Faculty applications may be submitted under this process for Clinical research, Laboratory-based research, or Quality projects with budgets less than or equal to $40,000 (indirect costs are not allowed). Applications may be in any area of pediatric cancer research. The PI cannot be a Four Diamonds Endowed Investigator or be currently supported by a Four Diamonds endowed laboratory.
Applicants who have previously been funded by Four Diamonds are expected to include their publication record resulting from the initial funding period, advancing either fundamental understanding of pediatric oncology or a novel diagnostic or therapeutic approach to pediatric cancer. Successful application for external funding resulting from prior Four Diamonds awards is advantageous.
Funded investigators are required to present their findings approximately 12 months after initial funding to a Pediatric Oncology Academic Conference. A final progress report will also be required.
Review Process:
Applications are due by noon, January 29, 2020. NO LATE APPLICATIONS WILL BE ACCEPTED. Applications will undergo scientific merit review facilitated by the Research Development at the College of Medicine. Recommendations for funding will be made by the Four Diamonds Allocations Committee and approved by the Chief of the Division of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, Chairman of the Department of Pediatrics, and the Vice Dean for Research and Graduate Studies of the Penn State College of Medicine.
Awards:
The awardees will be required to present at a Four Diamonds Advisory Board Meeting and to a Pediatric Oncology Academic Conference and may be asked to present at a Four Diamonds Advisory Board Meeting at the end of the funding year.
Application must follow the following format:
Margins: Use standard paper size (8 ½" x 11). Use 1/2 inch margins (top, bottom, left, and right) for all pages. No information should appear in the margins except page numbers.
Font: Use an Arial, Times New Roman typeface, a black font color, and a font size of 11 points or larger.
Prospective applicants should upload their proposal in a single PDF file containing the following:
1. A Cover page (see RFA) must be submitted. Please use the SIMS Budget system to create your budget (see your department research administrator), and include budget justification, relating funds to the scientific plan. Four Diamonds will not pay for faculty salaries, publication expense, indirect costs, or travel to meetings. Per University policy, faculty PI(s) must have some effort which will need to be cost shared by your department. Please list any other faculty as a collaborator with zero percent effort. All faculty collaborators should be included on the IAF regardless of % effort.
2. A two page statement (including key references) that succinctly describes the problem that will be addressed, Hypothesis or Objective, Rationale, the Specific Aims, Research Strategy, and the nature of the scientific contributions that will be made by the PI and Collaborator(s); the relevance to pediatric oncology must be clearly stated.
3. A current NIH Biographical Sketch including the personal statement and current Research Support information for the PI, please see attached (for announcement, template, and examples go to https://grants.nih.gov/grants/forms/biosketch.htm).