UF CARE Dissertation Aid Grants

UF CARE 2023 Dissertation Aid Grants
FULL APPLICATION DUE:  November 14th, 2023

UF CARE IS EXCITED TO SUPPORT THE 2023-2024 DISSERTATION AID AWARD GRANTS AT THE LEVEL OF UP TO $7500/EACH.

The eligibility requirements are detailed below. One of the critical criteria is that applicants MUST have successfully completed their qualifying exam at the time of application. If not, they are not eligible for the current round of funding. THIS year, we are delighted to accommodate potential applicants who are completing their qualifying exams later in the semester or early in Spring semester by issuing a second call for applications in early 2024!

FOR THE FALL SUBMISSIONS:  DUE November 14th, 2023

The eligibility requirements include:

  • The applicant must have successfully completed their qualifying exams
  • The proposed project must have been approved by the trainee’s advisory committee as the dissertation project, as attested to in the mentor’s evaluative letter.
  • The primary mentor must be a UF CARE member who contributes a portion of their annual IDCs to UF CARE. The primary mentor must submit an evaluative letter of the applicant’s qualifications including comparative statements of the applicant’s productivity and potential as an independent scientist. This letter must also include a statement regarding the disposition (e.g., storage, transfer, or destruction) of biospecimens, animals, biohazards, or similar materials that may exist at study conclusion. This letter will be submitted via a webform (see “2023 Dissertation Aid Grants Mentor Letter Submission Form” below).

Application Structure & Formatting

  • Applications will be submitted as a single PDF file via a webform (see “2023 Dissertation Aid Grant Application Submission” below).
  • Cover Letter: the applicant must include a cover letter providing the title, project timeline, relevance of the project to their long-term career goals, and financial need for the grant. As noted below, the primary review criterion is the quality of the science. That said, financial exigencies will also be considered.
  • The application must be structured as an NIH R03 application, albeit shorter.
    • The application must be preceded by a brief project description/abstract, meeting the space limitations noted in NIH guidelines
    • The application, per se, consists:
      • 1 page Specific Aims/ Hypotheses
      • Pages 2-5: Must address the following issues: Significance, Innovation, & Approach. The approach section should include some discussion of the data analysis strategy and study limitations. Applications failing to meet these standards will be returned without review. Preliminary data are not expected.
      • References must be limited to no more than two additional pages
      • A final page briefly addressing human subject protections or vertebrate animal issues, as appropriate, is expected. 1 page limit.
      • Thus, the total application should include a one page cover letter, one page of aims/hypotheses, 4 pages for the project presentation, one for budget justification, up to two pages for references and 1 page addressing human and non-human subject issues: TOTAL no more than 10 pages
  • Budget: All items must be fully justified. The total request cannot exceed $7,500 dollars. Requested funds must be constrained to costs directly associated with the conduct of the proposed work. Funds may not be used for travel or applicant stipend/salary/tuition/fees. Acceptable items include participant payment, animal costs, and research supplies. Requests for study personnel (e.g., research or technical staff assisting with the project) should be made with caution and require specific justification both within the budget and by the mentor. Given the limited funds, time constraints and required fiscal tracking, requests should be limited to current employees or currently unpaid assistants who are fully trained. The budget justification should be fully detailed.
  • Appendices are not permitted.
  • NIH Biosketches for both the applicant and mentor(s) are required and must include a complete listing of all current research funding, regardless of source. ADDITIONAL PAGES (beyond the typical 5) SHOULD BE INCLUDED AS NEEDED.

General Review Criteria:

The primary objective of the DAG program is to facilitate the conduct of the BEST science by the MOST QUALIFIED applicants. Thus, the quality of the science is the primary determinant. That said, review will also include consideration of the financial need for the award. Thus, it is imperative that the applicant detail why the proposed work could not be conducted without the requested funds.

Questions and Assistance

Please contact Meagan Sullivan with any questions or help with this process: msully94@ufl.edu


The deadline was November 14th, 2023


Deadline was November 14th, 2023

 

DAG Awardees for the 2022/2023 Academic Year 

  • Erin Corcoran
  • Natalie Johnson