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Limited Submission Internal Deadline: NIH Director’s Emergency Early Independence Award
June 22, 2020
Limited Submissions: Internal Call for Proposals
NIH Director’s Emergency Early Independence Award
UNC Internal deadline: 11:59PM, Monday, June 22, 2020
*Please distribute to relevant faculty*
Key Dates
UNC Internal Deadline: 11:59PM, Monday, June 22, 2020
NIH LOI Deadline: August 4, 2020
NIH Application Deadline: September 4, 2020
Important Information
- NOTE: To be eligible, investigators, at the time of application, must have received their most recent doctoral degree or completed clinical training within the previous fifteen months or expect to do so within the following twelve months.
- Number of Applications per Institution: Organizations may only submit up to two nominations.
To Apply
Submit the following (in ONE .pdf) to the Office of Research Development limited submissions inbox Limited_Submissions@unc.edu by 11:59PM, Monday, June 22, 2020.
- PI/Proposed team member’s NIH formatted biosketch (five-page maximum)
- Project Summary (no more than 4 pages)
- List of potential/committed collaborators (internal and external to UNC)
- Names of three internal (to UNC) experts who could speak knowledgeably about the candidate’s research and who could potentially serve on an internal review panel.
- Please do not include the names of faculty named on the project, chairs, deans, directors, direct reports, or others who have a conflict of interest.
- Please notify all potential internal reviewers before submitting the pre-proposal packet to ORD.
Award Information
Award Budget: Direct costs are limited to $250,000 annually plus applicable Facilities and Administrative (F&A) costs.
Award Project Period: The project period is limited to 5 years.
Cost Sharing: Not required.
Program Overview
This FOA solicits applications responsive only to the COVID-19 public health emergency through support of the CARES Act. All other Early Independence Award applications must be submitted in response to RFA-RM-20-014.
The NIH Director’s Early Independence Award (a component of the High-Risk, High-Reward Research program of the NIH Common Fund) provides an opportunity for exceptional junior scientists to accelerate their entry into an independent research career by forgoing the traditional post-doctoral training period. Though most newly graduated doctoral-level researchers would benefit from post-doctoral training, a small number of outstanding junior investigators are capable of launching directly into an independent research career. For those select junior investigators who have already established a record of scientific innovation and research productivity and have demonstrated unusual scientific vision and maturity, typical post-doctoral training would unnecessarily delay their entry into independent research. The NIH Director’s Early Independence Award also provides an opportunity for institutions to invigorate their research programs by bringing in fresh scientific perspectives of the awardees they host.
In order to support the most innovative and impactful research, the NIH recognizes the need to foster a diverse research workforce across the nation. Applications to this award program should reflect the full diversity of potential PDs/PIs, applicant institutions, and research areas relevant to the broad mission of NIH. Talented researchers from diverse backgrounds, including those from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups, persons with disabilities, and women are strongly encouraged to work with their institutions to develop applications for this Funding Opportunity Announcement. As outstanding research is conducted at a broad spectrum of institutions, it benefits the national scientific enterprise to support exceptionally innovative and impactful science that represents this breadth. Therefore, this Funding Opportunity Announcement encourages applications from the full range of eligible institutions, including those serving primarily underrepresented groups, those that may be less research-intensive, and from all domestic geographic locations.
Due to the COVID-19 public health emergency, the Common Fund will dedicate funds provided by the CARES Act to support a total of 5-10 Early Independence Awards (through this FOA) or Transformative Research Awards (through RFA-RM-20-020) that bring new, innovative perspectives and approaches to the prevention of, preparation for, or response to coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, domestically or internationally. Any relevant area of coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 research is welcome, including behavioral/social science research, research on health disparities, novel therapeutics, and other related topics. As with all High-Risk, High-Reward Research program applications, innovation may be technological or conceptual. Early Independence Award applications that are not intended to respond to the COVID-19 emergency must be submitted in response to RFA-RM-20-014.
The NIH Common Fund supports cross-cutting programs that are expected to have exceptionally high impact. All Common Fund initiatives invite investigators to develop bold, innovative, and often risky approaches to address problems that may seem intractable or to seize new opportunities that offer the potential for rapid progress.
Eligibility
To be eligible, investigators, at the time of application, must have received their most recent doctoral degree or completed clinical training within the previous fifteen months or expect to do so within the following twelve months. To be consistent with the updated NIH definition of Early Stage Investigators, eligible clinical training includes clinical residency and clinical fellowship. For full eligibility requirements, see Section III. Eligibility Information.
By the end of the award period, Early Independence Award investigators are expected to be competitive for continued funding of their research program through other NIH funding activities and for permanent research-oriented positions.
Additional Information
Full Solicitation: https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-RM-20-021.html
For additional information, please contact the Limited Submissions Team with questions at Limited_Submissions@unc.edu.
Limited Submissions Team
Office of Research Development
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
308 Bynum Hall
Chapel Hill, NC 27599
(919) 962-7503