Fall Semester | Spring Semester | Summer

Each year, the University typically is invited to nominate candidates for various external grant programs. An internal review will take place before nominations are made. Internal review deadlines will be posted on this page. An awards calendar overview is provided below.

2011-12 Awards Calendar

2011-12 Internal Review Commitee

Fall Semester

Pew Scholars Program

Overview: The Program is designed to support young investigators of outstanding promise in basic and clinical sciences relevant to the advancement of human health. The award is intended to provide assured support, during their earlier years, for junior members of the faculty as they establish their laboratories. Strong proposals will demonstrate particularly innovative approaches.

Proposal Format: Individuals who wish to be considered as a U.Va. nominee should prepare a proposal as follows:

1. Chair's nomination letter
2. 2-page nominee cv, with 1 page additional showing current and pending funding;
3. 3-page research narrative (12 pt, single spaced, 1 inch margins), that tracks the sponsor's full proposal requirement (most significant research accomplishment to date; research plan for this program; significance of problem; impact of proposed research)
4. Proposed references (per program requirements, typically at least 1 internal, 2 external)

Further information: Applicants are encouraged to review the Pew website for program information and previous winner profiles.

Deadline: Internal deadline in 2011 is August 23.

Submission: Proposals should be sent to Jeffrey Plank and to Meg Harris.

Questions: Contact Jeffrey Plank.

Hartwell Foundation Biomedical Research Award Internal

Overview: As one of the Hartwell Foundation’s Top Ten Centers of Biomedical Research, the University is invited to nominate 4 proposals for one Hartwell award of $100,000 direct costs per year for three years.  The Foundation selects the UVA winner through review of written proposals and on-site interviews in November or December 2011.

Proposal Format: Proposal packages should include: 

1. Non-technical summary (250 words);
   narrative that describes the proposed research goals and research plan (3-page, singled-spaced; 12 pt font);
2. 2-page CV;
3. 1-page current/pending funding report;
4. names and institutional affiliations of 3 external references (who can write in support of final proposal, if selected as one of the UVA 4 proposals);
5. chair’s nomination letter.

Further information: http://www.thehartwellfoundation.org/

Deadline: Internal deadline in 2011 is August 25.

Submission: Email pdf package to Meg Harris and Jeffrey Plank.

Questions: Contact Jeffrey Plank.

Commonwealth Health Research Board Grant

Overview: The CHRB supports "research to advance the understanding of biological systems, to improve the treatment and control of human disease, and to improve health services and the delivery of human health care."  Awards up to $100K/yr (direct costs) for two years.  UVA can submit 15 applications. 

Proposal Format: Use the concept paper specifications from the CHRB guidelines, pages 12-14.  Use the CHRB form for concept papers. 

Further information: http://www.chrb.org/Guidelines & Forms.htm

Deadline: Internal deadline in 2011 is August 25.

Submission: Send concept paper in PDF format to Meg Harris and Jeffrey Plank.

Questions: Contact Jeffrey Plank.

Senior Scientist Brain Research Foundation Funding Opportunity

Overview: The Brain Research Foundation has invited University of Virginia to nominate one faculty member to submit a Letter of Intent for the Scientific Innovations Award (SIA).  The objective of the program is to support projects that may be too innovative and speculative for traditional funding sources but still have a high likelihood of producing important findings. It is expected that investigations supported by these grants will yield high impact findings and result in major grant applications and significant publications in high impact journals. To be eligible, the nominee must be a professor or associate professor working in the area of studies and brain function in health and disease. Current major NIH or other peer-reviewed funding is preferred but evidence of such funding in the past three years is essential. The grant period is for one to two years in the amount of $150,000. The support focus is for new research projects of the highest scientific merit.

Proposal Format: Individuals who wish to be considered as a U.Va. nominee should prepare a proposal as follows: 2-page research project narrative (hypothesis, approach, timeline for completion, per BRF LOI form; single spaced, 12 point font, 1 inch margins); 2-page PI CV; 1-page current funding; chair's nomination letter.

Further information: Applicants are encouraged to review the SIA guidelines and letter of intent.

Deadline: Internal deadline is 4:00 pm on September 14, 2011.

Submission: Proposals should be sent to Jeffrey Plank and to Meg Harris.

Questions: Contact Jeffrey Plank.

NSF Major Research Instrumentation Program

Overview: This program seeks to improve the quality and expand the scope of research and research training in science and engineering, and to foster the integration of research and education by providing instrumentation for research-intensive learning environments.  The MRI program encourages the development and acquisition of research instrumentation for shared inter- and/or intra-organizational use and in concert with private sector partners. 

The MRI program assists in the acquisition or development of major research instrumentation by organizations that is, in general, too costly for support through other NSF programs. Proposals may be for a single instrument, a large system of instruments, or multiple instruments that share a common or specific research focus.

Proposal Format: Preliminary proposals for 2011 are due November 14, 2011. Preliminary proposal packages should include:

• A three-page narrative (12 point, with 1-inch margins);
• A 1-page budget;
• A 2-page PI CV or co-PI CVs;
• A department chair nomination.

Submission: Send proposals to Jeffrey Plank and to Meg Harris. Preliminary proposals will be reviewed within 2 weeks so that the three selected teams have sufficient time to submit final proposals by the NSF deadline.

Questions: Contact Jeffrey Plank with any questions.

Spring Semester

NSF Major Research Instrumentation Program

Overview: Keck funds innovative, high-risk, and high-impact projects that are top
institutional priorities.  Typically Keck projects solve important science
and engineering questions and also develop novel techniques and/or
instruments that can be disseminated throughout the research community:
"By funding the high-risk/high-impact work of leading researchers, we are
laying the groundwork for new paradigms, technologies and discoveries that
will save lives, provide innovative solutions, and add to our understanding
of the world. Both Senior and Early Career investigators are encouraged to
apply."  Keck does not, however, fund translational biomedical research.

Proposal Format: Preliminary proposals for 2012 are due January 9, 2011. Preliminary proposal packages should include:

• 1 page summary
• 2 page, signle-spaced proposed research narrative
• A 2-page PI/PIs CV
• Dean endorsement letter (including commitment to match)
  

Further Information: Program guidelines can be found here.

Submission: Send proposals to Jeffrey Plank and to Meg Harris.

Questions: Contact Jeffrey Plank with any questions.

NSF IGERT Competition

Overview: The Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship (IGERT) program has been developed to meet the challenges of educating U.S. Ph.D. scientists and engineers who will pursue careers in research and education. The program is intended to catalyze a cultural change in graduate education, for students, faculty, and institutions, by establishing innovative new models for graduate education and training in a fertile environment for collaborative research that transcends traditional disciplinary boundaries. MORE INFO

Proposal Format: IN 2010, U.Va. preliminary proposals were in mid-April and included:

• 2-page single spaced narrative that tracks program guidelines
• 2-page PI (or PIs) CV

Further Information: Program guidelines can be found here.

Submission: Email pdf package to Meg Harris and Jeffrey Plank.

Packard Foundation Fellowship Program

Overview: Each spring, the University typically is invited to nominate candidates for the Packard Foundation Fellowship Program in Science and Engineering.

Proposal Format: The proposal package should include: 3-page single-spaced narrative (12 pt.) that tracks the Packard application form/guidelines criteria; a 2-page PI cv; a nomination letter from the department chair; a list of 3 potential external references; current funding (including amount).

Deadline: Internal competition packages are due to Meg Harris and Jeffrey Plank by 4:00 p.m. on February 17, 2012.

Further Information: In advance of the formal invitation and internal review process, we recommend that eligible faculty members review the Packard website for program information and previous winner profiles.

Questions: For further information, contact Jeffrey Plank, Associate Vice President for Research.

U.Va. former Packard Fellowship winners include: Gabe Robbins, Steve Majewski, Bob Jones, Hilary Bart-Smith and Kelsey Johnson.

NSF Partnerships for Innovation

Overview: Internal review deadline will be posted on this page (the deadline in 2006 was May 1). The goals of the program are to stimulate the transformation of knowledge created by research and education into innovations that build strong economies; to meet the broad workforce needs of the national innovation enterprise; and to catalyze the infrastructure necessary to sustain innovation in the long-term. Contact Jeffrey Plank for submission guidelines.

Summer

Searle Scholars Program

Overview: An internal competition for one institutional nominee for the Searle Scholars Program which supports candidates in their first appointment at the Assistant Professor level, on the tenure track. Awards are $300,000 over three years. Applicants are expected to be pursuing independent research careers in biochemistry, cell biology, genetics, immunology, neuroscience, pharmacology, and related areas in chemistry, medicine, and the biological sciences.

Proposal Format: Individuals who wish to be considered as a U.Va. nominee should prepare a proposal as follows:

1. Chair's nomination letter
2. 2-page nominee cv, with 1 page additional showing current and pending funding;
3. 3-page research narrative (12 pt, single spaced, 1 inch margins), that tracks the sponsor's full proposal requirement (most significant research accomplishment to date; research plan for this program; significance of problem; impact of proposed research)
4. Proposed references (per program requirements, typically at least 1 internal, 2 external)

Deadline: Internal deadline in 2011 was July 29.

Submission: Proposals should be sent to Jeffrey Plank and to Meg Harris.

Further Information: See the Searle Scholars website for a current list of scholars and other information.

Questions: Questions should be directed to Jeffrey Plank.

NEH Summer Stipend Competition

Overview: Summer Stipends support individuals pursuing advanced research that contributes to scholarly knowledge or to the public's understanding of the humanities. Recipients usually produce scholarly articles, monographs on specialized subjects, books on broad topics, archaeological site reports, translations, editions, or other scholarly tools. Summer Stipends support full-time work on a humanities project for a period of two months. Applicants may be faculty or staff members of colleges, universities, or primary or secondary schools, or they may be independent scholars or writers. Note: NEH is interested in receiving applications for projects that utilize or study the impact of digital technology.

Application Materials