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Intradepartmental Discovery Origination Grants (IDOG)

The objective of the program is to strengthen the discovery environment in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Mississippi Medical Center through the use of flexible funds that enable residents and fellows to accomplish small discovery projects that can be carried out in a short period of time with limited resources. Applications are solicited in two cycles annually.

IDOG Application Characteristics

• You may request a project period of one year and a budget for direct costs of up to $5,000.
• No preliminary data are required but may be included if available.

Scope

The common characteristic of the small grant is the provision of limited funding for a short period of time. Examples of the types of projects that IDOG support include the following:

• Pilot or feasibility studies
• Small, self-contained discovery projects

Eligibility

University of Mississippi Medical Center (UMMC) PhD students, residents and fellows are eligible to apply. PhD students, residents and fellows that are not part of the Department of Pediatrics training programs must have a pediatric fellow or resident as co-Principal Investigator and a pediatric faculty mentor identified in the application.

Submission of Applications

IDOG application form and instructions - Please email Pediatricresearch@umc.edu for more details.

Application deadline for Cycle 1 (Spring) and Cycle 2 (Fall) will be advertised through the  UMMC Intranet and the Pediatrics’ Listserv. An application may be accepted outside the routine cycles in exceptional circumstances and with prior approval by the vice chair.

Electronic copies of the application form should be submitted to PedsDiscoveryCouncil@umc.edu no later than the deadline for each funding cycle.

IRB or IACUC research proposal proof of submission should be submitted to PedsDiscoveryCouncil@umc.edu no later than 2 weeks after the deadline for each funding cycle

Bio sketches (Please use updated NIH format) are required from all Principal Investigators and Primary Mentors.

Please note the following administrative requirements: Page limitations indicated throughout the application will be strictly enforced. Applications should reflect NIH font sizes only, minimum size 11.0 Arial, Helvetica, Palatino or Georgia.

Assurances

Human Investigation: Any proposal involving human investigation must receive approval by the Institutional Human Investigation Review Board (IRB) and must be filed on the proper form with supporting documents as for all grants from DHHS before awards can be made. (See IRB information for Investigators for new regulations in 45CFR 46 101 (b) (1) through (6) which includes exemptions.) No application involving human studies will be funded without IRB approval. The applicant must demonstrate intent to comply by providing documentation that the protocol has been submitted to the IRB.

Recombinant DNA: Any research involving recombinant DNA which is not exempt from NIH review must receive approval by the Institutional Biohazards Committee before the award is made.

Animal Use: Any proposal involving the use of animals must receive prior approval by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) and be in accord with the current PHS Policy and the Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals and the UMMC Guide. The applicant must demonstrate intent to comply by providing documentation that the protocol has been submitted to the IACUC. No applications involving animal studies will be funded without approval.

Use of Radiation: The use of radiation and/or radioisotopes must receive approval from the Office of Radiation Safety. Proof of approval must be provided before the award is made. The applicant must demonstrate intent to comply by providing documentation that the protocol has been submitted to the Office of Radiation Safety.

Institutional policies and guidelines in the above compliance areas are available from the Office of Research website. Applications submitted with a “pending” status for Animal and Human research need to be submitted to the IACUC and the IRB respectively, within 2 weeks of the IDOG application being submitted.

No award monies will be allotted until protocol approval is provided to the Pediatric Discovery Council; applicants will have a maximum of 30 days after the anticipated award date to obtain assurance approvals from the appropriate committee(s).

Method of Review and Funding

Members of the Pediatric Discovery Council will independently rate the applications strictly on the basis of scientific merit, taking into consideration the applicant's previous research experience, feasibility of the proposed study, scientific and/or medical importance of the proposed work, and potential for securing extramural funding of the proposed research. It is the prerogative of the Chair of this council to request and/or assign Primary and Secondary reviewers for submitted applications. Reviewer will be selected usually from the council, sometimes from the pediatric department or UMMC. The NIH scoring format will be used (scoring 1-9). The reviewer will give any other recommendations s/he wishes concerning experimental design, methods, data evaluation, budget, and others. The Vice Chair of Research will compile this information in order to arrive at an overall rating. At a general meeting of the Pediatric Discovery Council, final recommendations and comments will be formulated and forwarded to the department chair for final disposition.

Award Amounts

IDOG Grants may be funded up to $5,000. This amount will be allocated for one (1) year and may apply for a second year with no cost extension.  No cost extensions are required 30 days prior to the term of funding.

Monitoring of Expenditures

The Pediatric Discovery Council will monitor the expenditure of funds in various budget categories. Any changes in originally funded budget categories that are restricted will require prior approval by the council chairperson.

As an indication of research activity under an award, expenditures will be monitored at approximately six months and quarterly afterwards. This may be followed with an inquiry by the council allowing the awardee to explain possible inactivity. The council will have the authority to revoke any award if sufficient progress cannot be demonstrated or if overlap funding for the project is received from other sources. The investigator is obligated to report overlap funding for the project in a timely manner and must relinquish IDOG funds at the time other funding is obtained.

Mandatory Reports

A Terminal Report covering the awardee's progress, publications, pending requests, and awards received from other sources resulting as an outgrowth of the IDOG grant must be submitted no later than 30 days after the end of the award period. In addition, a follow-up report will be requested approximately 3 years after the initiation of your award. The content of these reports will be an important consideration in an applicant's request for any subsequent funding. Instructions for completing these reports will be sent to each grant recipient. Any invention resulting from IDOG grant must be reported to the University of Mississippi Medical Center. Funded applicants will be expected to present on the project in the Department meetings within 6 months after the project is completed.

Publications

All publications and abstracts resulting from research supported either directly or indirectly by an IDOG grant should acknowledge the support with a footnote. Guidance from Pediatric Discovery Council and Division of Pediatric Clinical Research division is available to develop your application.

Additional Resources

Guidance form Pediatric Discovery Council and Pediatric Clinical Research Division is available to develop your application and obtain Institutional Assurances. (IAUC, IRB, IBC etc.)

The Center of Biostatistics is available to address the statistical needs of your IDOG application; prior approval by the department chair is needed.  Please approach the biostatisticians no later than one month before you plan to submit your application.

Statistical services include:

• Formulating testable hypothesis
• Generating power / sample size calculation
• Developing an analysis plan
• Writing statistical sections of grant applications
• Interpreting results