Guidelines for Applications

Proposals must be submitted electronically in InfoReady.

SCIDRP Research Grant proposals should be written and formatted as a standard NIH R21 application and include all sections in the InfoReady application portal, the budget, detailed budget justification/itemization pages, and sections 1-10, below. Projects are limited to one year and the proposed budget should not exceed $100K.  Indirect costs are not allowed. Note that all budget expenses must be described and justified in detail and must be for the proposed research project only. Salary and fringe benefits to cover the effort of investigators on the project are allowed.

1. Nontechnical Abstract (250 word limit): Include how this research project meets the objectives of the SCIDRP. Keep in mind that the material in this section may be used in describing your research to researchers, clinicians, patients, and the lay public. Use terms, descriptions and explanations that would be appropriate for a broad audience.
2. Project Summary/Abstract (30 lines of text): The project summary is a succinct and accurate description of the proposed work and should be able to stand on its own (separate from the application). This section should be informative to other persons working in the same or related fields and understandable to a scientifically literate reader.  Please be concise.  State the application's broad, long-term objectives and specific aims, referring to the relevance to advance scientific knowledge in the area of spinal cord injuries and congenital or acquired disease processes that affect the spinal cord.  Describe the research design and methods for achieving the stated goals. 
3. Specific Aims (1 page) State concisely the goals of the proposed research and summarize the expected outcome(s), including the impact that the results of the proposed research will have on injuries and/or diseases of the spinal cord and the research field(s) involved. List succinctly the specific objectives of the research proposed (e.g., to test a stated hypothesis, create a novel design, solve a specific problem, challenge an existing paradigm or clinical practice, address a critical barrier to progress in the field, or develop new technology). Explain how your hypothesis will be tested, and why the results will be important to individuals with spinal cord injuries or spinal cord diseases. Finally, please explain how funding from the SCIDRP will be leveraged to secure future support from external grant agencies.
4. Research Strategy (6 pages): Format as a standard NIH R21 proposal. Include these three sections with headings: 
   1. Significance: Explain the importance of the problem or critical barrier to progress that the proposed project addresses. 
   2. Innovation: Explain how the application challenges and seeks to shift current research or clinical practice paradigms.         
   3. Approach: Describe the overall strategy, methodology, and analyses to be used to accomplish the specific aims of the project. 
5. 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.
6. Response to Reviewers (1 page): Required only if the type of application is a resubmission or revision. Summarize substantial additions, deletions, and changes to the application.  Respond to previous reviewer issues, criticism and comments.
7. Principal Investigator's Biographical Sketch (use NIH form and follow guidelines for non-fellowship biosketch).
8. Other Biographical Sketches: The biosketches of other investigators/collaborators on the project may be included here.
9. Appendices: Letters of support may be included.  Unpublished material may be include only if it is essential for the review of the proposal. Do not include reprints of published work.
10. Budget and Budget Justification: One-year grants for up to $100,000. Costs for overhead (i.e. indirect costs) are not allowed, and the research projects are to be conducted in their entirety within Missouri. Budget expenses must be described and justified in detail and must be for the proposed research project only and not for non-research expenses.

Compliance with Oversight Committees

If your proposal involves human subjects, vertebrate animals, rDNA or biohazards or export controls or select agents, approval must be obtained from the oversight committees at your institution or facility. Verification must be received in the designated campus official's office prior to setting up an award account.

Instructions for Submission:

Proposals must be submitted in InfoReady.

NIH scoring criteria will be used by the reviewers evaluating your proposed project. You might find it helpful to keep these in mind as you prepare your proposal.

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