Research@UIC > Advisory Council > OVCR Advisory Council

Areas of Excellence Award Program

This program is based upon OVCR’s 2010 Strategic Goals and Mission Statement which   proposed an investment strategy targeted to scholarly themes - specifically, those poised to capitalize upon UIC’s unique strengths and opportunities and thereby achieve national distinction.   The themes are:

• Biomedical and Health Science Discovery
• Community Disparities
• Urban Resilience and the Global Environment

Funding is designed to (a) stimulate interdisciplinary collaboration; (b) maximize the extramural leveraging potential of established areas of expertise, and (c) solidify existing impactful programs.  To be funded by this program, projects must demonstrate the potential to create trajectories leading toward recognized national research prominence.    

Along these lines in the autumn of 2010, Dr. Garcia established several advisory councils charged with evaluating each theme and crafting white papers outlining potential Areas of Excellence (AOE) within those themes. Based on the identified AOEs, the OVCR is now issuing this campus-wide RFP.  It is anticipated that many, but not all, of the AOEs will be multidisciplinary and cross-cutting among colleges.  It is expected that PIs be from UIC.   With these funds, we invite you to blaze trails to new heights of UIC research excellence.   

1. General Eligibility
2. Targeted Funding Areas
3. Awards
4. Deadlines
5. Letter of Intent
6. Applications Instructions
7. Applications-Phase 1
8. Applications-Phase 2 and 3
9. Submission
10. Review Criteria
11. Review Process
12. Post-Award Obligations
13. Award Recipients - January 2012 NEW!

General Eligibility

1. Any individual(s) with the skills, knowledge, and resources necessary to carry out the proposed research as the Program Director/Principal Investigator (PD/PI) is invited to develop an application for support.
2. Investigators must have a full-time (at least .8 FTE) UIC appointment. 
3. Both tenure track and non-tenure track faculty are eligible to serve as PIs.
4. PIs can only serve as lead on one proposal.  However, there is no limit on the number of applications on which an individual can serve as a non-lead participant. 
5. Participation by non-UIC personnel should be limited and confined to the role of key personnel or consultants.  Deviations must be well justified
6. Other eligibility criteria may apply to specific phases and are outlined in those sections.

Targeted Funding Areas

The following AOEs represent invited topics for proposals – further details about these AOEs are here.   Please note that this is not an open-ended call for proposals.  It is not intended to support all areas of research, but instead focus on areas specifically targeted by the VCR advisory councils.  Please review the Summary Statements to determine if a potential proposal fits within this call for proposals , and, if so, which category is the best fit.  Invited topics are not necessarily restricted to a specific type of research.  For example, AOEs with a social science focus could conceivably fit within all three categories.

Biomedical and Health Science Discovery

Biomedical and Health Science Discovery is comprised of several targeted diseases/health issues and prevention/treatment approaches.  These were consolidated with several health related areas identified by the Community Disparities council, many of which focus upon underserved communities (e.g. persons with disabilities, racial minorities, LGBT persons, immigrants, older adults, low income, rural). Competitive applications must include at least one disease and one approach.     

• Diseases/Health Issues:  Cancer, Congestive Heart Failure, HIV/AIDS, Mental Health/Substance Abuse, Neurodegenerative Disorder, Obesity/Type II DM, Sickle Cell Disease, Solid Organ Transplantation, Stroke/Traumatic Brain Injury, Women’s Health
• Approaches:   Comparative Effectiveness Research, Drug Discovery, Genomics/Genetics, Health Disparities (e.g. community based participatory research, community engagement, translational research, epidemiologic studies, etc.), Imaging, Metabolomics, Stem Cell/Regenerative Medicine

Community Disparities

UIC is a leader in research, clinical practice, outreach, and education aimed at identifying, reducing, and preventing disparities in health, education, economic opportunity, and civic participation.  Health related disparities were incorporated within the Biomedical and Health Science Discovery category, above.  The Community Disparities white paper identified several areas of excellence and proposed a set of priority areas for targeted investment:

• Career Pathways for Underserved Communities
• Transformative Interdisciplinary Urban Education
• Violence Prevention and Treatment

Urban Resilience and the Global Environment (URGE)

Urban resilience is determined by many factors. To respond to natural and man-made disasters and long-term, gradual environmental changes, urban regions must possess the ability to design, finance, and manage complex urban infrastructures. Urban regions must also possess the ability to construct and manage a functional, healthy, and attractive “built environment,” provide urban amenities that improve the quality of life, and to implement land use practices that promote healthy neighborhoods and sustainability through conservation and other green initiatives.  UIC has strengths in both the technological and policy considerations of URGE – applications are encouraged to explore how the two sides can synergistically inform each other.  The URGE Council identified five broad areas of strength:  

• Socioeconomic Changes and Urban Policy
• Materials and Innovation for Energy Technology and Policy
• Transportation, Urban Infrastructure, and Technology Policy
• Environmental Science and Policy   
• Political and Fiscal Capacity for Achieving Urban Resilience

Awards

The Areas of Excellence award program supports three phases of development, ranging from small, exploratory concept investigations to large, comprehensive projects.  Award sizes and duration vary by phases (see below).  Applicants may submit an initial application to any phase.   

PHASE 1 - Feasibility

Up to $20,000 for six months, non-renewable grant.   

Eligibility:  See general eligibility.

Purpose: The purpose of a Phase 1 grant is to confirm the feasibility of an AOE concept and identify the implementation steps and requirements needed to bring it to national prominence.   The goal of a Phase 1 proposal is to help a proposal team determine if a concept has sufficient critical mass, scholarly merit, and potential impact to warrant implementation of a Phase 2 or Phase 3 proposal.   A Phase 1 proposal should articulate mechanisms to answer the following types of questions:

1. Where UIC is now (existing expertise, funded grant portfolio, H-Index, other resources, etc.)
2. How UIC compares nationally
3. Growth potential (extramural support, where this AOE could rank nationally in five years, etc.)
4. Obstacles to overcome, what’s missing (e.g., faculty leader, core research)
5. Proposed action, solutions, and prioritized  resources needed to move toward national prominence 
6. Likelihood of the concept translating to a Phase 2 or Phase 3 application and anticipated steps needed to accomplish this transition

Use of Funds: Phase 1 proposals may include requests to support (but are not limited to):

• Seminar series, workshops, working luncheons designed to coalesce a body of researchers
• External experts and peer facilitators to help objectively evaluate potential, missing pieces, existing center models, etc.
• Protected time/salary support (may necessitate departmental or college matching funds)
• RA support

Deliverable: The deliverable at the end of a Phase 1 grant is a brief progress report that outlines the AOE concept, activities undertaken, specific accomplishments, feasibility assessment, and resources needed to move it toward the implementation stage.   The report should justify why a concept is (or is not) appropriate and ready for a Phase 2 or 3 grant proposal.    

PHASE 2  - Development to Implementation

Up to $75,000 for up to 1 year, non-renewable grant.   Up to an additional $25,000 is available if matched 1:1 by the applicants with other cash contributions. 

Eligibility:

• Applicants are not required to have first submitted a Phase 1 proposal. 
• An application must have a minimum of two Co-Investigators.

Purpose:

Phase 2 funding should be used to address gaps identified in Phase 1, demonstrate success on a smaller scale, and/or solidify the core research team needed to build/sustain progress.   Applications must lay out step-by-step milestones toward reaching national prominence that may include Phase 3 support.

Prior Phase 1 applicants:   Phase 2 grants are used to further develop and implement a proposed concept, building on the feasibility study undertaken in Phase 1 and incorporating the reassessment of scientific merit and feasibility, as well as other relevant information into the Phase 2 plan.  
All other applicants:   Phase 2 grants support nascent stage AOEs with demonstrated feasibility, scientific merit and high potential for future external funding.

Use of Funds: Phase 2 proposals may include requests for (but are not limited to):

• Protected time/salary support/RA support
• Pilot funding to test proof of concept and utility
• Equipment
• Systematic reviews
• Collecting pilot data and developing pilot research in order to develop a full proposal
• R&D leading to IBHE center status

Generally, not more than one-half of a Phase 2 project may be conducted through external consultant and contractual arrangements.  

Deliverable: The deliverable at the end of a Phase 2 grant is a brief progress report that outlines the AOE concept, activities undertaken, specific accomplishments, and additional resources or institutional actions needed to move it toward the national stage.   If applicable, the report should justify why a concept is ready for a Phase 3 grant.

PHASE 3 – Implementation and beyond

Up to $150,000 for up to 2 years, non-renewable grant.  Up to an additional $50,000 is available if matched 1:1 with other cash contributions. 

Eligibility:

• Applicants are not required to have first submitted a Phase 1 or Phase 2 proposal. 
• An application must have a minimum of two Co-Investigators.

Purpose:
Phase 3 funding can be used to add key resources, mitigate or eliminate remaining obstacles, support major, programmatic extramural grant submissions, enhance existing extramurally funded programs, facilitate publications in leading journals , develop student or faculty training programs, and fund other activities promoting widespread visibility and long term sustainability. 

Prior Phase 1 or 2 applicants:  The purpose of a Phase 3 grant is to build upon the results of a Phase 1 or 2 grant and lay out a detailed plan to propel a concept AOE onto the national stage. 

All other applicants: The purpose of a Phase 3 grant is to lay out a plan to take an existing impactful program to a new or substantially increased level of national excellence.

Use of Funds:  Phase 3 proposals may include requests to support (but are not limited to):

• Protected time/salary support/RA support
• Large scale equipment and/or institutional core development
• Creation and implementation of a AOE focused pilot fund competition
• Faculty recruitment
• Submission of a major center grant proposal  (IBHE, NIH, NSF, etc)
• Submission of a major institutional training grant proposal
• Fellowships

Deliverable: The deliverable at the end of a Phase 3 grant is a report that summarizes use of the development funds, specific accomplishments and next steps.

Deadlines

The following grid shows anticipated deadlines by phase between September 2011 and May 2014.   Deadlines after Cycle 1 may be adjusted.

Deadlines are color coded to show possible trajectories from Phase 1 to Phase3 applications. 

Colors are duplicated within some cycles to show applicants can elect to skip Phase 2 and go directly to Phase 3 applications.  Applicants may also choose to bypass Phase 1 and start at Phase 2 or Phase 3. 

P1:   Phase 1 application
P2:   Phase 2 application
P2T: Phase 2 application transitioning from Phase 1 award
P3:   Phase 3 application
P3T: Phase 3 application transitioning from Phase 1 or 2 award  

Approximate project start dates
Cycle 1 awards:  3 - 4 months after proposal submission

Letter of Intent

Faculty who intend to submit applications should complete the letter of intent form, click the “Save as a PDF” button at the bottom of the form to save to your computer, and then email the form to Research Development Services at RDS@uic.edu.  

The letter of intent is an administrative tool and will be used to identify appropriate reviewers.  It is not used to eliminate proposals.    

Application Instructions - General

• Signatures:  No signatures required.  By act of submission, PI(s) agree to abide by all institutional requirements for administering the award and certifies project can be conducted safely and in compliance with state and federal laws.
• Format:  Narrative should be single-spaced with a minimum of 12 point font and 3/4 inch margins.
• Cover Page: Approvals and certifications need not be in place at time of application
• Cost Share: Optional cost share must be firmly pledged at time of application and documented with letter from person with authority over the resource.
• CVs: NIH or NSF biosketch formats are acceptable
• Appendices: Appendices should be limited to letters outlining administrative plans, agreements, or pledged resources (including cost share) necessary to carry out project. 
• Tips for completing forms accurately: (1) Save a copy of each form to your computer desktop before filling it out.  (2) Hit Tab key after completing each field

Application and Instructions – Phase 1 proposals

Contents

1. Cover Page (PDF) – if necessary, attach Key Personnel form (PDF)
2. Concept Description and Feasibility Statement (up to 3 pages, exclusive of figures, charts, references.)
3. Proposed Budget (PDF)
4. Budget Justification (PDF)
5. CVs for PIs, Co-PIs, and Key Personnel (up to four pages for each person)
6. Current and Pending support (PDF)

Concept Description and Feasibility Statement details: The project description must include the following components:

• Background: This should include a brief identification of the envisioned AOE including :
• Intellectual merits
• Significance, innovation, and broader impacts
• Broad assessment of UIC’s current national standing in this AOE relative to known competing institutions, highlighting any known deficiencies or opportunities.
• Objectives: List and explain the key objectives to be accomplished during the Phase 1 project, including the questions that must be answered and activities undertaken to determine the technical and administrative feasibility of the proposed AOE.  
• Anticipated short and long term results.  Short term results are the outcome of the Phase 1 project.  Long term results are those envisioned in 3-5 years and may likely be contingent upon Phase 2 and/or Phase 3 grants or additional investments.  This could include the estimated impact upon UIC’s national standing in this AOE, increased extramural awards and expenditures, commercialization opportunities, and other measurable indicators. 

Application Instructions - Phase 2 and Phase 3 Proposals

Content

1. Cover Page (PDF) – if necessary, attach Key Personnel form (PDF)
2. Recap of Phase 1or Phase 2 project activities and accomplishments, if applicable (1 page)
3. Lay Summary (1 page)
4. Concept description and Feasibility Statement (up to 6 pages for Phase 2, up to 9 pages for Phase 3, exclusive of figures, charts, references.)  
5. Proposed Budget (PDF)
6. Budget Justification (PDF)
7. CVs for PIs, Co-PIs, and Key Personnel (up to four pages for each person)  
8. Current and Pending support (PDF)
9. Department/College or other support letters regarding cash contributions, space, faculty time, and other resources necessary to conduct the various projects in the proposal.

Lay Summary:  A concise statement of what you are going to do, how you are going to do it, and why, in language suitable for a multidisciplinary audience.  The summary should:

• Identify what issues or questions will be explored and the possible long-term societal impact and benefits
• Describe how the proposed AOE could be sustained beyond Phase 3 support
• Describe how this AOE compares to institutions considered prominent  in this area and UIC’s potential for achieving national leadership
• Provide a summary time-line for the activities or scholarship by major aims, goals, or milestones.
• Define any terms that are unique to the proposal’s fields.
• Highlight critical administrative plans and agreements that will be prerequisites for interdisciplinary collaboration

Concept Description and Feasibility Statement: Include the following components:

1. Background: This should provide a brief  summary of the envisioned AOE:

• Intellectual merits
• Significance and broader impacts
• UIC AOE and its competitors:  Recap the current state of this AOE at UIC including its strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats.  Items you might consider include:
• What is UIC’s current national standing in this AOE relative to known competitive landscape? 
• Which institutions are the main competitors to UIC? 
• What would make UIC distinct or better? 
• What critical milestones must be met or institutional barriers eliminated to make this happen?   
• What is missing to take UIC to national excellence?  If UIC is already a national leader, why will the additional investment matter?
• What are the national or international recognitions or other measurable metrics which define excellence?  
• Feasibility for this AOE

2. Project Plan – Provide a detailed description of the approach. 
1. A technical discussion of the AOE
2. Administrative considerations for the AOE
3. List and explain the key objectives to be accomplished during the project, including any questions that must be answered and activities undertaken to bring this AOE significantly closer to national prominence. 
4. The plan to achieve each objective
5. How will the activities be measured and evaluated, including milestones and timelines?

3. Discrete Research Projects – (Phase 3 only) In many cases the initiative/center will have a few discrete projects to be pursued. The major objectives and goals of each project and its relationships to the overall project/center should be described.
   • Plan: The questions or problems to be addressed in each project. Describe current efforts in this area and why the project necessitates a multidisciplinary, integrative approach.
   • Method:  Outline the strategies proposed to accomplish the specific aims of the project and discuss the innovative aspects of the approach. Any new methodology and its advantage over existing methodologies should be described.
   • Resources: A description of the resources and working arrangements required to implement each project should be described. A distinction must be made between those resources that already are in place (including staff) and those resources that must be added to advance the project. Each PI’s expected contributions and responsibilities should be outlined. Discuss any long-term management plans
4. Expertise – Assess the body of researchers and scholars at UIC working in this AOE.  
1. The number of researchers by unit, identifying key players
2. Extramural support for the past three years by source
3. Awards, keynote addresses, positions of prominence
4. Provide a brief description of the experience and credentials of the lead PI(s) and/or Project Manager(s). How does their background and experience enhance the credibility of the effort?    

5. Anticipated short and long term results.  Short term results are the immediate outcome of the Phase 2 project.  Long term results are those envisioned in 3-5 years and may likely be contingent upon Phase 3 grants or additional investments.  This could include the estimated impact upon UIC’s national standing in this AOE, increased extramural awards and expenditures, commercialization opportunities, and other measurable indicators.      

Submission

• One electronic copy of the application should be submitted to the attention of Research Development Services at RDS@uic.edu. This should be a single consolidated PDF file, not a series of attachments.
• If you scan files to produce a single document then please include a duplicate NON scanned PDF of the cover page with your submission.
• Do not attach a PAF or deliver to the Office of Research Services.

Review Criteria

• Significance/Broader Impacts/Intrinsic Merit: The overall quality, relevance and innovation of the AOE. The likelihood this project will create a trajectory leading to UIC’s increased national stature or leadership in this area of excellence.

• Leverage extramural awards: Shows high fundability potential, as demonstrated by existing research portfolio and anticipated future extramural opportunities. 

• Management: The qualifications and credentials of the PIs will be considered. It is expected that lead PIs will be regarded by their peers as leaders in their respective fields.   

• Feasibility: Appropriateness of management plans and arrangements: the adequacy of the organizational and administrative plans; the appropriateness of the budget; and the mechanism to evaluate the initiative’s progress will be considered.

• Sustainability: The nature and level of resources available from the colleges/departments and from other sponsoring units and extramural sources will be considered, as well as the plans for long term sustainability.

• Other:  Public health relevance, impact upon underrepresented minorities, commercialization implications

Review Process

Stage I

In the Stage I review, proposals will be evaluated by one of the following review panels:

• Biomedical and Health Science Discovery
• Community Disparities
• Urban Resilience and the Global Environment

Panel members will come from across campus and multiple disciplines and will likely be drawn from both the VCR Councils and Campus Research Board (CRB). The Chairs of the VCR Advisory Councils will serve as ex officio members of these review panels. 

Each panel will review Phase 1, 2, and 3 proposals.  Each proposal will have a minimum of two reviewers who will provide written assessments for panel discussion.  Each panel will develop preliminary recommendations based upon these deliberations.

Stage II

Stage I panel reviews and preliminary recommendations will be submitted to a Stage II panel comprised of the Chairs of the Stage I review panels, Visiting Associate Vice Chancellor for Research Administration, Interim Executive Associate Vice Chancellor for Research, and chaired by the Vice Chancellor for Research.  This panel will evaluate the highest ranked proposals for potential long term impact and portfolio balance.  Final funding decisions will be made by the Vice Chancellor for Research.   

Post-Award Obligations

Progress reports will be required while the grant is active.  Successful awardees will be asked to present their work as part of an OVCR symposium, as appropriate.  These details will be outlined in the Notice of Award terms and conditions. 

Questions

Questions about applications should be sent to RDS@uic.edu.

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