SCCM - Society of Critical Care Medicine

SOCIETY OF CRITICAL CARE MEDICINE
VISION GRANT

The Society of Critical Care Medicine (SCCM) announces the availability of grant support for SCCM members focused on clinical and outcomes research specifically related to the Society’s four goals and objectives:

Education (Learn It)
Integrated Team of Dedicated Experts (Deliver It)
Outcomes Measurements and Reporting (Measure It)
Continuous Improvement (Improve It)

SCCM seeks to sponsor research efforts that will ultimately improve patient care in the intensive care unit. Investigator-initiated research should help expand and advance our understanding of clinical outcomes specifically related to these goals.

Our interest is broad. For example, we encourage applications that focus on technical aspects, such as electronic surveillance systems, yet similarly encourage studies exploring cultural and educational factors among ICU staff that either impede or facilitate a climate promoting best practice and error reduction. We will give priority to projects that have broad relevance. As one extension of this, single-center projects, for example, should specifically address the potential to generalize their findings to other critical care settings.

Grant support will begin in January, 2012. The maximum level of funding is $50,000.00 for one year. The grant is funded by SCCM. Research funds may be used by the investigator for salary support (either the Principal Investigator or research support staff), database development, consultant costs, or other resources required to complete the project. Any indirect costs included in the budget must be capped at 10% of the total amount, e.g., no more then $5,000 of a $50,000 grant. The home institution must contractually agree to this requirement for the grant to be awarded.

Eligibility:

The principal investigator must be a current SCCM member and maintain SCCM membership through the life of the grant. If you are not a member and would like to become a member please click here for more information. Applications are encouraged from junior and established investigators. Applications from junior investigators (defined as no prior independent NIH funding - RO1 or equivalent - and within 10 years of finishing their training) may be a request for independent support or may include a research mentor who is also an SCCM member and can demonstrate strong research credentials in the areas of clinical and outcomes research. Previous winners of the Vision Grant may not reapply for a period of five years from the date of his or her previous grant award.

Selection Process:

Applications will be reviewed and scored by the members of the SCCM Research Committee. Each application will be assigned to a group of three reviewers. Proposals will be scored based on scientific merit and the potential to positively impact patient care in the intensive care unit. No special consideration will be given to applications on the basis of faculty rank or research experience, but demonstration of an appropriate research environment and strong mentorship is essential for the less-experienced applicant. Applications that do not follow the administrative rules will be triaged by the Chair and returned in a timely manner to the applicant without committee review. Applicants may appeal this decision if they believe it has been made in error.

After the review and scoring process is completed, the Research Committee will discuss the applications and select a winner. Grant recipients are expected to provide a two-page update at the conclusion of the funding, similar to that required by NIH. Grant recipients will also be required to submit an abstract for blind review for presentation at the SCCM Annual Congress. Abstracts will be due at the beginning of September. A second copy of the abstract must be submitted to the Research Committee via SCCM Executive Offices.

Notification:

Grant recipients will be notified no later than December 2012 of the results with the official announcement made at SCCM's Convocation and Award Ceremony during the Critical Care Congress January 2013 in Puerto Rico.

Deadline:

One electronic copy of the application must be received by the Program Development Department, c/o Trish Glover, by 5:00 p.m. Central time on August 31, 2012. Click here to save a copy of the application to your computer. A paper copy must also be sent to SCCM attention Trish Glover. The paper copy must have a post-mark no later than August 31, 2012 11:59 pm.

Application Process:

The application must be completed by the applicant (not the mentor) and typed with a size no smaller then 11 point and should be double–spaced. The applicant must provide the following information:

Cover page (i.e., Application form) includes the following:

Applicant’s name
Applicant’s title (at initiation of the grant funding)
Applicant's institution
Title of the proposed research
Administrative official to be notified if award is made. The official’s title, address, and phone number must be provided.
Other funding that has been secured or applied for to support this research activity.
Applicant’s signature and the signature of the administrative official to be notified if the award is made.
Notification if this was a previously submitted grant.

Completed application including:

Three (3)–page brief biographical sketch describing the education and training, research experience, and relevant publications of the applicant and the mentor, where applicable. The standard NIH bio-sketch is acceptable.
A letter from the mentor indicating he/she is prepared to provide adequate time to personally train the applicant in the methods of scientific research (if applicable). In addition, this letter should document the mentor’s prior experience with research fellows, briefly indicating, if possible, his subsequent achievements as an independent investigator.
A letter from the applicant’s department or division head indicating that sufficient time protected from other clinical or administrative responsibilities will be available to perform the proposed work (junior investigators only).
The body of the grant application should be no longer than ten (10) pages, typed with a type size no smaller than 11 point; double-spaced, excluding references but including figures and tables. The narrative description of the proposal should be divided into four sections: Specific Aims, Background and Significance, Preliminary Data, and Proposed Studies.
The bibliography should not exceed 75 citations.
Up to five (5) publications from the applicant’s or the mentor’s prior work in the field can be attached as an appendix.
Institutional approvals (human investigations and/or animal studies).
Letters of recommendation from two to four current or prior mentors, research advisors, or clinical teachers (if applicable).
Detailed, justified budget including the involvement of all personnel and their associated efforts if personnel costs are included; the grant review committee will entertain up to 10% indirect costs.
Completed Financial Disclosures and Conflict of Interest form. This form can be accessed by clicking on the following link: Disclosures .

3. Reapplication of previous submitted grant.

Any grant that was previously reviewed and rejected may be resubmitted a total of three times.
Indication that the grant is being resubmitted must be clearly visible on the grant application form.
A one-page overview of the recommended grant changes and the modifications the applicant made to the grant must precede the actual body of the grant documentation. This one-page overview does not count as part of the 10-page body of the grant proposal.

Submit:

The electronic copy and a recent photo of yourself must be submitted to SCCM by 5:00 pm Central Time on August 31, 2012.
Please submit this electronic copy to the following email address: pglover@sccm.org.
All documents are to be in PDF format and compiled as one document.
A hard copy of your application must be mailed to: Trish Glover, 500 Midway Drive, Mount Prospect, IL 60056 (Tel +1-847-493-6440), with a post mark no later than 11:59 pm on August 31, 2012.