PURPOSE

The overarching goal of the ACHIEVE GreatER (Addressing Cardiometabolic Health Inequities by Early PreVEntion in the Great LakEs Region) Investigator Development Core (IDC) is to create a climate where collaborative and innovative research can thrive, leading to improved population health through sound research and implementation science. The IDC will provide opportunities for a diverse cohort of highly skilled early-stage investigators (ESI) to develop and pilot innovative research studies by efficiently leveraging existing resources of ACHIEVE GreatER. The IDC will specifically encourage ESIs from different disciplines and backgrounds to focus on chronic disease disparities to enhance workforce diversity. The IDC will provide awardees with programmatic support, which includes IRB as well as statistical support at no cost to them.

This request for funding application (RFA) seeks proposals that will promote the research careers of the pilot project awardees to become highly competitive applicants for competitive extramural support. A maximum award of $40,000 is available for projects. Consistent with NIH requirements, all funded projects must be collaborative and investigatory in nature, and their results must be made public, available for peer review, and freely available for others to build upon.

Overall, the IDC will nurture and support transformational research on chronic disease prevention with favorable impact on population health. Proposal submissions should focus on identifying and examining methods to improve cardiometabolic health in Black communities. Examples of such projects include, but not limited to:

• Utilization of wearables to investigate sleep quality, BP, or metabolic health in at-risk Black individuals.
• Evaluation risk perception and attitudes of providers and patients to clinical practice guidelines.  
• Using pre-existing imaging datasets to evaluate the effect of SES and environmental exposure.
• Evaluation of air filtration to improve cardiometabolic health in Black communities. 
• Impact of providing risk assessment directly to patients (e.g., CVD risk scores, imaging-based risk scores) on risk perception and cardiometabolic health outcomes.
• Validation of different methods of BP measurement (example, in car at drive-up screening sites).
• Determinants of daytime function and quality of life, cardiovascular, respiratory, sleep disorders and social determinants of health.

KEY DATES

Letter of Intent Due Date – December 1, 2021 by 5:00 PM (Eastern)

Invitations to submit full proposals – December 15, 2021

Application Due Date – January 10, 2022 by 5:00 PM (Eastern)

Council Review Response Date – January 31, 2022

Earliest Start Date – March 1, 2022

ELIGIBILITY

• Applicants or mentors must be faculty from Wayne State University, Henry Ford Health System, or Case Western Reserve University/University Hospitals. Trainees (post PhD or MD fellows) are eligible to apply with a faculty mentor.
• Applicants may submit only one proposal per RFA.
• Applicants (excluding mentors) may not be participants on any other project currently receiving IDC funding.
• Applicants (excluding mentors) may not be current members of the P50 grant.
• Applicants that are in the underrepresented minority (URM) group as defined by NIH (https://diversity.nih.gov/about-us/population-underrepresented) are strongly encouraged to apply.

REQUIRED LETTER OF INTENT (LOI) COMPONENTS

   Provide a one-page LOI in 11-point Arial font with narrow margins containing the following:

1. Name of applicant(s) and academic/faculty affiliation;
2. Contact information for the principal investigator (mailing address, telephone, and e-mail);
3. Names and academic/faculty affiliations of other key personnel;
4. Descriptive project title;
5. Short, logical, persuasive argument emphasizing how this project can help solve a significant problem or void in the knowledge base;
6. Amount of requested funding;
7. Project Timeline (must be at least 12 months, not to exceed 24 months);
8. (if applicable) Explanation of how the proposal has been revised based on feedback from previous submission(s).

REQUIRED APPLICATION COMPONENTS

If invited to submit a full proposal application, the following components should make up the 11-point Arial font submission with narrow margins. Applications that do not comply with these instructions may be delayed or not accepted for review.

1. A cover page (1 page maximum) containing the following:

1. 1. 1. Name of applicant(s) and academic/faculty affiliation;
      2. Contact information for the principal investigator (address, telephone, and e-mail);
      3. Project title;
      4. Proposal mentor;
      5. Contact information for the mentor (mailing address, telephone, and e-mail);
      6. Statement regarding IRB approval status and estimated date of approval;
      7. (if applicable) Explanation of how the proposal has been revised based on feedback from previous submission(s) to the national or regional grant programs

2. A technical proposal that does not exceed 3 single-spaced pages, including tables and figures (but excluding references and appendices), and containing the following:

1. Statement of the problem (i.e., conceptual or practical problem addressed by the project);
2.  Specific aims and hypotheses
3. Review of pertinent literature (i.e., literature-based evidence suggesting that the proposed project uniquely solves the problem stated);
4. Method (i.e., detailed description of the project approach);
5. Anticipated outcomes (i.e., impact theory, and practice);
6. Key personnel (including personnel management plan); and
7. Project timeline (must be at least 12 months, not to exceed 24 months).

3. A comprehensive list of references (not included in the 3-page technical proposal limit)

4. Current NIH-formatted biosketch of all key personnel (PI, co-I, mentor, etc.). Current format with instructions can be found at https://grants.nih.gov/grants/forms/biosketch.htm

5. A budget including itemized costs and their justification (not included in the 3-page technical proposal limit). A suggested budget and budget justification template are attached as an appendix to provide a convenient example format to use. Follow NIH guidelines for budgeting (including use of the current salary cap) which can be found at https://grants.nih.gov/grants/how-to-apply-application-guide/format-and-write/develop-your-budget.htm#personnel

6. If this is a research project involving human subjects, proof of submission to local IRB (or equivalent body which reviews research proposals involving human subjects) is required. Note: funding will not commence until proof of full approval or exemption is received.

SUBMISSION DEADLINE AND REVIEW PROCESS

• • LOIs must be submitted in an electronic format via email to IDC Administrator, LynnMarie Mango, MPH (Lmmango@med.wayne.edu).
  • LOIs must be received by December 1, 2021 to be considered for funding. LOIs received after December 1, 2021 will not be considered during the current cycle.
  • LOIs will be reviewed by the Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC). Applicants with highly meritorious LOIs will be invited to submit a full application
  • Full application of selected LOIs must be submitted in an electronic format via email to the IDC Administrator, LynnMarie Mango, MPH (Lmmango@med.wayne.edu).
  • Full proposal applications must be received by January 10, 2022 to be considered for funding. Proposals received after January 10, 2022 will not be considered for funding during the current cycle.
  • Number of proposals funded per RFA cycle will depend upon the budget and quality of submissions with a typical range of 1-6.

PROPOSAL EVALUATION CRITERIA

Proposals will be reviewed by the SAC and will be judged on each of the criteria listed below resulting in one of the following decisions: (1) Approved; (2) Tabled – pending clarification/ modification and re-review; and (3) Not Approved.

• Clarity/feasibility of goals, relevance of literature, appropriateness of method, and plan for dissemination;
• Potential to compliment the goals of the ACHIEVE GreatER project, including its potential to serve as a model for other initiatives;
• Potential for scholarly impact; and
• Clear justification provided for all budgeted expenses (use of the suggested budget template is encouraged).

FUNDING IS PROVIDED FOR:

• Investigator and other project faculty/staff salaries;
• Administrative/technical support to carry out the project (e.g., computer);
• Supplies/expenses (e.g., duplication, mailings);
• Travel support to attend professional meetings/conferences to present results of the project; and
• Project-related travel to facilitate project collaboration.

FUNDING IS NOT PROVIDED FOR:

• Mentor salary;
• Purchase of equipment (single item costing $5,000 or more);
• Statistical support (provided by the overarching P50 grant funding);
• Institutional indirect costs
• IRB or other institutional/hospital review fees; and
• Technical or commercial development (e.g., educational software or media).

PROGRESS AND FINAL REPORTS + PROJECT DISSEMINATION

•   A progress report must be submitted twice annually to the IDC. The reports should include progress to date, obstacles and solutions, dissemination activities, and a budget report.

•   A final report must be submitted within 60 days of project completion date to the IDC and include copies of materials developed, dissemination activity, a budget report, and (if applicable) discussion of self-sustainability (e.g., sources and amount of continued funding).

•   Projects whose principal investigators are no longer eligible (as defined above) must submit a request for approval of a new principal investigator to the IDC, with continued funding contingent on approval of the Executive Committee.

•   Additionally, principal investigators must submit a request for approval for any changes to grant goals or proposed products to the IDC, with funding contingent on approval of the Executive Committee.

•   Dissemination:

• • • Project PI or team member(s) must submit a proposal to present the project results at a Regional Meeting. Presentations must be approved; and
    • All publications, presentations and/or products resulting from this project must acknowledge the ACHIEVE GreatER project and the NIH as sponsor of the work.

QUESTIONS

General/Submission Contact:

LynnMarie Mango, MPH (Lmmango@med.wayne.edu)

Scientific/Research Contact:

M. Safwan Badr, M.D. (sbadr@med.wayne.edu)

Peer Review Contact:

Sadeer Al-Kindi, M.D. (Sadeer.Al-Kindi@UHhospitals.org)

Financial/Grants Management Contact:

LynnMarie Mango, MPH (Lmmango@med.wayne.edu)

 

ACHIEVE GreatER Program Budget Form and Justification

To access the detailed budget form and budget justification example, please visit here.