RAP Seeks Spring 2011 Applications for Intramural Grants

The Resource Allocation Program (RAP), a campuswide one-stop shop for intramural grant applications, is requesting applications for the spring 2011 funding cycle. The deadline to submit an electronic application is 6 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 28. RAP incorporates a single online application process for more than 20 different types of grants allowing faculty members and UCSF affiliates to apply to several funding agencies simultaneously. Applications are reviewed by one of nine faculty committees with expertise in basic, clinical and population sciences. RAP funding agencies fund more than $3 million dollars per year. The historical funding success rate has been 40 percent to 50 percent. Originally created by the Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute (CTSI) as a means of facilitating campuswide research efforts, RAP has now been incorporated as part of the office of Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost Jeff Bluestone. “This move facilitates a campuswide approach to research support, and consolidates the strong initiative of the CTSI,” says Susanne Hildebrand-Zanki, associate vice chancellor for Research. “Our mission is to build infrastructure to make research opportunities more accessible and manageable. RAP is an exciting program which clearly moves us down that path.” RAP offers researchers 22 different types of grants across the research spectrum in the following areas:

• Pilot projects
• Multidisciplinary
• Technology
• Shared instrument
• Career development
• International research and HIV/AIDS

RAP has been transformative for the UCSF campus, reflecting a vision of interacting agencies collaborating for shared goals. Researchers, especially junior faculty, applaud the existence of a single source of information on intramural funding opportunities, and they greatly appreciate a uniform application and review process. Faculty reviewers say that grant proposals are receiving well-informed and fair reviews. The funding agencies see much greater efficiency in the use of resources. RAP also is seen by the National Institutes of Health and by other institutions as another example of UCSF’s great capacity for creativity and innovation. “RAP was developed to facilitate the intramural application process for junior faculty from all schools, and from varied research backgrounds,” says Fred Waldman, MD, PhD, chair of the RAP committee. “RAP is targeted to basic, clinical/translational, and population scientists. All faculty at UCSF should consider the opportunities offered by the RAP process. The funding rate is higher than almost any extramural award program, and thus should allow faculty to develop pilot studies in their fields of interest. Even more senior faculty should consider applying for some mechanisms, including shared equipment, career development including hardship, and technology development.” Additional funds are available for the spring 2011 for proposals with either a bioinformatics/computational biology research focus submitted to one of the following grants: Translational Technology Development, Novel Clinical/Translational Methods or Pilot Research Awards for Junior Investigators.

Streamlining Application Process

RAP annually issues two calls for applications. Applicants are assisted in the submission process by clear instructions, a concise proposal format and timely responses to questions. Applications are posted electronically on a secure Web site and assigned to one of nine review committees. Each review committee is responsible for a defined scientific area (e.g. cancer, neuroscience, technology, clinical sciences, AIDS and infections diseases, career development). All proposals are scored with written reviews from at least two expert reviewers within or closely aligned to their fields. Based on these reviews, leaders of the RAP funding agencies independently decide which proposals to fund and collectively discuss a common funding level. Applicants who are not funded in a particular cycle may use the reviewers’ feedback to improve their applications for resubmission at a subsequent cycle. RAP supports only intramural grant mechanisms and funding agencies. However, it will be located administratively within the Office of Research, along with the extramural programs, Limited Submissions and Research Opportunities. “The addition of this essential program to the Office of Research introduces opportunities for additional efficiencies and interactions with other campuswide administrative units that support investigators,” says Erik Lium, assistant vice chancellor for Research. The best way to learn about the RAP is by exploring its website, which provides step-by-step instructions. For questions, contact Emanuela (Emy) Volpe via email or phone 415/476-9476.

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