Intramural Research Support Committee
Policies

The principal responsibilities of the Intramural Research Support Committee are the scientific review of intramural research grant applications from the faculty of Wake Forest University School of Medicine, review of medical student fellowship applications and ad-hoc review of other School research grants.

1. Regular Research Grant Applications
   1. Research grant applications submitted for funding from WFUHS Venture funds. These grants are specifically intended to help generate pilot data that can be used to enhance grant applications to extramural agencies for the support of the applicant's long-term research program. Extramural agencies include sources such as the NIH, DOD, American Heart Association, private foundations, and so on. Support will be considered for equipment, animals, supplies and support personnel, but not for faculty salaries. Applications will be reviewed on the basis of technical scientific merit and the potential for future extramural funding. Applications meeting one of the following purposes will be eligible for funding:
      • To provide funds for pilot studies in new areas and development of new initiatives by more senior faculty for the purpose of generating preliminary data to make the applicant more competitive for extramural funds.
      • To provide initial research support for junior and newly arrived faculty for the purpose of generating preliminary data to make the applicant more competitive for extramural funds.
      • To provide funds for the continuation of research where other grants have terminated and for which further funds have not yet become available, and for which the Interim Funding Program is not appropriate. Funds can be requested for research supplies, maintenance of essential equipment, animals, or technical personnel.

1. Applications will be accepted only from full-time faculty of Wake Forest University Health Sciences. Unless there are unusual circumstances, an individual faculty member may not have more than one regular IRS grant active at any one time.
2. Applications will be received for announced deadlines. Committee meetings are usually held quarterly.
3. One original and 1 copy of the completed application, and one Adobe pdf (email to pgatsis@wfubmc.edu) should be submitted to the Office of Research and addressed to the Intramural Research Support Committee. Application forms and policies may be obtained from the Office of Research web site.
4. All grant requests must be approved by the chairman of the applicant's department prior to submission, and noted by the chairman's signature on the cover form.
5. Applications are evaluated on the basis of scientific merit. Approved applications are assigned a priority score to reflect the committee's judgment of scientific merit and potential for future extramural funding opportunities. Decision as to funding of approved applications is made by the Assistant Dean for Research.
6. The usual project duration is 12 months.
7. Support for travel funds will not be considered unless such travel is essential for the conduct of the project. Faculty salary support is not allowed.
8. The total budget may not exceed $20,000 in direct costs. Special circumstance requiring a larger budget should be discussed with the Office of Research before preparation of the application.
9. When a grant is awarded, the Grants Management will establish an account for the funds and disburse them on the written principal authority of the Investigator or a designated representative through the usual mechanism.
10. Any balance unexpended on grant expiration must be returned to the school.  A one-time extension in time (without additional funds) may be requested by the investigator and approved by the committee chairman and/or the Assistant Dean for Research.
11. Within 90 days after termination of the grant, a final progress report must be submitted to the Office of Research. Interim progress reports may be requested prior to termination if needed for institutional reports to granting agencies. Include in the final report whether this funding has been instrumental in the preparation and/or funding of extramural grant applications.
1. Research grant applications submitted for scientific review to be funded by other sources. Occasionally, departments receive research applications from their faculty for funding from departmental sources or the school will offer special research RFA’s. The Intramural Research Support Committee will provide a scientific evaluation of such applications.

Applications should be submitted using the same format as described above with the exception that factors such as budget limits, eligibility, travel, etc. will reflect departmental or school policy and not the policy of the Intramural Research Support Committee.

2. The Intramural Research Support Committee also reviews and prioritizes applications for the Interim Funding Program. Its purpose is to provide some financial support for extramurally-funded faculty research during periods when funding has been interrupted by an unsuccessful competitive renewal. Guidelines for this program are available from the Office of Research website.

   C. Medical Student Fellowship Applications

The Committee also has the responsibility of identifying research opportunities within the Medical Center for medical students, establishing procedures for application, prioritization of applications, and approving (based on a final research report by the student) the inclusion of this research experience on the student's academic records.

4. Other Applications

The Committee will review other types of applications if requested to do so by the Vice President and Dean or the Associate Dean for Research, for example, applications to extramural sources for which the school must select a limited number of candidates.