2017 DCI & BME Joint RFA for Oncology Research in Biomedical Engineering

This funding opportunity is made possible by a generous gift from the Mordecai family to the Pratt School of Engineering and matching funds provided by the Department of Biomedical Engineering and the Duke Cancer Institute.

The Duke Cancer Institute (DCI) and Duke Biomedical Engineering (BME) are pleased to announce a joint funding opportunity to support pilot projects at the intersection of oncology and biomedical engineering. This opportunity is open to all regular-rank faculty (Instructor, Research Assistant Professor, Research Associate Professor, Research Professor, Assistant Professor, Associate Professor and Professor) who are either members of the DCI or have an appointment in BME. Each application must have a Co-PI from the Duke Cancer Institute and BME.

Projects will be reviewed based on the following criteria:

1. Collaboration is required between investigators in DCI and BME; the team must involve one member with a primary appointment in BME and another with a primary appointment in the Duke University School of Medicine (SOM); additionally at least one member of the team must be a member of the DCI
2. Innovation, novelty, and soundness of the research plan;
3. Relevance to oncology research in biomedical engineering;
4. Likelihood that the project could lead to new peer-reviewed funding; and
5. Reasonableness of the budget in regards to the project plan.

Application Deadline: October 2, 2017

Award Details

Funds will be awarded on a competitive basis. The maximum duration of the award is 12 months. Proposal budgets can support research staff and supplies, but not principal investigator effort, equipment or travel. The earliest anticipated start date is January 1, 2018.

Review Criteria

Similar to NIH study sections, each application will be peer reviewed by an ad hoc committee constituted by the Director of DCI and the Chair of BME, followed by a review of the most meritorious applications at a roundtable discussion of the entire committee.  All applicants will be informed of the outcome by e-mail (summary statements are not provided).

Instructions for Submitting an Application

One PDF file of the application materials should be sent to daven.reagan@duke.edu

Please utilize NIH budget, biosketch and research format (11 point Arial font for text, 9 point Arial font for figure legends, 1-inch page margins, no appendices). See https://grants.nih.gov/grants/how-to-apply-application-guide.html for further details. The following materials are required for each application:

1.  5-page (limit) NIH biosketches for you and your faculty collaborators;

2.  Budget summary for one year totaling no more than $50,000; and

3.  A 5-page (limit) proposal encompassing the following sections, in this order:

     a. A brief abstract with specific aims
     b. A significance section, paying particular attention to relevance to oncology research that involves biomedical engineering
     c. An innovation section
     d. A research design section, including relevant preliminary data and figures
     e. A brief statement indicating the need for the funds and an indication of how these pilot funds will assist you in obtaining peer-reviewed funding

4.  References (no page limit)

Contact

If you have questions about this funding opportunity, please contact Daven Reagan (daven.reagan@duke.edu).

Thank you.