Bridge to Translational Research Initiative (B2TRI)

The Houston Methodist Academic Institute (HMAI) is pleased to reissue the Bridge to Translational Research Initiative (B2TRI) Request for Applications, which provides funding for promising and clinically relevant research (molecular, cellular or early pre-clinical research) to advance for TRI funding consideration. Typically, B2TRI eligible projects are not yet positioned for development under Good Laboratory Practices (GLP) conditions or Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP), or for clinical trials. Key Dates Applications Due: Oct. 8, 2021, at Noon CST Applications Reviewed: October - November 2021 Awards Announced: December 2021 Estimated Funding Start Date: Jan. 1, 2022 Academic Affairs is pleased to introduce the Houston Methodist Intramural Awards portal. Applications for the Bridge to Translational Research Initiative must be submitted through this portal. More details are provided in the Submission Guidelines section of the attached RFA. Webinar and Q&A dates are listed below. All sessions will be held via Microsoft Teams. Please reach out to Academic Affairs for meeting details. Submission Portal Webinar: Sept. 16, 2021, Noon – 1 pm CST Submission Portal Q&A Sessions: Oct. 4-7, 2021, 11 am – Noon CST Eligibility Any Houston Methodist-employed faculty with a primary HMAI academic appointment is eligible to apply as a Principal Investigator (PI). Proposed projects must be based on Houston Methodist Inventions. Before applying to the B2TRI program, applicants must consult with the Houston Methodist Office of Technology Transfer (OTT), for further details regarding eligibility. Sign off from an OTT representative is a required application component. To help inform the study design as a strategic approach to translation, interested applicants are required to meet with the Office of Regulatory Affairs and Translational Management (Christina Talley - ctalley@houstonmethodist.org). Sign off from an ORATM representative is a required application component. Funding Information Applicants may propose a project funding period of up to six months and a budget of up to $50,000 in total costs, direct costs only. Salary support is not permitted. Subcontracts are not eligible for B2TRI funds. No cost sharing or matching is available or required. The number of awards given under this funding opportunity is subject to the quality of applications, the availability of funds, and program funding priorities. For selected applications, receipt of these funds is contingent upon the acknowledgement and acceptance of the Terms of Award Agreement, which is described in the Terms of Agreement with Inventors section of the RFA. Summary of Submission Requirements Please review the attached RFA for full details. Project Summary/ Abstract

• Application Questions
• List of References Cited
• Budget (budget template provided)
• Budget Justification
• Biosketch
• B2TRI Collaborating Offices Sign-off Form
• Supervisor Support Letter (if applicable)

Applications must be submitted via the Houston Methodist Intramural Awards portal (https://intramural-awards.houstonmethodist.org/) by October 8, 2021, at noon (CST). Email submission will not be accepted. Please see the provided Applicant Guide document for additional details. A webinar and Q&A sessions will be held to help familiarize applicants and administrators with the submission portal. Dates are provided in the Key Dates section of the attached RFA. Link to B2TRI opportunity details page: https://intramural-awards.houstonmethodist.org/#competitionDetail/1845950.

Golfers Against Cancer Request for Applications

Key Dates Submission Portal Q&A sessions: Oct. 13-15, 2021, 11 a.m. – Noon CST Applications Due: Oct. 15, 2021, at Noon CST Applications Reviewed: October - November 2021 Limited Submission Selection: November 2021 Golfers Against Cancer (GAC) announces the reissuance of their Request for Applications (RFA) to support cancer research in all areas of cancer and for proposals meeting the following criteria:

• Research aimed at finding a cure for cancer.
• Proposed research is innovative with a high potential for a medical breakthrough.
• Results are not limited to only one type of cancer and have the potential to impact large numbers of cancer patients.

Funding Information: Project budgets for GAC funds must be at or below $50,000, excluding matching funds. Total project budgets can be up to $100,000, including matching funds. Note: GAC funds are for direct research costs only and do NOT include administrative expenses, travel, patient care, etc. Submission Requirements (strictly enforced):

1. Successful applications write in lay terms, as members of the public comprise the review committee.
2. Applicants must use the provided application form. Narratives must fit into the space allocated for each question/inquiry. Do not expand boxes or reduce font size to accommodate lengthy explanations. The application must remain a legible, two-page document.
3. Please include a brief description of how the results and data from your research project will be shared with other institutions in the Texas Medical Center and abroad.
4. Save the application as a two-page PDF document (Funding Application and Budget tabs only) and upload it to Houston Methodist Intramural Awards portal.

Submission Guidelines Academic Affairs is pleased to introduce the Houston Methodist Intramural Awards portal (https://intramural-awards.houstonmethodist.org). Applications for Golfers Against Cancer must be submitted through the submission portal by Oct. 15 at noon. Please see the provided Applicant Guide document for additional details. A webinar and Q&A sessions will be held via Microsoft Teams to help familiarize applicants and administrators with the portal. Kindly reach out to Academic Affairs for meeting details. Link to Funding Opportunity Details page: https://intramural-awards.houstonmethodist.org/#competitionDetail/1851828

Houston Methodist Academic Institute President’s Awards Call for Nominations

The Houston Methodist Academic Institute (HMAI) is pleased to announce the following six award opportunities. All awards require nomination by the Department Chair, Center of Excellence Director, or Vice-Chair of Research. Please see the attached RFA for full details and eligibility information. KEY DATES Nominations Due: October 27, 2021, at Noon CST Awards Announced: November HMAI Town Hall Academic Affairs is pleased to introduce the Houston Methodist Intramural Awards portal. Applications for the President's Awards must be submitted through this portal. More details are provided in the Submission Guidelines section of the attached RFA. Webinar and Q&A dates are listed below. All sessions will be held via Microsoft Teams. Please reach out to Academic Affairs for meeting details. Submission Portal Webinar: October 13, 2021, Noon – 1:00 pm CST Submission Portal Q&A Sessions: October 25-26, 2021, 11:00 am – Noon CST NIH COMPETITIVENESS AWARD INITIATIVE Eligible nominees must have applied for an NIH grant, R01 or equivalent, that was not funded but scored within 10% above the pay line. Award recipients will receive up to $50,000 toward activities that support grant resubmission with the aim to achieve funding success. Applicants must submit 1) letter of nomination from their Department Chair, Center of Excellence Director, or Vice-Chair of Research, 2) grant summary statement, 3) copy of the grant, 4) proposed NIH resubmission strategy, and 5) proposed HM budget to support research activities for NIH resubmission. CAREER CORNERSTONE AWARD Eligible nominees will have received their first career NIH R01 grant as a Principal Investigator (PI). PIs will receive the equivalent of 50% of the budgeted indirect costs as a discretionary fund for use toward eligible academic activities (excluding capital equipment purchases). For grants with more than one PI, the award amount will be based on the awarded NIH budget for the nominated PI. The discretionary fund will be active for the duration of the original NIH project period. Applicants must submit 1) a nomination letter from their Department Chair, Center of Excellence Director, or Vice-Chair of Research, 2) NIH grant award notice, 3) the grant budget, and 4) a copy of the grant. AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN PEER-REVIEWED PUBLICATION Eligible nominees include Houston Methodist-employed junior faculty that recently published a manuscript in a high impact journal, such as New England Journal of Medicine, Journal of the American Medical Association, Lancet, Nature, Cell, Science, or their specialized sister journals. Junior faculty members listed as first or corresponding author can receive up to $5,000 in discretionary funds toward eligible academic activities. Applicants must submit 1) a nomination letter that includes a brief lay summary describing the significance and impact of the work and journal impact factor, and 2) a PDF of the manuscript. AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN TRANSFORMATIONAL RESEARCH Eligible nominees with recent transformational academic achievements, such as peer-reviewed grant awards with groundbreaking conceptual advances in translational research that strengthen the reputation of Houston Methodist, are eligible for this award. Faculty members listed as PI can receive up to $25,000 in discretionary funds toward eligible academic activities. Applicants must submit a nomination letter that includes a brief lay summary describing the significance and impact of the work. For published achievements, nominees should also submit a PDF of the grant and notice of award. AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN RESEARCH Eligible nominees include Houston Methodist-employed faculty members with recent outstanding academic achievements that show potential to significantly impact clinical translation or scientific innovation. Examples include, but are not limited to, funded U01 and R01 awards receiving a high impact score and advance new frontiers in research or bridge a critical gap between basic research and clinical applications. Other examples include licensing agreements and sponsored research agreements which bring technological advances and products into the market and support Houston Methodist technologies for commercialization. Recipients will receive up to $10,000 in discretionary funds for his/her use toward eligible academic activities. Applicants must submit a nomination letter that includes a brief lay summary describing the significance and impact of the work. For achievements that were published, nominees should also submit a PDF of grant and notice of award. AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN EDUCATION Eligible nominees include Houston Methodist-employed faculty members who have demonstrated an ongoing commitment and excellence in teaching, supervision, mentoring, innovation in trainee education or related instructional activities. Nominees will be evaluated and selected for their stellar and enduring contributions to high quality clinical and translational education that advances the practice of medicine at Houston Methodist. The award will be commensurate with the level of excellence and is at the discretion of the HMAI Executive Leadership. Applicants must submit a nomination letter that includes a narrative explaining the specific achievement in education. Please Note: All awards are chosen by the HMAI Executive Committee; not all categories are awarded at every Town Hall Meeting. Applications for all award opportunities must submitted be via the Houston Methodist Intramural Awards portal (https://intramural-awards.houstonmethodist.org/) by October 27, 2021, at noon (CST). Please see the provided Applicant Guide document for additional details. A webinar and Q&A sessions will be held to help familiarize nominees and administrators with the submission portal. Dates are provided in the Key Dates section of this RFA. Link to award opportunity details page: https://intramural-awards.houstonmethodist.org/#competitionDetail/1853158

Doris Duke Charitable Foundation (DDCF) Clinical Scientist Development Award 2022 Request for Applications

Key Dates Pre-proposal applications deadline November 12, 2021, 3 pm ET Invitation to submit a full proposal January 14, 2022 Full proposal deadline March 11, 2022, 3 pm ET Notice of Award End of May 2022 Award Start Date July 1, 2022 Award Overview The purpose of the Doris Duke Clinical Scientist Development Award (CSDA) is to provide support to physician scientists at the Assistant Professor rank to: 1) conduct an outstanding clinical research project with high significance and potential to improve human health, 2) enable research time protection to ease the tension between research and clinical responsibilities, and 3) facilitate development of strong mentorship relations in a supportive institutional environment. Ultimately, the CSDA program aims to enable physician scientists’ achievement of independent and successful research careers. Eligibility To be eligible for this award, applicants must:

• Have received an MD, DO, or foreign equivalent degree from an accredited institution.
• Have a valid, active US medical license at the time of application, but do not have to be US citizens.
• Work at a US academic institution that grants doctoral degrees and is able to receive an award as an organization with 501(c)(3) Internal Revenue Service status. Please see the information on page 4 of the RFA and consult with your institutional grants office.
• Have a full-time faculty appointment at the Assistant Professor rank.
• Have been appointed to their first post-training, full-time Assistant Professor faculty position between December 1, 2017, and December 1, 2020 (i.e., have been at the appointment no more than 4 years but at least 1 year). Exceptions to the four-year requirement will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
• Not have served as the principal investigator, or one of multiple-principal investigators, of an extramural, multi-year (term >12 months) research grant, cooperative agreement, or contract with annual direct funding in the amount of $225,000 or higher with a start date prior to and inclusive of July 1, 2022. The CSDA is not for researchers who have already attained this level of funding, even if the researcher substituted for the original principal investigator of the grant. National Institutes of Health (NIH) K-series career development awards and startup packages are excluded from this requirement.
• Not have applied for a single or multiple-principal investigator NIH R01 research grant or equivalent as principal investigator that has a start date prior to and inclusive of July 1, 2022. This includes but is not limited to: research projects that are part of a P01 program project, P50 center grant or a U01 cooperative agreement, DP1, DP2, R37, and VA Merit grants.
• Not be in a graduate degree program at the time of the award. All education and training toward advanced degrees must be completed by the award start date, July 1, 2022.
• Be guaranteed a minimum overall research time protection of 75% of full-time professional effort by the institution where the applicant has an appointment in the event an award is made.

**Please see the full list of eligibility criteria on the attached RFA. Funding Information The 2022 Clinical Scientist Development Award consists of $150,000 annual direct costs plus $15,000 (10%) annual indirect costs for three years. The award project period is July 1, 2022 - June 30, 2025. DDCF expects to fund approximately 17 applications in 2022. The priority of the CSDA program is to fund outstanding individuals with promise for sustained clinical research careers, whose projects will address highly significant research questions to advance human health and their careers. For this program, DDCF does not have funding priorities based on disease area or research type. Application Process Applying for this award is a two-stage process: 1. Stage 1, pre-proposal application. Interested candidates who meet the eligibility criteria will need to submit one pre-proposal application by November 12, 2021, at 3 pm ET. In brief, the pre-proposal includes investigator information, electronic confidential forms from the mentor and department chair, biographical sketches and a 2-page research plan description. Detailed instructions begin on page 8. 2. Stage 2, full proposal application. Submission of full proposals will be by invitation only after review of pre-proposal applications. By January 14, 2022, about 50 applicants will be invited to submit a full proposal. Instructions on how to prepare the full proposal will be provided by email with the invitation to participate. Full applications will be due by March 11, 2022, at 3 pm ET. Applicants will be notified of the outcome of the competition at the end of May 2022. Please note: If selected for a full proposal submission, the grant application must be submitted in MORTI. The Methodist Online Research Technology Initiative (MORTI) is the online portal of the Houston Methodist Research Institute that manages the electronic submission, review and approval of research projects at Houston Methodist. For details of the required documents for a proposal, please see the attached RFA. Please find additional details regarding this opportunity at the following link: https://www.ddcf.org/funding-areas/medical-research/clinical-scientist-development-award/ For assistance with the online application, please contact Catherine S. Del Paggio at csdelpaggio@houstonmethodist.org.

Clinical Scholar Awards Request for Applications

The reissuance of the Clinical Scholar Awards Request for Applications (RFA) has been announced. Academic Affairs solicits nominations of exceptionally talented individuals who are educated and trained in clinical practice and seek support for translational research, clinical trials, or education. The Clinical Scholar offers three funding tracks: The Clinician Scientist Award requires awardees to dedicate 50% of their time to laboratory research and 50% of their time to clinical practice. The Clinician Trialist Award requires awardees to devote 20% of their time to clinical research (e.g., clinical trials, patient-based research, or outcomes research) and 80% of their time to clinical practice. The Clinician Educator Award requires awardees to commit 20% of their time to educational activities (e.g., educational effectiveness research or curriculum design and implementation studies) and 80% of their time to clinical practice. Key Dates Applications Due: Dec. 10, 2021, at Noon CST Applications Reviewed: December 2021 - January 2022 Awards Announced: February 2022 Academic Affairs is pleased to introduce the Houston Methodist Intramural Awards portal. Applications for the Clinical Scholar Awards Program must be submitted through this portal. More details are provided in the Submission Guidelines section of this RFA. Webinar and Q&A dates are listed below. All sessions will be held via Microsoft Teams. Please reach out to Academic Affairs for meeting details. Submission Portal Webinar: Nov. 9, 2021, Noon – 1:00 pm CST Submission Portal Q&A sessions: Dec. 7-9, 2021, 11:00 am – Noon CST Funding Opportunity Overview Houston Methodist recognizes the distinctive and critical role that clinician scientists, clinician trialists, and clinician educators play in advancing the academic mission of the system. These faculty advance our mission by: 1) Performing clinical and translational research to advance medicine and health; 2) Driving innovation and translation by conducting clinical trials; and 3) Educating the next generation of innovators and health care providers. The goal of this funding mechanism is to recruit or retain and develop clinical faculty possessing a rare blend of talent, ambition, and devotion to doing research, conducting clinical trials, and/or to educating trainees. Houston Methodist department and Centers of Excellence chairs may nominate candidates with outstanding records of accomplishments and commitment to pursuing careers in alignment with at least one of the academic pillars of the Houston Methodist Vision for the Second Century (Clinical Research; Innovative Education; Restorative Medicine; Outcomes Research; and Precision Medicine). Eligibility General eligibility requirements that apply to all Clinical Scholar award types:

• Departments with less than 100 faculty members may nominate up to two candidates total per RFA cycle.
• Departments with more than 100 faculty members may nominate up to four candidates total per RFA cycle.
• The candidate must hold an MD, MD/PhD, or equivalent degree and be an active Houston Methodist clinician at the time of the award start date. Priority will be given to candidates in early career stages.
• The candidate must possess a track record of commitment to and excellence in translational research, clinical research, or education, as part of his or her graduate and post-graduate endeavors.
• Candidates must commit to pursuing research or education that aligns with at least one of the HMAI strategic areas of excellence.
• Preference is given to candidates who are not currently employed with Houston Methodist but are being actively recruited. Funded awardees must begin employment no later than the start of the funding period. Exceptions may be made on a case-by-case basis.
• Research and education activities should take place primarily at Houston Methodist facilities and those of its affiliates for the duration of the funding period.

Please review the attached RFA for full details on the eligibility criteria. Funding Information Funding will be granted for a term of three years, with annual progress reviews. Any amount of funds not expended during each calendar year will not carryover. At the end of the award term, awardees can request a No Cost Extension (NCE) if there are unspent funds overall. For Clinician Scientists who receive the one or two-year award renewal, NCE requests can be submitted at the conclusion of the additional extension year(s). Additionally, the hiring department must commit to the full amount of the awardee recruitment/retention costs above and beyond this award with the understanding of the award terms as follows:

• Clinician Scientist Award: A full 50% time commitment is required, and the supporting budget from HMAI will not exceed $250,000 per year. This award may be renewed for a second, two-year term for individuals demonstrating significant progress and potential in sustaining an independent, sponsored research program.
• Clinician Trialist Award: A full 20% time commitment is required, and the supporting budget from HMAI will not exceed $100,000 per year. This award will not be eligible for renewal following the three-year term.
• Clinician Educator Award: A full 20% time commitment is required, and the supporting budget from HMAI will not exceed $100,000 per year. This award will not be eligible for renewal following the three-year term.

Summary of Submission Requirements:

1. Project Summary/ Abstract
2. Two Letters of Support from Nominators
3. Biosketch
4. Statement of Work
5. Career Development Plan
6. List of References Cited
7. Budget
8. Budget Justification
9. Letters of Recommendation (minimum of three required)

Applications must be submitted via the Houston Methodist Intramural Awards portal (https://intramural-awards.houstonmethodist.org/) by December 10, 2021, at noon (CST). Please see the Applicant Guide document for additional details. A webinar and Q&A sessions will be held to help familiarize applicants and administrators with the submission portal. Dates are provided in the Key Dates section of this RFA. For questions, please contact Academic Affairs at academicaffairs@houstonmethodist.org. Link to opportunity details page: https://intramural-awards.houstonmethodist.org/#competitionDetail/1852133