FUNDING MEMO

Title: Research Grants - Fall 2022

Funding Agency: Cystic Fibrosis Foundation

External Deadline(s):

12/08/2022 02:00 PM PST (Full Proposal)

Cognizant Office: Office of Sponsored Research/Office of Foundation Relations

Description:

Research Grants are intended to support efforts that will improve our understanding of disease pathogenesis, such as defects in airway defense, microbial adaption to the Cystic Fibrosis (CF) lung, mucociliary clearance and airway hydration, and extrapulmonary manifestations of the disease. Proposals must be hypothesis driven and contain sufficient preliminary data to justify support from the CF Foundation. Proposals that aim to develop tools or reagents that will facilitate research may be considered through this mechanism. Information derived from such studies will hopefully lead to submission to other funding agencies, such as the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

Frequency: Typically offered multiple times per year

Total Award: $168,000 to $336,000

• Funding of up to $150,000 per year, plus an additional 12% indirect costs may be requested.

Indirect Costs: 12% of Direct Costs

• Caltech’s minimum overhead rate is based on the award’s annual gross funding. Please refer to the FY23 Annual Rate Memo for applicable minimum overhead requirements. Applicants must work within their division to account for the required overhead via an approved MORA form.

Duration: Up to 2 years

Discipline(s): Biology and Biological Engineering; Chemistry and Chemical Engineering; Engineering and Applied Science

Eligibility: Research Faculty, Tenure-Track Faculty, Tenured Faculty

• United States residents and applicants from outside the United States are welcome to apply.
  • International applicants and institutions are required to submit additional information in accordance with USA Patriot Act and the U.S. Department of Treasury Anti-Terrorist Financing Guidelines.
• Applicants must be independent investigators (an individual who is out of fellowship training and whose institution allows them to submit applications for research funding as a PI).
  • Candidates who are postdoctoral fellows should apply to the CFF Postdoctoral Research Fellowship program.
  • Caltech researchers other than tenure-track faculty will need to obtain approval from the Division Chair and Vice Provost for Research prior to submitting an application.
• Multiple CFF Research Grants held by a single investigator will not be permitted for this program when the total combined funding exceeds $168,000 per year. In such cases, the most recent application submitted will be considered administratively ineligible. However, investigators may hold one Research Grant through this mechanism as well as a Path to a Cure Research Grant simultaneously.
• Applicants may only submit one Research Grant application in 2022 (either the Spring or Fall cycle).

Research Areas of Interest:

• CFF realizes the changing needs of the community and places a high priority on supporting research that will improve our understanding of disease pathogenesis, especially in the setting of CFTR modulators, such as defects in airway defense, microbial adaption to the CF lung, mucociliary clearance and airway hydration, and extrapulmonary manifestations of the disease. CFF will prioritize funding for projects that will lead to a better understanding of disease mechanisms and pathophysiology that contribute to the development of new prevention and treatment strategies.
• Emerging areas of interest with high priority to the CF Foundation:
  • Direct and indirect influences of CFTR modulation on the airway milieu, including resident pathogens, inflammation and inflammatory cell function, mucin structure (tethered and secreted), airway surface liquid (ASL), and mucociliary clearance (MCC).
  • Mechanisms of defective MCC and ASL that are relevant for therapeutic applications.
  • Biological mechanisms involved in lung allograft dysfunction/rejection and transplant immunology.
  • Improved understanding of acquisition, detection, pathogenesis, host-pathogen interactions, and treatment approaches for difficult to treat CF infections (i.e. NTM, MDR Pseudomonas, MRSA, Aspergillus, Burkholderia, Stenotrophomonas).
  • Approaches to understand and treat CF-related GI complications, including liver disease and the impact of nutritional deficiencies.
  • Effects of endocrine system dysfunction in CF, especially projects focused on biological underpinnings of Cystic Fibrosis Related Diabetes (CFRD) and CF bone disease.
• Infection/microbiology-focused applications should utilize clinically relevant strains and specimens or should address host responses to the organism as part of the application.
• Research Grant applications must focus on basic science research.
• Proposals that include methodologies requiring human subjects or sampling of materials from human subjects will be considered under this mechanism only if the sampling method constitutes minimal patient risk (e.g., venipuncture, nasal brushings) and the sample will be utilized in basic or laboratory research. Projects using previously obtained human samples or samples collected as part of routine clinical care may be allowed; however, this should be specified clearly in the application. All other projects involving human subjects, including interventional studies, will not be reviewed nor funded through this award mechanism and applicants should instead submit their proposals under the Clinical Research Award or Clinical Pilot and Feasibility Award mechanisms.

Research Exclusions:

• Applicants seeking to submit proposals focused on topics such as the restoration of CFTR protein function or approaches to fix/replace the defective CFTR gene should apply through the Path to a Cure Research Grant Program.
• Projects that solely explore basic biology of pathogens that will not have direct applicability to the development of new treatment strategies or improve outcomes for people will CF will be deprioritized for funding.
• Those applications that do not have a clear translational component or path to therapeutic development generally receive lower relevance scores.

Post-Award Obligations:

• Annual scientific and financial reporting is required.

Recent Caltech Recipients:

• None

Guidelines & Other Information:

Overview: https://www.cff.org/researchers/research-grants

Guidelines: https://www.cff.org/media/11116/download?inline

Please notify the Foundation Relations team if you anticipate making a submission or if you have any questions regarding this opportunity. We are here to help ensure that Caltech’s proposals are competitive. We can assist with proposal development and advise you on the routing of your paperwork. Interested researchers should work with their division grant manager to prepare the budget, the MORA form, and the Division Approval Form (DAF). Submissions and awards for this grant program will be processed through the Office of Sponsored Research.

Opportunity ID: 1337