The following is a description of mechanisms for funding provided by the Ragon Institute through a competitive twice yearly request for applications:
Letter of Intent deadline: September 19th, 2011
Final Application deadline: October 12th, 2011
Award Start: January 1, 2012
Innovation Description
Ragon Innovation Awards are intended to establish novel collaborative projects between two or more investigators to answer key questions directly applicable to HIV vaccine development. The award is for $100,000 direct and $15,000 indirect funding for one year. Awards may be used for salary, fringe benefits, supplies, and any other expenses requisite for project. Renewal applications will be accepted as part of the normal funding cycle. The total number to be awarded is not set but will depend on the quality of the applications, and is anticipated to be up to five.
Timeline
All new applications must be preceded by a letter of Intent (due 5pm September 19th, 2011). The LOI template is available for download here; if the applicant is not a Ragon Member or Associate Member, the completed application should be submitted with the required Ragon faculty letter of support. The facepage for the subsequently submitted full proposal must be signed by an institutional official (unless the project is wholly performed at MGH and has no subcontracts). The LOI does not require an institutional signature.
There is no review process between the LOI stage and the proposal stage. All who submit a letter of intent are welcome to submit proposals.
All proposals, whether new or renewal are due 5pm October 10th, 2011. Proposal templates are available for download here. If applicable, approved Human or Animal use protocols must be current prior to award activation. Awards will be effective on or about January 1, 2012 and applicants will be notified near the middle of December 2011.
Conditions of Award
Applicants who are neither Ragon Members nor Ragon Associate Members must secure endorsement for their proposal by a Ragon Member / Associate Member. LOIs must still be submitted for all new proposals, whether by members or non-members. A list of Ragon Members/Associate Members can be found here; please note that Martin Hirsch and Herman Eisen are leaders of the review, and are not eligible to endorse applications.
Applicants are strongly advised to solicit a Ragon Faculty Member well in advance of the LOI deadline. The Ragon Faculty Member must provide a letter of support with the LOI, and, if the project is funded, must commit to regular interactions with the PI and fellow to monitor progress.
If geographically feasible, applicants must also commit to attending monthly Ragon Institute Joint Seminars and Working Group meetings.
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Funding will be given to investigators who have not previously worked on HIV; as well as HIV investigators who initiate distinct and novel research directions. Investigators from fields other than HIV are encouraged to apply, but are advised to collaborate with someone with HIV experience. |
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M.D., Ph.D. and M.D./Ph.D investigators pursuing either basic or clinical investigation are eligible to apply. |
Target Areas of Funding
Priority for funding through the Ragon Innovation Award and Ragon Fellowship RFA will be given to proposals that are well aligned / integrated with the current strategic initiatives being pursued by the Ragon Institute, but are not limited to this.
These strategic initiatives, which represent areas of more intense focus within the institute, are described on Funding Overview along with the names of the Ragon Institute’s members who can provide additional details on each initiative and associated participating scientists. Awardees whose efforts align with these initiatives will be expected to participate in monthly working group meetings related to the initiatives.
Award Expenditures
The award is for $100,000 direct and $15,000 indirect funding for one year. Awards may be used for salary, fringe benefits, supplies and other expenses requisite for the project. Awardees may submit competitive renewal applications for a second year of funding along with a progress report near the end of the funding period. Renewals will be awarded on the basis of research progress, suitable use of first-year funds, and the strength of the ongoing research plan.
Submission Process
Templates for the Innovation Letter of Intent and for the Innovation Proposal are available for download here or from the box at the top of this page.
Review Process
Applications are evaluated and ranked for funding priority by a review panel whose recommendations are reviewed for final approval by Ragon Program Leaders. Candidates will be provided with a priority score and short description of how their proposal might be improved. Reviewers will consider the following: |
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Novelty: Is the work innovative? Is the work of potential high impact? |
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Significance: Is the work pertinent and specific to HIV pathogenesis or vaccine design? Will the work advance our basic understanding of HIV-immunology/virology? |
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Feasibility: Is the proposal appropriately ambitious? Will the new technology to be developed (or the application of the existing technology for new use) be feasible and likely to produce results? Is the PI capable of executing the project? |
Please address any questions to ragonrfa@partners.org. |