PES Junior Faculty Research Grants

Purpose:

To promote early career research development of academic pediatric endocrinologists.

Description and Qualifications of the Candidate:

Fellows in their third year of endocrine training or early-stage faculty members who are PES members in good standing are eligible to apply for the Junior Faculty Grant, formerly the Clinical Scholar Award (CSA). Applicants must provide institutional documentation of junior faculty status at the planned time of the award with the additional stipulations as noted below. US citizenship or green card status is NOT required. Those with career plans in North America are favored. Preference may also be given to those without other substantial sources of research funding. Further, the PES is committed to a culture of equity, diversity and inclusion, and encourages applicants who reflect and celebrate the diversity of people and cultures among our membership.

One Junior Faculty Grant, supported by Dr. Fima Lifshitz, and specifically intended to fund Clinical projects, will be awarded annually, the Fima Lifshitz Junior Faculty Clinical Research Grant.

A candidate may apply for support if at the time of application:

1. Has completed a minimum of 2 years of pediatric endocrinology fellowship training and will have completed the training within 3 years of the start of grant funding (the following July 1^st).
2. Has either an MD, DO or equivalent degree.
3. If faculty, has a rank that is no higher than Assistant Professor.

Awardees will be expected to present their research findings at an oral plenary session at the national PES meeting at the conclusion of the granting period. PES will also request that awardees acknowledge funding from the PES and provide copies of all manuscripts generated from work supported by the PES grant.  If requested, awardees will provide information regarding subsequent academic appointments and grant awards.

Sponsor/Mentor

Two letters of support are required and should be submitted with the application. One must be from the Division Chief (Sponsor) and the other from the Research Mentor (individual supervising the research project). The latter should be an established investigator with a record of current extramural support as evidenced on their NIH Biosketch. If the Division Chief and Research Mentor are the same person, a letter from the Department Chair is required. Additionally, applicants must establish an appropriate mentoring committee and provide the names and qualifications of these committee members.

Funding

The award is up to a maximum of $50,000 total costs for one year. However, the amount is often less. The exact amount of funding for each review cycle will be determined by PES and may vary depending on multiple factors including the available funds at the time of review of the application.  Funding for a second year will be based on submission of a progress report and the review of a proposal for renewal of the project. A maximum of 10% of the total award may be applied to institutional indirect costs.

Please see the separate application link for 2nd year submission instructions HERE.

For funds that are not used during the term of the grant award, the Society will entertain a one-time request for a no-cost extension (NCE), and if approved, a 1-year NCE will be granted.

The funds may be used for the salary of the awardee, technical support, or other expenses directed toward the success of the proposal. Concomitant funding for the project from other grants is permitted if budget overlap does not occur. Should the candidate have other forms of extramural research support, he/she must submit his/her specific aims, hypotheses and budget with justification to identify and reconcile potential overlaps in funding.

General Instructions for Application

Applications must be submitted online through the PES website. An applicant must be a member of PES (dues paid for the current year) to access the application. Applicants will then be directed to register in the application portal. This will allow initiation of the application process and enable returning to finish different sections at a later time using the registration login.

The application must include a description of the Candidate’s Background, Goals and Objectives, the Career Development Plan, a Research Plan, and a detailed Budget and Budget Justification.

• The Candidate’s Goals, Objectives and Career Development Plan (up to 1 page) must describe the candidate’s commitment to an academic career and how the award will further the goals and objectives of the candidate. Please also include description of skills and competencies that are to be achieved, the development/training/mentored activities through which the competencies will be achieved, and a timeline for execution of these competencies.
• The applicant’s NIH Biosketch
• The Candidate’s Career Development Plan (up to 1 page) should include a description of the skills and competencies that are to be achieved, the development/training/mentored activities through which the competencies will be achieved, and a timeline for execution of these competencies.
• The Research Plan (up to 5 pages not including the Bibliography) must have intrinsic research importance and must be formatted as follows: Specific Aims, Significance, Innovation and Approach (including preliminary data, study design, methods, analytical plan with a power/sample size statement if appropriate, pitfalls and alternative strategies).

• Budget and Budget Justification: A complete Budget form must be data driven and provide specific information for each requested item. Should the candidate have other forms of extramural research support, they must identify and reconcile potential overlaps in funding as described above.

The application should be in Arial 11 font with at least 0.5 inch margins.

An application not compliant with these guidelines or received after the due date will be returned to the applicant and not reviewed.

If the application includes the use of human subjects or animals, Human Subjects or IACUC approval must be provided before an award can be made to the institution.

General Scoring of Applications

Applications will be reviewed by PES  as well as by expert external reviewers. Reviewers will use the NIH grant application 9-point scale scoring system for the Overall Impact Score and Individual Scores for five core criteria: Significance, Investigator, Innovation, Approach, and Environment.

Applicant Document Uploads

(All files must be uploaded in PDF format)

Goals and Objectives, Career Development Plan

Applicant Biosketch

Research Plan (sections a-d below is a 5-page limit)

1. Specific Aims and Hypothesis
2. Significance
3. Innovation
4. Approach
5. References
6. Human Subjects Research, including training in ethical conduct of human research. If human subjects are to be used in the research project, the applicant must submit a letter of approval from their Institutional Review Board before the award is made on July 1.
7. Budget and Budget Justification

Division Head/Sponsor Document Uploads

Letter of support with institutional letterhead containing the following:

1. Training Plan, Research Environment, Research Facilities
2. Applicant’s qualifications and overall potential research
3. Assurance of institutional commitment to the research and academic development of the applicant.
4. Specify the amount of protected time for research

Research Mentor Document Uploads

Letter of support with institutional letterhead containing the following:

1. Training Plan, Research Environment, Research Facilities
2. Applicant’s qualifications and potential to successfully carry out the project
3. Delineation of the Applicant’s Work from that of the Mentor