BHF Centre of Regenerative Medicine Call for Pump-Priming Proposals

BHF Centre of Regenerative Medicine

Call for pump-priming proposals

The BHF CRM has received £2.5M of funding from the BHF to spend over 4 years (01 October 2013 to 30 September 2017), £300K of which has been allocated to Pump-Priming. There will be two rounds of pump-priming proposals, one in June 2014 and the second in late 2015/early 2016.

We will offer ~5 awards per call of up to a maximum of £30K per award (requests for smaller awards are also welcome and may favour a more successful outcome). The overall goal is to allow researchers to be more responsive and innovative, and to help maximise leverage for the CRM.

Pump-priming proposals provide an opportunity to obtain some pilot/preliminary data that should enable subsequent submission of a project grant application to an external funding agency.

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:

  • name of the host CRM PI;
  • proposed start and end date;
  • an abstract of <300 words;
  • a clearly stated hypothesis (except in cases of technique development);
  • 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 proposed subsequent grant application to an external funding agency;
  • a specific justification of the costs requested and summary of the funding requested;
  • the collaborators involved; and
  • any other relevant information.

Funds can be used for consumables, equipment, animal costs and travel costs. Where possible, applications should not include a request to fund personnel who will be hired into a one year position, as the CRM recognises the difficulties associated with such short-term hires.

Priority will be given to projects that would be difficult to get funded from external peer-reviewed sources because the project is too high risk, the data is too preliminary, where a rapid decision is needed, or where there are concerns about confidentiality that make external peer-review unattractive.

CRM PIs are eligible to apply for CRM pump-priming funding, with a maximum of one application per PI/call. Postdocs can be co-applicants, but PIs who are not part of the CRM are not eligible to apply.

Applications will be assessed by Prof Paul Riley, Prof Martin Bennett and an Oxbridge panel of PIs external to the CRM.

The deadline for receipt of applications is: Monday 30th June 2014.

Applications and any enquiries should be directed to Tertia Softley: tertia.softley@dpag.ox.ac.uk

Funding decisions will be made by the end of July 2014.