Cross-departmental collaborative work is highly encouraged, and applicants must indicate who is advising/mentoring their work.

Applications Now Closed:

A. Please submit the following by May 15, 2023:

Letter of intent with your name, your home department, the tentative title of your project, and which MIDB hubs will be utilized to facilitate the research.
To request hub services, you must complete the MIDB Request for Service form at the time that you submit your letter of intent.

If your LOI is deemed to align with the MIDB mission, the MIDB service hub(s) you requested will provide you with a high-level estimate of hub-related expenses that you should include inyour proposal budget.

The letter of intent allows us to gauge how many applications we will receive as well as which service hubs will be engaged. A budget estimate for hub services will be provided to you prior to the June 30 deadline.

B. Please submit the following by June 30, 2023 as an integrated pdf document:

Research proposal (limited to 3 single-spaced pages; 0.5 inch margins; Times New Roman font); include your study aims, background, methods, and data analytic plan.
Which MIDB hubs will be utilized to facilitate the research? Use of MIDB hub services is strongly encouraged. (1⁄2 page)
Applications should provide a statement of how the work fits the mission of the MIDB (1⁄2 page) and confirm whether the study will take place at MIDB.
Updated CV
Current transcript if you are a graduate student (this can be an unofficial transcript)
Letter of endorsement from proposed mentor(s)-1 page.
Detailed budget and budget justification with timeline
Please include information regarding the project’s IRB/IACUC status.

Note that budgets cannot include funds for graduate student support/stipends or for faculty salaries. Applicants may propose a one-year or a two-year research plan. Within your budget justification, please indicate the support, if any, that you will need from MIDB (e.g., technician time; scanning hours; EEG facility).

MIDB Interdisciplinary Faculty Research Awards

Proposals may request up to $100k in support to fund two years of work; up to $400k will be allocated

MIDB Faculty Research grants are intended to encourage exploratory/developmental research by providing support for early stages of project development that could lead to subsequent externally funded projects (e.g., NIH R21 or R01 grants). Proposals can involve preclinical or human research but should have direct application to the mission of the MIDB. Faculty from all ranks are eligible to apply. Budgets of up to $50,000 per year for 2 years ($100k total) will be considered. You must have a position that is in a faculty track to apply for this award. Projects must be interdisciplinary, involving faculty or personnel from at least two departmental units and must utilize the services of at least two MIDB research hubs.

Applications Now Closed:

A. Please submit the following by May 15, 2023:

Letter of intent with your name, your home department, the tentative title of your project, and which MIDB hubs will be utilized to facilitate the research.
To request hub services, you must complete the MIDB Request for Service form at the time that you submit your letter of intent.

If your LOI is deemed to align with the MIDB mission, the MIDB service hub(s) you requested will provide you with a high-level estimate of hub-related expenses that you should include in your proposal budget. The letter of intent allows us to gauge how many applications we will receive as well as which service hubs will be engaged. A budget estimate for hub services will be provided to you prior to the June 30 deadline.

B. Please submit the following by June 30, 2023 as an integrated pdf document:

Research proposal (limited to 3 single-spaced pages; 0.5 inch margins; Times New Roman font); within the proposal, include a detailed description of the project (aims, background, methods, data analytic plan).
Which MIDB hubs will be utilized to facilitate the research? Use of MIDB hub services is strongly encouraged. Descriptions of these services can be found on the MIDB web page under the “Research” tab (1⁄2 page).
Applications should provide a statement of how the work fits the mission of the MIDB (1⁄2 page) and confirm whether the study will take place at MIDB.
NIH-formatted biosketch for each faculty member involved in the proposal; clearly indicate the affiliations of each faculty collaborator.
Detailed budget and budget justification with timeline.
For all participating faculty, please list sources of non-sponsored funding available for your use and current balances.
Please include information regarding the project’s IRB/IACUC status.

Note that budgets cannot include funds for graduate student support/stipends or for faculty salaries. Applicants may propose a one-year or a two-year research plan. Within your budget justification, please indicate the support that you will need, if any, from MIDB and which MIDB services will be utilized.

Provisions for both award types:

Must propose interdisciplinary work (cutting across at least two hubs of the MIDB)
*Priority will be given to work that will be conducted at the MIDB unless it is impossible to use the facility for data collection (e.g., a hospitalized sample is being studied; the work is preclinical bench work; a sample is being assessed in a community setting).
The project must be registered with the MIDB.
Human clinical, cognitive or affective scientific studies are encouraged as are preclinical studies that contribute to our understanding of the developing organism. Work that has clinical implications or that includes community partners is especially encouraged.
Two year awards will be allocated unless the budget stipulates a one-year plan; a one year no-cost extension will be available; you must provide a detailed budget for each year of support.
The proposed work must involve an interdisciplinary collaboration across two participating departments (faculty collaborators; graduate student or postdoc mentors).
The proposed work must fit the overall mission of the MIDB.
Funds cannot be used to support investigator/graduate student salaries/stipends or summer salaries. Funds may be used to support laboratory personnel. Faculty must include a list of non-sponsored funds available for their use and whether these funds will be used to support the proposed work. Cost-sharing is encouraged.
Note that the services of the MIDB hubs are provided at cost to investigators (e.g., technician time; MRI scanning hours). A budget for these services, if utilized, should be part of your proposal and you must indicate as part of your submitted letter of intent that you have started to plan for this component of this work. If you have questions about this aspect of your budget, please contact the relevant hub leads for further information. Please do not wait until the last minute to seek guidance regarding hub services or associated costs. We cannot guarantee that we will be able to accommodate your request.
Applicants must be active members of the MIDB. Information about MIDB membership can be found on the MIDB website (under the “About”) tab.
Funds will not be allocated until IRB/IACUC approval is obtained.
We anticipate that awards will be allocated in the late summer with start dates to begin around September 1, 2023.
To submit your application, please email all requested components to this address: [email protected] Please include a subject heading of “MIDB seed grant application attached”.

Questions?

Contact Brie Katterjohn, MIDB Research Administrative Associate at [email protected]