ROR Young Investigator Awards
APA Young Investigator Award Program for Primary Care Strategies for the Promotion of Early Literacy and School Readiness Supported by Reach Out and Read
With generous support from Reach Out and Read, we are pleased to announce the Academic Pediatric Association Young Investigator Award Program for Primary Care Strategies for the Promotion of Early Literacy and School Readiness. This award provides financial support for young investigators whose research projects focus on interventions in primary care intended to support the early stages of literacy development and school readiness among children at risk for reading problems or school failure.
Through the process described below, the Program may grant up to $15,000 per selected project.
Through this award, our primary goal is to foster development of young investigators who will advance a research agenda related to:
- Improving early literacy and school readiness among children, especially those at risk for language delay and school problems, through primary care-based interventions including Reach Out and Read and related programs
- Understanding home environmental and other influences (both social and biological) related to early literacy and school readiness, in order to inform development and refinement of primary care interventions
The specifics of the application process for this program are as follows:
- The principal investigator and primary mentor of any proposal submitted must be members of the APA or have submitted an application for membership. The investigator will be required to enter a membership number and password to access the submission site. Please allow one business day for processing new membership applications and receipt of log-in information.
- Young Investigators are defined as: 1) faculty members who are no more than five years out from completion of all training (fellowship or post-doc); 2) fellows; 3) post-doctoral trainees; 4) residents; 5) graduate students. Previous awardees are not eligible to apply.
- Preference will be given to proposals in which:
- Findings are likely to lead to development of large-scale proposals related to the research agenda described above.
- The investigator articulates long-term career goals related to the research agenda, and provides evidence for how receipt of this award will facilitate those goals.
- There is strong evidence of dedicated mentorship.
- Collaborations with educational settings or other community partners may be included as part of this proposal, but are not required.
- Initial proposals must be received by October 15, 2012, by 5 pm ET. Only electronic submissions will be accepted. The deadline has passed.
These initial proposals must include the following items:- Cover sheet - indicating project title; PI name and contact information; funding path; name and email for primary mentor, Division Director, and Department Chair; and Participation Statement (See Cover Page Form)
- Proposal description- Not to exceed two single-spaced pages, and should use a font size no smaller than Arial 11, with 1" margins. This section should provide a brief overview of the project, including the aims of the project, background and significance, research methods, and timeline.
- References - not more than one single-spaced page in length (does not count towards two-page limit in proposal description). This is optional for the initial proposal.
- Budget and budget justification (does not count towards two-page limit in proposal description - above). Please provide a budget of up to $15,000 for one year. This cannot include overhead (indirect costs), salary for principal investigators or mentors who are full,time faculty, or equipment for long-term use (with the exception of a computer, for which a maximum of $1,000 can be budgeted, if justification supports project$related needs). A maximum of $1,000 is allowable for travel. Please note that up to $5,000 of this award can be used for faculty development, e.g., relevant coursework. In addition, we will provide an additional $1,000/project as an honorarium for the primary mentor for awarded grants; this amount should NOT be included in the proposal budget. (See Budget Template Form)
- Biographical sketches for the principal investigator and primary mentor using the standard NIH biosketch form (does not count towards two-page limit in proposal description). Instructions and a sample can be found at the following site: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/phs398/biosketchsample.pdf. The biosketch must include an indication of whether or not the applicant is currently a member of the Academic Pediatric Association, a requirement for YIA funding.
- Note: The NIH biosketch now includes a Personal Statement. As part of this statement, please describe how the proposal relates to and will help to facilitate the investigator's career path for this purpose as it relates to the proposed research agenda. The page limit for the biosketch is 2 pages.
- Letter of support from the primary mentor (does not count towards two-page limit in proposal description). This letter should describe the mentor's research experience and skills in relation to this proposal. The letter should also describe the responsibilities of the mentor in supervising the investigator for this proposal. A typed signature is acceptable if an electronic signature is not available.
- A review panel, convened by the Chair of the APA Research Committee, will review the submitted proposals, and identify those that warrant further elaboration. Applicants will be notified the week of November 16, 2012 and provided with specific feedback to inform development of a full proposal. The deadline for the full proposal will be December 14, 2012 by 5 pm ET.
- Full proposals will include the same components as the initial proposal as described above:
- Cover sheet (See Cover Page Form)
- Proposal description (8 double-spaced pages)
- References (1 page, single-spaced)
- Budget and budget justification (See Budget Template Form)
- Biographical sketches, including personal statement (investigator and primary mentor)
- Letter of support from primary mentor
The page limit for the full proposal description is 8 double-spaced pages including the proposal description, budget, and budget justification and excluding the cover sheet, references, biosketches, and letter of support. As above, the page limit for the biosketch is 2 pages. We will not accept appendices - any information that you might consider for appendices must be integrated within the project description. - A second study section convened by the APA Research Committee Chair will review and score the full proposals. Funding decisions will be based on the results of the study section review and approval by Reach Out and Read. Full-proposal applicants will be notified of funding decisions in late January 2013. The number of proposals approved and funded will be determined by the funds available for the given year. The awardees will be announced at the annual PAS meeting.
- Review criteria for full proposals include: relevance of the proposed project as described above, likelihood of project success and contribution to the evidence-base, commitment and quality of mentorship, and overall quality of the submission.
- Awards will be made with the condition that work begins by March 2013, and is completed within one year; however, a no-cost extension for 6 to 12 months is possible, subject to justification and approval by the APA and Reach Out and Read. Awardees are encouraged to submit abstracts to a PAS meeting and to submit results to the APA journal, Academic Pediatrics, for possible publication.
- Awardees are required to submit to the APA Board a progress report of the funded project at the end of nine months and upon completion of the project
- Two additional grantee requirements are intended to enhance career development.
- Each awardee will be paired with a national facilitator, an accomplished, nationally recognized senior investigator from an institution other than the PI's. The facilitator will be available to provide advice and input on the project; complement the PI's mentor by offering additional mentoring on an as needed basis; supply networking opportunities for awardees in their field; provide career advice to awardees regarding future academic pursuits; and be in regular communication with the awardee, via phone calls, e-mails, and in-person meetings at the annual PAS meeting.
- Grantees will be required to participate in conference calls (3x/year).
- Please Note - Incomplete submissions and proposals that exceed page limits will not be forwarded to the review team.
