Timeline
Unfortunately, we are unable to accommodate an extension. Grants must be submitted by the deadline in order for the IOCDF to continue to the next step of the grant process.
Yes, the deadline is Monday, March 1st, 2021 at 5:00 p.m. EST. The application system will be automatically closed to new submissions at 5:01 p.m.
Our target date for notifying applicants is on or before June 1. Initial installment payments will be mailed during the first week of September 2021 or when the IOCDF has received a copy of your IRB approval, whichever is later.
The grant term for the Michael Jenike Young Investigator Awards is 12 months, beginning September 1, 2021. Final installment payments will be mailed in June 2022. Grants awarded in 2021 will expire on August 31, 2022, at which time awardees will need a no-cost extension in order to continue utilizing grant funds. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, related restrictions, and their potential to delay research activities, we are offering an automatic, one-year, no-cost extension until August 31, 2023 for all Jenike Award recipients.
The grant term for the Innovator Awards is three years, beginning September 1, 2021 and expiring August 31, 2024. Award payments will be made in three annual installments.
Budget & Salary
Yes, please reference the budget section of the guidelines for the award type you are applying for (Young Investigator or Innovator).
$50,000 for Michael Jenike Young Investigator Awards, $300,000 for Innovator Awards.
What is the minimum amount of money that can be requested?
We strongly encourage you to request the amount of funding you need to achieve the scientific aims of your project. Applications for less than the maximum awards listed above will be accepted. For the Jenike Awards in particular, we welcome applications for smaller scale projects that require significantly less than the full $50,000 to achieve their aims.
Indirect costs are not awarded by the IOCDF for the Michael Jenike Young Investigator Awards. We will award indirect costs at a maximum 15% rate for the Innovator Awards. Keep in mind that the total amount requested by Innovator Award applicants, including all indirect costs, cannot exceed $300,000.
Yes, please change the calculation manually or by editing the Excel formula and indicate the rate in your narrative budget justification.
Unfortunately we are not able to accommodate requests for indirect costs rates above 15%.
Yes, you can request a salary using your institutional rate. Please review the salary section in the application guidelines.
You may use your institutional rate as we do not enforce the NIH salary cap. Please keep in mind maximum award amounts and review the salary section in the application guidelines.
Research Proposals
Basic research is acceptable.
The IOCDF does not accept theoretical grant applications.
Animal studies have not been a priority for our grant program, historically, but proposals for animal studies will be accepted and evaluated.
Researchers are encouraged to include pilot data in their grant applications wherever they feel it is most appropriate within the main proposal. Please note the application page limit. Appendices are not permitted.
For the Michael Jenike Young Investigator Awards your proposal is limited to 5 pages, not including references. For the Innovator Awards your proposal is limited to 10 pages, not including references. Please use Arial font, size 11, single-spaced, with 0.7 inch margins. Double-spacing is required between paragraphs. Each paragraph can be single-spaced, as long as there is double-space between paragraphs. Please include the proposal and references as one PDF when uploading your proposal in the grant website. Biosketches will be uploaded separately using the provided field on the application submission form.
Please include biosketches for all key/senior personnel and other significant contributors (OSCs). For definitions of these terms, please reference NIH guidance.
As of January 1, 2015, applicants are not permitted to include Appendices in their grant applications. Any images should be added within your proposal. Please keep in mind the page limit for each grant type.
The IOCDF does not disclose past applications without permission from the authors. We suggest you contact past awardees directly should you wish to view examples of successful proposals. A list of funded projects is available on the IOCDF research page.
Applicants and Sponsoring Institutions
Yes, doctoral students are encouraged to apply for our Young Investigator Awards. The IOCDF is very committed to funding junior investigators. As a doctoral student (or post-doctoral fellow) you are able to list yourself as the Principal Investigator on your grant; however, please be sure to include a letter of support from your mentor.
The IOCDF encourages junior investigators to apply. You will need a letter of support from your mentor. No other additional modifications are required.
Yes. You can list your mentor as a Co-PI, but you should put that person second and yourself first to maximize your chances of being funded.
Yes, please have your mentor/co-investigator’s letter included with your proposal.
We define collaborator a someone that you work with in your role as the PI. A co-investigator is at the same institution as the applicant site. A consultant is at another site. If the application is a multi-site/multi-PI application then the consultants, co-investigators, as well as PI from another site can be collaborators.
Yes, the IOCDF does fund multi-site studies.
The IOCDF does accept international applications. There are no restrictions on international applicants; in fact we receive a lot of research proposals from international institutions and encourage researchers from these institutions to apply.
No, the application does not need your institution Signing Official’s signature.
No, you do not need a letter of support from your institution. Postdoctoral researchers, doctoral students, and other graduate students should provide a letter of support from their mentor.
Yes, however you are required to adhere to all application guidelines, including those requiring IRB approval before funding will be distributed to you.
No, as stated in the guidelines IRB approval will only be requested if you are awarded the grant. You need to submit a copy of your IRB approval to the IOCDF before you receive the first installment payment.
If you still have questions, after reviewing the Guidelines and FAQ’s, please email Will Sutton at research@iocdf.org.
Updated December 8, 2020.