Resident Grant Proposal Submission Information

Proposal requirements

Residents and faculty mentors are strongly encouraged to read the complete Research and Graduate Studies (RGS) Committee SOP.

All degree-seeking residents MUST submit a proposal to the Research and Graduate Studies committee for review by January of the 3rd year of their residency program, even if funding is not required. For degree-seeking residents, who have contributed significantly to a proposal which has been successfully funded by an extramural agency, the mentor may submit the proposal to the RGS with a statement attesting to the resident’s contribution for RGS approval without review.

Any resident (degree-seeking or not) who requires DCS funding for research must submit a proposal to the Research and Graduate Studies committee. The purpose of this requirement is to provide experience in grant writing for all residents in combined residency/graduate programs, to provide feedback prior to an extramural submission, and to provide approval if funding from DCS is required.  

DCS can provide funding of up to $5,000 for resident research under the following conditions and expectations:

  1. Extramural funding was applied for but not successfully obtained. This expectation also applies to non-traditional proposals such as surveys, retrospective studies, or other types of studies that may not be eligible for federal, state, or other private funding agencies. Should suitable extramural funding sources not exist, unsuccessful exploration of alternative sources such as funding from private entities, collaborations, or professional funds (e.g. existing start-up) must be demonstrated (see details in SOP for Research and Graduate Studies Committee).
  2. Matching funds from DCS are needed if available funds from an extramural source are insufficient. The use of matching funds from DCS must be justified in the budget and all budgets that are submitted for extramural funding (including matching funds) must be approved by the Office of Research and Graduate Studies PRIOR to submission to the extramural funding source.
  3. The proposal submitted to the RGS committee meets extramural funding agency guidelines or DCS full proposal guidelines and is accompanied by a cover letter meeting RGS committee guidelines.
  4. To be eligible for DCS funding, the RGS approval must be received by January of the third year of the residency program (for a 3-year residency program).

DCS can provide pilot study funding of up to $2,500 for resident research under the following conditions and expectations:

  1. The proposal submitted to the RGS committee meets DCS pilot study proposal guidelines and is accompanied by a cover letter that meets RGS committee guidelines.
  2. The proposal clearly describes future related research the pilot data will support for a resident (current/future) and funding sources that will be approached for the future study.

Submission Instructions

  1. Proposal format: For full proposals, you may use the format that you used for your extramural agency. We ask that you submit the instructions or a link to the instructions for the granting agency that you used so that the committee can see what was requested. If your mentor already has funding and you are submitting the grant as a requirement, a proposal format is provided: Download proposal format and guidelines (DOCX). For pilot study proposals, you must use the DCS Pilot Study proposal format. The proposal can be uploaded as one PDF document or one Microsoft word document. Please combine all relevant files into one document. You do not have to submit the IACUC proposal, but please indicate the status of approval in your proposal. If a client consent form is part of the proposal, please submit the final or draft client consent form with your proposal.
  2. Cover letter: A cover letter must be submitted with all proposals (Full and Pilot Study) and must be signed by the resident, the residency or graduate program advisor, and the primary investigator of the project (if different from the residency or graduate program advisor). The cover letter needs to list all of the investigators, the purpose of the project, and the role of each person in the project. Please indicate the status of submission of your proposal to an outside funding agency including agency selected, the expected decision timeline, amount to be requested, etc. Indicate whether or not you are requesting funding from DCS. If you are, the proposal budget must reflect how DCS funds will be used. (Full and Pilot Study Cover Letter Templates can be found here.)

Proposal Review

  1. Timeline for review: The committee meets on the second Wednesday of each month if there are proposals to review. Proposals must be submitted by 5pm of the last Wednesday of the preceding month to be reviewed during that cycle. This review cycle will be occasionally adjusted to accommodate holidays or other events.
  2. After the review process: A written summary of the committee’s assessment will be provided to each resident and the chair of their committee (see evaluation form template). If the proposal is not approved, the resident must resubmit the revised proposal with changes highlighted, and it must be accompanied by a written justification responding point by point to all comments (noting how the requested changes were made or explaining why they were not).
  3. Questions can be directed to Dr. Dana LeVine and Dr. Thomas Passler, co-chairs of the Research and Graduate Studies Committee.

Initial Grant Proposal Submission

Revised Grant Proposal Submission

Frequently Asked Questions

My mentor already has funding for my project from a grant or start-up funds for my project.

Do I still have to submit a grant to the RGS committee for review?

Yes, all degree-seeking residents MUST submit a proposal to the Research and Graduate Studies committee for review, even if funding is not required.  The proposal must be written by the resident (i.e., do not submit your mentor’s funded grant to the committee).

If you contributed significantly to an external proposal and it was successfully funded, the RGS committee does not have to review the proposal as long as your mentor emails the proposal to the RGS committee chairs by January of the 3rd year of your residency with a statement attesting to your contribution.

I have formatted my proposal for a particular funding agency.

Do I have to submit the grant to the RGS committee in a different format?

No, you may use the format that you used for the external agency. We ask that you submit the instructions or a link to the instructions for the granting agency that you used so that the committee can see what was requested. If your mentor already has funding and you are submitting the grant as a requirement, the DCS proposal format is provided in the instructions for submission section.

I am a degree-seeking resident. If I have received funding through a DCS pilot study proposal, do I also need to submit a full proposal for approval?

No, the pilot study proposal will count towards your proposal requirement.

My DCS pilot study proposal was approved for funding. Can I receive additional research funding through the DCS?

Residents may only submit one pilot proposal per study. If you require additional DCS funding to support your study, you may submit a full proposal for consideration. The proposal must adhere to conditions and expectations as outlined above and in the RGS committee SOP. The amount requested from the DCS may not exceed $5000 minus whatever funds were allocated for the pilot study.

Do I have to have IACUC or CRRC approval before I submit my proposal to the RGS committee?

No, you can submit your proposal without approval. Please indicate the status of the approval process in your grant submission. Please do not submit your IACUC proposal with your grant submission, but if a client consent form is part of the proposal, please submit the client consent form with your proposal. Please indicate if you need us to communicate to the chair of CRRC that your proposal was approved (we do not need to communicate approval to the IACUC chair).