Research, Discovery & Innovation

BRIght Futures Prize Request for Proposals

Deadline: April 22, 2024 11:59 pm

Apply Online

Amount: $100,000

IDC Rate: 20%

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Background

The BRIght Futures Prizes support investigators across the Brigham Research Institute (BRI) as they work to answer provocative questions or solve grand problems. This Fund, which is supported philanthropically, and the work it sponsors advances the mission of the BRI by catalyzing the kind of innovative translational research that is only possible at an academic medical center, where basic researchers and clinicians work side by side. The 12th BRIght Futures Prize, in the amount of $100,000, will be awarded in 2024. The BRIght Futures Prize generates excitement and visibility for the BRI among the BWH research community as well as external visibility for BWH research and innovation – with patients, donors and the world. Applications will be evaluated on the basis of a BWH strategic and scientific review. Finalists will be selected based on input from a BWH review committee and recommendations from BRI leadership. The final round involves an online voting process open to anybody within and outside of BWH including the lay public around the world.

Brigham & Women’s Hospital is strongly committed to its foundational value of elevating the health status of the communities it directly serves especially the most vulnerable among them as well as others beyond these communities. With this in mind, the 2024 BRIght Futures Prize call for applications strongly encourages the submission of projects across all life sciences research domains with the evidence-based potential to preserve and/or promote health equity in local, national and international populations. Projects addressing health equity issues such as healthcare/clinical trial access, poor health/life expectancy outcomes, morbidity and mortality among underserved populations and others are welcome.

Process

  • This year’s BRIght Futures RFA is open to all scientific themes.
  • Following a scientific review process, three finalists will be selected and notified by July 1, 2024.
  • Materials (webpage with Q&A, headshots) will be prepared for finalists during June/July and the online voting will be open during a specified window (TBD) in August. The entire world is welcome to cast a vote for which project should get the $100K.
  • The winner will be announced on September 12th, 2024.

Timeline:

Mar 22, 2024 RFA issued INTERNAL PHASE
Apr 22, 2024 LOI due
May 20, 2024 Proposals due
July 1, 2024 Finalists notified
Jul/Aug 2024 Prepare materials/Prep call with finalists
Aug/Sep 2024 External Voting Period EXTERNAL PHASE
Sep 12, 2024 Voting ends/BFP winner determined

Eligibility

  • All members of the BWH research community with a rank of Instructor and above or BWH professional staff (ex. nurses and other clinicians) are invited to apply. Individuals may serve as the PI of only one proposal but may be co-PIs on multiple proposals.
  • BFP recipient must remain at BWH for duration of the award, award may otherwise be forfeited.
  • Winners from the previous two BRIght Futures cycles are not eligible to apply.
  • If chosen as a finalist, applicants MUST be available to help in the preparation of any relevant promotional materials/events; MUST be available to attend the prep call for finalists and; MUST be available to present virtually at the final presentations (September 12, 2024) and the BRI Research Oversight Committee (June 20, 2024). While we will try to be flexible based on circumstances, please do not apply if you know you will not be able to commit to these dates/time frames.

Review Criteria

  • The project must clearly address a well-defined research or clinical problem and be scientifically meritorious.
  • Novel ideas that can significantly accelerate research progress in the stated field will be given high priority; projects that are an extension of ongoing work will be lower priority.
  • The project should be focused and achievable, with a high potential to secure future additional funding.
  • The investigators must have the requisite skills and experience to carry out the project successfully.
  • The lay summary should be compelling and accessible to the lay public.

Reciprocity

  • Recipients will be obligated to provide a 1-year report of activity to the BRI, an oral presentation to the BRI Research Oversight Committee at the end of the funding period.
  • Grantees will notify the BRI when other grants are received as a result of BRIght Futures prize.
  • Grantees will acknowledge the BRI in publications (posters, journal articles and grants) resulting from BRIght Futures prize support and will notify the BRI when such papers have been submitted.

Submission Requirements

Letter of Intent (due April 22, 2024, 11:59pm) through this link: https://forms.fillout.com/t/boVjHvFkECus

This step is mandatory, and applicants will need to provide:

    1. Title of research project
    2. Scientific Abstract – limit 300 words (no figures)
    3. List of anticipated Co-I’s or collaborators, if any

 

 

Full Applications (due May 20, 2024, 11:59pm) submitted through INSIGHT

(Through Insight, please select, at creation, the Internal Award option under Research Management. On the Sponsor Details page, select “Brigham Research Institute (BRI)”.  Then select “BRIght Futures Prize”.

MUST include the following as a SINGLE PDF file in the order below:

  1. Basic information/Cover Page including:
    1. Title of research project
    2. Applicant’s Name, Department and Division, BWH and HMS professional appointments, telephone number and e-mail address
    3. Self identify the scientific theme/field the proposal addresses
    4. Scientific Abstract – limit 300 words
    5. Lay Summary/Public appeal – limit to 300 words.
  2. Scientific Proposal (5-page limit, excluding references), including:
    1. Introduction (specify the provocative question or compelling problem the proposal addresses)
    2. Specific Aims
    3. Background, significance (i.e., potential impact of this work in the short- or long-term) and, if available, preliminary data (not required)
    4. Research approach (include experimental details, approximate timeline, contributions of each team member)
    5. Future plans, i.e., how will this project leverage funding beyond this BRIght Futures Prize
  3. Biosketches of Principal Investigator, co-investigators and significant key personnel in NIH format.
  4. Detailed budget for one year for a maximum of $100,000 (direct costs) and 20% indirect costs. MUST use budget template here: https://www.discoverbrigham.org/budget-template/

 

Questions

Questions about eligibility, format, review criteria and process may be sent to Trey Toombs, PhD, Program Director, BRI at jtoombs@bwh.harvard.edu

PLEASE NOTE:

The BRI and BWH reserve the right, in their sole discretion to cancel, terminate, modify (including process, selection of finalists and winners, award amount etc) or suspend the BWH BRIght Futures Prize. The BRI and BWH also reserve the right to select the awardee(s) in lieu of the voting process described in the RFA. Further, the BRI and BWH reserve the right at their sole discretion to disqualify any participant who attempts to tamper with the entry/selection/voting process of the BWH BRIght Futures Prize. Please note that we additionally reserve the right to not disclose the voting results data.

The Brigham Research Institute reserves the right to apply criteria (such as those related to equity and diversity and other institutional values) other than the ones listed above during the review.

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