Pandemic Research Recovery (PRR) Program - May 2023

Faculty
Internal Submission Deadline:
Monday, May 15, 2023
 
 
Administrator(s):
Kelly Kennaley (Owner)
 
Rebecca Thorwall
Category:
Other Opportunities
Cycle:
May 2023
Discipline/Subject Area:
Medical School Faculty - Clinical, Instructional, and Research Tracks
Number of Applications Allowed Per Applicant:
1
Total Funding:
$100,000
Funding Source(s):
$100,000 — UM Medical School & Endorsing Department
 Description 

Pandemic Research Recovery (PRR) Program

Important Note: The two faculty funding mechanisms offered in 2022 (PRR#1:Resubmissions of Applications Addressing Reviewer Comments and PRR#2:Hardships Impacting Lost Research Progress) have been consolidated into a single application starting in the January 2023 cycle. A complete overview of the PRR program, FAQs, and additional resources can be found on the Pandemic Research Recovery Website.

PURPOSE:

The Pandemic Research Recovery (PRR) program provides needs-based awards to support faculty who had a strong pre-COVID research trajectory and who need assistance recovering lost research productivity resulting from pandemic-related circumstances. These circumstances include both direct and staff-related circumstances, such as extensive caregiving duties, loss and suffering due to COVID, extended pandemic-related clinical duties, issues with access to key resources, etc., which have resulted in lost progress to a faculty member’s overall research program. Hardships should be directly tied to the pandemic and the faculty member’s ability to submit an extramural grant, including initial applications, competing renewal applications, and resubmissions.

The PRR program is intended to support faculty whose research program was negatively impacted by the pandemic and is not intended as a pilot funding mechanism to support a new line of research for faculty that maintained strong funding over the past 3 years. For investigators looking to begin new lines of investigation, pilot funding opportunities can be found on the Competition Space homepage.

Applications will be competitively reviewed. Early-career faculty (Assistant rank) and those with limited financial resources will be prioritized in determination of awards.

 

FUNDING AND GUIDELINES:

Each award will provide up to $100,000 in funding for one year. UMMS OoR will provide up to $50,000, and a 1:1 match is required from the PI’s department. Budget expense lines should directly tie to the recovery plan and reflect the funds needed to accomplish the science required to compete for external funding. These funds may be used to support:

  • staff time, including support of postdocs and students
  • research supplies
  • core facility costs
  • honoraria for internal / external reviewers (limited to $500)
  • publication costs
  • Please note: No faculty effort under this program (see exception for physician/clinician scientist*)

*Physician/clinician scientists who are active in both research and clinical care and whose research programs were disrupted by the pandemic may request effort to buy out/defer clinical time to focus on research provided that protected research time and plans for coverage of their clinical duties are explicitly addressed in the chair letter. Requests should be based on salary up to the NIH salary cap.

 

ELIGIBILITY:

To be eligible for the award, researchers must meet all the following criteria:

  • Investigators must be instructional, clinical, or research track faculty with a primary appointment in the Medical School.
  • Investigators must have at least 0.2 FTE research effort at time of application and during award period.
  • Investigators must have access to <$75,000 in discretionary funds.
  • Investigators must have department endorsement (see Application Process).
  • Investigators must demonstrate a compelling, time-sensitive need for support from the program to regain research momentum and compete for external funding.
  • Investigators cannot be awarded funds concurrently from more than one of the following UMMS programs: BMRC Bridging, Extended Bridging by EBS, or COVID-19 Fund to Retain Clinical Scientists.
  • Investigators cannot have been supported through a previous cycle of the PRR:Resubmissions of Applications Addressing Reviewer Comments Award or the PRR:Hardships Impacting Lost Research Progress Award.

 

ACTIVITIES UNDER THE AWARD:

Award recipients are expected to submit a competitive, peer-reviewed grant within the one-year funding period. To help prepare for submissions, award recipients will work with their department to ensure necessary mentorship, internal grant review, and/or other support is established to ensure the highest likelihood of success for the resubmission. Additionally, Medical School Office of Research (OoR) resources (e.g., NIH application preparation tools or writing groups) and University of Michigan Office of Research (UMOR) programs may be described in the application and employed to position the applicant for a successful grant submission. Information on the progress toward the program goals will be requested.

 

APPLICATION PROCESS:

Applications must be submitted using Competition Space. Instructions and application components include:

  1. Complete Competition Space Application form
  2. Upload the following documents:
    1. Specific Aims Page for anticipated grant submission (limit 1 page)
    2. Completed Budget & Justification Template (link can be found in the supporting documents section on the right hand side of the page)
    3. Completed Faculty Applicant Template (link can be found in the supporting documents section on the right hand side of the page). For the review committee, clearly articulate how the pandemic impacted your research program, why you were unable to pivot your research, the current state of your research program, and the financial and research needs related to further experimentation and data generation that will increase the likelihood of successfully competing for extramural funding. Additionally, if an applicant is applying to the PRR program to support the resubmission of an application to an external funder, the applicant should submit an investigative plan that addresses the reviewers’ comments and generates the necessary data to strengthen the subsequent resubmission application.
    4. Completed Chair Support Template (link can be found in the supporting documents section on the right hand side of the page), describing the faculty member’s trajectory, financial need, potential research impact, and current availability of department funds to support the faculty’s research. Alternatively, this template may be completed by the applicant’s division chief and subsequently signed by the department chair.
    5. Applicant’s CV
    6. ONLY FOR RESUBMISSIONS TO EXTERNAL FUNDERS: Most Recent Reviewer Comments*

*If the sponsor does not supply written reviewer comments with the funding decision, a department-organized review in the standard NIH review template may be provided in lieu of peer-reviewed comments.

 

APPLICATION DUE DATES:

The application deadline for this cycle is May 15, 2023 at 11:59 PM, This application follows a recurring cycle of January 15, May 15, and September 15 through 2024. If the 15th falls on a weekend, the deadline will be the following Monday.

 

QUESTIONS: PRR.Questions@umich.edu