RFA Guidelines for PHRF

PURPOSE 

The grant program from the Pitt Hopkins Research Foundation (PHRF) is focused on research to better understand, and find treatments for, Pitt Hopkins Syndrome.  The goal of this program is to support basic and applied research with the most promise in advancing our cause as rapidly as possible.  We hope the grants we support will provide the basis for additional grants to government and other funding agencies.

These one-time awards are not meant to be the sole support for a research project, but are instead envisioned to enable findings from current projects to be capitalized on, allow for exploratory experiments, or provide funding for reagents necessary to move research forward.

ELIGIBILITY

Institutions receiving grants must be recognized as nonprofit. Individuals should have training and experience at least equal to the Ph.D. or M.D. level. Awardees are required to pursue their research training on a full-time basis, normally defined as 40 hours per week, or as specified by the sponsoring institution in accordance with its own policies. 

DURATION OF SUPPORT and ALLOWABLE COSTS 

The awards are for one year.  An official financial report and progress report are required within one year of the award activation date.

There is no predetermined amount of award and we expect researchers to request what they need to perform the work.  However no award will exceed $75,000.  Should the project require more funding to be successful, higher amounts will be considered, but will need prior approval before submission. Applicants are encouraged to contact Audrey Davidow at Audrey.davidow@gmail.com if they have questions on the suitability or budget of their application.

Potential allowable costs include:

Reagents and Services – meant to cover cost prohibitive reagents that could move a project forward, but are not covered under current research support.  These may include but are not limited to: gene chips, chemical libraries, acquisition of cell lines, acquisition of mouse lines

Services – meant to cover cost prohibitive services that could move a project forward, but are not covered under current research support.  These may include, but are not limited to: deep sequencing, proteomics, metabolomics, mass spectrometry, antibody production

Equipment – PHRF will consider the purchase of specialized pieces of equipment or software purchases for specific projects.

Costs that are not allowable:

Fringe Benefits

Indirect Costs

General office supplies/equipment

Bridging funds to cover gaps in grant funding

APPLICATION and SUBMISSION INFORMATION

1.  Write the Research Plan.

Applicants should prepare a Research Plan that emphasizes methods and utilizes the following outline format:

a. Face Page – Please include:

• • Title of the grant proposal
  • Principle Investigator, degree, title and contact information
  • Any Co-Investigators and their information as in b.
  • Institution and Department
  • Total amount requested
  • Institutional Contact address and e-mailSpecific Aims – include research questions and/or hypotheses.

b. Background and Significance – provide rationale for the research with emphasis on what is needed and why this grant, if funded, would move the field forward.

c. Preliminary Studies – describe any preliminary data you have gathered which bears on the specific research question(s).
(Sections A through C may not exceed 2 pages)

d. Research Design and Methods (3-page maximum):

• • Study design
  • Analysis Plan
  • Expected Results
  • Limitations and Alternative Approaches

2.  Provide a Lay Summary paragraph of your research objectives and the potential your work has to help those with Pitt Hopkins Syndrome. (1 page maximum)

Please note that the lay summary is an important part of the application and will be considered when deciding on funding decisions.  The lay summary will be posted on our website if your proposal is funded.

 

3.  Provide a budget with expenses clearly outlined.  An NIH format budget page is sufficient as format for this section. (1 page maximum)   

• Attach your NIH format Biosketch and the Biosketch of any collaborative personnel for the project.
• Provide a timeline for the year broken down by month.

Additional Formatting Requirements:

• proposal body in Arial or Times New Roman size 11 point font
• margins no less than 0.5 inches
• include a header on each page indicating fellow name (last name, first initial), mentor (last name, first initial) name and page number. For example: Smith, J; Smythe K, pg.1
• Figure and figure legends must be included within the 5 page limit for items A-D.
• Figure legends can be in 10 point Arial or Times New Roman font.

Prepare the budget and justification:

A one page budget with justification is required

HUMAN and ANIMAL SUBJECTS 

Human subjects studied in the course of research conducted under a research award are under no circumstances a responsibility of PHRF. PHRF requires recipients to demonstrate Institutional Review Board approval of the research project prior to dispersal of award funds.  If IRB approval cannot be obtained within six months of the award, the award may be rescinded by the board of directors.

If animals are used in the proposed study, written certification must be provided to PHRF indicating that proper treatment, care, and humane conditions will be provided. PHRF requires recipients to demonstrate Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee approval of the research project prior to dispersal of award funds.

PHRF GRANT REVIEW PROCESS 

Applications submitted to PHRF will undergo peer review by our Scientific Advisory Board.  All reviewer conflicts of interest must be revealed prior to the panel review meeting. Conflicts of interest include, but are not limited to, employment at the same sponsoring institution and collaboration on recent or current research projects. All discussions of scientific merit are conducted in the absence of any reviewers who have declared conflicts of interest.

The Scientific Advisory Board recommendations are then reviewed and compiled by the Chief Scientific Officer and presented to the Foundation Board for their consideration and approval.

PROHIBITION OF DISCRIMINATION 

No person shall be excluded from participation in or denied the benefits of any program or activity receiving financial assistance from PHRF because of race, ethnic origin, religion, sex, or sexual orientation.

AMENDMENT OF POLICIES 

PHRF reserves the right to modify its policies governing research awards at any time. The recipient agrees to abide by any changes or to terminate the grant at the time when such changes become effective. Failure to abide by the policies governing awards shall be considered sufficient grounds for cancellation of an award or refusal to consider any pending application by the grantee.