Team Science
Resources

Overview:

The Department of Medicine aims to significantly increase team science efforts (see DOM’s definition of team science here) and increase its portfolio of large, team science grants and contracts. Department Chair Bob Harrington stated the following vision at the November 1, 2022 team science retreat, “To be a national and international leader of major team science projects in biomedicine with a portfolio of DOM-led team science awards/grants of $200-$250 million within the next 5 years.”

To achieve this vision, the Department will support faculty pursuing DOM team science Program efforts that will lead to large (≥$1 million direct costs per year) applications for external funding. It is critical to be strategic and transparent with resource allocation, hence the need for a formal process for requesting support. Please note that all forms of support depend upon availability of funding and alignment with the criteria set forth below.

Our focus is on equitable and strategic allocation of financial resources as well as administrative and in-kind support aimed at large grant applications. A separate RFA for pilot funding for smaller Team Science research projects can now be submitted through a Seed Grant Request.

Examples of common resource requests we expect to receive include the following. Note that all funding at any stage should be wholly within the DOM.

• Biobanking capacity for new, targeted, biospecimen collection, including clinical coordination, transport, processing, and storage.
• Establishment of new cohorts for large epidemiology studies.
• Proposal development (e.g., assistance from grant writers and research development staff), including budget development.
• Quantitative Sciences Unit (QSU) support for planning studies and ensuring studies are powered appropriately.
• Administrative support (e.g., scheduling meetings, collecting documents for proposals).
• Referrals to assistance with regulatory requirements (e.g., IND, IRB, APLAC, MTA, etc.) and contracts with sponsors.
• DOM Team Science Program letter of support. If approved, this letter may provide a commitment to provide additional funding for additional activities in the event the grant is funded, based in part on availability of funding and DOM Team Science Program policies that are evolving.

Post-Award Support:

• Examples of allowable post-award support include:
  • DOM faculty salary for protected time for team science-oriented research.
  • Salary for staff in the DOM.

Very importantly, if pre-award support is provided by QSU, SCCR, Targeted Biobanking, or other Cores, the expectation is that (1) these units will remain actively involved with the research going forward; and (2) the grant’s budget should replace the DOM Team Science Program’s funding. The DOM Team Science Program’s pre-award funding will NOT continue into the award phase. This allows the DOM Team Science Program to invest in new research areas and enables the pre-award units to support science longitudinally.

Criteria for Requests:

• For this first phase of DOM team science, funding and resources will be prioritized for projects that are expected to lead to large (≥$1 million direct costs per year) applications for external funding that will be submitted within 2 years. Center grants and Program Project Grants between $500,000 and $1 million annual direct costs will also be considered.
• Proposals must be DOM-led, meaning that the lead PI must have her/his primary appointment in the DOM.
• Salary support will only be provided for faculty and staff in the DOM.
• Ideally, 50% or more of the funding from the external grant proposal should go to DOM investigators.
• Priority will be given to requests where two or more of the project/core PIs are from the DOM.
• Although not required, requests that include more than one division of the DOM and more than one area (e.g., basic science and clinical research), will be prioritized.
• Inclusion of salary support for faculty in the CEL or UML is strongly encouraged.
• Proposals that include other Stanford Departments and/or Schools or Institutes are also encouraged, as are Stanford DOM-led proposals that involve national or international consortia.
• Large grants that focus on diverse populations and/or health disparities are strongly encouraged and will be supplemented during the development phase and upon funding.

If questions about eligibility arise, Faculty should contact the DOM Team Science Program’s leadership prior to submitting a proposal.

Resource requests must be supported by brief concept plans, not complete PPG proposals. The concept plan should be 1-page maximum length, single-spaced, half-inch margins, Arial 11-point font, sent as a PDF document. References are not included in the page length and are optional. Requests should state the information below.

Submission Process:

Requests should be submitted as PDF documents here and be consistent with the criteria described below. Requests can be submitted on a rolling basis and will be reviewed every 1-2 months by a DOM Team Science Program Review Committee. Applicants are encouraged to meet with PJ Utz and/or Mike Helms prior to submission to determine the goodness of fit and seek advice on fine-tuning the request and budget.

Review Process:

Requests will be screened for completeness. Missing information will be requested from applicants. Applications will be reviewed by a DOM Team Science Program Review Committee. Applicants will receive a decision and brief summary of the review. Requests will be funded based on the availability of funds and alignment with the criteria above.

Reporting:

Recipients will be required to provide a 1-page summary of progress 12 months after receipt of the award, including an update on plans to apply for external funding. Awardees will be required to present their results at a DOM Team Science Program research symposium or work-in-progress event.

Post-Award Reporting:

Awardees will be expected to meet regularly with DOM Team Science Program leadership to gauge progress. Recipients will be required to provide a 1-page summary of progress 12 months after receipt of the award, including an update on applying for the large (≥$1 million direct costs per year) grant or contract from an external sponsor stated in the technical section of the request. Awardees will be required to present their results at a DOM Team Science Program research symposium or work-in-progress event.

Budget/Resource Request (1-page maximum):

• State budget amount and/or resources requested with a brief justification.
• State how the resources you request will help your efforts.
• Provide current sources of funding and amounts, if any.
• Maximum of one year funding with possibility of extension for a second year based on scope of proposal and planned submission date. It is expected that some or all of the pilot funding will be replaced by the large grant(s) when funded.
• Although there is no budget limit, applicants should discuss budget requests with DOM Team Science Program leadership prior to submission.
• Examples of allowable expenses include DOM faculty salary for protected time for team science-oriented research; salary for clinical research coordinators and other staff in the DOM; costs associated with creating new biobanks; reagents and supplies; and use of data.
• The DOM Team Science Program cannot fund symposia/conferences, travel, food, honoraria, funding for existing biobanks, core services and assays outside of the DOM, and salary for faculty and staff outside of the DOM.
• All funding at any stage should be wholly within the DOM.
• Only one resubmission for the same project will be allowed.