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2008-09 Call for Proposals and Nominations
Biomedical Informatics and Computational Biology

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> Collaborative Seed Grant Program: Call for Proposals
> Collaborative Seed Grant Program: Proposal Instructions
> Collaborative Traineeship Program: Call for Nominations
> Post-Doctoral Associate Fellowship Program: Call for Nominations
> Post-Doctoral Associate Fellowship Program: Proposal Instructions
> BICB Program: Peer Review Criteria

Collaborative Seed Grant Program: Call for Proposals

Application Deadline – July 15, 2008

Program Overview
The University of Minnesota/Mayo/IBM Collaboration Seed Grant Program has been established to provide funding to support the development of research in biomedical informatics and computational biology.  Collaborative, interdisciplinary projects with significant potential for obtaining extramural support are emphasized.  Projects require at least one faculty principal investigator from the University of Minnesota and at least one investigator from the collaborative institution(s).  Awards up to $100,000 per year for up to two years are expected.  Proposals are due July 15, 2008.  Notification of awards will be made by August 1, 2008, with allocation of funds anticipated on September 2, 2008.

Research Areas Supported
The BICB University of Minnesota/Mayo/IBM Collaboration Seed Grant Program is seeking collaborative interdisciplinary biomedical research proposals in the following areas:

• Medical Imaging Informatics
• Biomedical Informatics
• Computational Biology
• Computational Approaches to Genomics and Proteomics
• Integration of Data Types with Genomic Emphasis

Funds Available
It is anticipated that up to $500,000 will be available for seed grants to establish new interdisciplinary collaborative research projects.  Project awards up to $100,000 per year for up to two years are expected.  Funds may be renewed for a second year, depending upon continuation of funding from the University of Minnesota Rochester and satisfactory progress during the first year of funding in establishing a collaborative research project.  Satisfactory performance will be based on progress towards project goals, efforts to obtain extramural funding, and meeting the evaluation criteria as described below.

Eligibility, Use of Funds, Indirect Costs, and Annual Maximum Amount Available

• Each grant must have at least two principal investigators, one from the University of Minnesota and one from one of the other participating institutions (Mayo Clinic or IBM).  There is no limit to the number of additional investigators. 
• Funds may be used for support of research personnel, supplies, and travel at the participating institutions.
• All funds will be processed through the University accounting system.
• Subawards will be made to the other participating institutions following their standard subaward procedures.
• The University of Minnesota portion of awards will not be charged F&A (indirect) costs. 
• Collaborating institutions may charge their standard F&A (indirect) rate on direct research costs. 
• The award maximum is $100,000 per year and F&A (indirect) costs—if any—are included in this total.

Review Procedures
Proposals will be peer reviewed  by a panel appointed by the University of Minnesota Rochester Chancellor, with the Chancellor making the final funding decisions based upon these reviews.  Reviewers will be drawn from the collaborating institutions with expertise in the area of proposals and in accordance with the University of Minnesota's Office of the Vice President for Research (UM OVPR) exclusion policies to avoid conflicts of interest.   In particular, investigators participating in proposals will be excluded from serving on the review panel.

Review Criteria
All peer review is conducted on the basis of the following criteria: the quality of the proposed research, the Investigator's ability(ies) as judged by past accomplishments, external funding, or other evidence of success in peer review processes or future potential, the importance of the proposed work in its own field, and opportunities for external funding.  In addition, the proposals are evaluated to the extent to which the project:

• Addresses a research focus consistent with the areas outlined in the Call for Proposals
• Creates potential for significant, ground-breaking research
• Develops new synergies and creates new interdisciplinary teams
• Positions the research for significant extramural support
• Includes a plan for future, extramural funding
• Builds on competitive advantage of collaborating institutions

The peer review criteria for all BICB programs, including the University of Minnesota/Mayo/IBM Collaboration Seed Grant Program, is available at BICB Program: Peer Review Criteria.

Application Procedures
Proposal Instructions for University of Minnesota/Mayo/IBM Collaboration Seed Grants are available at Collaborative Seed Grant Program: Proposal Instructions.  Proposals must be submitted electronically to:

Michael Olesen
Program Director for Bioscience
UMR BICB
olese001@umn.edu
507-280-4647 (UMR office)
612-625-6414 (UMTC office)

Those interested in applying for a University of Minnesota/Mayo/IBM Collaboration Seed Grant are requested to submit a statement of intent to apply to the Program Director for Bioscience by July 3.  Statement of intent should include the project’s title and a listing of collaborators including their institution and contact information.

Requirements if Funded
Investigators on funded projects will be expected to participate in research symposia and other collaborative research and education activities of the BICB program. Investigators must also submit a written annual and final report on the project activities and contribute a non-technical summary for the BICB web site and other publication.  For continued seed grant funding, investigators must demonstrate efforts to seek extramural funding beyond the seed grant.

The University of Minnesota is committed to the policy that all persons shall have equal access to its programs, facilities, and employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, national origin, sex, age, marital status, disability, public assistance status, veteran status, or sexual orientation.

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Collaborative Seed Grant Program: Proposal Instructions

Consult the Call for Proposals for the desired research emphasis of proposed projects, and for review criteria. 

Proposals must be submitted electronically no later than midnight, July 15, 2008 to:

Michael Olesen
Program Director for Bioscience
University of Minnesota Rochester
olese001@umn.edu
507-280-4647 (UMR office)
612-25-6414 (UMTC office)

Proposals must contain the following elements:

1. Cover page including:
   • A brief project title.
   • Name, position, departmental affiliation and email address for each principal investigator and co-investigators (add or subtract lines for investigators, as needed).
   • An abstract including a summary of proposed activities and rationale for the work (300 words maximum)
2. Project description (maximum of five pages), including:
   • Context or rationale for the proposed work, including essential background and relationship to the priority areas outlined in the Request for Proposals.
   • Objectives for proposed work.
   • Overview of methods to be employed.
   • Methods to be used to facilitate collaboration and communication among members of the project team.
   • Summary of the role or contribution of each investigator.
   • Plans for leveraging this seed funding to seek external funding in support of the proposed project.
3. References cited
4. 2-page biographical standard NSF or NIH biographical sketch for each investigator, including:
   • Professional preparation
   • Positions held
   • A list of up to ten related and/or significant publications
   • Up to five significant synergistic activities
   • A list of all internal and external conflicts of interest, including advisors/advisees, collaborators and co-authors in the last 48 months, or those in your field with whom you have a significant relationship (e.g. spouse)
5. Budget and budget justification for year one of the proposal.  Note that:
   • Funds may be used in any appropriate manner for support of research personnel, supplies, and travel.
   • U of M portion of awards are not charged indirect costs
   • Collaborating institutions may charge their standard F&A (indirect) rate on direct research costs.
   • The maximum amount that can be requested is $100,000 per year and F&A (indirect) costs—if any—should be included in this total
6. Proof of institutional approval of proposal.  For University of Minnesota and Mayo Clinic awards a completed and approved Proposal Routing Form (PRF).  For other collaborators a letter of support is required.
7. Proposal format: 11 point Times New Roman or equivalent, 1 inch margins on all sides

The length limits and deadline will be strictly enforced. 

The University of Minnesota is committed to the policy that all persons shall have equal access to its programs, facilities, and employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, national origin, sex, age, marital status, disability, public assistance status, veteran status, or sexual orientation.

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Collaborative Traineeship Program: Call for Nominations

Nomination Deadline – July 15, 2008

Eligibility
This two-year traineeship is open to University of Minnesota graduate students (Master’s or Ph.D.) and full-time Ph.D. Mayo graduate students who are either already in a graduate program or are admitted for Fall 2008, and are interested in pursuing interdisciplinary work in the areas of biomedical informatics and computational biology. Students must be registered as full-time students for the duration of the traineeship. They must remain in the same degree program, are expected to maintain high academic standards, and must maintain a 3.5 cumulative grade point average for continued eligibility. To be eligible for the second year award, the UMTC Director of Graduate Studies (DGS) or Mayo Clinic Program Director (PD) will be asked to certify academic progress of their respective students.

Amount
The traineeship provides stipend and benefits for University of Minnesota graduate students and a tuition fellowship for Mayo Clinic Ph.D. students. The stipend is $22,000 for the academic year 2008-09, and benefits include full tuition and subsidized health insurance, plus subsidized dependent and dental care for the academic year. The tuition fellowship covers up to 14 credits at the University of Minnesota for courses approved under this traineeship, to be taken within three years.

Instructions to the Nominating Program
Relevant graduate programs may nominate candidates.  The nominating DGS should forward a copy of the student’s Graduate School application file to the Program Director for Bioscience, University of Minnesota Rochester, 111 South Broadway, Suite 300, Rochester, MN 55904.  The application must be accompanied by letters of endorsement from research collaborators at University of Minnesota and participating institutions (at least one from UM and at least one from a collaborating institution: Mayo Clinic or IBM) that state their willingness to co-advise the student, as well as briefly describe the collaborative research that will be conducted by the student.

Instructions to the Applicant
Inform the DGS if University of Minnesota or PD if Mayo Clinic Graduate School about your intention to apply and request that s/he contacts:

Michael Olesen
Program Director for Bioscience
UMR BICB
olese001@umn.edu
507-280-4647 (UMR office)
612-625-6414 (UMTC office)

The deadline for application submission is July 15, 2008.

Selection Criteria
Up to five new traineeships will be awarded in academic year 2008–09. The review and selection of BICB Graduate Traineeships will be conducted by University of Minnesota graduate faculty chosen by the University of Minnesota Rochester Chancellor, who will select the awardees based on the following criteria: the strength of the overall academic record, the content and potential impact of the research, the nature of the interdisciplinary aspects of the research, the timeliness of progress toward the degree (if applicable), and potential for strengthening collaboration between the University of Minnesota and partner institutions, as well as the relevance of the research program to the overall mission of BICB.

Award Policy
Duplicate Awards - Recipients may not hold concurrently a second traineeship, scholarship, grant, or similar award that duplicates the benefits of the Traineeship.

Terms of Award - Although recipients need not be in residence during the tenure of the traineeship, they must be registered for credit in the Graduate School both semesters of the academic year.  The trainees must agree to participate in the proposed collaborative research, participate in the BICB Journal Club, attend BICB symposia, and fulfill the requirements for the Minor in the proposed graduate degree in biomedical informatics and computation biology.

Traineeship Applicant Notification Date – August 1, 2008

The University of Minnesota is committed to the policy that all persons shall have equal access to its programs, facilities, and employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, national origin, sex, age, marital status, disability, public assistance status, veteran status, or sexual orientation.

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Post-Doctoral Associate Fellowship Program: Call for Nominations

Application Deadline – July 15, 2008

Program Overview
The University of Minnesota Rochester Biomedical Informatics and Computational Biology (BICB) program provides grants to support interdisciplinary collaborative post-doctoral research between the University of Minnesota, Mayo Clinic, and IBM in biomedical informatics and computational biology.  It is expected that BICB Post-Doctoral Fellows will serve as a catalyst for the development of interdisciplinary projects with significant potential for obtaining extramural support.  In addition to their role in fostering interdisciplinary collaborative research in biomedical informatics and computational biology, it is expected that the Post-Doctoral Fellow will also participate in the development of the BICB research program at the University of Minnesota Rochester.  This may include participation in the development of the BICB graduate program through participation in the journal club, mentoring graduate students, and participation is seminars and symposia.

The upper limit on post-doctoral research fellowships is $25,000 (including fringe benefits), with a required match of no less than 1:1 from collaborating institutions. If requested, the University of Minnesota Rochester will provide office space for Post-Doctoral Fellows.  It is anticipated that up to four $25,000 grants will be awarded. Collaborating institutions may charge their standard F&A (indirect) rate on direct research costs. The award maximum is $25,000 per year and F&A (indirect) costs—if any—are included in this total.  Awards are for one year. Please note that the support provided is in terms of a grant to the hosting department or institution for the purpose of providing a portion of the salary and of the post-doctoral fellow. The hosting departments or institutions do the actual hiring and appointments and are responsible for affirmative action and all administrative processes.

Eligibility
Nominations for BICB Post-Doctoral Associate Fellowships must be made by at least two principal investigators, one from a University of Minnesota faculty member and one from one of the other participating institutions (Mayo Clinic or IBM). 

Review Procedures
A peer review committee appointed by the University of Minnesota Rochester Chancellor will award BICB Post-Doctoral Associate Fellowships based upon a competitive review of the nominations.  Nominees for BICB Post-Doctoral Associate Fellowships are expected to hold the Ph.D. degree and are usually considered potential post-doctoral research associates.  More senior visitors may also be nominated.  The review criteria is available at BICB Program: Peer Review Criteria.

Application Procedures
Nomination instructions for BICB Post-Doctoral Associate Fellowships are available at Post-Doctoral Associate Fellowship Programs: Proposal Instructions. Nominations must be submitted electronically to:

Michael Olesen
Program Director for Bioscience
olese001@umn.edu
507-280-4647 (UMR office)
612-625-6414 (UMTC office)

Requirements if Funded
BICB Post-Doctoral Fellows will be expected to participate in research symposia and other collaborative research and education activities of the program for biomedical informatics and quantitative and computational studies in life sciences. BICB Post-Doctoral Fellows must also submit a written annual report on the project activities and contribute a non-technical summary for the BICB web site and other publications. 

The University of Minnesota is committed to the policy that all persons shall have equal access to its programs, facilities, and employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, national origin, sex, age, marital status, disability, public assistance status, veteran status, or sexual orientation.

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Post-Doctoral Associate Fellowship Program: Proposal Instructions

Consult the Call for Nominations for the desired research emphasis of proposed projects, and for review criteria. 

Nominations must be submitted electronically no later than midnight, July 15, 2008 to:

Michael Olesen
Program Director for Bioscience
University of Minnesota Rochester
olese001@umn.edu
507-280-4647 (UMR office)
612-25-6414 (UMTC office)

Nominations must contain the following elements:

1. Cover page including:
   • Name of nominee including:
     • Highest degree earned or expected to earn prior to becoming a post-doctoral associate fellow
     • Place earned and date
     • Current position and contact information
     • Proposed starting date
   • Name, position, departmental affiliation and email address for each principal investigator and co-investigators (add or subtract lines for investigators, as needed) making the nomination
• A brief project title (50 characters maximum)
• An abstract including a summary of proposed activities and rationale for the work (300 words maximum
2. Budget and facilities request including:
   • Dates and duration of the Post-Doctoral Associate Fellowship (one year maximum
   • Itemization of total salary and fringe benefits costs for nominee
   • Amount to be covered by other sources (1:1 match required)
     • Source of matching funds
   • Statement of where Post-Doctoral Associate will be based and whether space will be needed at the University of Minnesota Rochester campus
   • Collaborating institutions may charge their standard F&A (indirect) rate on direct research costs.
   • The maximum amount that can be requested is $25,000 per year and F&A (indirect) costs—if any—should be included in this total.
3. Project description (maximum of five pages), including:
   • Context or rationale for the proposed work, including essential background and relationship to the priority areas outlined in the Request for Nominations
   • Objectives for proposed work
   • Overview of methods to be employed
   • Methods to be used to facilitate collaboration and communication among members of the project team.
   • Summary of the role and contribution of the post-doctoral associate to the project.
   • Plans for leveraging these matching funds to seek external funding in support of the proposed project.
4. References cited
5. Curriculum vitae and publication list for nominee
6. 2-page biographical standard NSF or NIH biographical sketch for each nominator, including:
   • Professional preparation
   • Positions held
   • A list of up to ten related and/or significant publications
   • Up to five significant synergistic activities.
   • A list of all internal and external conflicts of interest, including advisors/advisees, collaborators and co-authors in the last 48 months, or those in your field with whom you have a significant relationship (e.g. spouse)
7. Three or more letters of recommendation from previous research supervisors or faculty at this or other universities supporting the nominee and/or speaking to his/her qualifications.  One of the letters may be from the nominator, if appropriate.
8. Proof of institutional approval of proposal.  For University of Minnesota and Mayo Clinic awards a completed and approved Proposal Routing Form (PRF).  For other collaborators a letter of support is required.
9. Proposal format: 11 point Times New Roman or equivalent, 1 inch margins on all sides.

The length limits and deadline will be strictly enforced. 

The University of Minnesota is committed to the policy that all persons shall have equal access to its programs, facilities, and employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, national origin, sex, age, marital status, disability, public assistance status, veteran status, or sexual orientation.

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BICB Program: Peer Review Criteria

General Peer Review Criteria
All proposals will be evaluated according to the relevance of the work to BICB’s missions of education, research, and technology transfer. 

University of Minnesota/Mayo Clinic/IBM Collaboration
Seed Grants Peer Review Criteria
All peer review is conducted on the basis of the following criteria: the quality of the proposed research; the Investigator's ability(ies) as judged by past accomplishments, external funding, or other evidence of success in peer review processes or future potential, the importance of the proposed work in its own field, and opportunities for external funding. In addition, the proposals are evaluated to the extent to which the project:

• Addresses a research focus consistent with the areas outlined in the Request for Proposals
• Creates potential for significant, ground-breaking research
• Develops new synergies and creates new interdisciplinary teams
• Positions the research for significant extramural support
• Includes a plan for future, extramural funding
• Builds on competitive advantage of collaborating institutions:  IBM, Mayo Clinic, and the University of Minnesota

The peer review panel for BICB seed grants will be appointed by the University of Minnesota Rochester Chancellor, with the Chancellor making the final funding decisions based upon their reviews.  Reviewers will be drawn from the collaborating institutions with expertise in the area of proposals and in accordance with  the University of Minnesota’s Office of the Vice President for Research (UM OVPR) exclusion policies to avoid conflicts of interest.  In particular, investigators participating in proposals will be excluded from serving on the review panel.

Traineeship Review Criteria
The review and selection of BICB Graduate Traineeships will be conducted by University of Minnesota graduate faculty chosen by the University of Minnesota Rochester Chancellor, who will select the awardees based on the following criteria:  the strength of the candidate’s overall academic record, the content and potential impact of the research, the nature of the interdisciplinary aspects of the research, the timeliness of progress toward the degree, and potential for strengthening collaboration between the University of Minnesota, IBM, and the Mayo Clinic, as well as the relevance of the research program to the overall mission of BICB.  

Post-Doctoral Associate Fellowship Review Criteria
The review and selection of BICB Post-Doctoral Associate Fellowships based on the following criteria:  the strength of the candidate’s overall academic record, the content and potential impact of the research, the nature of the interdisciplinary aspects of the research, the potential for strengthening collaboration between the collaborating institutions, the potential of the project to serve as a catalyst for the development of interdisciplinary projects with significant opportunity for obtaining extramural support, and the relevance of the research program to the overall mission of BICB.   In addition, because a goal of the BICB Post-Doctoral Fellowship Program is to develop collaborative interdisciplinary research projects involving the collaborating institutions in biomedical informatics and computational biology, the peer review panel will take into consideration the work of the principal investigator nominating the BICB Post-Doctoral Fellow as well as the merit of the proposed project.

The peer review panel for BICB Post-Doctoral Associate Fellowships will be appointed by the University of Minnesota Rochester Chancellor, with the Chancellor making the final funding decisions based upon their reviews.  Reviewers will be drawn from the collaborating institutions with expertise in the area of proposals and in accordance with UM OVPR exclusion policies to avoid conflicts of interest.  In particular, investigators participating in nominations will be excluded from serving on the review panel.

The University of Minnesota is committed to the policy that all persons shall have equal access to its programs, facilities, and employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, national origin, sex, age, marital status, disability, public assistance status, veteran status, or sexual orientation.

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