Burroughs Wellcome Fund 2009 Career Awards at the Scientific Interface

Please distribute this information to your faculty to determine if they have an interest in submitting a proposal to this program.

WHAT: Limited Submission Proposal for the Burroughs Wellcome Fund 2009 Career Awards at the Scientific Interface

WHO:  TAMU, TAES, TEES, TTI and HSC individuals with Ph. D. degrees in mathematics, physics, chemistry, computer science, statistics or engineering with between 12 and 48 months of postdoctoral research at the time of application.

WHY:  The Burroughs Wellcome Fund will make awards of $500,000 for research to support two years of postdoctoral training and the first three years of a faculty appointment.

WHEN: Internal proposal deadline of February 11, 2008. 

HOW:  Applicants should submit internal proposal to osppc@tamu.edu for review by the internal selection committee.  
 

THE FINE PRINT

The funding agency listed below has limited the number of solicitations to two per institution.  If the number of faculty wishing to submit a proposal exceeds the number allowed by the agency, we will conduct an internal selection process. Below are due dates for the program, including the due date of the internal proposal for review by the internal selection committee, the date for announcement of the internal selection and the due date for submission to the agency.                                                     

AGENCY:  Burroughs Wellcome Fund

AGENCY PROGRAM TITLE:  2009 Career Awards at the Scientific Interface

BRIEF PROGRAM DESCRIPTION:  The Burroughs Wellcome Fund 2009 Career Awards at the Scientific Interface involves research at the interface between the physical/computational sciences and the biological sciences, with an emphasis on furthering biomedical science.  Scientists trained in areas such as chemistry, physics, applied mathematics, computer science and engineering will address key problems is biology.

Candidates are expected to draw from their training in a scientific field other than biology to propose innovative approaches to answer important questions in the biological sciences.  Examples of such approaches include:  physical measurements of biological phenomena, computer simulation of complex processes in physiological systems, mathematical modeling of self-organizing behavior, building probabilistic tools for medical diagnosis, developing novel imaging tools or biosensors, applying nanotechnology to manipulate cellular systems, predicting cellular responses to topological clues and mechanical forces, and developing a new conceptual understanding of the complexity of living organisms.  In addition, proposals that include experimental validation of theoretical models are particularly encouraged.

The five year award involves up to two years as a faculty period for the award recipient.  Candidates must have between 12 and 48 months of postdoctoral research at the time of application.  Further, candidates must not hold, have accepted, or be in serious negotiations for a faculty appointment as a tenure-track assistant professor at the time of application.  Recipients are required to devote at least 80 percent of their time to research-related activities.

Another requirement for this award is that the institution must name at least one tenured faculty member in a discipline complementary to the award recipient’s primary discipline who is willing to serve as a faculty mentor.

More information can be found at:  http://www.bwfund.org/programs/interfaces/CASI%20Brochure.html           

AGENCIES ELIGIBLE TO SUBMIT:  Degree-granting institutions-including its medical school, graduate schools, and all affiliated hospitals and research institutes-in the United States and Canada are eligible.

AWARD INFORMATION:   The Burroughs Wellcome Fund 2008 Career Awards at the Scientific Interface provide $500,000 over five years to support up to two years of advanced postdoctoral training and the first three years of a faculty appointment.  Candidates are to be nominated by their department head or college dean.   

ELIGIBLE PROJECT COSTS:    No indirect costs are allowed.  The balance of the award is to be used to cover research expenses, at the discretion of the award recipient.  These funds may be used flexibly for items such as equipment, consumable supplies, travel to scientific meetings or laboratory personnel.  Conversely, prior approval by BWF is required when, within an award year, purchases of equipment exceed $20,000 or travel costs exceed $8,000.  Also, award recipients may receive a no-cost extension of up to 24 months; requests explaining why an extension is needed must be submitted in writing at least four months prior to the end of the award. 

COST SHARING:  NONE.    
 

Internal Selection Procedures and Deadlines

February 8, 2008:  Deadline for an email of intent, including the name of the PI, title of internal proposal and a 1-3 sentence description of the project.  Send email of intent to osppc@tamu.edu     

February 11, 2008: Deadline to obtain signatures of approval from your department head and college dean to submit an internal proposal to the Office of Sponsored Projects for review by the internal selection committee.  The internal proposal should include:

• An executive summary, up to three pages, based on the proposal description as outlined in the Burroughs Wellcome Fund program announcement;
• A letter of nomination from either the department chair or college dean;
• The name of a tenured faculty member in a discipline complementary to the candidate’s primary discipline who is willing to serve as an active collaborator. 
  

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This completed form should be submitted electronically to osppc@tamu.edu for review by the internal selection committee.

Please read the RFP carefully for specific requirements of the program at http://www.bwfund.org/programs/interfaces/CASI%20Brochure.html   

Selection of a proposal will be based on Burroughs Wellcome Fund evaluation guidelines.  Meeting the needs of the university’s reinvestment plan will also be taken into account. 

During the selection process, the internal selection committee may contact departments and colleges for their opinions and commitments.  They may also request additional information from PIs.

February 22, 2008: The Internal Selection Committee will notify PIs of the result of the internal competition.

April 15, 2008:  Burroughs Wellcome Fund full proposal deadline (due electronically by 4 p.m. Eastern Time).