MENTORED SCIENTIST AWARD PROGRAM IN HIV/AIDS

Project Award Amount $40,000

Description of Grant Area
Funding is available through the University of California, San Francisco-Gladstone Institute of Virology & Immunology Center for AIDS Research (CFAR) Developmental Programs with the goal of developing the next generation of HIV/AIDS researchers with the potential to further extramural HIV/AIDS funding.

Applicants are encouraged to target research with the potential to enhance the interfaces between basic and clinical or basic and behavioral-epidemiological sciences as reflected in the research priorities represented by the CFAR mission. Investigations ranging from basic pathogenesis to clinical outcomes in the research areas of HIV/Aging and Inflammation, viral eradication, and co-infections are of high interest.

The Mentored Scientist Award (funded by CFAR) is targeted toward postdoctoral fellows with backgrounds in clinical, basic, and/or behavioral-epidemiological research undertaking larger translational research projects under the tutelage of a mentor. Applicants for this award must indicate a mentor(s) who will commit to guiding the applicant through the duration of the proposed project.

1. The award level for this program is $40,000 in direct costs (may include personnel salary and benefits)
2. The number of grants awarded is determined by funding available
3. The funding will last for a one-year period
4. Any carry forward of funding will require approval and must be fully justified 5. Progress reports will be due to the CFAR Program office at six months and at the end of the project period (reports should reference subsequent funding acquired, research goals met, posters, publications, etc.).
5. If applicable: All CFAR-funded research conducted in an international setting must have both UCSF and international institution CHR approval and must be approved by the NIH before funding will be released to the awardees institution via subcontract at UCSF.

For the most recent Mentored Scientist Award Program description, download the CFAR Mentored Application guidelines. Additional information can be found on the CFAR website: http://cfar.ucsf.edu/Awards

Note: As a general rule, within any category, priority is given to applicants who have never received funding in that category, except for the International Mentored Scientist Award Program in HIV/AIDS.

Eligibility
Post-doctoral or clinical fellows in training at UCSF or affiliated with our partner institutes.

Designation of Research Mentor
A mentor must be named on the project. The mentor's role is to provide oversight on the planning, direction, and execution of the proposal. The mentor should be recognized as an accomplished investigator in AIDS research, and should be able to demonstrate past success in training/mentoring independent investigators. In addition, the mentor must commit to mentoring the applicant through the duration of the research project. The mentor cannot have supervisory authority over the applicant.

Criteria for Review/Evaluation of Applications
Applications that are complete and meet eligibility requirements will be evaluated for scientific and technical merit by an appropriate review committee convened by the UCSF Resource Allocation Program in accordance with the review criteria employed by the NIH which include five core areas: 1. Significance, 2. Approach, 3. Innovation, 4. Investigator, 5. Environment. Each of these criteria will be addressed and considered in assigning the overall score weighing them as appropriate for each application.

Contact:
Brenda Sanchez, CFAR Program Analyst
bsanchez@cfar.ucsf.edu
Tel. 415-221-4810 Ext. 3672