BHF Cambridge Centre for Cardiovascular Research Excellence
Internal call for pump-priming proposals
The BHF Cambridge Centre for Cardiovascular Research Excellence (BHF Cambridge CRE) has received £3M from the BHF to fund interdisciplinary research over the next five years (2014-2019). As part of this, a budget is available to pump-prime studies in the broad area of atherothrombosis.
This funding is aimed at highly innovative and interdisciplinary projects for which it would be difficult to attract peer-reviewed funding in the first instance (exploratory, hypothesis generating, proof-of-concept studies, development of novel tools, high risk projects). Proposals will be assessed against each other four times per year - in September, December, March, and June. Update: the Centre has now awarded all available pump-priming funding (19/11/2015).
Awards will be up to a maximum of £50K - requests for smaller awards are welcome. The overall goal is to allow researchers to be responsive and innovative. Pump-priming proposals provide an opportunity to obtain pilot/preliminary data that should enable subsequent submission of a grant application to an external funding agency. Consideration will also be given to requests for part-funding funds towards strategic equipment bids.
Applications for pump-priming should be a maximum of 3 A4 pages (Ariel 11 font, 1” margins) in length and should contain the following information:
- names of the CRE PIs and collaborators;
- proposed start and end date;
- an abstract of <300 words;
- a clearly stated hypothesis (except in cases of equipment);
- a description of the work to be undertaken, and relevant references - Figures should be embedded in the text
- a clear account of what preliminary data will be generated by this work and the plans for future applications to leverage additional peer-reviewed funding or engagement with industry;
- a justification of the costs and a summary of the requested funding;
- any other relevant information.
Priority will be given to projects that would be difficult to fund from external peer-reviewed sources because the project is too high risk, the data are too preliminary, where a rapid decision is needed, or where there are concerns about confidentiality that make external peer-review unattractive.
All PIs associated with the CRE are eligible to apply for pump-priming funding.
Applications will be assessed by the Centre Director, Prof Nick Morrell, with the assistance of a panel of experts external to the pump-priming applications. Funding decisions will be made within one month of application DL.
Applications and any enquiries should be emailed to Katja Kivinen (kjk28@cam.ac.uk).
