Presidential Research Enhancement Fund (PREF)

Deadline: 11:59 pm the last working day of every month.

PREF Award Recipients

Message from President Cigarroa

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1. Created by President Cigarroa in October 2001.
2. Purpose is to increase the UTHSCSA's research-funding base.
3. Aim is to encourage interaction between investigators in support of the acquisition of established extramural, peer-reviewed research funding.
4. Supported by $1,000,000 of institutional research funds not previously available for research support.
5. Mechanism will involve supporting development of programmatic/thematic/translational group research efforts.
6. Use of funds to be as flexible as possible. Such uses may include (but are not limited to):
   1. Clerical support for planning (technical assistance meetings), organizing, writing and submitting of proposals;
   2. Technical help in gathering and assembling preliminary data including potentially postdoctoral as well as institutional core research facility personnel support;
   3. Institutional commitment for matching funds when required by funding agency;
   4. Underwriting costs of extramural funding agency site visits or visits by program officers for program development;
   5. Faculty retention if important for the proposed studies.

The review criteria include:

1. Applications from multiple (3 or more) interacting investigators (from within individual departments, between departments and/or schools as well as between scientific/educational/industrial institutions within the San Antonio community).
2. Scientific merit.
3. Interdisciplinary activity.
4. Programmatic/institutional relevance.
5. Potential for near-term future extramural funding.
6. Past performance of the investigators.
7. Specific plan for use of funds over 12-month period.

Deadline- Applications should be electronically submitted by midnight last working day of each month.

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APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS AND FORMS
The PREF application will be electronically submitted through the Office of Sponsored Programs (OSP) Upload System. The application instructions, forms, and proposal upload site can be accessed below. Please refer back to this website for any future submissions as instructions, guidelines, coversheets, and forms may be revised.

Questions regarding programmatic issues can be directed to Elissa Sanderson, Research Coordinator, Office of the Vice President for Research at sandersone@uthscsa.edu or 567- 2089.

PREF instructions

PREF cover sheet and checklist

The application also requires the following PHS 398 (Rev. 09/04) forms. The forms are available in Adobe Acrobat (pdf) and MS Word from the NIH webpage: http://grants1.nih.gov/grants/funding/phs398/phs398.html#forms

Please note: While the required PHS 398 forms are available in PDF format it is suggested that you complete these forms using the Word format and then convert to the PDF format. Directions for converting a Word document to PDF are included in the PREF instructions.

• Form Page 4: Detailed Budget for Initial Budget Period
• Biographical Sketch Format Page - special instructions: On the Biographical Sketch Format Page, section C. Research Support include award amounts and percent effort in projects.
• Continuation Page

UTHSCSA Certification of Proposal (COP) A COP will be needed at the time of proposal submission. It should be included in the single PDF application file as indicated on the Coversheet and checklist.

Instructions for Converting Word Documents to PDF - you must convert your proposal document to a pdf file. You must have the full version of Adobe Acrobat to save and combine files in pdf, the free Acrobat Reader is NOT sufficient.

SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS
Please direct any questions regarding the upload system to Pepper Cumming in the Office of Sponsored Programs (OSP), 567-2330, cumming@uthscsa.edu

1. Applications should be uploaded as a PDF file by midnight on the deadline date to the OSP Proposal Upload System.
2. Instructions for Converting Word Documents to PDF - you must convert your proposal document to a pdf file. You must have the full version of Adobe Acrobat to save and combine files in pdf, the free Acrobat Reader is NOT sufficient.
3. You must use Internet Explorer to enter the upload system.
4. Please try to access the upload system before the deadline date between the hours of 8 am and 5 pm so that any log-in problems can be addressed.
5. Applications should NOT be e-mailed nor paper copies sent.
6. After uploading your document please wait, you will get a confirmation on your computer screen that your application was uploaded successfully.
7. Applications that you have uploaded for the current deadline cycle can be viewed simply by logging into the upload system and clicking on the link to -step 2- View your proposals and/or upload proposal document.

Please continue to the OSP Upload System by clicking the link below:

You will need to "log in" using your HSC domain or system username and password . If the "log in" box only asks for username and password you should enter your username as follows: uthscsa\username

 

Additional "log in" username and password information

You can view all applications that you have uploaded simply by logging into the upload system and clicking on the link to –step 2- View your proposals and/or upload proposal document.