Brief Description:

The Dean’s Fund for Scientific Advancement expands the School’s internal research funding program and is designed to create a pipeline of support that facilitates the exploration of early ideas, the development of strong interdisciplinary team science, and the creation of new transformative research collaborations that advance the frontiers of science. Activation Awards represent a critical component of the funding program and are intended to support idea generation for junior faculty.

Description:

Activation Awards are designed to encourage and support the scientific career development of Harvard Chan School Assistant and Associate Professors on the tenure ladder. To advance this goal, we are soliciting proposals for pilot projects that will provide faculty the opportunity to develop their research ideas, collect pilot data, or conduct secondary data analysis to be used as pilot data. Although not required, we are particularly interested in proposals that are interdisciplinary in nature. The award is intended to maximize competitiveness for extramural funding by allowing faculty to develop innovative and novel ideas/methods.

Application Information:

1. Applicant Information
2. Collaborators
3. Project Information: In this section, you must complete a 200-word research abstract that includes 1) the scientific question to be addressed, 2) a description of the approach, and 3) the intended impact of the project. You will also be asked to upload the following documents as a single PDF:

· Project Proposal: Maximum of 4 pages of text, not including items listed below. Figures and references are allowable in addition to this page limit. No other appendix material will be accepted.

· Biosketch: Current NIH Biosketch for each participating investigator

· Budget Request: Budget estimates should be submitted on NIH PHS 398 detailed budget form with major divisions of funds (personnel, equipment, etc.). PIs may include effort and salary support commensurate with their effort. The full amount of the award may be used for direct costs.

· Budget Justification

4. Electronic Signature

Additional Application Guidelines:

Subcontracts: External collaboration is permitted in cases where there is a clear scientific rationale for why the work needs to be done externally. A letter describing the subcontractor’s commitment to the work outlined in the proposal and the scope of their contribution should be submitted at the time of application. All other paperwork needed to set up the subcontract can be submitted if and when the project is funded.
Outside spending/salary support: Funds may be used for project-related expenses at other Harvard schools, though they cannot provide salary support for faculty outside of the Harvard Chan School whose salaries are already fully covered by institutional funds.
Indirect costs: Indirect costs should not be included. The full award should be used to support direct project costs.

Eligibility Criteria:

Tenure-track assistant and associate professors who have a primary appointment at the Harvard Chan School are eligible to apply. If you have any questions regarding your eligibility to apply for this award, please contact Heather Conrad at hconrad@hsph.harvard.edu or visit the Dean’s Fund FAQ page.

Review Criteria:

Proposals will be reviewed by a standing committee of faculty, with broad representation across the School’s disciplinary clusters (life sciences, quantitative sciences, social/policy sciences). The purpose of the Activation Award is to seed the ideas of promising young investigators. As such, reviewers will evaluate applications based on the following review criteria:

a. Overall Impact: The likelihood of the project to exert a sustained, powerful influence on the research field(s) involved, in consideration of the review criteria below.
b. Significance: The extent to which the application addresses an important problem or a critical barrier in the field.
c. Innovation: The extent to which the application seeks to shift current research or clinical practice paradigms by utilizing novel theoretical concepts, approaches or methodologies, instrumentation, or interventions.
d. Extramural Competitiveness and Contribution to Career Development: The likelihood that the proposed project will increase competitiveness for an external grant application (e.g., by providing strong pilot data, demonstrating the efficacy of a novel methodology, etc.) and will benefit the applicant’s career development.

Additional Information, Related Websites, and Proxy Instructions:

Proposals are to be submitted through the Harvard University Funding Portal (HUFP). If you are using the application portal for the first time, you must complete a short registration process (see below). Please note, you can search for awards without logging in but you must be registered and logged in with your Harvard Key to submit an application. There is an option to assign a proxy for proposal submission, however your grant manager cannot use your Harvard Key to submit your application. Please see below for more information on registering for an account and assigning a proxy.

Registering your HUFP Account: Select “Log-in” in the top right corner of the HUFP webpage, which will bring you to a log-in page with two options. Select the "with Harvard Key" icon, which will prompt you to enter your Harvard Key. You will be led through a short three-question registration process. Once registered, you will be able to log in with your Harvard Key to submit applications.

Assigning a Proxy for Submission: Before beginning an application, both proxy and PI must register for individual accounts in HUFP using their Harvard Key credentials. Once the proxy and the PI are registered, the proxy can begin an application on behalf of the PI. The Proxy will indicate that they are a proxy applicant and will be asked to locate their PI in HUFP. Proxies should never “Add User” in HUFP. Once the PI is identified, both the PI and the proxy will be able to access and edit the application.

Please contact ORSD (hconrad@hsph.harvard.edu) if you have any questions about using HUFP.

Contact Information:

For questions about this application, please contact Heather Conrad at hconrad@hsph.harvard.edu

Search Filters:

Institution

Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health

Position

Assistant Professor
Associate Professor

Begin Accepting Applications Date:

1/10/2021

Deadline Date (EST Time Zone):

2/16/2022 11:59 PM