Background: A core mission of the UAB-HudsonAlpha Center for Genomic Medicine is to leverage the potential synergy between the UAB School of Medicine and the technological infrastructure and expertise at HudsonAlpha to make important contributions in genomic medicine. Over the past two years, the CGM has funded six internal pilot projects led cooperatively by PIs at each institution. This effort has been successful from the perspective of providing a platform for developing new projects and new collaborations and for securing external funding. To further advance the CGM core mission in a way that more broadly benefits many investigators at the UAB SOM, the CGM will initiate a new granting program in which collaborative groups (“working groups”) provide leadership and direction.
Expectations and requirements: Collaborative working groups may already exist, or may be developed in response to the new program, and may be organized around systems and/or diseases, e.g. “Neuroscience”, “Cardiovascular Diseases”, “Autoimmunity”, etc. The key requirements for the new granting program are that leadership and scientific/clinical benefit should involve multiple (2 or more) existing research groups, and that the proposal should involve application of genomic infrastructure and technology to an important scientific and/or clinical problem. In most cases, the working group will be comprised of multiple PIs (at UAB and/or HudsonAlpha), and will involve services provided by HudsonAlpha GSL; however, intellectual leadership with regard to design and analysis of genome-scale projects can come from either institution. It is anticipated that 3 to 4 awards of $75,000 to $100,000 will be made per year, for a 1 to 2 year period.
Implementation: This is intended to serve as a program announcement, to initiate and catalyze development of working groups. Limited funds are available to support development of new groups (e.g. meeting support).
The CGM Symposium, May 8, 2017, will provide a forum and opportunity to further disseminate and discuss the new grant program, and to develop working groups.
A letter of intent from all working groups is required by May 29, 2017, identifying the participants, the communicating PI, and briefly summarizing the goals they plan to achieve. We anticipate 5 – 6 working groups in total; should the number (as reflected by letters of intent) be substantially more, a preliminary evaluation will be carried out, to be completed by June 26.
Full applications will be due Aug. 11, and recipients announced Sept. 15, with funding to begin Oct. 1, 2017.
