The UAB Center for Exercise Medicine (UCEM), UAB Hypertension Research Center (HRC) and the McKnight Brain Institute (MBI) are pleased to announce a joint RFA to fund pilot research that focuses on the intersection of exercise, hypertension and cognition. We anticipate funding projects that expand the scope of the applicant to include research relevant to all three of these specific areas. Only proposals with a clear translational relevance will be considered. Funds should be used to generate key preliminary data to develop publications and contribute to an application for extramural funding. Funding that continues ongoing projects will not be considered. Interdisciplinary, multi-PI projects that link basic, clinical or population investigators and have advanced beyond the initial stages of planning are strongly encouraged to apply. Projects that are responsive to an upcoming or issued NIH RFA or Program Announcement will be considered high priority. Applications from PIs from multiple schools and/or that establish new collaborations are encouraged.

If funded, the proposed start date of the Joint Pilot Grant will be September 1, 2021. Up to 2 pilot projects with budgets not exceeding a total of $50,000 each will be awarded based on merit of the applications. Awards are not renewable. Awardees will be required to present at one of the annual meetings of either the UCEM, HRC or MBI as well as provide an interim and final report of accomplishments.

APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS

Letter of Intent must be submitted electronically in a single PDF to Faith Lang (faithlang@uabmc.edu) by Friday, May 21, 2021 at 5:00pm CT and full proposals are due July 15, 2021. All applications should use the NIH PHS 398 forms for cover page, key personnel, budget, budget justification and NIH Biosketch, along with other support for all key personnel. Applications must use Arial 11-point font with 0.5-inch margins. Faculty salary, travel or publication costs are not to be included. NO indirect costs are awarded. Budgets should not be used to offset faculty salary. Applications that are not formatted as described will not be considered for review.

KEY DATES

May 21, 2021: Deadline to submit Letter of Intent (see RFA below for details)
June 1, 2021: Applicants notified for full proposal submission
July 15, 2021: Full proposal submission deadline
September 1, 2021: Proposed funding start date