• Spinal Cord Injury Research
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Guidelines for Applications

Proposals must be submitted electronically in pdf format.

The proposal should include the 5-page application form (sections 1-9) located here and including the budget justification and itemization pages, followed by sections A-F below. Note that budget expenses must be for the funded research project only and not for non-research expenses, including but not limited to items such as graduate student tuition and fees.

The budget expenses are total amounts for the entire project, either one or two years, and should not exceed $250K. Note that budget expenses must be for the funded research project only and not for the non-research expenses, including but not limited to such items as graduate student tuition and fees.

Please note: There is an eight-page limit for sections A-D below. A maximum of seven single-spaced pages may be used for sections A-C. For proposals that are being resubmitted, applicants are allowed one page, placed before the Introduction, to address the reviewers' comments. In general, the number of submissions for a given proposal is limited to three (3) times. Item D, the nontechnical abstract, should be limited to a maximum of 250 words, also single-spaced, and appear on a separate page. Item D, the nontechnical abstract, should be limited to a maximum of 250 words, also single-spaced, and appear on a separate page. Sections A-D should be written with at least 11-point font, single-spaced and appear on pages with at least 3/4" margins

A. Introduction: Describe what questions you want to answer with this study, how these questions are related to injuries and diseases of the spinal cord, what your hypothesis is about these questions, how it will be tested, and why the results will be important to individuals with spinal cord injuries. Also, please explain how funding from the SCIRP will be leveraged to secure future support from external grant agencies.

B. Methods of Procedure: Describe the research design and the experiments that you will use to accomplish the specific aim(s) of the project. Describe how the data will be collected, and what statistical methods you will use to help interpret the results. Describe any new methodology you will use, and its advantages over existing methodologies. Discuss any potential pitfalls you foresee in the design and methodology, and what alternate approaches you would use to achieve your aims. Point out any procedures that may be hazardous to personnel, particularly if human subjects are involved, and what precautions will be taken to ensure their safety.

C. Bibliography: A numbered list of complete references, including full titles, should be included in the bibliography section, and references should be cited in the text with numbers.

D. Nontechnical Abstract: Be sure to include in this abstract your perception as to how this research project meets the objectives of the SCIRP as stated above. Keep in mind that the material in this section may be used in describing your research to the educated, lay public, and use terms, descriptions and explanations that would be appropriate in such a context.

E. Principal Investigator's Curriculum Vita/Resume (3-page limit per investigator/co-investigator).

F. Appendices. Include only unpublished material and only if it is essential for the review of the proposal. Do not include reprints of published work. The biographical sketches of co-investigators may be included here.

Instructions for Submittal:

An email must be sent to Ashley Wilson with your proposal attached as a PDF file.

In addition, one hard copy with appropriate signatures must be sent to

Ashley Wilson

Funding Programs Assistant

UM System Office of Research and Economic Development

309 University Hall

Columbia, MO 65211

**Proposals from University of Missouri faculty must be submitted through their campus's Office of Research.

Also available is a sample grant review form giving the criteria that will be used by the reviewers who will be evaluating your proposed project. You might find it helpful to keep these in mind as you prepare your proposal.

Proposals not adhering to the SCIRP rules and guidelines will be returned without review.