UCSF's Resource Allocation Program Seeks Applications for Fall Cycle

UCSF's Resource Allocation Program (RAP), which incorporates a single online application for 30 different research grants, is now requesting applications for the Fall 2012 Cycle.

The electronic-submission deadline is Monday, Sept. 24, at 2 p.m.

The grants offered cover basic, clinical and translational research and are available for investigators at every stage. This fall cycle, Faculty Without Salary (WOS) become eligible to submit an application through RAP if they meet the following criteria: a) provide Department Chair waiver and b) have Department commitment to provide an account to receive the funds.

The Fall 2012 Cycle introduces four new grant opportunities:

1. UCSF-King’s Health Partners Faculty Fellowship Travel Grant Continuing a partnership between UCSF and King’s College London/King’s Health Partners, this faculty exchange program will support clinical and translational investigators involved in seeking new methods to advance research, fostering collaborations with long-term potential, and other related activities. The annual fellowships will be awarded to two participants from each institution, are open to faculty from UCSF and its affiliates, and must be completed within a year of the award date. Awardees will receive funding of up to $30,000 for a stay of up to three months. Support for the first two fellows will come from the Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI). This opportunity is open to Assistant Professors, Associate Professors and Professors.
2. Pilot for Established Investigators in Basic and Clinical/Translational Sciences Sponsored by the Research Evaluation and Allocation Committee (REAC) and CTSI-Strategic Opportunities Support (SOS), these pilot projects are intended to support senior faculty in a wide range of biomedical research, including fundamental basic science, clinical/translational science, health policy and social science, and population science. This opportunity is open to faculty at the Associate and Professor Levels.
3. Osher Center for Integrative Medicine — Mount Zion Health Fund Pilot Projects These pilot projects are intended to support a range of research related to integrative medicine. As defined by the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine at the National Institutes of Health, integrative medicine "combines mainstream medical therapies and complementary and alternative therapies for which there is some high-quality scientific evidence of safety and effectiveness." These projects are funded by the Mount Zion Health Fund. Open to fellows, postdoctoral scholars, instructors, Assistant Professors, Associate Professors, and Professors who are affiliated with the Osher Center for Integrative Medicine, or sponsored by an Osher Center faculty member who is included as part of the research team.
4. Funding to Support the Development and/or Enhancement of Patient Cohorts An “Open Proposal Grant” sponsored by the School of Medicine to advance knowledge regarding the pathophysiology of disease by either initiating the development of new patient cohorts or expanding the use of existing cohorts into new areas. This opportunity is open to all Faculty of the UCSF Department of Medicine.

For the first time this cycle, the Asian Health Institute (AHI) will fund one Pilot for Junior Investigators project ($25,000) on clinical outcomes research relevant to Asian-American populations and health or health care issues known to substantially afflict Asian-Americans.

The emerging field of digital health has also seen some changes.The Translational Digital Health Award (formerly Mobile Health Translational) is now part of the T1 Translational Catalyst Award managed by CTSI. The T1 Translational Catalyst Award combines customized expert feedback and advice with funding to help drive promising early-stage research through the lengthy and complex process of translating ideas into patient benefit. The Mobile Health Research grant mechanism is now called Digital Health Research.

One RAP application is considered simultaneously by multiple funding agencies, thus enhancing the likelihood of support for a proposal: Applicants choose the most appropriate grant mechanism, and the funding agencies select and fund proposals that fulfill programmatic criteria.

Funding is available for career development and to conduct studies in disciplines including basic HIV, clinical HIV, cancer, clinical sciences, health policy and social sciences, digital health research, molecular medicine, neurosciences and technology.

Most applications submitted through RAP are reviewed by one of the 10 review committees organized by subject area and composed of faculty experts. The review process used by RAP aims to provide proposals with a fair and constructive review.

Applications submitted to the following grant mechanisms will be reviewed by committees independent from the RAP review process:

• Core Exploratory
• CRS Pilot
• Translational Digital Health (former Mobile Health Translational)
• Pilot Diabetes
• Pilot Obesity
• T1 Translational Catalyst

RAP, which now resides in the newly formed UCSF Research Development Office (RDO) led by Gretchen Kiser, PhD, reflects UCSF’s vision of interacting agencies collaborating to achieve shared goals. The program exemplifies the university's great capacity for creativity and innovation, fosters a campus-wide approach to support research and strengthens our goal of building infrastructure that makes research opportunities more accessible and manageable.

Researchers, especially junior faculty, appreciate the existence of a single source of information on intramural funding opportunities and the uniform application and review process, while the funding agencies see much greater efficiency in the use of shared resources.

All programs on campus are welcome to use RAP to coordinate their funding opportunities. RAP currently offers the flexibility to be utilized in the following three different modules:

• Submission and review of proposals
• Submission only, with review handled independently
• Promotion of funding opportunities

Thanks to the combined efforts of multiple funding agencies, a total of $2,493,001 was distributed to UCSF researchers during the Spring 2011 cycle. Thirty-eight percent of the grants reviewed were awarded — an excellent funding rate despite the increased number of proposals reviewed.

Learn more about RAP at its website, which provides step-by-step instructions. For questions, contact Emanuela (Emy) Volpe via email or phone, (415) 502-1674.