Bid and Proposal Funds Policy

Bid and Proposal Funds provide VMRF qualified principal investigators with funding when either of the following conditions applies:

A New Investigator has been recruited to the VA within the past year, or is in the process of being recruited, and requests start-up funds for the purpose of developing preliminary data to support anticipated grant applications.

An Established VMRF investigator, who has had prior extramural grant support at VMRF, experiences a funding shortfall due to non-funding of a submitted application. A request may be made to VMRF for temporary funding to maintain personnel and project work until new proposals can be submitted and new funding obtained.

Application:

New VMRF Investigators:

1. Applicants must be, or be proposed to be, VMRF qualified investigators

2. Requests for funds should include the following information:

a) One page narrative describing the PI's area of research
b) List of all outside funding received by the PI during the three years preceding the request (all funding, through any administering institution, must be listed)
c) Current CV and publications
d) Description of anticipated research proposals to be developed
e) Detailed budget and budget justification for requested funds. Budget requests may also include requests for minor renovation and/or furniture.
f) Letter of support f rom the applicant’s VA Service Chief

3. The performance site of proposed future research must be within VA or VMRF space

4. PI salary support may not be requested

5. Requests for funding in excess of $50,000 require prior approval of the VMRF Board of Directors President

6. Upon receipt of funding from an outside sponsor, all unused funds in the PI’s Bid and Proposal account will be returned to VMRF. The VMRF funds awarded through this process cannot be "banked" for a future lack of support.

Established VMRF Investigators:

1. Applicants must be VMRF qualified investigators who have experienced a recent reduction in funding due to non-renewal of a grant application or termination of an existing grant or contract

2. Requests for funds from current VMRF qualified principal investigators must include the following information:

a) One page narrative describing the PI’s area of research

b) List of all outside funding received by the PI during the three years preceding the request (all funding, through any administering institution, must be listed)

c) Current CV and publications

d) Description of proposals currently under review by potential funding sources; and planned proposals

e) Detailed budget and budget justification for requested VMRF Bid and Proposal funds. The proposal is not to include salary supplementation for the requester or other qualified investigators.

f) Statement of all funds available from all sources (VA, VMRF, UCSD, and all other) for support of research and salary. All sources available to support the investigator's research must be used for that purpose, and may not be used to provide the investigator with a salary that is above the base salary as defined by the most recent UCSD academic salary scale. The requester must document that all remaining sources of support total less than $50,000; and/or key personnel will be terminated without VMRF Bid and Proposal Funds approval.

g) Letter of support from the applicant ’ s VA Service Chief

3. The performance site of the future proposed research must be within VA or VMRF space

4. Requests for funding in excess of $50,000 require prior approval of the VMRF Board of Directors President

5. VMRF Bid and Proposal Funds expire after one (1) calendar year from the date of the VMRF award notification to the PI. In addition, upon receipt of funding from an outside sponsor, all unused funds in the PI’s Bid and Proposal account will be returned to VMRF. The VMRF funds awarded through this process cannot be "banked" for a future lack of support.

Approval Process

Request for funding should be directed to the VMRF Chief Executive Officer. The Chief Executive Officer will review the request for accuracy and confirm available funds and forward recommendations to the VMRF Research Advisory Committee. The committee will make its recommendation to the Board of Directors and grants will be awarded on a funds available basis. It is VMRF’s objective to complete the review process in a timely manner.

Approved by the VMRF Board of Directors: 11/21/06