Announcement of Support from the Roe Green Center for Travel Medicine and Global Health

The University Hospitals Roe Green Center for Travel Medicine and Global Health will provide pilot funding to faculty to foster research in innovation and discoveries in travel medicine, vaccines, and international health. Investigators in the basic science and clinical departments in the CWRU School of Medicine and University Hospitals Health System as well as in other departments throughout the University are eligible. Grants, not to exceed $35,000 direct costs each, will be awarded to investigators who intend to gather preliminary data to be used in seeking future independently funded awards. Two grants will be awarded. The University Hospitals Research & Education Institute will serve as the fiscal entity through which the monies will be distributed and awards administered.

Eligibility and Conditions

The grant period will be for one year. Post-doctoral fellows, residents, graduate students, and research associates are not eligible to apply for these research grants, but may be an integral part of a proposal made by a Faculty member. The subject of the proposed research must be directly related to travel medicine, vaccines and/or international health. The Principal Investigator must be a member of the faculty at Case Western Reserve University, but need not be a member of the Division of Infectious Diseases & HIV Medicine. Funding will be preferentially awarded to young investigators (within 5 years of faculty appointment).

Funds may be used for research supplies, animal maintenance, technical assistance, cost of computer time, special fees such as pathology, photography, etc, or equipment costing less than $2,000. Laboratory supplies should be itemized by category. Travel funds are limited to registration fee and travel to a related scientific meeting for the PI only.

No funds will be provided for administrative personnel, office equipment and supplies, tuition, purchasing and binding of periodicals and books, dues and membership fees in scientific societies, honoraria and travel expenses for visiting lecturers, recruiting and relocation expenses, office and laboratory furniture, rental of office or laboratory space, per diem charges for hospital beds, non- medical or personnel services to patients, construction or building maintenance, or major alterations. Funds may not be used for salary support for the Principal Investigator.

Application Instructions

General Instructions

Number the pages consecutively at the bottom throughout the application. Type the name of the Principal Investigator/Program Director at the top of each printed page and each continuation page. Submit in the order listed below starting with the Title Page.

Title Page: Principal Investigator’s Name; Department/Division; Mailing Address; Phone number; Email address; Grant Title (Use attached form)

I. Budget

Provide a 12-month budget (not to exceed $35,000 and do not include indirect costs) followed by a detailed justification of budget items. (Use attached form)

The funds received from this award must be used within the period specified. There will be no extensions.

II. Biographical Sketch/Other Support (For PI Only)

(NIH FORMAT)

First and second page (2-page limit) for biosketch. Third and fourth page (2-page limit) for other support. If you have no current or pending other support, include a statement to that effect. 

(Use attached form).

III. Resources

Provide a description of the resources (ie, facilities and personnel) available to you to support your proposed research activity.

IV. Description of Research Proposal (A-G not to exceed 8 pages)

1. Specific Aims (not to exceed 1/2 page).
2. Significance (with implications for further studies and plans for seeking future outside support-not to exceed one page).
3. Background/Preliminary Studies (not to exceed two pages).
4. Experimental Design and Methods (not to exceed four pages).
5. Approval of the UH Cleveland Medical Center, MetroHealth Medical Center, or VAMC Institutional Review Board if human experimentation is involved.
6. Approval of the CWRU or VAMC Animal Care & Use Committee (IACUC) if animal experimentation is involved.
7. Consultants.
8. Literature Cited (not to exceed 3 pages).

V. Appendix (10-page limit)

Figures, Tables, Submitted manuscripts, etc.       

VI. Letters of Support

Provide letters of support from appropriate collaborators

All applications must be typed, single-spaced, using a standard 10 or 12 pitch type. Applications not strictly conforming to the above page limitations will be returned to the Principal Investigator.

Review Process

Proposals will be reviewed by an oversight committee consisting of representatives from CWRU/UHCMC/VAMC. When appropriate, external reviewers will be used by the Committee. Reviewers will provide a concise written report to the committee. In making a decision, the committee will take into consideration the following items, which will be weighted in the following manner:

1. Significance, originality, scientific merit, and translational nature of the proposed project. (20 points)
2. Direct relevance to travel medicine, vaccines, and international health.(20 points)
3. The applicant's ability to perform the proposed research, within the time frame allotted and the development of new collaboration. (20 points)
4. Promising young investigator. (15 points)
5. Appropriateness of the exploratory activities and the likelihood that their completion will provide the basis for future successful funding and/or clinical success. (15 points)
6. Budget justification. (10 points)

The review committee would like to emphasize the importance of (a) providing detailed budget justifications, (b) listing the percent effort that the Principal Investigator and other Investigators will devote to the project if it is supported, (c) specifying plans for potential future support for the project by other granting agencies both federal and non-federal and (d) establishing new collaborations for young investigators.

Reporting Guidelines

Grantees are required to submit a 6-month interim and a final report at the completion of the year summarizing major activities and research findings, and to provide information on the funding status of the research initiated with this grant as well as related publications in each of the succeeding four years. 

• Deadline for receipt of the application is November 15, 2021, 11:59 p.m. EST.
• Decision will be communicated by December 15, 2021.
• Funding to begin January 2022.

This is an internal grant and not to be routed through Case Western Reserve University or University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center research offices.

1. Questions?  Please send any questions you may have to Martha Salata: mks18@case.edu
2. Send completed application to:
   Martha Salata
   Division of Infectious Diseases & HIV Medicine
   Foley Building, Room 416
   University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center                   
   11100 Euclid Avenue (For express mail: 2061 Cornell Rd., Suite 416)
   Cleveland, OH 44106-5083
3. Send an electronic version of the application, including appendix, (in pdf format) to Martha Salata at mks18@case.edu.