Submissions

Fiscal Year Application Deadlines

Proposals must be received no later than 5PM on the proposal due date as specified below. Please submit electronic copy of proposal to SOMRAC. Electronic notification of application receipt will be generated following submission. Application status will be made approximately three weeks after the submission date and one week prior to the funding begin date.

For an application to be accepted for review, it MUST

• Use RAC application forms that are available in Word. Use NIH format in Arial, Helvetica, Palatino Linotype or Georgia typeface and a font size of 11 points or larger. A symbol font may be used to insert Greek letters or special characters; the font size requirement still applies. User at least 1/2 inch margins (top, bottom, left and right) for all pages. Application must be single spaced.
• Conflict of Interest Disclosure Statement will be initiated upon award.
• Letter of support from the Department Chair must include clear statement of departmental commitment regarding protected time for research and departmental funding for cost sharing of the proposed research
• Include HRRC number/date for IRB approval for any project using Human Subjects
• Include IACUC Approval/date for any project using vertebrate animals
• Be submitted electronically to SOMRAC no later than the posted 5PM deadline (no exceptions)

For a re-submission to be accepted for review, it MUST

• Resubmissions of revised RAC applications must include:
• The complete original application (including budget and personnel sheets)
• The revised grant with changes marked (How to Resubmit Your RAC Application)
• Summary statements from previous application
• Responses to the Reviewers’ comments
• Updated COI forms and Letter(s) of support (because of date changes)
• Be submitted electronically to SOMRAC no later than the posted 5PM deadline (no exceptions)

A few suggestions for grant writers based on our experience at RAC:

Tip #1: Write your project at a level understandable to an intelligent outsider. RAC proposals come from highly diverse areas of biomedical research. Your proposal will most likely be reviewed by a non-specialist.

Tip #2: If you do not have a lot of experience writing a research proposal, get help early from colleagues with a record of grant success. This is good advice for anyone, but is especially important for junior PIs and for resubmissions that were returned with comments about grantsmanship and clarity.

Tip #3: Be realistic with project aims. RAC funds one-year projects. Although it will usually be necessary to frame your goals in the context of a larger project, try not to be too ambitious.

Tip #4: Remember the goal of RAC funding is ultimately to facilitate extramural funding success. Provide a credible plan describing how your RAC funding supports that goal.

Tip #5: Sometimes investigators have recently submitted a grant that was not scored well enough for funding. Be careful about cutting and pasting large sections of an NIH R01 or similar proposal to develop your RAC submission. The reasons are related to Tips #1, #2, and #3 above.

Note: Applications may be deemed "Administratively Disallowed" for not meeting the criteria presented on this website (i.e. late submission, disallowable budget items, ineligible PI, etc.) Notification of administrative disallowance will be made at the same time awards and denial notifications are made.

Use of Human Subjects

Applications will NOT be considered for review unless HRRC Human Research Review Committee (HRRC) approval is in place at the time of RAC submission. Any RAC submission will be administratively disallowed for not having HRRC approval at time of submission.

Use of Laboratory Animals

Proposals utilizing laboratory animals must have a completed Laboratory Animal Utilization form from the HSC Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) prior to the initiation of the research. RAC proposals will NOT be considered for review until an IACUC approval has been applied for.