Health Science Center-Wide Intramural Research Program (WIRP)
General Information
The HSC-Wide Intramural Grant program was established to provide funding for projects
involving investigators from multiple schools of LSU Health – New Orleans. The goals
of the project are two-fold. The first is to foster collaborative research that involves
investigator teams with primary appointments in at least two different schools of
the HSC, and the second is to assist these investigators in obtaining the data necessary
to develop projects that will ultimately be fundable by extramural agencies. Applications
will be viewed in terms of their potential for generating data that will lead to support
from National funding agencies and foundations. The duration of these projects is
for up to two years. However, the second year of funding is contingent on both the
scope of the project, submission of a report demonstrating productivity on this proposal,
and presentation of their research progress at an annual symposium.
Eligibility
All full-time faculty of LSUHSC-New Orleans are eligible to apply for this grant program.
Application Format
1. Title Page. Include title of the research project, applicant information (name, degree, academic rank, campus address, e-mail address, and telephone number), dates of requested project period, signature of applicant, signature of departmental Head, and the signature of the Deans of the respective HSC schools with dates signed. The form page can be obtained at this link (HSC- Wide title page)
2. Abstract (limited to 250 words)
3. Specific Aims (1 page). Provide a concise description of the research aims to be accomplished in this pilot project.
4. Research Strategy (limit of 6 pages). The goal of this section is to provide a detailed description of the rationale, experimental design, anticipated results and the problems and alternative approaches for the project.
- Significance (recommend 1-2 pages) The goal of this section is to present the rationale for the proposed research and to summarize the literature supporting this line of investigation
- Innovation (recommend ½ page)
- Approach (recommended 3-4 pages
- Experimental design
- Anticipated results
- Problems and alternative approaches
5. Proposed Budget. Each investigator is required to submit the budget for their portion of the study. The budgets should include personnel, equipment (if required), supplies, and other expenses (such as publication costs). Salary support will only be considered for faculty to provide release time for clinical activities, or for research faculty whose entire salary is covered by extramural grant support. Travel will only be considered as an integral part of data gathering. The total period of support cannot exceed 2 years and will not exceed $100,000 per year (for all investigators). Two-year grants will require submission of a budget for both years. No-cost extensions of up to six months will be considered on request to the chair of the review committee (currently Dr. Wayne Backes wbacke@lsuhsc.edu). No expenditure of award funds can occur past a period including the award period and the approved no-cost extension. The form page can be obtained at this link (HSC-Wide budget page).
6. Budget Justification. Separate budget justifications must accompany each budget. It is important that the budget be appropriate for the scope of the study. In addition to the scientific merit of the proposal, both the duration and amount of funding requested will be reviewable by the study section.
7. Plans for obtaining extramural support. With the goal of the program to make the project competitive for extramural funding, a plan for accomplishing this needs to be described, including the targeted agencies.
8. Current Research Support. List all current research support by agency number, title, and total direct costs awarded.
9. NIH-type biographical sketch. The form page can be obtained at this link (HSC-Wide Biosketch).
The proposal must be submitted electronically as a single pdf. The title page must have all signatures to be advanced to the review stage. This proposal should be submitted to the Grant Evaluation Committee through Ms. Helen Relyveld (hrelyv@lsuhsc.edu).
Grant Deadlines
There are two competitions per year. The deadlines are September 15th, and March 15th.
Evaluation
Upon receipt, applications will be considered by the HSC-Wide Evaluation Committee who are members of the LSU Health faculty. The criteria to be evaluated will include (1) scientific merit and significance of the proposed project; (2) qualifications and productivity of the applicants; (3) potential for securing support from National agencies; (4) appropriateness of funding for this mechanism; and (5) appropriateness of the budget. The committee will score proposals, and make recommendations to the Chancellor.
Reporting
Request for second year funding – For 2-year grants, the investigators must submit a 1-2 page progress report to release the second year of funding. The progress report must include evidence of productivity, particularly a list of grants submitted, any summary statements associated with these extramural proposals, and a list of manuscripts and abstracts published, in press, or submitted over the prior grant period. The 2nd-year funding request should be sent electronically to the administrative coordinator of the HSC-Wide Program, Ms. Helen Relyveld (hrelyv@lsuhsc.edu), clearly indicating in the subject line the program name (i.e. HSC-WIRP), the name of the PI, and that this is a request for second-year funding.
Additionally, for those individuals who received funding, there will be a symposium to present their findings to the HSC community. The first of these annual symposia will be scheduled about one year after the first funding cycle. The speakers will include both past and current grant recipients.
Final report – The principal investigators are responsible for submitting a final report within 3 months after completion of the grant. This report should include a one to two page summary of the progress made on the proposal, a list of manuscripts published during this time, and a list of the grant applications submitted and their funding status. This information should be sent electronically to the administrative coordinator of the HSC-Wide Program, Ms. Helen Relyveld (hrelyv@lsuhsc.edu), clearly indicating in the subject line the program name (i.e. HSC-WIRP), the name of the PI, and that this is a final report. It is important for documentation of the success of this program and future requests for funding that we receive any information on grants that were funded with assistance from this program – even after submission of the final report. Publications resulting, in whole or in part, from this award should appropriately acknowledge the support.
Termination
An awardee should promptly notify the program administrative coordinator (hrelyv@lsuhsc.edu) of any change in the status of either investigator as a member of the full-time academic staff. The award will terminate on the date of the change to ineligible status, unless the ineligible investigator is replaced by an investigator from that same school, and a justification for the new investigative team is provided.