MPC Proposal Development Grants

Application due date: 11/12/09

Tentative award date: 11/25/09

Earliest project start date:  1/1/10

Project completion date: 12/31/10

Consistent with the mission of the Demographic and Behavioral Sciences (DBS) Branch of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), we define “population research” as demographic, behavioral, and social sciences research on fertility, families, population movement, morbidity and mortality, HIV/AIDS, and population composition. These small-scale grants (typically under $10,000) are designed to give faculty, research associates, and post-doctoral researchers the time or other resources that they need to develop and submit population-related research proposals to external funding agencies.

For all awardees the MPC will provide proposal development services beyond those normally provided by academic units, including assistance on determining the proper funding mechanism, crafting compelling arguments, developing clear and manageable research plans, creating biographical sketches and other necessary forms, budget preparation, assembling the final proposal, and guiding the proposal through the University bureaucracy. The MPC expects to make two to three awards in each of the fall and spring semesters. Investigators can propose a range of activities—such as carrying out pilot projects or feasibility studies, collecting data or testing instruments—to advance a fundable research project.

View a list of previously awarded MPC Proposal Development Grants.

Eligibility

All MPC faculty affiliates, MPC-affiliated research associates, and MPC-affiliated post-doctoral researchers are eligible to apply. Faculty or postdoctoral researchers who are not currently affiliated with MPC can request affiliation (and thus become eligible to apply) by contacting Laura Olevitch at olevitch@umn.edu. 

Submission Instructions

Submit a completed application via email attachment to Laura Olevitch at
olevitch@umn.edu.  Completed MPC Proposal Development Grant applications must include the following:

1.  A completed  Cover Page

2.  A project proposal not to exceed 1500 words including the following sections:

• The anticipated specific aims of the external grant proposal
• A summary of the background and significance of the research to be proposed
• Information about prior research on the topic under investigation
• The anticipated research plan, including a discussion of likely methods and data
• The applicant's plan for applying for external funding, including the agency or foundation to which the proposal will be submitted and a proposed submission date
• A brief explanation of how your external proposal plans qualify as multidisciplinary population research, including names and disciplines of potential collaborators
• Information about human subjects concerns (if any)

3.  A completed Budget Page

4.  A brief curriculum vitae or biographical sketch (maximum of 2 pages)

Grant Requirements

Awardees must commit to submitting a multi-disciplinary, population-related grant proposal to an external funding source within 18 months of receipt of award.

Awardees will be required to submit a brief report explaining how their awarded funds were used; this report should be accompanied by a copy of the grant proposal(s) that resulted from the MPC Proposal Development Grant.

Evaluation Criteria

Applications will be evaluated by the MPC Advisory Board on the basis of their scientific merit. Priority will be given to junior researchers and to senior researchers who are developing new lines of investigation, and to applications that will yield fundable external grant proposals for submission to the National Institutes of Health or other federal agencies or major foundations.