KEY DATES LETTERS OF INTENT DUE November 3, 2014 5:00 pm est FULL PROPOSAL INVITATIONS November 17, 2014 FULL PROPOSAL DEADLINE Jauary 15, 2015 5:00 pm est NOTIFICATION OF AWARDS April, 2015 Pilot ad Exploratory Project Support Grat AWARD START DATE July 1, 2015 2014 Request for Applicatios
REQUEST FOR APPLICATIONS PILOT AND EXPLORATORY PROJECT SUPPORT GRANT Program Descriptio The developmet of the specialty of palliative care has bee a critical step i addressig the umet eeds of patiets with serious illess ad their families ad the growth of this field has bee remarkable. Nevertheless, the field faces sizeable challeges if care for seriously ill patiets ad their families is to improve. Ulike other areas of health care, the kowledge base to support the basic elemets of palliative care cliical practice (i.e., pai ad symptom maagemet, commuicatio skills, care coordiatio) is small ad iadequate ad systems of care that have bee developed to support the eeds of patiets ad families have yet to be evaluated. Over the past eight years, a series of reports from the Istitute of Medicie, the Natioal Istitutes of Health, ad the America Academy of Hospice ad Palliative Medicie have called for substatial ivestmet i palliative care research to address these kowledge gaps. But despite billios of dollars spet o research i chroic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, chroic obstructive pulmoary disease (COPD), Alzheimer s ad related demetias, ad cacer, there has bee almost o ivestmet i research that might sigificatly alleviate the physical symptoms; psychological distress; ad persoal care, family, ad social eeds of older persos livig with advaced illess. I a effort to support ivestigators coductig patiet-orieted research i palliative care who wish to maximize their chaces of obtaiig larger extramural fudig, the Natioal Palliative Care Research Ceter (NPCRC) is awardig pilot/exploratory research grats. This Program is curretly requestig electroic applicatios for its 2015 fudig cycle. The Natioal Palliative Care Research Ceter was established i July 2005 with a grat from the Emily Davie ad Joseph S. Korfeld Foudatio. The Ceter was developed i respose to a shortage of palliative care fudig structures; a shortage of palliative care ivestigators; ad a eed for a orgaizatioal home for palliative care research i the Uited States. The primary goal of the NPCRC is to improve care for patiets with serious illess ad their caregivers by promotig palliative care research ad rapidly traslatig these research fidigs ito cliical practice. The Pilot/Exploratory Project Support Grat provides fudig for ivestigators performig pilot/exploratory research studies. Ivestigators must coduct research projects whose purpose is to test itervetios, develop research methodologies, or explore ovel areas of research that are directly related to the Ceter s core missio ad stated areas of iterest. A coditio of fudig is a clearly defied pla as to how the ivestigator will use the results of the project to develop larger, extramurally fuded research projects. 2
PILOT AND EXPLORATORY PROJECT SUPPORT GRANT REQUEST FOR APPLICATIONS This request for applicatios (RFA) is limited to applicatios that focus o palliative care research projects for seriously ill patiets ad their families i three specific areas: Program Descriptio cotiued 1. Explorig the relatioship of pai ad other distressig symptoms to quality ad quatity of life, idepedece, fuctio, ad disability ad developig itervetios directed at their treatmet i patiets with advaced ad chroic illesses; 2. Studyig methods of improvig commuicatio betwee adults livig with serious illess, their families ad their health care providers; 3. Evaluatig models ad systems of care for patiets livig with advaced illess ad their families. Awards may be oe to two years i duratio ad for as much as $70,000 per year (direct costs), plus 10% allowable idirect costs. (Total award ot to exceed $154,000.) Awards are ot reewable. Award Iformatio To be eligible for a pilot/exploratory project grat uder the NPCRC Program, applicats must meet the followig requiremets: Eligibility 1. Applicats must hold a doctorate degree (M.D., Ph.D., or equivalet); 2. Applicats must have a full-time faculty positio or equivalet at a college, uiversity, medical or ursig school, or other fiscally resposible orgaizatio withi the Uited States by the time of the award start date; 3. Applicats must be citizes or permaet residets of the Uited States; 4. Applicats should have a MINIMUM of five years postdoctoral research experiece, although promisig juior ivestigators as idetified by a statemet from their research metor will be cosidered; 5. Preferece will be give to applicats that meet at least oe of the followig coditios: a. Have a established track record as a metor; OR b. Have a history of successful peer reviewed research fudig. Applicats ucertai about their eligibility are strogly advised to cotact the NPCRC before preparig a applicatio. 3
REQUEST FOR APPLICATIONS PILOT AND EXPLORATORY PROJECT SUPPORT GRANT Gratee Requiremets Each recipiet of a NPCRC grat, as a coditio of acceptig the award, will agree to the followig: To atted the Aual Kathlee Foley Palliative Care Retreat ad Research Symposium meetig i a locatio to be determied each year; To preset results of the fuded research at the required aual meetig; To prepare aual progress reports for each year of fudig ad a fial report at the coclusio of the award period; To ackowledge NPCRC fudig i presetatios ad publicatios. How to Apply Olie applicatio forms ad complete istructios for the NPCRC Pilot ad Exploratory Project Support Grat are available o the Ceter s website at http://www.pcrc.org. Applicatios must be submitted electroically via NPCRC s olie applicatio system by the close of busiess (5:00 pm est) o the specified deadlie date. If the deadlie falls o a weeked or holiday, applicatios will be accepted the followig busiess day. The NPCRC has a two-step applicatio process: STEP 1: STEP 2: Eligible cadidates are required to complete olie a applicatio data sheet ad the upload a letter of itet (LOI) alog with their biosketch usig the NIH 4-page format, o later tha November 3, 2014, 5:00 pm est. The LOI should ot exceed 600 words ad should briefly describe the applicat s research pla, time period for which fuds are beig requested, budget, ad resources. Full proposals are by ivitatio oly. If a applicat is selected for further cosideratio by NPCRC, the he/she will be asked to submit a full proposal olie o later tha Jauary 15, 2015, 5:00 pm est. Oly applicats who are requested to submit full proposals will have access to the complete NPCRC olie applicatio system. 4
PILOT AND EXPLORATORY PROJECT SUPPORT GRANT REQUEST FOR APPLICATIONS Full proposals must iclude all of the items ad sectios outlied below. Items are either etered directly through the NPCRC website or uploaded i a PDF file ad attached to the olie applicatio. The Applicatio Data Sheet, Applicat s Biosketch, ad Letter of Itet are all submitted durig Step 1 of the applicatio process, while the remaiig documets are submitted i Step 2. The project abstract is etered directly olie while all remaiig documets should be uploaded to the site as oe PDF file. Proposal Preparatio 1. Applicatio Data Sheet Provide iformatio o the applicat, project, ad sposorig istitutio usig the NPCRC olie form. 2. Biosketch Upload applicat s biosketch i the NIH 4-page format. 3. Project Abstract Submit a cocise statemet of o more tha 300 words describig the proposed project. 4. Research Pla The research pla should ot exceed 15 pages, should follow the NIH fot ad format specificatios (i.e., fot size of 11 poits or larger; sigle-spaced; o more tha 15 characters per ich; o more tha 6 lies per ich, ad at least oe-half ich margis for all pages), ad should iclude a page umber ad the applicat s ame o each page. The followig sectios must be icluded: a. Specific Aims; b. Backgroud ad Sigificace; c. Ivestigator Qualificatios; d. Prelimiary Studies (if applicable); e. Research Desig ad Methods; f. Future Directios (i.e., applicat s plas for how the pilot data will be used). g. Refereces (ot icluded i page limit) 5. Budget Applicats should follow the olie directios o how to submit the budget for their proposed project. Project expeses should be i accordace with the NPCRC budget guidelies ad justified, if ecessary. 6. Letters of Support Applicats with less tha 5 years of postdoctoral research experiece must submit 3 letters assessig their scietific ability ad potetial for a successful research career. No other letters of support will be accepted. 7. Appedix Appedix items are ot icluded i the page limit, but should be kept to a miimum. No supplemetal materials will be accepted after the deadlie uless requested by staff for admiistrative purposes or whe eeded for the reviewers. If a applicat has difficulty covertig documets ito oe PDF file ad/or uploadig it olie, the please cotact the NPCRC well i advace of the submissio deadlie. 5
REQUEST FOR APPLICATIONS PILOT AND EXPLORATORY PROJECT SUPPORT GRANT Peer Review of Applicatios The NPCRC Scietific Review Committee (SRC) will review proposals. The SRC is composed of iteratioally promiet scietists with expertise i palliative care, patiet-orieted research, health services research, commuicatio, research desig, epidemiology ad biostatistics. Award Criteria Applicatios will be scored ad reviewed usig the followig review criteria: 1. Sigificace 2. Approach 3. Iovatio Does the study address a importat problem? If the aims of the applicatio are achieved, how will scietific kowledge or cliical practice be advaced? Are the coceptual or cliical framework, desig, methods, ad aalyses adequately developed, well itegrated, well reasoed, ad appropriate to the aims of the project? Does the applicat ackowledge potetial problem areas ad cosider alterative tactics? Is the project origial ad iovative? For example: Does the project challege existig paradigms or cliical practice; address a iovative hypothesis or critical barrier to progress i the field? Does the project develop or employ ovel cocepts, approaches, methodologies, tools, or techologies for this area? 4. Ivestigator Is the ivestigator appropriately traied ad well suited to carry out this work? Is the work proposed appropriate to the experiece level of the pricipal ivestigator? 5. Eviromet Does the scietific eviromet i which the work will be doe cotribute to the probability of success? Is there evidece of istitutioal support? 6. Future Directios Does the ivestigator have clear plas for how the pilot data will be used for future projects? Is there a high probability that the resultig work will receive fudig? Applicatio scores, commets, ad fudig recommedatios will be forwarded to the NPCRC Scietific Advisory Coucil who will make the fial decisio regardig fudig ad allocatio of resources. 6
PILOT AND EXPLORATORY PROJECT SUPPORT GRANT REQUEST FOR APPLICATIONS Applicatios that are ot fuded may be revised ad resubmitted for the ext NPCRC fudig cycle. However, oly two resubmissios are allowed. Resubmitted applicatios will be reviewed i the same detail ad will compete o a equal basis with all other ew applicatios. Please see olie istructios o how to reapply. Resubmissios Natioal Palliative Care Research Ceter Departmet of Geriatrics & Palliative Medicie, Box 1070 Cotact Icah School of Medicie at Mout Siai Oe Gustave L. Levy Place, New York, NY 10029 PHONE: 212.241.7447 FAX: 212.241.5977 EMAIL: pcrc@mssm.edu WEBSITE: http://www.pcrc.org 7