TVAREF Seed Grant Program

2011 Award Recipients
Congratulations to the following recipients of the 2011 TVAREF Seed Grant Program. Each has received $5,000 toward their research project.

• Mildred Acevedo-Duncan, Ph.D.
• Andrea N. Moor, Ph.D.
• Niketa A. Patel, Ph.D.
• Mini Sajan, Ph.D.

Announcement of TVAREF Seed Grant Program
The purpose of the Tampa VA Research and Education Foundation, Inc. (TVAREF) is to facilitate and promote research and education activities at the James A. Haley VA Hospital. TVAREF is initiating a seed grant program in 2013 with the primary goal being to provide support to junior investigators whose career will benefit from funds to develop preliminary data to support future VA Merit or DOD funding. Priority for funding will be given to VA junior investigators that are currently involved in research and have submitted a merit review grant or a DOD grant. TVAREF will offer four $5,000 grants in 2013.

Eligibility
Applicants must be 5/8’s time, or 100% geographically located at the VA and/or a US citizen or have a green card, and be eligible for VA funding for a Career Development Award or Merit Review Award as defined at http://www.research.va.gov/funding/process/default.cfm. Each applicant shall hold a M.D., Ph.D., or equivalent doctoral degree in medical, biological or behavioral science. Co-applicants are not allowed.

Project Period
Grants are for a twelve month period beginning June 1st, 2013 and should be completed within a year of start date, but may be eligible for one no cost extension, if requested and approved by the Executive Director. After payment of all study costs, any funds remaining at the end of the grant will be returned to the TVAREF general fund.

Application
The application narrative shall be no more than three pages in length and must follow the formatting guidelines in the Application Instructions. Any application longer than 3 pages will not be reviewed. Supplemental information, such as a NIH/VA Biosketch and letters of support (not to exceed 3) are encouraged. Proposals will be ranked in order of scientific quality and probability of success.

Protocol Approval
Applications approved for funding by the TVAREF Board of Directors must subsequently be approved by appropriate Research & Development subcommittees [Human IRB, IACUC, Radiation Safety, and/or the Subcommittee for Research Safety]. Final approval from the Research & Development Committee must be obtained before funding is released. Any variations from the original grant proposal are subject to review and approval or disapproval by the appropriate Committees and the TVAREF Board of Directors prior to implementation.

Deadline
Final deadline for application to be received in the TVAREF office, via email, is no later than close of business, March 29, 2013 for a start date of July 1, 2013. Please submit one copy in pdf format to dreeder@tampavaref.org. Application packets are available online at our website: http://www.tampavaref.org. Questions related to the Seed Grant Program should be directed to Doug Reeder or Jack Hern, TVAREF at 813-780-2623, x103 and x101. Applicants will be notified of the outcome of the grants submitted for funding by April 26, 2013.

Reporting
A final report must be received in the TVAREF office, via email, no later than two months after closing the research activity. Seed grant awardees who fail to submit a final report will not be allowed to participate in future TVAREF grant programs. Format for the final report will be available on the TVAREF website.