Weill Award FAQs
Are No-Cost Extensions (NCE) allowed?
Yes.
What level of detail is required - should the budget be detailed and line itemized, or more general e.g. materials and services?
The budget and budget justification need to fit on one page, so the level of detail should be somewhat high level categories: e.g., personnel – PIs, personnel – staff (personnel with full burden of benefits, etc.), material and supplies, equipment, travel, etc. Just keep in mind it needs to fit in one page with the justification.
Are we required to send the budget through the finance office prior to submission?
As this is an internal funding mechanism, like a RAP grant, you need not go through RMS or other pre-award finance unit unless you’d like help with your budget preparation.
Are IDCs allowed in the total budget?
Indirect cost coverage is not allowed with the Weill funds, as this is an intramural funding source. These funds cannot be used to support indirect costs of any kind.
The award applications should be submitted as a single PDF - does that mean we should include the letters of support as part of the package?
All elements of each application should be combined into a single pdf before attaching to the submission email.
Will this award also support clinical trials?
Yes.
Are basic neuroscience projects responsive to the call?
These awards will support a broad spectrum of neuroscience challenges from basic, to clinical, and through translational research. Thus, basic neuroscience projects are certainly included in this spectrum. There simply needs to be a discussion in the proposal of the connection of that basic research project to potential improved patient health.
I'm interested in UCSF Weill Neurosciences Awards and I'm wondering about my eligibility. I don't have a faculty position yet - I am in the Professional Research series - does this preclude me from applying?
Yes; only those with faculty appointments are eligible.
I am interested in applying for the Weill Program in Neuroscience Innovation mechanism, but unfortunately have planned to be out of the country during the presentation date. Is there any possibility of presenting on another date?
The date for the in-person presentation (August 24th) is set. However, you will be able to designate an alternative presenter, if you cannot be there that day.
I’m assuming health services research projects are included. True?
Yes.
For the Weill Scholar application, do we need a biosketch and OS from all collaborating investigators or just the contact PI?
Biosketches are only needed for PIs (PI, co-PI, or multi-PI), not for co-investigators or other non-PI collaborators.
For the Weill Scholar application, I know we will need a letter of support from the department chair and one additional person from outside UCSF. Is it OK if we had more than 3 LOSs?
As long as an application has the LOS from the department chair and at least one letter from outside UCSF, then they can have as many other letters as you’d like (and not included in any page limitations).
For the Scholar Award, we're supposed to provide a summary of the investigator's most significant research findings to date. Do I assume correctly that means the contact PI and not all of the collaborating PIs?
There should be no “collaborating PIs” on a Scholar award application. This award is to be awarded to a single researcher in recognition of their singular potential to contribute significantly to the neuroscience field. Thus, the summary relates to the applicant PI only.
What is the page limit for the budget and budget justification?
The budget and budget justification should be together on ONE page.
Is there a one page budget and budget justification template you would like for us to use?
We don't have a template but essentially you can make a budget table with basic categories (Personnel listing them; Supplies; Equipment; Services; Travel, etc.) on the top half of the page and then justify in narrative each of the items listed in the lower half of the page.
Are indirects allowed?
Indirects are not allowed.
What is the start date?
10-15-2016 is the suggested start date.
Should the “Proposal Research Area” be included in the cover letter? Or on a separate page?
The proposed research area should be included in the cover letter.
Regarding specifying the funding request (per the cover letter instructions), should we list the exact amount of our proposal or the total amount of the RFA (i.e. $600,000)?
You should list the amount being requested in your proposed budget.
Is there a template to use for the cover page?
We don't have a template for the cover page but you could use the below excerpt from the RFP.
Name of award program:
Title of proposal:
Amount of funding requested:
Principal Investigator names, academic titles, departments, phone numbers, UCSF box numbers, and email addresses. (Identify the contact PI)
Scientific disciplines represented in the collaboration:
UCSF department that will manage the award:
Accounting manager/contact name, UCSF box number, email address and phone number.
Scholar Research Area: Choose and state in which category your research generally best fits: 1) Clinical research, 2) Translational research, or 3) Basic research.
I may not be able to include the outside letter before the deadline. Will this be a problem?
Your application may not be favorably reviewed without the outside letter. The reason for this requirement is to help assess the reputation that a particular Scholar applicant has in their field of endeavor, and a view from outside is essential for this assessment.
What are the types of letters of support required in the Call for Proposal - UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences Program?
If the department chair is a UCSF department chair then that serves as the department chair letter.
If the department chair is a Gladstone department chair, then a letter from him/her would not 'count' as the letter from your chair. It would however, serve as the letter of support/reference from the external source (providing it addresses more than just management issues).
A letter from your UCSF collaborator is an excellent addition to the required other two letters.
Does the requirement for the letter of support from the external source need to have any specific format?
No specific format but it should address your qualifications regarding the selection criteria in the RFP.
Is this support letter more like a letter of reference?
Yes, it is the same as a letter of reference and it should describe your chair’s support of your application.
Since the Gladstone Institutes are not part of UCSF, will a letter from the Gladstone suffice as an external letter?
Yes.
Is GAEL is an allowable expense?
Yes, GAEL is allowed.