The Institute for Clinical and Translational Research (ICTR) at Johns Hopkins is requesting applications for the second round of Accelerated Translational Incubator Program (ATIP) grants. The deadline for applications is September 1, 2008. Any faculty member at Johns Hopkins University interested in starting a translational project is eligible to apply. Click here or read after the jump to see the full request for proposals, then either click here to download an MS Word version of the ATIP application form or go to ictr.johnshopkins.edu/connection, log in with your JHED I.D., and select "ATIP" to use our new online application form.
Program Focus/Overview:
The Accelerated Translational Incubator Pilot (ATIP) project grant program is designed to accomplish the following objectives and goals:
- To promote innovative translational research by providing starter funds that will support research projects specifically focused on the translation of laboratory and/or clinical research to patients. The ATIP program will focus on the ability to develop new therapeutics and medical devices, but will also be complemented by funding grant applications that could aid in the improvement of clinical trials, clinical data collection, and the application of epidemiologic studies to therapeutic outcomes. The program will also encourage the participation and/or training of new or inexperienced junior translational clinical scientists with an established team.
- To employ a milestone-driven approach to research projects that will aid in the timely generation of tangible products and outcomes.
- To explicitly deliver new drugs, devices, and/or diagnostics that will aid in the treatment and management of medical disease or to propel new interventions along the path from efficacy to effectiveness.
- To promote cross-disciplinary collaboration of grant recipient labs, especially new and novel types of collaborations, through the use of mandatory monthly meetings among all funded investigators and members of Translational Core units. The program will encourage the participation of new and/or junior investigators.
- To collaborate with ICTR-assigned Project Navigators and other advisors who will support the efficient attainment of milestones and assist in the translational process.
All applications to the ATIP Program are reviewed by the ATIP Scientific Review Committee. While all grants must be ultimately approved by an Institutional Review Board (IRB) and/or the Animal Care and Use Committee if the research project involves either human subject or animals before ATIP funding is issued, advance approval by these bodies is not a prerequisite for ATIP submission.
Guidelines
Any faculty member at Johns Hopkins University is eligible to apply for an ATIP grant. Junior faculty in all schools are encouraged to apply and will receive extra consideration. ATIP grants cover all potential elements necessary to translate basic research into a clinical outcome. All grants must be oriented towards specific milestones, with predicted endpoints and a realistic timeline for completion. Progress on all grants will be monitored by monthly research meetings and an annual review meeting. To facilitate the progress and completion of all projects, grants will be assigned to a Project Navigator. This individual will assist in the completion of all clinical and laboratory based projects by facilitating and coordinating with PIs and with and the appropriate Core, e.g. IRB submissions, review of projects by biostatistics, or regular meetings with chemistry, toxicology, or pharmacokinetics Cores.
Potential projects may cover a wide range of topics, including but not limited to the representative topics below:
Pre-Clinical Translation
- Development of pre-clinical research tools
- Drug screening assays
- Methods for generation of novel vaccines or peptides
- Animal models for drug selection
- Preclinical toxicology markers/assays
- Surrogate marker assays, including genomic, proteomic assays, and metabolic, imaging methods
Clinical Translation
- Clinically relevant tools
- Surrogate marker assays
- Clinical trial design paradigms (e.g. computer simulation)
- Clinical trials
- Pilot/phase 1 trials
- Pharmacokinetics
Post-Clinical Translation
- Community implementation of health care measures
- Knowledge transfer measurement
Eligible Faculty
All Johns Hopkins faculty, including research associates, instructors, and other full time junior faculty, are eligible for ATIP funding. This includes faculty from the School of Medicine, School of Nursing, Homewood campus, and the Engineering School. Undergraduates, graduate students, and postdoctoral fellows are not eligible to apply as Principal or Co-Investigators for pilot grants but can be incorporated as participants into any proposal.
Junior faculty new to translational research are particularly encouraged to apply to this program.
Application Rules
Recipients of pilot grants will not be eligible to apply for another pilot grant in the year following their award. However, they may apply for another grant after two years, even if they have received a no-cost, one-year extension on their original grants. Unsuccessful applicants may apply in consecutive years. Investigators who have had applications funded by the ATIP program will be encouraged to obtain additional support from any other non-profit agency and/or to expand their program through follow-up R21, R01, or other government sources of funding.
Funding
Pilot grants are expected to be in the range of $25,000-$100,000 in direct costs, and we anticipate making awards on a bi-monthly basis. Funds may be used for fellow and staff salary support, as well as for stipends paid to undergraduate or graduate students at Johns Hopkins. Funds may be used for travel essential to the conduct of research, but not for travel to established meetings or conferences. The review committee recognizes the high per diem costs of some international sites but expects investigators to exercise ingenuity and judgment in budgeting for overseas room and board. Funds may be used for equipment specific to the development of an assay, diagnostic, or device, but unless otherwise noted, equipment costs should not be more than fifty percent of the total grant award. Requests for funding of faculty salary are strongly discouraged.
Grants can be used only for support of laboratory or clinical studies conducted at Johns Hopkins.
Funding will be for one year, with the possibility of a second year after suitable favorable review of completed first year milestones, as well as a no-cost extension upon written request and evaluation by the Executive Committee. The request for a no-cost extension must be received within the 12-month period of the original award.
All funded Investigators or their designates will be required to present their ongoing research at periodic monthly or bi-monthly research meetings. In addition, they will be required to present their results in an annual meeting of ATIP advisors.
Failure to participate in the monthly or bimonthly meetings by PI's or designates will result in termination of funding.
Request for Proposals
Pilot grant proposals will be open for submission three times a year. University-wide web and email announcements will be sent at least twice for each round of funding. In addition, solicitation will be on permanent display on the ICTR Web site, ictr.johnshopkins.edu, and sent upon posting to individuals who opt in for ICTR updates via email or RSS. ICTR-associated faculty and staff will be encouraged to assist in communications efforts through their own email contacts and word of mouth.
Submission Deadline and Start Date of Awards
Grant proposals are due three times a year, with deadlines falling on the first of the month. Applications must be received before midnight of the deadline day.
Upcoming ATIP Deadlines
- September 1, 2008
- February 1, 2009
- June 1, 2009
ATIP Application Structure and Requirements
Grants must be submitted in Adobe Acrobat (.pdf) or Microsoft Word (.doc) format.
Applications must contain:
- A completed ATIP application form and checklis
- NIH format short biographical sketch for PI (2 page limit) and other support for all investigators (4 page limit total)
- Itemized budget with justification, including salary, supplies, equipment, travel, etc. (1 page)
- Research plan (described below)
Research Plan
The Research Plan must be no longer than five single-spaced pages, including figures, using a font no smaller than 11 point, and have margins of at least 0.5 inches on all sides. Figures may be integrated within the text or included as a separate appendix, but the total number of pages must be five or fewer. Proposals longer than five pages will not be reviewed. A list of up to 30 selected references may be attached on separate, additional pages. References are not included in the five-page limit. The name of the PI(s) should appear in the top right-hand corner of each page. Page numbers should appear on the bottom right-hand corner of each page.
The Research Plan must contain the following components within the five-page limit:
- Brief Introduction or Abstract
This section is optional and is intended to help the author orient the reviewer with respect to the sections that follow. It may be in the form of a comprehensive abstract or a more limited introduction. Any new collaborations or highly innovative aspects should be succinctly noted. Relevance to the translational nature of the ATIP Grant program should also be indicated.
- Specific Milestones
Milestones should highlight specific goals to be attained and, when appropriate, hypotheses to be tested. If new techniques, new populations, or new collaborations are utilized to reach these milestones, they should be emphasized. Unlike traditional NIH grants, the majority of translational grants are designed to reach a specific. translationally oriented target (e.g. the screening of drugs, the generation of a diagnostic or assay). All grants must be organized towards the completion of project- and/or time-dependent milestones. (e.g. screen 1000 compound in months 1-6; secondary assays in months 6-12). When applicable, plans should include milestones to bring the project (e.g. device, drug, diagnostic) to patients within a 3-5 year timeline.
- Background (including Preliminary Results, if available), and Significance
In addition to scientific background and significance, this section may indicate how success of the pilot grant will affect subsequent research, how it enhances translation from lab to clinic. The section on Significance should indicate relevance to the overall target of clinical translation. This section should clarify how the pilot research will advance the field, e.g. development of new assays for drug discovery, new devices, and new screens for drug toxicity.
- Experimental Design
Experiments should be related to the hypotheses or questions addressed. Method description should be brief but sufficiently detailed to convince reviewers of feasibility and validity. Details should focus on the novel aspects of the project rather than published or standard techniques. Statistical approaches to data analysis should be outlined where applicable. Quantifiable goals for the completion of each milestone should be delineated. A brief section outlining the collaborative links to any of the clinical or laboratory Cores is necessary. Details for outside contractual services should be included (e.g. chemical synthesis, structure activity analysis, pharmacokinetics or toxicology).
- Anticipated Problems and Possible Solutions
Any anticipated experimental or interpretive problems should be addressed, with alternative approaches when possible. Risks and drawbacks of this approach should be addressed, especially if human subjects are involved.
Application Review Process
Applications will be evaluated using the following five criteria:
- Relevance to translation; feasibility and plans to move a project through to the next step along the research pathway within 3-5 years.
- Scientific merit, including feasibility and experimental design
- Scientific impact and novelty
- New collaborations between investigators
- New area of research for the Principal Investigator or junior researcher (e.g., Assistant Professor)
Complete applications that are received by the deadline will first be reviewed by the ATIP Executive Committee. The committee will assign each application to two knowledgeable reviewers with expertise in the science described in the application. These reviewers will provide written feedback to the committee on the application, addressing the merits of the application in each of the five criteria. The committee will then review all applications and evaluations and make final funding decisions. Funding decisions will be e-mailed to applicants no later than six weeks after the submission deadline.
