D-SINE Africa PILOT PROJECT FUNDING ANNOUNCEMENT

D-SINE Africa PILOT PROJECT FUNDING ANNOUNCEMENT  

D-SINE Africa
Data Science Center for Surgery, Injury, and Equity in Africa
University of Buea, Cameroon
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: dsineafrica.org

About the Funder

The Data Science Centre for the Study of Surgery, Injury and Equity in Africa (D-SINE Africa) is a research hub hosted at the University of Buea that aims to reduce the burden of injuries and bridge the gap of inequities to access to surgical services in African countries. D-SINE Africa is a multi-institutional partnership funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH and the Fogarty International Center (FIC).  

It involves the following institutions:

• University of Buea, Cameroon
• University of California; Los Angeles, USA
• University of California; Berkeley, USA
• University of Cape Town, South Africa
• African Institute of Mathematical Sciences, Cameroon

Program Description

The D-SINE Africa pilot project is designed to foster pilot studies with aims related to D-SINE Africa's overall objectives and thematic areas of focus: data science applications to study trauma, surgery, and health equity in Africa. Applications that propose the study of the intersection of these themes are strongly encouraged. The program aims to support investigators interested in data science applications to trauma, surgical and health equity.

Funding Opportunity

The pilot project opportunity, which emphasizes career development, is open to D-SINE Africa partners and collaborators wishing to perform primary or secondary data collection and analysis to achieve the goals of the centre. Successful proposals could be funded for up to $10,000 and will cover a maximum period of 12 months. The applicants to this grant or at least one of their mentors MUST be members of one of the partner institutions listed above. Collaboration among researchers at multiple campuses is encouraged and can be facilitated if needed. Requests for funds to complete an existing project, carry out a fully powered study or which is not within the thematic areas of focus of D-SINE Africa will not be considered for funding.

Eligibility

At least one co-investigator on the grant application must be a D-SINE Africa Principal investigator or Co-Investigator. Other non-D-SINE Africa affiliated investigators who are on faculty at a D-SINE affiliated institution can partner with the applicant investigator team.

NIH Requirements

Interested applicants must meet the requirements of the Prime Funders (the National Institutes of Health and Fogarty International Center - NIH/FIC). Links have been provided at the side of each requirement to obtain the required information if unavailable. The requirements are corresponding links are: 

• SAM registration and Unique Entity Identifier of PI's Institution
• eRA Commons account for all team members
• ORCID Number for all team members

How to Apply

Interested applicants should submit a letter of intent and a brief CV (use the NIH Bioketch format) to [email protected]. The new deadline is October 25,2023 @ 4:00PM Central African Time. Any submission after the deadline will not be considered. The number of proposals to be awarded will be contingent on the availability of funds. Future cycles of proposals are anticipated annually, dependent on the availability of funds. 

Key Deadlines

• Release of call for proposals: September 1, 2023 
• Deadline for submission of letter of intent: October 25, 2023
• Submission of invited full proposals: November 24, 2023
• Dispatch of proposals to reviewers: November 30, 2023
• Receipt of feedback from reviewers: December 14, 2023
• Selection of final proposals for funding by committee: December 21, 2023
• Notice of Awards: January 6, 2024

The Application

The application and full proposal MUST be submitted electronically with a short CV of ALL investigators and collaborators. The application must contain the following:

1. A title page with the following:
   • The full descriptive title of the project
   • Applicant PI Name, phone and email
   • Name of Institution
   • Names and roles of other key personnel/collaborators.
2. A short narrative describing the most salient points of the project covering the following:
   • Short abstract/summary (less than 300 words) of the project.
   • Background/Specific Aims
   • Methods
   • Expected outcomes and impact.
   • References
   • Proposed total budget (not itemized, just the total sum requested)
3. The full project proposal must include the following:
   • Project Narrative: This is limited to six pages, single-spaced, times new roman, and 12 font size.
   • An itemized budget. Allowable costs include data collection material, core laboratory services and other ancillary services purchased from the health system, and compensation for hospital night shifts. Anyone already receiving salary from the D-SINE project is not eligible to be paid salary under the pilot project.
   • Letter of support from the applicant's Division Chief, Department Chair, or Dean (one of them only) stating that they support the applicant's project and will ensure they have the time and resources to complete the project if granted.
   • Letter of support of the applicant's mentor if the applicant is a trainee.

NB: The applicant's last and first name, a brief project title (30 characters or less), and page numbers should appear on the footer of each page.

The Review of Proposals

All proposals will be reviewed by a panel chaired by the Pilot project officer. Proposals will be evaluated according to the NIH evaluation style and criteria specific to D-SINE Africa's core mission.

The following will be considered in making funding decisions:

• Scientific and technical merit of the proposed project as determined by scientific peer review
• Availability of funds
• Relevance of the proposed project to D-SINE Africa priorities
• Likelihood of practical application for future funding based on completion of this pilot project.

Post-Award

All applicants who submit a full proposal will receive a review of their submission. Successful applicants will sign a written agreement with D-SINE Africa, administer the fellowship according to the agreement, and provide progress reports and financial reports within stipulated timelines. They will be responsible for following up with all parallel procedures such as administrative authorizations and ethical approval. The release of funds will be contingent on the submission of all authorizations. The research activities MUST be started within 02 (two) weeks of the release of funds.