Program Support

The Institute For Science And Health receives support for its Research Program Initiatives and associated scientific and educational endeavors from numerous sources that may include:

Donations or grants may be targeted to a specific Program Initiative or to the Institute's General Fund at the discretion of the donor/grantor. The Institute also invites ideas and suggestions for new Program Initiatives.

Program Model

Managing the Entire Research Process

The Institute does more than identify available funding resources and make grants to world-class researchers and organizations. It also manages the entire research process based on a unique process model, the Rubicon, created by the Institute. This model, embraced by grantor and researcher alike, provides a vehicle to insure that research is completed on time, on budget, and on the original objectives. As a result, the Institute is able to be flexible, move quickly, and limit bureaucracy. The Institute initially receives unrestricted funds and then, in turn, supports research that is selected and approved for the Institute's independent research process. The Institute is the grantor, serving as an independent third-party firewall between the investigators and the initial sources of funds, regardless of what they may be, to insure that the research results are credible and unbiased.

Accessing Independent Expertise and Qualified Leadership

The core element in the Institute's Rubicon model that ensures quality, integrity and high standards, is the independent Advisory Councils composed of world-renowned scientists and researchers. An Advisory Council is established for each Program Initiative to oversee project development and implementation. These experts develop both the program's scope and eventual Request for Applications , and also assist in final approval and commissioning of every research proposal. During the review process, qualified independent external reviewers (peer scientists), who are not members of the Institute's Advisory Council, are solicited to examine each research proposal and submit a detailed commentary and priority score.

Proposal Types

The Institute for Science and Health invites proposals for two types of grants (Seed Grant and Full Grant) to be submitted to a Request for Applications

• Seed Grant
• A seed grant is generally for a one-two year project term and up to a maximum of $75,000.00 USD including any applicable indirect costs*.
• Full Grant
• A full grant is generally a multiple-year project term that can range in duration from 1 - 4 years. Grants may be submitted up to a maximum of $200,000.00 USD per year including any applicable indirect costs*.

Proposal Methodology

To streamline the application procedure and limit wasted time on behalf of both the Institute and the principle investigator, the Institute For Science And Health has established a two-step grant application process that is briefly described below.

QuadChart

In response to a Request for Applications , the Institute For Science And Health initially requests a one page QuadChart that contains the following information:

• Description of your organization
• Organizational operational capability
• Proposed Technical Approach
• Estimate of Cost and Schedule

To see a sample QuadChart (Adobe Acrobat (PDF) format) please click here

Submitted QuadCharts will be evaluated by the appropriate Program Initiative Advisory Council for scientific merit and adherence to the research focus contained within the Request for Applications .  Suitable QuadCharts are then identified and the principle investigators invited to prepare and submit full proposals.

The total number of full proposals invited is determined in part on knowledge of the total resources available to fund the projects.  This is done to minimize wasted time and effort and maintain a reasonable likelihood of any given proposal being ultimately funded.  Historically, over 40% of the full proposals received by the Institute are approved for funding.

Full Proposal

Full proposals are invited following initial review of the submitted QuadCharts. A detailed explanation of the requirements for preparation of a full proposal is contained within any given Request for Applications . Briefly, full proposals must contain the following information:

Each full proposal received is sent for external review to three independent peer experts. Each reviewer submits a detailed critique and overall priority score. The appropriate Program Initiative Advisory Council then evaluates and ranks the proposals based on the external reviewers' scores and critiques. At the conclusion of this process, a subset of the submitted full proposals will be approved and commissioned for funding. Contractual arrangements are then negotiated between IFSH and the principle investigator's host institution in accordance with established IFSH guidelines.

Requirements of Funded Proposals

Once proposals are funded, abstracts and other associated information about the project will be made available on the IFSH website. Updates to the original abstract are requested on a semi-annual basis (or upon completion of a milestone event, whichever comes first) so that the Institute and others can keep abreast of research progress. At the conclusion of a research project a final report is required complete with a final abstract suitable for posting on the IFSH website.

During the funding period and immediately following conclusion of the project, investigators are required to attend and present their work to date at an Annual Research Conference dedicated to the IFSH Program Initiative from which the grant was awarded. These Annual Conferences are designed to maintain transparency within the research process by promoting both researcher dialogue and public dissemination of the research findings. In addition, these conferences are intended to foster collaboration among investigators and promote continual research progress.