2021 VU S10 Internal Pre-proposal Form

VU Faculty: S10 Pre-proposals

All faculty with Primary Appointments in a VU School or College are required to submit their pre-application materials in this VU REDCap survey.

Pre-proposals are due to be completed in this survey no later than 5 p.m. on Monday, April 1st.
Late submissions may not be eligible for institutional matching funds.
If you have questions or need assistance with your pre-proposal, please contact Chuck Sanders for all applications from Vanderbilt School of Medicine Basic Sciences (VBS) faculty or Liane Moneta-Koehler for all applications from non-VBS faculty.
Chuck Sanders, PhD
- 615-936-3756
- 5110C MRB3

Liane Moneta-Koehler, PhD
- 615-322-2875
- Suite 800 Baker Building

VUMC Faculty: S10 Pre-proposals

If you are faculty with a Primary Appointment in a VUMC department or division, please do not complete this survey. The Office of Research has their own guidelines and a separate process for taking S10 pre-proposals. Please contact Amy Martinez (amy.f.martinez@vumc.org) in the OOR for any questions. The VUMC REDCap survey for S10 pre-proposals can be found here: https://redcap.vumc.org/surveys/?s=FPTHHJPCRL

VU SOP for NIH S10 Shared Instrumentation Grants:

VU Faculty should carefully review the VU SOP for NIH S10 Shared Instrumentation Grants before beginning the pre-proposal process. This is posted at the Basic Sciences S10 website (under the Faculty menu).

These guidelines pertain to all faculty who have Primary Appointments in one of the Vanderbilt University Schools or Colleges, including the Vanderbilt School of Medicine Basic Sciences (VBS).
The SOP has undergone extensive revision since last year and additional information is being requested. Knowing upfront what is needed for the pre-prosal could help save time and frustration later.
Guidelines can be found on the "For Faculty" page on the Basic Sciences website by clicking HERE or copying/pasting the link below in your browser.
https://medschool.vanderbilt.edu/basic-sciences/for-faculty/2021-nih-s10-shared-and-high-end-instrumentation-grants/

*Please note: The due date for submitting all instrumentation grant applications to the NIH is on June 1st by 5:00 PM.

Completing the Survey

If you are not able to complete all the required questions in the survey and need to come back later, please scroll down and click "Save & Return". You will be assigned a "RETURN CODE" by REDCap and it will be required for you to log back in. When you are ready to finish or just work on more questions, simply come back to the survey and select the "RETURNING" option in the upper right corner. You will be asked for your RETURN CODE as your login credential.
When you are completely finished with the survey, please scroll to the bottom and select "SUBMIT". You will receive a confirmation email that your S10 application was received and you will be given the chance to download the survey questions with your answers.
Your application will be reviewed to ensure that all required documentation is included with your application. You will be contacted if any additional information is needed.

VU Faculty

Please download the S10 SOP document found at the URL below, and review it carefully before moving forward with the pre-proposal process.

https://medschool.vanderbilt.edu/basic-sciences/for-faculty/2020-nih-s10-shared-and-high-end-instrumentation-grants/

Combined Statement of Support

- The Combined Statement of Support is a requirement if the PI is seeking institutional matching funds and an institutional Letter of Support.

- The statement must be signed by the departmental Chair/Center Director of the core where the instrument will be housed and the Core Director.

- The statement provides assurance that the PI, Chair/Center Director and Core Director have vetted the value of adding the instrument to the core versus the financial risk.

- The statement is also a declaration of support confirming that both parties agree to house the instrument and oversee the maintenance & operation for its projected lifetime (~ 5 years).

*NOTE: Please download the attached template Statement and upload it to the survey before submitting the pre-proposal.

Attachment:S10_Combined Statement of Support_Template_2_20_2020.docx

Statement of Matching Support/Commitments from Deans of all Major Users

-For proposals requesting up to $600,000 there is a standard formula given in the S10 SOP document. Use the number given there. If your proposal is for more than $600K, please contact
Chuck Sanders or Liane Monet-Koehler to find out what the VU match should be for your proposal. For this you will need to let them know the total budget request of your proposal.

For some proposals, there may be additional commitments that are made along with the standard match, but not covered by this match. These include commitment of space for the new instrument (if not already available), space renovation costs, IT networking costs, costs for equipment, computers, or storage devices not coverable by the S10 grant, new staff, etc. Any such commitments must also be indicated as part of this pre-proposal and must be arranged at this point with the relevant Core director, department chair, and/or Dean.

- Institutional matching must be confirmed during the internal pre-proposal stage. Matching funds and other commitments will come from the Deans offices and amounts are typically based on pro-rated anticipated usage of faculty by school/college. If there are major users from more than one school or college involved in a single S10 proposal, commitments will need to come from more than one Dean.

The PI's Dean will also need to complete a 100% total match commitment document (template provided on VU Basic Sciences S10 Website) and provide it to the PI so that it can be included with the PI's pre-application to the Office of the Vice Provost for Research. If this total commitment includes others colleges, Dean-to-Dean partial match letters will also need to be included. See template at VU Basic Sciences S10 Website.

- Following approval of the pre-proposal by the Office of the Vice Provost for Research, the PI's Dean will later write the final total institutional commitment letter for inclusion in the actual proposal.

*Note: Please download the attached template Statements (there are two templates in this document), and upload one or both of the statements as needed to the survey before submitting the pre-proposal.

Attachment:S10_Dean_to_Dean_and_Dean_to_VPR_Templates_2020.docx

Which type of proposal are you planning to submit (select one):

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PI's Last Name

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PI's First Name

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PI's Email Address:

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PI's School of Primary Appointment

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PI's Department in the VU School of Medicine Basic Sciences.

PI's Department in the College of Arts & Science, if applicable.

PI's Department in the School of Engineering, if applicable.

PI's Department in Peabody College, if applicable.

*Please note: For investigators in Vanderbilt School of Medicine Basic Sciences (VBS), matching Funds will be committed by the Primary Dean's office only if the proposed instrument will be housed and maintained within a core.

A PI who wishes to submit an S10 grant without a commitment to place it under Core Management should realize that the lack of an institutional commitment letter may be viewed unfavorably by NIH reviewers and administrators.

In rare cases, PIs may be able to line up matching funds from some other source, such as directly from their department. In these cases, the institutional commitment letter included in the grant application would come from the Chair of the department providing the funds. It is up to that department's Chair to make support available contingent upon core placement or not.

By selecting "YES" below, you are acknowledging that you have read this policy.

By selecting "NO", you are indicating that you have read this policy.

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Yes

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Will the instrument be placed within a core facility?

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If it will be placed in a Basic Sciences core, please type the name of the core in which the new instrumentation will be housed.

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If not in Basic Sciences, please select the VU Core Facility or Shared Resource where the equipment will be housed and managed:

If applicable, please explain "Other" for VU (non-VBS) core.

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If your primary appointment is in Basic Sciences and you do not plan to place the instrument in a core, please explain where that instrument will be installed and how it will be overseen.

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Name of equipment:

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Equipment details:

Please upload a document which addresses the following points.

1. Type of instrument
2. Model
3. Manufacturer
4. Special capabilities or value being added to the VU core or shared resource facility
5. If this instrument is currently present at VU or VUMC, provide justification for purchasing a similar equipment.
6. What is the physical location for where the instrument will be installed?

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Upload file

Equipment Documentation:

Please upload the vendor's quote, specification sheet or manufacturer's brochure and any additional information you want considered in the proposal.

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Upload file

Estimated Equipment Cost:

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Will renovations be required prior to the instrument being operational?

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Yes

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Renovations:

Please describe the renovations which you anticipate are needed prior to instrument installation. If known, provide an approximate cost and time frame for this work to be completed.

*Note: You will have the option of uploading files such as formal estimates in the next question.)

*Note: If you do not currently have a formal estimate available, please continue with your application. However, a renovation budget must be submitted to and approved by leadership prior to the proposal submission to NIH.

*Note: Applicants are strongly encouraged to work with their representative in the Office of the Dean to obtain estimates.

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Renovation Estimates:

Please upload any formal estimates or other documentation which outlines the scope of the renovation project, projected costs and time frame for completion.

Upload file

Data/IT:

Will this instrument generate large amounts of data that need to be stored and/or transferred to the labs of remote users?

*Note: IT issues which should be taken into account and planned for include:

- Will a local storage device need to be purchased and installed with the new instrument? (If so, please read the program announcement carefully and consult with the NIH S10 program officer to see if it is advisable to request such a device as part of the instrument acquisition proposal that will be submitted).

- If large amount of data will need to be transferred from the instrument to remote sites, is it feasible to do this in a timely fashion through the existing VU/VUMC network switches and pipes or will there need to be an IT upgrade project to enhance the existing system?

- What is the budget required to cover the cost of the potential IT needs alluded to above?

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Yes

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What is the IT plan for data storage and transfer?

*Note for VBS faculty or equipment going in to a VBS core: As a general principle, if there is the need for storage of large data sets, it is preferred and optimal that the site of storage should be physically located at or very near the instrument which is generating the data. This should be carefully taken into account during planning for instrument acquisition and storage.

*Note: You will be given an opportunity to upload any documents related to your IT PLan next.

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Please upload any documents related to your S10 proposal's IT Plan.

Upload file

In addition to possible renovation or IT costs, are there any other items that will need to be paid for at the start of this project that are not covered by the standard match or by the S10 grant itself? This could include, for example, a separate computer, new personnel to run the instrument, an extended warranty, or related instrumentation that is not part of the primary bundle to be acquired using the S10 funds. If so, please explain.

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Is this a resubmission application?

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Yes

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Please upload the previous submission's Summary Statement so that leadership can review.

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Upload file

Institutional Matching Funds:

Will you be requesting institutional matching funds? (Normally, yes.)
-For proposals requesting up to $600,000 there is a standard formula given in the S10 SOP document. Use the number given there. If your proposal is for more than $600K, please contact
Chuck Sanders (Basic Sciences) or Liane Monet-Koehler (other VU) to find out what the VU match should be for your proposal. For this you will need to let them know the total budget request of your proposal.

*Note: Some applications will have matching funds provided only by the PI's Primary Dean. Other applications include commitments from the Primary Dean and Secondary Deans.

Please understand that institutional support via matching funds is a clear demonstration to the NIH that Vanderbilt values this S10 submission, the faculty and core and that the project is worth the investment of their money.

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Yes

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Amount of matching funds you are requesting?

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Major/Minor Users:

Please upload a spreadsheet identifying projected major users (a major user's total usage of 10% or more) and all minor users (summed use should be 100%; do not include maintenance time). Minor users must all be named.

Must include the following for each user:
1. Name
2. Primary Department
3. Project title that will utilize instrument or short description
4. Estimate % of Total Usage

*Note: Please work closely with the Core Director so that estimated usage is accurate and the list of projected users is complete.

*Note: If you do not currently have access to this information, you can go ahead and complete this pre-proposal by uploading a draft spreadsheet with you as a major user. However, this information must be completed and provided prior to your proposal submission to the NIH.

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Upload file

Abstract:

Please upload a draft Abstract for the project.

- The abstract is meant to serve as a succinct and accurate description of the requested instrument and the need of the research projects for the instrument.

- State the application's broad, long-term objectives, concisely describing how access to the instrument will enhance the health-related goals of the research projects.

- The abstract should be informative to other persons working in the same or related fields and understandable to a scientifically or technically literate reader.

- Please Note: The NIH guidelines state that the final abstract which you will submit should be no longer than 30 lines of text.

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Upload file

Operations/Business Plan:

Please upload the project's Operational & Business Plan which addresses the points below.

1. Integration into a shared resource/core facility
2. Instrument management
3. Operational support and user access
4. *Cost recovery and business plans

*Note: (If Item# 4 is not complete by April 2nd, please submit the proposal without it. The data is necessary; however, more time can be given to finish the business plan with the Core Director.)

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Upload file

Combined Statement of Support:

Once the Chair and Core Director have agreed to maintain the instrument, please have them sign the template S10 Combined Statement of Support and upload here.

The template can be found here:
https://medschool.vanderbilt.edu/basic-sciences/for-faculty/2020-nih-s10-shared-and-high-end-instrumentation-grants

Please download and fill out this form, then upload here.

*Note: If no core will be involved, please upload a document stating that the S10 instrument will not be associated with a VU or VBS core.

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Upload file

Deans Matching Support/Commitment(s):

Please upload all applicable Dean's Matching Commitment letters, COMBINED INTO A SINGLE FILE. These will include any Dean-to-Dean partial match commitments being made to your Dean and also a letter from your Dean committing the full match. Templates for both are found in a single file at:
https://medschool.vanderbilt.edu/basic-sciences/for-faculty/2020-nih-s10-shared-and-high-end-instrumentation-grants

*Note: If there are no commitments of matching funds, please upload a document stating this with an explanation.

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Upload file

Notes/Comments:

If there are any additional notes regarding your project or comments you would like to include with your application, please provide them here.

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Notes/Comments: file upload option

Upload file

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