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RFA08-01: CIRM NEW FACULTY AWARDS II Application Instructions

CIRM New Faculty Awards II RFA is a new request for applications, with requirements and conditions distinct from those of the CIRM New Faculty Awards I (RFA 07-02) program. Applicants who submitted an application in response to the CIRM New Faculty Awards I RFA must submit a new application and should refrain from referring to their prior application, the scientific review of the application, or the score the application received. Any reference to review of applications submitted in response to the previous New Faculty I Awards Program (RFA 07-02) may be grounds for disqualification.

1. Application Requirements
   1. You will need a fully functional copy of Adobe Acrobat version 7 or 8 (Standard or Professional) to complete, print, and save the Information Form of the application.  For optimal performance, we recommend that you upgrade to Adobe Acrobat (Standard or Professional) version 8.1.  Using Adobe Acrobat Reader will not permit you to save information that is entered in the form.
   2. All application materials must be received by CIRM both electronically and in hardcopy no later than 5:00pm PDT on April 3, 2008. Meeting this deadline is the applicant’s responsibility, and no exceptions will be made. Applications will only be accepted from Principal Investigators (PIs) who 1) have been officially nominated on a Candidate Nomination Form (CNF) from their home institution and 2) have submitted a Letter of Intent (LOI) that was accepted by CIRM.
   3. A complete application includes the following four parts:
      1. Application Information Form with Signature Page (PDF form)
      2. New Faculty Award Research Proposal (MS Word template)
      3. Biographical Sketches for Key Personnel and Named Mentors (MS Word templates)
      4. Institutional Letter of Commitment to the PI (no template provided)
   4. You must download and save a copy of the templates for the Application Information Form, New Faculty Award Research Proposal, and Biographical Sketches for Key Personnel and Named Mentors onto your computer. Do not open the documents directly from the CIRM web page as the forms will not function properly. Open and use the saved copies on your computer instead.
   5. You must submit application materials both electronically and in hardcopy (original plus 5 copies, preferably double-sided) as instructed below. The original hardcopy must be signed by the PI and the institution’s Authorized Organizational Official (AOO). The AOO is the individual, named by the applicant organization, who is authorized to act for the applicant organization and to assume the obligations imposed by the laws, regulations, requirements, and conditions that apply to grant applications or grant awards. CIRM will not accept an application without these original signatures.
   6. Written assurances of institutional approval for use of human subjects, covered stem cell lines, or vertebrate animals (where applicable) are not required at the time of application submission but will be required prior to issuance of Notice of Grant Award.
2. How to Apply:
   1. Download and save a copy of the templates for the Application Information Form, New Faculty Awards II Research Proposal, and Biographical Sketches for Key Personnel and Named Mentors onto your computer.
   2. Complete, save, and print the Application Information Form with Signature Page using the template provided. Be sure to provide all required information and observe indicated character limits.
   3. Complete, save, and print the New Faculty Awards II Research Proposal using the template provided. The proposal may include tables and figures. CIRM will not accept pages that exceed the indicated page limit for each section. We recommend that you convert the document into a PDF file to ensure that figures, tables, and formatting are preserved for submission to CIRM.
   4. Use the templates provided to complete all Biographical Sketches for Key Personnel and Named Mentors. Two distinct template forms are provided on the CIRM webpage: one for Key Personnel biosketch and one for Named Mentor biosketch. All biosketches should be assembled into a single document observing the two page limit per individual. We recommend that you convert the final document into a PDF file to ensure that formatting is preserved. You may append any letters of collaboration to the end of the Biographical Sketches for Key Personnel PDF document.
   5. The applicant institution must provide a letter of support signed by a senior organizational official who has the authority, or who has been delegated the authority, to commit the applicant institution to support the candidate, documenting in specific terms the nature of the institution’s current and future commitment to the candidate's development into a productive, independent investigator during the period of the award. This statement must indicate the institution’s support for the candidate's proposed level of effort related to this award, commitment to release time if necessary, and the availability of appropriate facilities, collaborative resources and administrative support during the award period. A discussion of the institution’s track record and future plans for developing new biomedical research faculty, and the commitment to on-going development of stem cell programs should also be included.
   6. Send electronic copies of all four parts of the application as attachments in a single email to NewFacultyAwardII@cirm.ca.gov. This email must be received by CIRM no later than 5:00pm PDT, April 3, 2008. Meeting this deadline is the applicant’s responsibility, and no exceptions will be made.  You will receive an email reply that confirms your proposal was received by CIRM.
   7. All application materials, including the Application Information Form with original signatures, the New Faculty Award Research Proposal, Biographical Sketches for Key Personnel with appended collaboration letters, Biographical Sketches for Named Mentors and signed Institutional Letter of Commitment must be received by CIRM both electronically and in hardcopy no later than 5:00pm PDT, April 3, 2008. Meeting this deadline is the applicant’s responsibility, and no exceptions will be made.

      Mail the completed original plus 5 copies (preferably double-sided) to:

      New Faculty Award Application
      California Institute for Regenerative Medicine
      210 King Street
      San Francisco, CA 94107

3. Contact Information
   • For information about this RFA:
     Michael P. Yaffe, Ph.D.
     Scientific Officer
     California Institute for Regenerative Medicine
     210 King Street
     San Francisco, CA 94107
     Email: myaffe@cirm.ca.gov 
     Phone: (415) 396-9238   
     FAX: (415) 396-9141
   • For information about the review process:
     Gil Sambrano, Ph.D., Senior Officer for Grants Working Group
     Senior Officer to the Grants Working Group
     California Institute for Regenerative Medicine
     210 King Street
     San Francisco, CA 94107
     Email: gsambrano@cirm.ca.gov  
     Phone: (415) 396-9103   
     FAX: (415) 396-9141
   • For information about electronic forms:
     Ed Dorrington
     Director of Grants Management Systems
     California Institute for Regenerative Medicine
     210 King Street
     San Francisco, CA 94107
     Email: edorrington@cirm.ca.gov
     Phone: (415) 396-9108
     FAX: (415) 396-9141
   • For programmatic information:
     Patricia Olson, Ph.D.
     Director of Scientific Activities
     California Institute for Regenerative Medicine
     210 King Street
     San Francisco, CA 94107
     Email: polson@cirm.ca.gov
     Phone: (415) 396-9116
     FAX: (415) 396-9141