The USF-TGHCI Microbiome Joint Pilot Research Awards are intended to enhance and harness the collaborations among USF and TGH Cancer Institute investigators by attracting new scientific expertise to complement ongoing research, encourage and promote multidisciplinary microbiome research, and support preliminary investigations to attract new extramural microbiome-related funding at both the USF and TGH Cancer Institute. These awards will support collaborative research between faculty from different colleges/ schools or departments of USF and TGH. Research topics should focus on the microbiome and its relationship to cancer. Funds are awarded through a competitive grant application process described in detail below.

This award is intended to invite applications from multi-PI who will conduct bold, imaginative, rigorous, and relevant research transitioning successful funding and peer-reviewed publications. Each grant will be awarded for up to $30,000 ($15,000 for USF and $15,000 for TGH Cancer Institute Investigators) for one year in project-related direct costs, including appropriate staff salary support and supplies, at least one going to a junior faculty member.

Eligibility: Proposals must include investigators from both USF and TGH to satisfy the collaborative requirement. Applicants must have principal or collaborative faculty appointments at USF and/or TGH.

Budget and allowable expenses: Funds should primarily be used for supplies, reagents, and core services. Students, postdocs, and technicians are allowed with strong justifications, but faculty salaries are not allowed. 

Proposal Requirements:

1.   Face Page (Title, Investigator names, and Affiliations; Timeline, Total budget requested). Utilize the Face Page template with appropriate signatures of applicants. 

2.   Abstract that describes the project in lay language (300 words or less).

3.   Overview of collaborations between faculty (500 words).

4.   Specific Aims and Research Plan including Significance, Innovation, and Approach; and plans for next funding opportunity (7-page limit; 1-page specific aims and 6-page- research strategy including significance, innovation, approach, and pitfalls and alternative approaches and future plans): NIH Format Arial 11-point black font and at least 0.5-inch margins (all sides). References, biosketch, budget and its justification, human subjects, and animal information are not counted toward the page limit.

5.   NIH Biosketch for key investigators (PIs/Co-PIs/ Co-Is)

6.   Budget (spreadsheet) and Budget Justification, please complete the PHS 398 detailed budget form page 4. http://grants2.nih.gov/grants/funding/phs398/phs398.html

Due Dates:

A letter of intent (LOI) must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on May 5th, 2024. One-page LOI with the title of the project, team (key personnel), departments/institutions, summary/specific aims, and amount of funding requested.

Submission Process:

1.   All the applications (including specific aims, research strategy, budget, justification, Biosketch and any other documents including human subject information) must be compiled as a single PDF and must sent to Gerri Graca at graca@usf.edu. Please include USF-TGHCI Microbiome Joint Pilot Research Award Application in the subject line by 11:59 PM (EST) on June 17th, 2024.

2.   Additional Approvals: All projects involving human subjects or animal research must go through the normal institutional compliance approval (e.g., SRC/IRB, IACUC). Awarded projects will not be released until compliance approval is on file.

The expected start date is July 1, 2024.

Expectations: Awardees are expected to submit a scientific report after the end of the project. In addition, awardees should be prepared to present research findings at the USF-TGHCI Microbiome Annual Meeting, as well as in the institute’s webinars/seminars. Awards must generate preliminary data that can be used in competitive grant applications to the NIH, NSF, or other extramural funding agencies. Awardees will be encouraged to use USF and TGH Cancer Institute core facilities and should apply for extramural funding and publish results in academic journals. As an awardee, you must acknowledge the USF Microbiomes Institute and TGH Cancer Institute: “The project described was supported by the USF Institute for Microbiomes and TGH Cancer Institute."

If interested and/or have questions related to research/ project and core facilities, please contact:

Dr. Christian Brechot

Director of USF Microbiomes Institute

Email: cbrechot@usf.edu

Dr. Eduardo Sotomayor

VP and Executive Director, TGH Cancer Institute

Email: esotomayor@tgh.org

Dr. Warren Pledger,

Associate Director for Basic Science, TGH Cancer Institute

Email: jpledger@tgh.org

Dr. Hariom Yadav

Director of USF Center for Microbiome Research, Microbiomes Institute

Email: hyadav@usf.edu