Applications due May 22
These instructions are for VU investigators. VUMC investigators should visit the OOR funding opportunity site.
Vanderbilt University may submit two nominations to the American Diabetes Association for the Pathway to Stop Diabetes Awards—one nomination spanning basic through preclinical research and one nomination spanning clinical through public health research. Each nomination can be for either of the Pathway Program funding mechanisms.
Overview
The Pathway to Stop Diabetes Program intends to attract brilliant scientists approaching the peak of their creativity to diabetes research, and to accelerate their research progress by providing the necessary resources and support for conducting transformative science.
This call for nominations is prioritizing exceptional investigators across the spectrum of diabetes research, spanning basic science through public health research and implementation science. The ideal applicant will propose innovative research with the ultimate goal of improving the lives of people at risk of diabetes or living with the disease – and the pathway to this impact is clear.
Examples of basic through preclinical research studies (for nomination #1) include:
- Innovative mechanistic studies on fundamental or new aspects of biology
- Novel insights derived from data science using AI/Machine Learning
- Development of new technologies, devices, and/or experimental approaches
- Identification and validation of novel and unique therapeutic targets
Examples of clinical through public health research (for nomination #2) include:
- Clinical experimental medicine studies
- Identification and validation of novel biomarkers
- Health services research
- Behavioral research
- Population epidemiology
- Health economics research
- Patient preference / Quality of Life
- Dissemination and implementation science
- Health Care system-based interventions
Nominations are welcomed from all areas of diabetes and span prevention, management, and cure of all diabetes types (i.e. type 1, type 2 and gestational), diabetes-related disease states (obesity, prediabetes, and other insulin resistant states) and complications. The program intends to attract a broad range of expertise to the field of diabetes from various fields of science and technology, including medicine, biology, chemistry, engineering, mathematics, and physics.
Criteria & Eligibility
- Initiator Award
- The Pathway to Stop Diabetes® Initiator award is designed to support early career researchers who have distinguished themselves during their research training as exceptionally talented and promising research investigators with a high likelihood of establishing successful, independent research programs and making seminal contributions in diabetes research. These awards are highly competitive and intended to support particularly innovative and transformational ideas that have the potential to have an exceptional impact in diabetes with an emphasis on the investigator’s potential to significantly transform diabetes through research (‘moving the needle’) to improve the lives of people with diabetes. These awards provide salary and research support for applicants during late stages of mentored training through establishment as independent research faculty.
- Initiator awards will provide two distinct phases of research support. Applicants may request up to seven (7) years of combined funding support for phases one and two. The proposed project budget should not exceed the maximum total budget up to $1,625,000 USD.
- Phase One
- During phase one, applicants may request up to $100,000 USD per year (including 10 percent indirect costs) for up to two years for mentored research training to allow investigators to complete on-going research, publish results, receive additional training, and develop independent research plans.
- Phase two support will be approved by the ADA Research Programs team contingent upon adequate progress in phase one, as well as the receipt and approval of documentation verifying that:
- The candidate has obtained a faculty appointment at an accredited research institution.
- The institution has agreed to provide adequate laboratory space necessary to perform the proposed research and adequate time (75% effort) to dedicate to research.
- The institution provides the candidate with an adequate and protected start-up package.
- Phase Two
- During phase two, applicants may request up to $325,000 USD per year (including 30% indirect costs) for up to five (5) years to support independent research.
- Phase One
- Eligibility
- Must currently be in full-time research training position (post-doctoral fellow, research fellowship).
- Have no more than seven years of research training following terminal doctoral degree.
- Cannot concurrently hold an NIH K99/R00 grant. (All other Career Development awards are allowable unless concurrent awards prohibited by the other granting agency).
- Must hold a M.D., Ph.D., D.M.D., D.O., Pharm.D., D.V.M. or an equivalent health or science-related degree.
- Candidates must hold a full-time appointment at their sponsoring institution..
- Maximum funding
- Up to $100,000/year in Phase One for up to two years; Up to $325,000/year in Phase Two for up to five years.
- Maximum combined support for Phase One and Phase Two is $1,625,000.
- Support
- Project support
- Primary investigator salary
- Indirect support
- Up to 10 percent of directs in phase one
- Up to 30 percent of directs in phase two
- Project percent effort required
- 75-100 percent effort to the ADA project in phase one, 50-75 percent effort to the ADA project in phase two
- Accelerator Award
- The Pathway Accelerator award is intended to provide flexible, long-term salary and research support to early career researchers who are proposing innovative and ambitious diabetes-related research programs, and who have distinguished themselves as exceptionally talented and promising research investigators. These awards are intended to support particularly innovative and transformational ideas that have the potential to have an exceptional impact in diabetes with an emphasis on the investigator’s potential to significantly transform diabetes through research (‘moving the needle’) to improve the lives of people with diabetes.
- Candidates for Accelerator awards should be in the process of establishing successful, independent diabetes research programs, and have records of independent productivity in research. For this award, demonstration of independent productivity should include that the candidate is currently in an independent faculty position, has demonstrated the ability to perform a particular set of experiments at a high-quality level, including senior author publications (independent of training mentors) and/or has demonstrated the ability to obtain independent funding/support for their work.
- Eligibility
- Must hold full-time independent faculty position
- Must have demonstrated independent productivity in diabetes research, including senior author publications
- May currently hold independent NIH funding (K, U or R awards, including an initial R01/U01) but must not have applied for, or received, an R01/U01 renewal or a second R01/U01 award
- Must hold a MD, PhD, DMD, DO, PharmD, DVM or an equivalent health- or science-related degree
- Must devote at least 75 percent of their total time and effort to research during the funding period (with 25-50 percent effort to the ADA project)
- Maximum Funding
- $325,000/year for up to 5 years, for a total of $1,625,000.
- Support
- Project support
- Primary investigator salary
- Indirect support
- Up to 30 percent of directs
- Project percent effort required
- 25-50 percent effort to the ADA project
See the program website for more details.
Internal Application Instructions
Interested faculty should click here to apply for the internal LSO competition and to find additional information about the opportunity. The deadline for the internal competition is May 22, 2024.
Any questions about these opportunities may be directed to VU-LSO@vanderbilt.edu.
