• General processes and deadlines

    Submission of all proposals submitted to non-Harvard organizations, including federal, non-profit, and industry organizations, must have prior approval before submission to the sponsor.  The HMS Office of Research Administration (ORA) has final approval for submission. It is critical to inform your grant manager as early as possible of your intent to submit a proposal to ensure enough time for planning.

    To ensure that all sponsored submissions receive institutional review and authorization, all application materials proposals must be received by ORA at least five (5) full business days prior to the sponsor’s due date. Please see the HMS Sponsored Submission Deadline Policy for more on this policy.

    To assist grant-seekers, Neuro department grant managers will work with all department researchers to review funding opportunities, complete application materials, and submit the materials to ORA. The grant manager will work with you on a timeline for submission, including setting an internal Neuro deadline for the required departmental review of the application deadline. This deadline is typically set five (5) business days prior to the ORA deadline to ensure application completeness.

    All proposals must be routed in Harvard’s Grants Management Application Suite (GMAS) for departmental and institutional approval. All Principal Investigators must electronically sign their GMAS proposal request to attest to the completeness of application materials and key project information. When trainees submit applications, their mentors must also sign-off on the proposal in GMAS.

    In order to meet ORA’s policy, the overall proposal planning process will have to begin earlier:

    Neurobiology Guidelines for sponsored proposal submissions:

    1. 6-months (or more) prior to sponsor due date - please communicate with your lab’s Grant Manager on your plans to submit a sponsored proposal (i.e. grant, fellowship, subcontract, etc.)
    2. 2-months prior to sponsor due date – begin to work with your lab’s Grant Manager on pulling together the components of your proposal
    3. 10-business days prior to sponsor due date – ALL required elements of your proposal should be complete(*) and in the hands of the Grant Manager for Department Chair review & approval
    4.  
      1. *DRAFT science sections: 10-business days prior to due date
      2. *FINAL science sections: 2-business days prior to due date

    Following these guidelines will allow for us to submit proposals of the highest quality by performing  a thorough review for compliance with Harvard and sponsor requirements, editing, and correction of errors or omissions.

    We appreciate your understanding and for supporting our efforts to provide comprehensive, substantive and productive assistance to all Neurobiology PIs when submitting proposals for external funding.

  • Department Services

    Grant managers will work with grant seekers on all submissions to external and internal sponsors. Neuro grant managers take an individualized approach to support each proposal, tailored to the needs of the Principal Investigator. Key services provided include:

    ·        Review of funding opportunity announcement (NOFO, RFA, RFQ, etc)

    ·        Coordinating with HMS Office of Research Administration

    ·        Creation of application checklist

    ·        Establishment of submission timeline to meet Neuro and HMS Office of Research Administration deadlines.

    ·        Drafting of budgets and budget justification outlines

    ·        Coordinating materials with co-PIs, collaborators and subrecipient institutions

    ·        Completion of standard application forms (ASSIST, Research.gov, Grants.gov forms, etc) and upload of attachments.

    ·        Early review of application materials for compliance with Harvard and sponsor requirements

     

  • Applicant Resources

    General Application Resources:

    ·        NIH Biographical Sketch: https://grants.nih.gov/grants/forms/biosketch.htm

    ·        Other Support and Disclosures guidance (including templates): https://research.harvard.edu/faculty-disclosure-guidance/

    ·        Data Management Plan: https://countway.harvard.edu/services/publishing-data-services/countway-data-management-plan-review-service

    ·        Budget Justification template

    ·        Facilities & Other Resource template

    ·        Equipment template 

    NIH Resources:

    ·        Application Guides: https://grants.nih.gov/grants/how-to-apply-application-guide.html

    ·        Standard Due Dates: https://grants.nih.gov/grants/how-to-apply-application-guide/due-dates-and-submission-policies/due-dates.htm

    o   Check the funding opportunity to confirm application due date

    ·        Data Management and Sharing Policy: https://sharing.nih.gov/data-management-and-sharing-policy

    ·        Policies and Compliance: https://grants.nih.gov/policy/index.htm

    ·        Historical NIH success rates: https://report.nih.gov/funding/nih-budget-and-spending-data-past-fiscal-years/success-rates

     

    NSF Resources:

    ·        Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG): https://www.nsf.gov/publications/pub_summ.jsp?ods_key=papp

    ·        Overview: https://new.nsf.gov/funding/getting-started

    ·        Due Dates: See funding opportunities for deadlines.

  • Finding Funding

    Federal opportunities:

    Grants.gov: https://www.grants.gov/web/grants

    NIH Funding: https://grants.nih.gov/funding/searchguide/index.html#/

    NSF Funding: https://new.nsf.gov/funding/opportunities

    SAM.gov: https://sam.gov/content/opportunities (for Federal Govt Contracts)

    Non-profit/foundation opportunities:

    PIVOT: https://pivot.proquest.com/

    Limited Submissions: https://hms.harvard.edu/departments/office-academic-clinical-affairshms-foundation-funds/current-nomination-opportunities

     

    SPIN InfoEd Search

    Searchable database of federal and private funding opportunities in all fields. Click HERE to access this resource, free to all with Harvard Key.

  • Select opportunities for postdocs and early-career researchers:

    Early-career researchers/junior faculty:

    SponsorFunding RangeSponsor DeadlineNotes
    NIH Director's Early Independence Award (DP5)Awards up to $250K in direct costs per year for up to five years.Please see the most recent RFA DP5 program supports exceptional investigators who wish to pursue independent research directly after completion of their terminal doctoral degree.
    American Cancer Society Research Scholar Grants$165K direct cost per year up to 4 yearsApril 1, October 15Provides support to investigators who are within the first 10 years of an initial independent research career or full-time faculty appointment
    Rita Allen Foundation Scholars$110,000 per year for up to five yearsPlease refer to sponsor websiteThe Rita Allen Foundation Scholars program funds basic biomedical research in the fields of cancer, immunology and neuroscience. Limited to one nomination per institution.
    McKnight Neurobiology of Brain Disorders Award$100,000 per year for three years

    LOI: December

    Full proposal: May

    		The McKnight Neurobiology of Brain Disorders Award (NBD Award) assists scientists working to apply the knowledge achieved through basic research to human brain disorders, and who demonstrate a commitment to equitable and inclusive lab environments.
    McKnight Scholars Awards$75,000 per year for three yearsJanuaryThe intent of the program is to foster the commitment by these scientists to research careers that will have an important impact on the study of the brain. The program seeks to support scientists committed to mentoring neuroscientists from underrepresented groups at all levels of training.
    Searle Scholars Program$300K for a three-year periodFebruary 1Applicants should hold an independent investigator position at the assistant professor level. The appointment must be their first tenure-track position. 
    Sloan Research Fellowships$75,000 up to 2 years2024 applications are due 9/15/2023.Candidates must hold a tenure track or equivalent position at a degree-granting institution in the US or Canada. Please refer to sponsor website for more detailed eligibility criteria. 
    Smith Family Awards Program in Excellence in Biomedical Research$400K for 3 years, inclusive 5% IDC. Eligible institutions may submit up to 2 applications per funding round.2024 initial proposal due 6/20/23Program supports new faculty who are within 3.5 years of their first independent faculty appointment by the start of funding on April 1.