From: Healthy Aging at Tufts PARG Steering Committee
Proposal Due Date: February 26, 2021

The Healthy Aging at Tufts Priority Area Research Group (PARG) Steering Committee is pleased to invite applications for the 2021 Pilot Grant Program. The Healthy Aging at Tufts PARG is a collaborative initiative that spans all schools and centers at Tufts (including Tufts Medical Center) and was initiated to stimulate and foster research and training on “Healthy Aging,” interdisciplinary collaborative research to study/improve/enhance healthy aging. This 2021 call will serve as the third round of this pilot study program.

The primary intent of this grant program is to support the generation of preliminary data necessary for the applicant to seek impending major extramural funding. We welcome aging-related research applications from all disciplines. Priority will be given to applicants that foster interdisciplinary research and/or propose approaches from investigators to collaborate and who have not traditionally conducted research in the area of aging. Both junior and senior investigators are encouraged to apply (see Eligibility for more details). It is anticipated that a maximum of 3 grants will be awarded.

Theme

There is considerable potential for interdisciplinary research on aging, taking advantage of strengths across Tufts schools and centers and Tufts Medical Center in any area related to aging, such as Basic Biology; Chemistry and Engineering of Aging; Geriatric Dentistry; Immunosenescence and Inflammaging; Neuroscience; Psychology and Psychiatry; Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Aging; Health Disparities; and Chronic Disease Management. These are just examples and proposals from all Tufts schools and centers are encouraged. This initiative is particularly interested in both collaborative efforts between aging researchers and in attracting researchers who have not specifically been involved with aging research previously.

Eligibility

Any Tufts faculty/scientist active in scholarship and research with a primary appointment/affiliation at Tufts University is eligible to apply. Tufts faculty members with a primary appointment at Tufts Medical Center are encouraged to submit a grant collaboratively along with full-time Tufts University faculty members or scientists. Non-Tufts collaborators are allowed, but their participation must be clearly justified, including the absence of the collaborator’s specific expertise at Tufts. Eligible projects may
include both new collaborations and existing collaborations involving new areas of research.

Project Period and Budget

Project Duration: One year. Projects are expected to begin 7/1/2021. Projects must be completed and all expenditures incurred no later than 6/30/2022 unless formal approval of program period extension is received and approved.

Budget: Budgets can range from $500 to $50,000 direct costs.

Review Criteria

• Scientific merit. The proposed study must be innovative and original in order to advance our knowledge in the area of the Healthy Aging theme.
• Studies will be prioritized if there is a high likelihood that the results and data generated from this project will lead to a larger project that will be competitive for extramural funding.
• Degree of innovation and originality (within academic field and/or Tufts community).
• Clarity of goals and statement of need.
• Feasibility of timeline.
• Appropriateness of budget allocations.
• Use of evaluation methods for assessing outcomes and impact, where relevant.
• Extent of impact on Tufts constituencies, curriculum, and mission, measured in part by the degree to which the collaboration leads to other important outcomes, including external grant potential.
• Feasibility of activities within departmental and/or school framework.
• Participation in Healthy Aging PARG activities will also be considered.

Award Conditions

Funds may be used to support reasonable and necessary direct costs to carry out the project. Deviations from the proposed expenditures must be approved by the committee. The principal investigator will be fiscally responsible for managing the award. Funds will be disbursed to the School with which the lead principal investigator is primarily affiliated for the project.

Funds can only be used for the activities or experiments described in the proposal, although no-cost extensions and/or re-budgeting with appropriate justification may be requested if experiments or activities have not been completed within the one-year period or if there are line item budget reallocations that are necessary to successfully complete the project.

Expenditures for faculty and scientist salaries (either summer or academic year) are permitted according to school unit policies and appropriate approval for each collaborator. Fringe benefits charges for personnel should be included in preparing the budget. Student pay during the summer will be subject to the applicable rate for fringe benefits and this cost should be included in the budget. Student pay during the academic year (September- May) is not subject to fringe benefits.

While projected fringe benefits rates are provided on the Budget Form, the rate applicable in a particular circumstance may be different, based on several factors (e.g., when the compensation is paid and whether a faculty member is full-time or part-time). If a question arises as to what rate applies, the school’s financial officer will provide the relevant rate.

Generally, the budget cannot be used to pay for:

• Indirect costs and overhead
• Tuition costs
• Refreshment costs or meals
• Laptop computers
• Student Health Insurance

The proposal review committee maintains the right to veto any budget it deems unallowable. Equipment purchases are discouraged but will be considered on an ad hoc basis. Proposed budgets may be subject to modifications prior to award. Funds awarded are subject to relevant University, state and federal guidelines. Please refer to the Tufts IP Policy for questions regarding intellectual property.

Reporting Requirements

Grant recipients must provide to the Healthy Aging Steering Committee a brief interim (time to be determined) report to verify progress on the proposed timeline.

At the completion of the period of support, grant recipients must provide to the Healthy Aging Steering Committee a final report of no longer than five single-spaced pages accompanied by other relevant products or evidence of the completion of the funded activity.

The final summary report should: 

• describe the work that was accomplished;
• describe the outcomes/impact of the collaboration;
• describe any plans for ongoing collaboration beyond the funded project;
• provide a final accounting of budget expenses;
• identify specific proposal(s) submitted to external sponsor(s) as a result of the grant (if applicable); and
• describe any significant deviation from or extensions to the project described in the original proposal

Pilot Grant Application Requirements

Page Limits: Two-page project description and one-page additional information description, plus a one-page budget justification and template form, plus a one-page bibliography, plus two pages per resume for all key personnel.

Formatting: Use an Arial, Helvetica, Palatino Linotype, or Georgia typeface, a black font color, and a font size of 11 points or larger. Use standard paper size (8 ½” x 11) and at least one-half inch margins (top, bottom, left, and right) for all pages. No information should appear in the margins.

Content: Proposals must include the following sections as a single, electronic PDF document with Budget Form attached as a writable Excel file in this order:

I. Application Submission Form 
II. Project Description (no more than two single-spaced pages). Describe the proposed project including goals, activities or experiments, expected outcomes, and a timeline for
III. Additional Proposal Information (no more than one single-spaced page). This section is to be used to describe how the project will lead to the potential for the multidisciplinary team to develop new scholarship/research or further collaboration, including but not limited to an assessment of the potential for subsequent external funding, if applicable (e.g. how the work relates to a funding agency’s mission statement). The section can also be used to describe in more detail methodologies; endpoint assessment methods (e.g. statistical analyses); description of collaborative team and each member’s contribution; and additional expected outcomes related to the project (e.g. intellectual property).
IV. Budget and Budget Justification (Justification to be no more than one single-spaced page; one-page budget template). The Budget Form must be used to prepare the project’s Budgets and should only indicate those costs that are absolutely necessary to carry out the project. The budget, along with a narrative budget justification, must address the following:

1. details explaining the necessity of each budget item;
2. the method used to develop the cost estimations;
3. description of each person’s role in the project, percentage of effort, and estimated costs;
4. a list of any in-kind (no cost to the grant) contributions from Tufts central services and any other school or department (e.g. salaries and supplies). Cost shares are discouraged; and
5. any previous funding provided by the Office of the Provost for this project or related

V. Resumes. Include an abbreviated CV or resume of (no more than two pages in length for each significant collaborator)
VI. References/ Bibliography. A short (one page) list of relevant publications from each collaborator may be included, but is not required. Publications directly related to the project may also be listed.

Deadline for Submission: February 26, 2021

Submission: Proposals should be submitted electronically as single PDF to EMAIL (healthyaging@tufts.edu).

Review Process: Proposals will be reviewed by the Healthy Aging Steering Committee and notification of funding will be made on or before May 1, 2021.

For questions and submission of a proposal, please contact healthyaging@tufts.edu.