HMS Foundation Funds HMS Foundation Funds Opportunities for Faculty and Fellows MGH Informational Forum February 28, 2012
HMS Foundation Funds Funding opportunities from private foundations for which HMS or HU is the nominating body For whom? Most awards are aimed at junior faculty and postdocs. A few awards allow associate professors and full professors to apply. How many? 20 awards. Up to 40 nominees from HMS. (Prior to 2008, 35 awards and up to 74 nominees from HMS each year. Some awards are expected to be reinstated this year). How much? Funding ranges from $40,000 over $875,000 per award. $16.5 million in funding is available this year How long? One time grant up to 5 years
Program Intent INFORMATIONAL To ensure that the community is made aware of funding opportunities through private foundations SELECTION To select the candidates most competitive for specific awards MENTORSHIP To guide potential applicants through application process and aid in preparation of a successful application. SUPPORT Support nominees throughout the application process and award period.
How are applications evaluated The Committee s selection criteria when making nominations include: 1) Publications 2) Strength of research proposal 3) Relevance to award/area of research 4) Career trajectory 5) Current funding/grants 6) Letter of support
Research Proposal A successful research proposal: Is innovative Includes specific aims Includes preliminary data Describes approach Indicates the significance of the proposal with regard to the specific award and conveys its impact on science and your personal growth.
Letter of support Characteristics of a good letter of support: Personal Specific Indicates why the award is important for the candidate Indicates why the candidate is important to the department Describes future plans for the candidate
Application Process One complete application per each award applied for must be submitted online and should include: 1. Application Form to be completed online 2. Nominating letter from department or division head and co-signed by a research mentor (limit 2 pages) Note: Post docs and instructors who are still in training require a separate letter from research mentor 3. Biosketch (NIH format, limit 4 pages) 4. Summary of proposed research (limit 2 pages, a 3 rd page may be used for references) 5. Statement of the resources/facilities available for the project. (limit 1 page)
Timeline April 3: Application deadline May-June: Subcommittee meetings Mid-June: Applicants notified July-January: Nominees submit applications to the foundations
Feedback For nominees: The selection committee will provide feedback on how to improve an application for submission in the national competition and put you in touch with previous award recipients For those not selected: We do not provide feedback although if requested, we will do our best to convey some of the selection committee s comments
Success Rate What are the chances of receiving a nomination? Varies for each award. For some of the more competitive awards, chances could be 1 in 20. However, some awards have very few applicants and therefore the chances of receiving a nomination for those awards are much greater. If nominated, what are the chances of receiving an award? From year to year, HMS nominees have had a success rate that has varied between 20-50%
HMS Awards Some awards are available solely to faculty and postdocs at HMS and the affiliated hospitals: Grunebaum Cancer Research Fellowship Hearst Fund for Pre- and Perinatal Medicine For these awards, there is no national competition. Your initial application is the final application. Deadlines and application instructions differ from the standard HMS Foundation Funds application.
For more information Visit the HMS Foundation Funds website at www.hms.harvard.edu/foundationfunds
MGH Applicants HMS Foundation Funds - Informational Forum at MGH February 28, 2012 Wilma Wasco, PhD Assistant Director of ECOR Associate Professor of Neurology For more information on ECOR grants contact ecor@partners.org
MGH Investigators apply through ECOR for the following awards: Smith Family Foundation for Biomedical Research May 2012- CFA Issued June 2012 MGH Application Deadline September 2012 - Sponsor Deadline Pew Scholars Program in the Biomedical Sciences July 2012 - CFA Issued September 2012 MGH Application Deadline November 2012 - Sponsor Deadline
MGH Investigators apply through ECOR for the following awards Jose Carreras International Leukemia Foundation E.D. Thomas Post Doctoral Fellowship July 2012 - CFA Issued September 2012 - Application Deadline November 2012 - Sponsor Deadline Ellison Medical Foundation New Scholar Award In Aging October 2012 - CFA Issued November 2012 - Application Deadline February 2012 - Sponsor Deadline For more information contact ecor@partners.org
The Executive Committee On Research (ECOR) administers these HMS Foundation Funds (All Requests for Applications and Reviews are done through ECOR) Name The Smith Family Awards for Excellence in Biomedical Research (Sponsored by The Medical Foundation) http://www.tmfnet.org The Pew Scholars Program in the Biomedical Sciences http://www.pewtrusts.org José Carreras International Leukemia Foundation (E.D. Thomas Post Doctoral Fellowship) http://fcarreras/org The Ellison Medical Foundation New Scholar Program in Aging http://www.ellisonfoundation.org MGH Nominations (2) Junior faculty nominations from preliminary applications (1) Junior faculty nominations from preliminary applications (1) Post-doctoral nomination from preliminary applications (2) Junior faculty nominations from preliminary applications Anticipated Deadlines: Call MGH Sponsor May 2012 June2012 September 2012 July 2012 September 2012 November 2011 July 2012 September 2012 November 2012 October 2012 November 2012 February 2013 Description To provide junior faculty with the opportunity to find breakthroughs in AIDS/HIV, cancer, heart disease, diabetes or neuroscience. To provide funding to young investigators of outstanding promise in the basic & clinical sciences relevant to the advancement of human health. To provide post-doctoral fellowships to promising researchers early in their careers in the studies of leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin s disease & myeloma To provide new investigators of outstanding promise in the basic biological sciences relevant to understanding lifespan development processes and age-related diseases and disabilities. Eligibility -No more than two years of their first independent faculty appointments as of 7/1/2012. -As of 7/2012 full-time appointments at the rank of Asst. Professor or equivalent. -As of 7/2013, must not have held this position for more than 3 years -Completed at least three years of post doctoral training -Less than 10 years from first doctoral degree -As of March 1, 2013 candidate must hold full-time appointments on the faculty at MGH -Must not have been in such an appointment for more than 3 years as of 7/15/13. Award Amount $100,000/year for 3 years, (5% indirect cost) $60,000/year for 4 years (8% indirect costs) $50,000 for 1 year (8% indirect costs) $100,000/year for 4 years (8% indirect costs)