CIMIT | grant program

CLINICAL SYSTEMS INNOVATION GRANTS

Overview
Scientific and Technical Review Criteria
CIMIT Standard Review Criteria
Pre-Proposal Process
Full Proposal Submission Process
Review Process

The Clinical Systems Innovation (CSI) Program is CIMIT’s on-the-ground initiative to improve and advance the systems that support clinical care in real-world healthcare settings.

CSI supports projects to address important specific needs identified within CIMIT healthcare institutions. These grants (up to $100,000 direct) are seed funds to help clinicians and institutions craft novel approaches to implementing a complex new care pathway, designing a new facility, or developing a better process, usually incorporating new technology.

Scientific and Technical Review Criteria:

Clear statement of clinical problem and proposed innovation involving the application of technology
The anticipated impact on patient care (e.g., safety, quality, efficiency, cost)
Innovative technologies to be utilized
Value to the parent institution (hospital, healthcare system)
Collaborative nature of the project (interdisciplinary/multi-institutional)
PI qualifications (e.g. innovation, leadership, change-agent)
A clear path with a task structure

Concrete deliverables
Outcome methodologies and measures of success

Probability of clinical adoption, if the project is concluded successfully
Tangible evidence of institutional support (up to and including matching funds)

CIMIT Standard Review Criteria:

All CIMIT proposals will be evaluated for fit with the CIMIT mission and the following criteria:

Programmatic fit within an existing CIMIT program area, or desirable expansion to an important new area within the CIMIT mission

CIMIT does not fund projects in drug development, information- technology-centric areas, basic research, or clinical trials

Collaborative nature of the project (inter-disciplinary/ inter-institutional)

CIMIT does not support projects in areas of well-established, large-scale multidisciplinary collaboration, such as MRI pulse sequence development

CIMIT track-record of previously CIMIT-funded applicants
Intellectual property history and opportunities
CIMIT support is essential to success (i.e., the project could not be done without CIMIT support)
Potential exit strategies for the project including future alternative funding sources, contacts with companies, licensing and venturing opportunities
Probability of clinical adoption, if the project is concluded successfully
The project does not fit another established funding mechanism

CIMIT does not fund projects for which corporate sponsorship or federal (NIH or other agencies) sponsorship is appropriate

It is likely that CIMIT can provide facilitation support, in addition to funding

Pre-Proposal Process

Applications for these grants require a short Pre-Proposal, due February 9, 2008. Applications for Career Development and Other Grants will be solicited under a separate RFA, with proposals due June 1, 2008.

Pre-proposals for Science and CSI Grants must be submitted through the web-based Submission Process.

The pre-proposal process step enables CIMIT to pre-qualify proposals which meet CIMIT-specific criteria and also to screen out projects which CIMIT will not fund. By design, this pre-proposal phase limits the number of full proposals invited to apply within each grant category.

Upon completion of the Pre-Proposal process, applicants will be notified and provided feedback as follows:

Specific instructions, one of:
1. Submit a full proposal for consideration for a Science Grant (due March 16, 2008). This will be for one of the following categories of projects:
  - Small Science Grant (one year)
  - Medium Science Grant (one year)
  - Two-year Large Science Grant
  - Two-Year Medium Science Grant
2. Submit a full proposal for consideration as a CSI Grant (due March 16, 2008)
3. Recommendation to recast the proposed work as a Career Development or Other Grant for submission by June 1, 2008.
4. Do not submit a full proposal, because the work as described does not fit within the CIMIT Mission or scope of funded work or the application will not be competitive.
CIMIT Contact points to assist in full proposal preparation:
1. Site Miner(s)
2. CIMIT Program Leader
For some proposals, recommendations for improvement if there are elements missing in the work or team as described.

Please note the following:

Do not submit the same work for more than one award type.
Full proposals invited to apply for a Science and CSI grant will be accepted only in the category specified. Only a limited number of applications for Two-year Science Grants (Large or Medium) will be invited to submit a full proposal.
All Science and CSI proposals must meet the Standard CIMIT Review Criteria, but the additional technical review criteria for these categories differ in detail.
In the review of full proposals, CIMIT will evaluate applications as written, so it is important that applicants work with the identified CIMIT contact points to prepare the strongest proposal.
Projects involving “re-engineering care systems” will be directed to either the Science or the CSI application process, depending on the balance between sensors/devices and systems engineering.

CIMIT also funds work in other project categories (Career Development, Working Groups, Clinical Fast Forward), which will be solicited through a separate Request For Applications (March 2008) with applications due June 1, 2008. These applications do not require a pre-proposal.

Review Process -- Science and CSI Award Applications

Applications for these grant categories require an approved pre-proposal, as described above, and must be received by March 16, 2008. Expert peers on a confidential basis will review all Science and CSI full proposal applications. Two panels will review each application (except for Small Science Grants): first a panel selected by the US Army (which supports CIMIT), and then a CIMIT peer review panel. The Army panel will be chosen by the Army for their expertise in CIMIT mission areas. Steven Schachter, MD, will chair the CIMIT Science review panel and Ronald Newbower, PhD, will chair the CSI review panel. Additional expert reviews may also be solicited.

Science and CSI applicants will be informed of review decisions by May 4, 2008. Applications which are not selected for funding will either be rejected or returned to the applicant with the suggestion that the work be recast as a Career Development (CDA) or Other Grants, as described below, and submitted for the June 1, 2008 review process.