2021 HARC Pilot Grant Awardees

Dr. Peng Li

Associations between rest activity circadian rhythm and cognition in PLWH

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Dr. Vitor Oliveira

Relationship between body fat and functional status among adults aging with HIV

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Dr. S. Kathleen Bandt, MD

Surface based deep learning to define HIV-related brain aging

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Dr. Andrew Hahn

Determination of the impact of abnormal glucose levels on the progression to frailty among people living with HIV

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2022 HARC Pilot Grant Awardees

Dr. Thomas Buford,PhD

Feasibility of High-intensity Interval Training in Older Adults with HIB and Co-Occurring Hypertension

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Dr. Jimmy Ma, MD

Aging, Depression, Antidepressant Effectiveness, and Incidence of Stroke among People with HIV

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Dr. Mary Calre Masters, MD

Longitudinal Associations Between Plasma SASP Biomarkers and Frailty in Older Persons with HIV

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Dr. Brienne Miner, MD

Sleep Deficiency and Brain Aging in Older People Living with HIV

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2023 HARC Pilot Grant Awardees

Dr. Christine Horvat Davey, PhD, RN

Relationship of Insomnia, Inflammatory Markers and Neurocognitive Function in Aging People with HIV

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Dr. Lee Chaves, PhD

Frailty and frailty transitions in aging persons with HIV: are they associated with serum miRNA profiles?

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Eligibility

Applicants must be faculty at a US institution. Post-doctoral fellows are NOT eligible, unless they will be a faculty member on July 1, 2024 or earlier, and can provide a letter from their department chair confirming this. All applicants must either be linked to a CFAR, OAIC, NSC or MBI or have identified a collaborator or mentor from one of these centers (i.e., inclusion of one investigator from OAIC, NSC, MBI, or CFAR is MANDATORY). Applications must be able and willing to comply with the pre- and post-award requirements, including:

  • gaining appropriate human and/or animal care approvals based on study design following award and prior to receiving the funds
  • submitting biannual progress reports for the duration of the funding
  • submit annual returns indicating any funding, papers, or presentations that are linked to having received this funding for at least 5 years following completion of funding
  • acknowledge the funding source in all presentations and publications using data, materials or methods gained during the course of funding

Concept Proposal Instructions

Concept proposals are due January 12,2024.

Concept Proposals must be submitted electronically in one, single Adobe PDF file via the R33 HIV and Aging Submission Form on the CFAR Developmental Core Page (https://www.uab.edu/medicine/cfar/index.php?option=com_rsform&view=rsform&formId=13).

The Concept Proposal should be uploaded using the link above in a single Adobe PDF file, prepared in the order listed below. A cover letter is not required. Only one concept study may be submitted per lead investigator.

  1. Two-page concept proposal outlining the hypotheses, specific aims, brief preliminary data (if any), and brief research design. Concepts should specifically address scientific merit, investigator, significance, approach, and innovation. References are not included in the two pages.
  2. Biographical Sketch for the applicant (SF424 (R&R) Instructions and example forms can be found here: https://grants.nih.gov/grants/forms/biosketch.htm) and all co-investigators.

Review Criteria for Concept Proposals

A Scientific Selection Committee (SSC) will review the Concept Proposals. Criteria for selection in the Concept Proposal phase are primarily based upon the scientific merit, investigator, significance, approach, and innovation, as follows:

  • Scientific Merit – Refers to scoring on the specific criteria below in relation to previous studies, current on-going studies, and other proposals received.
  • Significance – What will be the potential effect of these studies on the concepts or methods that drive the field of research? Does the study address an important problem consistent with the objective to advance our understanding of HIV in the aging population? If the aims are achieved, how will scientific knowledge be advanced?
  • Investigator – Are the PI, mentor(s), collaborators, and other researchers well suited to the project? Do the PI and other investigators have appropriate experience and training? If the project is collaborative, do the investigators have complementary and integrated expertise, and are there both OAIC and CFAR researchers involved?
  • Approach – Are the conceptual framework, design, methods, and statistical analysis plan adequately developed, well integrated and appropriate to the aims of the project? Does the applicant acknowledge potential problem areas and consider alternatives? Does the study design account appropriately for differences by sex or gender, if applicable?
  • Innovation – Does the project employ novel concepts, approaches, or methods? Are the aims original and innovative? Does the project challenge existing paradigms or develop new methodologies or technologies?

Researchers whose proposals are selected for the full proposal competition phase will be notified by email on or around December 17, 2021 and will have ~10 weeks to prepare and submit a full proposal.

Full Proposal Instructions

Full proposals are due March 29, 2024.

Only those invited should submit a full proposal. Full Proposals will be submitted electronically in one Adobe PDF file via https://www.uab.edu/medicine/cfar/index.php?option=com_rsform&formId=17.

A cover letter is not required or recommended.

Proposals must be submitted on NIH form PHS 398 (https://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/phs398/phs398.html) and should follow a modified NIH investigator initiated grant application (R21) format (see specifics to include in the order listed below).

The Full Proposal should include (in this order in a single Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) file):

  1. Face Page: Include Institutional sign-off and eRA Commons ID.
  2. Project Summary Page.
  3. Detailed budget for 12 month period.
  4. Complete budget and justification.
  5. Checklist including institutional indirect (F&A) costs.
  6. Resources page.
  7. Biographical Sketch for the PI, Co-Investigators and all collaborators.
  8. Other Support for the PI.
  9. Research Plan (Maximum 6 pages excluding Specific Aims and References). Use PHS 398 Continuation Format pages.
    • Specific Aims (suggested length: maximum 1 page)
    • Significance
    • Innovation
    • Approach
    • All research plans will undergo a biostatistical evaluation as part of the review process, therefore applicants are strongly encouraged to consult a biostatistician in the preparation of their application if appropriate.
  10. Description of the Research Environment (suggested length ½ page). Use PHS 398 Continuation Format pages.
  11. Impact on the field: Describe the impact on our understanding on aging among PLWH (suggested length ½ page or less). Use PHS 398 Continuation Format pages
  12. Bibliography and References cited (as needed) Use PHS 398 Continuation Format pages
  13. Protection of Human Subjects (if applicable; maximum 1 page). Use PHS 398 Continuation Format pages
  14. Vertebrate Animals (if applicable; maximum 1 page). Use PHS 398 Continuation Format pages
  15. Letters of Support
    • Letters of support from co-investigators and collaborators essential to the proposed project should accompany the application.

Use this link (https://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/phs398/phs398.pdf) for detailed instructions on how to fill out these forms. Bibliography and References Cited sections do not count toward the page limit.

No appendices are allowed.

Do not submit Targeted/Planned Enrollment Tables.

Applications must be in English.

Budget Development Guidelines and Restrictions

  1. Maximum total costs (direct and indirect) are allowed up to $40,000. Competitive investigators are strongly encouraged to obtain waivers for indirect costs and/or matching local funds as a sign of institutional commitment.
  2. Travel to the OAIC Annual conference, or similar HIV conference for those coming from a geroscience background, is provided by this funding mechanism and should not be included in the budget. Budgeting for travel to other conferences to present project research results is allowable and encouraged (travel budget limited to no more than $2000).
  3. Requested support for project collaborators who are NOT at the same institution as the awardee must be listed as consultant costs. If the collaborator cannot accept consultancy fees, a subcontract must be issued to their institution. These costs must be listed in the detailed budget as consortium costs with applicable indirect costs included.
  4. No international components will be allowed through this mechanism.
  5. Costs associated with Institutional Review Board (IRB) review of human research protocols, or Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) review of animal research protocols, are not allowable as direct charges.
  6. Awardees who have support from K awards should discuss eligibility issues with their program officers and with institutional officials as eligibility may vary by NIH sponsor for the K award and institutional policies. The staff of this mechanism is not able to determine eligibility for K awardees.
  7. All costs must conform to the NIH Grants Policy Statement (GPS) and applicable U.S. Office of Management and Budget OMB circulars for necessity and reasonability, allocability, conformance and consistency, as well as allowability. Please follow the link below to section 7.2 cost principles section of the NIH Grants Policy Statement.

Review Criteria for Full Proposals

Reviewers will provide a written critique based on the evaluation criteria listed below, goals of this R33, and clarity of how funding will lead to subsequent grant applications and research productivity to yield an overall impact score.

After the review meeting, written critiques will be provided to the applicants regardless of success.

The evaluation criteria include:

  • Significance – What will be the potential effect of these studies on the concepts or methods that drive the field of research? Does the study address an important problem consistent with the objective to advance our understanding of HIV in the aging population? If the aims are achieved, how will scientific knowledge be advanced?
  • Investigator – Are the PI, mentor(s), collaborators, and other researchers well suited to the project? Do the PI and other investigators have appropriate experience and training? If the project is collaborative, do the investigators have complementary and integrated expertise, and are there both OAIC and CFAR researchers involved?
  • Approach – Are the conceptual framework, design, methods, and statistical analysis plan adequately developed, well integrated and appropriate to the aims of the project? Does the applicant acknowledge potential problem areas and consider alternatives? Does the study design account appropriately for differences by sex or gender, if applicable?
  • Innovation – Does the project employ novel concepts, approaches, or methods? Are the aims original and innovative? Does the project challenge existing paradigms or develop new methodologies or technologies?
  • Environment – Do the proposed methods take advantage of the unique environment and unique populations where appropriate? Are useful collaborative arrangements between resources in the institution(s) utilized where appropriate and described adequately?

Review Committee: Applications will be reviewed by the Application Research Committee, consisting of CFAR and OAIC/MBI/NSC Investigators, with procedures analogous to an NIH Study Section.

Each application will have a primary, secondary, and biostatistical reviewer (where appropriate).

The reviewers will be asked to summarize the strengths and weaknesses of the proposal based on all of the above criteria.

Each project is scored according to the NIH scoring system using overall impact as the metric for success.

Release of Funding for Successful Applicants

Funding will be awarded via a subcontract from University of Alabama at Birmingham.

All questions regarding the awarding of funding should be directed to the contact listed in the notice of award.

Prior to the awarding of funding, the following information should be provided, if applicable:

  • Animal Care and Institutional Review Board approvals, if applicable, must be obtained prior to receipt of an award,
  • these are not required to submit an application.
  • Prior to funding, a copy of all Institutional Biohazard, Animal Care and Institutional Review Board (IRB) approvals must be forwarded to the post-award administrator.
  • Prior to receipt of an award involving human subjects, IRB approval from all participating sites and human subjects training certification for all key personnel will be required.

For more information about human subjects approval, see: http://www.hhs.gov/ohrp/ and https://www.niaid.nih.gov/grants-contracts/human-subjects.

For more information on animal care approvals, see: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/olaw/olaw.htm and https://www.niaid.nih.gov/grants-contracts/research-vertebrate-animals

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Acknowledging Funding

This research was supported by funding from the NIA through the AIDS and Aging Research Platform (award # R33AG067069)

Presenting Research Findings

All pilot awardees will be expected to give a presentation of their findings from this pilot study to a recommended Aging Conference (e.g., OAIC annual meeting, NSC annual meeting) if the lead investigator is from an HIV research background or a recommended HIV Conference (.g., CFAR annual conference, CROI, Keystone Meeting on HIV and Aging) if the lead investigator is from an aging research background.

Future funding for pilot grants and other HIV-Aging infrastructure is dependent on success of the grant that supports these pilot awards. It is well recognized that outputs from studies continued to be produced for five or more years following completion of a study. Therefore you will be expected to report any outputs from funding for at least 5 years following receipt of funding. Outputs may include, but are not limited to:

  • Using methods developed in this study (even in future studies) – all funding sources should be acknowledged
  • Use of data collected in this study (even in future studies)
  • Use of specimens collected in this study (even in future studies)
  • Use of reagents developed in this study (even in future studies)

If you have questions or are unsure about attribution, please contact us.

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