Office of Research
Rita Allen Foundation Scholars Award 2015
The Rita Allen Foundation Scholars program provides grants to support research scientists in the early stages of their careers. Their goal is to advance transformative ideas in their earlier stages and leverage them to promote breakthrough solutions. They seek research projects with above-average risk that break new ground and challenge the status quo.
Individuals chosen will be designated Rita Allen Foundation Scholars and the affiliated institution will receive financial support from the Rita Allen Foundation.
- The Rita Allen Foundation Scholars program supports basic biomedical research in the fields of cancer, neuroscience and immunology.
- Scholars can receive up to $100,000 per year for a maximum of five years.
- Scholar grant funds may only be used for direct project expenses including up to 50% of the Scholar’s compensation.
Eligibility Requirements
- Candidates will show promise of becoming leaders in the cure and treatment of diseases in the fields of cancer, immunology and neuroscience.
- Candidates should be considered independent investigators in the early stages of their careers-research. They should have completed their training and provided evidence of distinguished achievement or extraordinary promise in one of the relevant fields.
- It is preferable that candidates be in the first three years of their tenure track. (This is taken into consideration in the rating of applications by the Scientific Advisory Committee.)
- A senior post-doc should not be a candidate, but wait until s/he has tenure track as described.
- Associate professors should not be candidates.
- Applicants with committed awards that overlap the first two years of the Rita Allen Foundation Scholars Program from the Beckman Young Investigator Program, Ellison New Scholar Award, Kimmel Scholar Award, Pew Scholars Program in Biomedical Sciences, and Searle Scholars Program are not eligible. Other sources of funding may influence selection.
Application Instructions
As the School of Medicine may only submit one proposal for this opportunity, the Office of Research and Graduate Education has established an internal review process to determine which proposal will move forward to the funding agency. To apply for this funding opportunity, please submit a two-page letter of intent with a list of all anticipated investigators, description of proposed aims and approach, Biosketch of the PI, and a letter of support from the Chair to rgeopps@uw.edu by 5:00 PM Tuesday, December 2, 2014. This letter of support signifies that the Chair has ensured that the nominee and application are likely to be of sufficient quality to be competitive nationally. A letter of intent is due to the sponsor by December 12, 2014. Full proposals are due to the sponsor on 1/23/15, if given the go ahead by the Proposal Review Committee
The individual selected as the UW nominee and the Rita Allen Foundation will be notified of the selection, at which time the selected nominee should prepare the final application to the Rita Allen Foundation. That application is due at the Foundation by the January 23rd deadline. The application will be submitted to the Foundation by the Office of Sponsored Programs. Internal UW processing deadlines will apply as per GIM 19 (http://www.washington.edu/research/osp/gim/gim19.html).
Inquiries and Contact Information
Investigators who identify a grant, award or fellowship program that restricts the number of applications that can be submitted from an Institution should immediately contact their Chairperson, Associate Dean for Research (or Dean, if no ADR) and the Office of Research (see below) if they intend to prepare a response. Failure to do so, or to meet the deadlines for submission of pre-proposal, will preclude submission of the application through the Office of Sponsored Programs.
For general inquiries, or to request a listing of a limited submission opportunity that should be but is not already listed, please email us at limitedsubs@uw.edu.