LHI Collaborative Pilot Grant

Goal of Collaborative Pilot Grant

The goal of the Collaborative Pilot Grant mechanism is to stimulate interdisciplinary research in cardiovascular investigation. The Lillehei Heart Institute will fund 2 multiple-PI projects where 1 PI has to be a member of the LHI and the other PI has to be a faculty member of another Medical School Center/Institute/Program. The awards will provide $75K per year for 2 years of funding with the expectation that the PIs submit a research proposal to a federal granting agency before the end of the award period. Note: Funds may used for staff or postdoc salary but not for faculty salary.

Evaluation and Selection of Awards

Letter of Intent deadline: 11:59pm, March 1, 2023
LOI requirements:

• Proposal Title
• PI Names, Titles, contact info
• Center/Institute/Program of PI's
• Abstract of proposal

Full proposal deadline: 11:59pm, April 1, 2023
Announcement of selected proposal: May 20, 2023
Start Date: June 1, 2023
Submitted grant proposals will be evaluated by at least 2 independent reviewers who will use the NIH scale for evaluating the proposal. The main criteria that will be scored are:

• Quality of proposed research and relevance for cardiovascular health and disease
• Added value of interdisciplinary approach
• Potential for obtaining federal grant by PI team

Eligibility and Required Documents

• Applications should have 2 PIs, one of whom must be an LHI member. See med.umn.edu/lhi/membershipfor information about becoming an LHI member. The second PI must be a member of another Medical School Center, Institute, or Program.
• PIs must have faculty appointments at the University of Minnesota.
• Grants will be awarded to the LHI PI (contact PI) who will set up a child account for the co-PI. 
• Each faculty can only submit 1 proposal where they’re listed as PI, but there is no limit to the number of applications where they are listed as a co-investigator.
• Applications should include the following, using NIH format and fonts:
  • An NIH biosketch for each PI and co-I should be incorporated in the PDF.
  • A title page listing the PIs and co-Is and their departmental and Medical School Center, Institute, or Program affiliation with signatures is required but not part of the 5 page-limit.
  • A reference list of citations is required but not part of the 5 page-limit.
  • An itemized budget is required but not part of the 5 page-limit (Note: Funds may used for staff or postdoc salary but not for faculty salary).
• The following elements within a 5 page-limit:
  (1) Short background, (2) Hypothesis, (3) Specific Aims, (4) Approach, (5) Research team and synergy, (6) Plan for obtaining federal level funding, (7) Milestones

• LOI to be submitted at z.umn.edu/lhipilot | Full proposal submitted as a single PDF to jabehm@umn.edu  
• Deadline for LOI: 11:59pm, March 1, 2023 | Deadline for full proposal: 11:59pm, April 1, 2023.

Notes

• Preliminary data are not required.
• All types of research are eligible and encouraged.
• Year 2 funding is contingent on documented progress towards fulfillment of specific aims and prespecified milestones. 
• Awarded teams will be asked to present their research at an LHI retreat.
• Funding will not support faculty salary or indirects.

For questions or additional information contact Jessica Wilde at 612.301.8141 or jabehm@umn.edu