Translational Research Fund

Mission of the Translational Research Fund

The purpose of the Translational Research Fund (TRF) is to help prepare and support Anatomic Pathology and Clinical Pathology UCLA Faculty- initiated research, with particular focus on translational projects and to foster greater involvement by UCLA pathology residents and fellows in research projects.

Eligibility

This seed grant program is specially intended to help AP and CP faculty and Department of Pathology Residents and Fellows initiate translational research projects for which prior funding has not been secured. In instances where prior funding has been received, a new application may be considered if it involves new or previously unexplored aspects of investigation.

Funding Level

• Funding of up to a maximum of $10,000 may be requested for the grant. Grant duration is for a period of one year from the date of actual funding. Funding requests should be in line with that justified by the proposal (i.e., funding for less than the maximum amount may be requested).
• Total funds distributed by TRF will not exceed $100,000 per fiscal year.
• Investigators may submit more than one grant in a given year, although preference will be given to those investigators without active funding.
• The TRF does not fund requests for travel, lodging, entertainment, faculty salary support and reprints
• Receipt of funds is contingent upon:
  • IRB approval or exemption for projects involving human subjects (e.g. retrospective review of patient slides).
  • ARC approval for animal related experiments.
  • A progress report is required one year from the date of funding and carryover funds require a written extension to be submitted via Smartsheet with approval from the TRF Committee. For any questions, please contact Oscar Rodriguez(Link sends email) (Link opens in new window).

Review and Selection Criteria for Review and Selection

• Grants must directly include the involvement of a Department of Pathology Resident, Trainee, or Clinical Fellow with a clearly defined description of their role and contribution to the project
• Translational research addressing important and original scientific questions
• Projects that will be used to generate pilot data for larger grant applications
• Appropriateness of the scope of the project in terms of funding and time frame
• Appropriateness of the methodology
• Resident/fellow-initiated requests must be sponsored by a Pathology Department faculty member
• Funding can not support faculty salary, but can be requested for technical support salary based on justification in the proposal
• More than one grant from the same faculty member within the same year will be considered and awarded at the discretion of TRF committee. 

Proposal Submission

The grant application should be single spaced, 11-12 Arial or Times New Roman font with 1 inch margins. The format of the grant submission is as follows:

• Due: The requests for proposals will be issued on March 1 and September 1 annually, and should be submitted by March 30 and September 30 respectively. The deadline for March 1, 2025 has been extended to April 30, 2025.
• Title: Include the title of the application, name of the principal investigator and the participating faculty, residents, trainees, or fellows and their roles on the project.
• Summary: Please provide no more than a 150-word summary of the proposed research project in language that would be clear to a college-educated layman. Include a 1-2 sentence description of the significance of the research.
• Budget: Please provide a detailed budget justifying requested funding (e.g. TPCL fees, publication related costs, statistical consultation fees, equipment, supplies, etc.).
• Funding: List all present sources of funding for proposed research. Explain any area of overlap with existing sources of funding.
• IRB/ARC Approval: If relevant, provide human subjects approval (IRB) and/or animal research approval (ARC) numbers. Include copy of the approval notice with the grant. Grants can be submitted without prior approval, but funds will not be released until such approval is provided. In this instance, state that approval is pending.
• Research Proposal: The actual research proposal (part F) is limited to two pages in length and should include the following sections:
  • Specific Aims: List the specific aims of the project.
  • Background: This section should be limited to a critical discussion of the background of the problem.
  • Preliminary Data: Please provide any preliminary data, either published or unpublished in support of the proposal.
  • Methodology: Please be as specific as possible concerning the methodology and approach to answering the question raised.
  • Timeline: Provide timeline for project.
• Works Cited: (not included in the two page limit)

Submit TRF Grant Proposals Here(Link is external) (Link opens in new window)

Grant Policies and Conditions of the Award

• All research shall be performed in accordance with all relevant institutional and federal policies and guidelines relating to radiation and environmental health and safety.
• All publications (as well as posters and/or abstracts at scientific meetings) that result from the support provided by the TRF must acknowledge that support in writing.

IRB Approvals and Exemptions

• Information regarding IRB approval or exemption for human subject research can be found here(Link is external) (Link opens in new window).
• Applications for human subject research are now required to be submitted online at the UCLA IRB website.