Call for applications: 2023 Faculty Innovation Fund Awards

Created by Samantha McDonald (Unlicensed)
Last updated: May 01, 2023
3 min read

Dear Colleagues,

The Faculty Innovation Fund supports the research of full-time, early-stage faculty with a primary appointment in the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. In prior years, these awards were limited to tenure-track assistant professors. Now, both assistant professors and assistant scientists are eligible. The goal of this fund is to stimulate innovative research projects that will strengthen the faculty member’s research trajectory. The deadline for this round of Faculty Innovation Fund applications is June 4, 2023, at 11:59 p.m. Application information and other details are provided below.  

 The 2022 Faculty Innovation Fund awardees were Sachini Bandara (MH), Zabir Hasan (IH), and Utthara Nayar (BMB). A listing of previous years’ awardees is available here.

What are the Faculty Innovation Fund awards?

These awards are for up to $35,000, and generally two to four applications are awarded annually. Pilot, formative and development studies that can be leveraged into competitive grant applications are the focus of these awards. Applications for collaborative projects are permitted if both PIs fulfill eligibility criteria. Awards can be used to purchase equipment or supplies, pay student or staff salaries, and support other research needs. Salary support is permitted for up to 10% effort.

 Awards are for one year of support. Individuals can receive only one Faculty Innovation Fund award per career. Applicants for a Faculty Innovation Fund award cannot receive overlapping funding from other internal awards focused on similar projects (e.g., Center for Global Health, Bloomberg American Health Initiative).

 All areas of scientific inquiry are eligible for this award. However, two sources of funding are specific to cancer research; please specify if you would like your application to be considered for either of these:  

  • Ho-Ching Yang Memorial Faculty Award. Supports projects involved in cancer research that have particular importance to improving the health of populations.

  • The Richard L. Gelb Cancer Prevention Fund. Supports research efforts in cancer prevention that assist in translating those findings into practical strategies and programs.  

The Gustave Martin Award for Faculty Innovation in HIV Research is provided annually through a BSPH endowment. However, this award is administered through the Center for AIDS Research (CFAR) as a Faculty Development Award, with funding of up to $50,000 and due dates annually in August. While HIV-focused research will still be considered in this current call for applications, investigators should briefly indicate the rationale for applying for this award as opposed to CFAR’s award.

How do I apply?

Please email a pdf, with all materials compiled into a single document, to BSPH.research@jhu.edu. Please put your name in the filename. The application deadline is Sunday, June 4, 2023, at 11:59 p.m. EST. 

What is the application format?

The body of the application can be no longer than five single-spaced pages (11-point Arial font with narrow 0.5-inch margins) and contain the following: abstract, introduction, specific aims, methods, and significance. Preliminary data is not required for this application, but, if available, relevant preliminary data may be included in the introduction section. The significance section should include how this work will aid in your career development as an independent investigator, what is novel about it, how it will serve to move your field forward, and its relevance to supporting your research trajectory and future grant submissions.

The application should also include an NIH-format biographical sketch, a brief proposed budget, other support page (including pending applications), tables/figures (two-page limit), and references as appropriate. A letter of support from the department chair should indicate that the faculty member is supported by the department (and sponsoring faculty members in the case of non-tenure track applicants) toward a career development trajectory to advance their research contributions. These latter materials are not included in the limit of five pages.

If you are submitting a revised application from a prior round, please clearly indicate how the application was modified. If the proposal is part of a larger grant, there should be a clear explanation of the larger grant and how this proposal fits into it. In writing your application, don’t try to collapse the description of an R01 into five pages. Avoid jargon. Instead, target your application to a broader audience than your specific field so that reviewers, who span the breadth of expertise in the School, can understand what you plan to do and why. 

How are awardees selected?

Applications will be reviewed by a committee of senior faculty members. Notably, reviewers come from diverse disciplines and will review all applications together. Award recipients and non-selected applicants will be contacted shortly after the review meeting anticipated to occur in mid-June. Funded awards can begin as early as July 1, 2023.

  

Best, Greg

Gregory D. Kirk, MD, PhD ’03, MPH ’95
Vice Dean for Research
Professor of Epidemiology, Medicine & Oncology
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health