The TSCRP Postdoctoral Development Award mechanism is being offered for the first time in FY16. The Postdoctoral Development Award supports recent doctoral or medical graduates to conduct impactful research with the mentorship of an experienced TSC researcher (i.e., Mentor). This opportunity allows for junior investigators to develop and investigate a TSC research project and further their intellectual development as a TSC researcher of the future. Under this award mechanism, the junior investigator is considered the Principal Investigator (PI), and the application should focus on the PI’s research and TSC career development. It should be clear that the proposed research is intellectually designed by the PI with assistance from the Mentor. Applicants for this award must exhibit a strong desire to develop and pursue a career in TSC research, with clear evidence for a researcher development plan that will lead to a successful independent career in TSC. Applicants must also demonstrate that the proposed research has high potential to lead to or make breakthroughs in TSC. Inclusion of preliminary data is not required. However, logical reasoning and a sound scientific rationale for the proposed research must be demonstrated. Clinical trials will not be supported by this mechanism.
Deadlines:
• Pre-Application Deadline: 5:00 p.m. Eastern time (ET), July 1, 2016
• Application Submission Deadline: 11:59 p.m. ET, July 18, 2016
The mission of the FY16 TSCRP is to encourage innovative research aimed at understanding the pathogenesis, and preventing and treating the manifestations of TSC. Within this context, the FY16 TSCRP encourages applications to address one or more of the following Focus Areas:
• Understanding phenotypic heterogeneity in TSC
• Gaining a deeper knowledge of TSC signaling pathways and the cellular consequences of TSC deficiency
• Improving TSC disease models
• Developing clinical biomarkers for TSC
• Facilitating therapeutics and clinical trials research
If the proposed research project does not address one or more of the FY16 Focus Areas, justification that the proposed research project addresses an important problem or unmet need related to TSC research and/or patient care should be provided.
• As of the application deadline, the PI must: o Have successfully completed the requirements for a doctoral and/or medical degree, o Be a postdoctoral fellow in the Mentor’s laboratory, and o Have a total of 3 years or less of postdoctoral research experience (excluding clinical residency, clinical fellowship training, or family medical leave).
• Mentor o Must hold a position at or above the level of an Assistant Professor (or equivalent), o Must be an experienced TSC researcher with a strong record of accomplishments, active peer reviewed funding, and recent publications in the TSC field.
• The PI and the Mentor must be at the same organization.
• The maximum period of performance is 2 years. • The anticipated direct costs budgeted for the entire period of performance will not exceed $200,000. Indirect costs are to be budgeted in accordance with the organization’s negotiated rate. No budget will be approved by the Government exceeding $200,000 direct costs or using an indirect rate exceeding the organization’s negotiated rate. • All direct and indirect costs of any subaward (subgrant or subcontract) must be included in the total direct costs of the primary award. • The applicant may request the entire maximum funding amount for a project that may have a period of performance less than the maximum 2 years.
