Interdisciplinary Research Project and Technology Development Grants

The Schmitt Foundation for Integrative Brain Research grant program supports interdisciplinary and collaborative research within one or more of the three target areas of the SPIN. Applications may request up to $50,000, and we anticipate awarding 3-4 grants this year. Principal investigators must be full-time tenure-track faculty members within one of the SPIBR sponsoring units at the University of Rochester.

Applications should be modeled after a short NIH research proposal (e.g. R03, R21), and should be submitted with the following:

• Cover letter indicating how the SPIN mechanism would extend research objectives across disciplines to build new directions and areas of expertise among the investigators.
• Research description (limited to 5 pages) including Specific Aims, Background and Significance, Preliminary Studies, Research Design and Methods.
• Supporting materials (Tables, figures, Human Subjects, Vertebrate Animals, and Literature Cited) can follow on additional pages.
• Budget (detailed, not modular) with justification (faculty salary support is specifically excluded)
• Bio-sketches of all significant investigators
• Other support
• Resources and Environment

Review will emphasize:

• The significance and innovation of the proposed project
• The interdisciplinary/collaborative character of the project (across faculty and laboratories)
• The project's relevance to the areas targeted by the SPIN
• The likelihood of a successful future (e.g. new NIH RO1)

Successful proposals address all of these criteria.