Translational Medicine

AWARD AIMS

• To support individuals engaged in multidisciplinary/collaborative research training programs that will extend their credentials in Translational Medicine.
• To provide stipend support for individuals preparing to engage in research that will bridge the gap between clinical need and research directed towards addressing these needs.
• To support research that can readily translate into positively impacting patients and physicians.

PROGRAM FOCUS

Translational medicine is a discipline focused on bridging discoveries in experimental and computational research to their application in clinical practice. To be successful, this requires working with clinicians to first identify critical unmet clinical needs. Examples of research may include molecular and cellular biology, pathophysiology, systems biology, bioinformatics, modeling and simulation, and other quantitative sciences that connect basic biological concepts to unmet medical needs. Clinical observation should serve as the basis for hypothesis generation to further basic research and to efficiently advance research results to improve care and management of patients.

The goal of the PhRMA Foundation’s Translational Medicine Program is to promote the development of an integrative approach towards clinical needs in diagnosis, treatment and prevention using both experimental and computational methods. The Foundation believes that, towards this goal, it is critical that researchers collaborate with clinicians to identify critical unmet clinical needs. This can lead to an enhanced understanding of human biological and disease processes but requires a strong translational component that is bi-directional, i.e., starting from bedside to bench. This program will support such approaches to Translational Medicine.

Translational Medicine awards will advance training and support career development of scientists engaged in research that significantly addresses specific clinician-defined problems and integrates innovative technologies with advanced biological, chemical, and pharmacological sciences and engineering methodologies in areas that include:

• Genetics (Molecular, Pharmaco-, Population, Medical)
• Genomics (Functional, Structural, Toxico-, Pharmaco-, Comparative)
• Systems (Biology and Pharmacology)
• Pathways and Networks
• Integrative Biology
• Modeling and Simulation
• Target Identification and Validation
• Biomarker Discovery and Validation
• Vaccine Development
• Molecular Epidemiology
• Imaging
• Disease Modeling

Program Priorities

• Emphasis will be placed on identification of clinician-defined unmet clinical needs and the development of new experimental and computational approaches and technologies that facilitate the translation of research results into the elucidation and understanding of human biological and disease processes that focus on producing results that can improve patient care and management.
• Preferences will be given to those applicants whose research identifies unmet clinical needs and combines novel experimental and computational methods together with actual clinical validation.
• For applications to be considered, the proposal must contain evidence of collaboration across the clinical/non-clinical interface and not solely apply experimental and computational methodologies to data generation and analysis without clinical validation.
• The use of model systems that do not involve human specimens, data or patients must be justified in terms of their relationship to human biology and disease, specifying both limitations and advantages, and the results of such studies are required to involve clinical testing in humans in support of the model.
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ELIGIBLITY and REQUIREMENTS

• Applicants (U.S. and non-U.S. citizens) must have a firm commitment from a sponsor (a.k.a. mentor) at an accredited U.S. university or research institution.
• Applicants must hold a PhD, DSc, DEng, or MD degree, and seek to further develop and refine their skills and understanding of Translational Medicine through postdoctoral training. If you do not hold one at the time of application submission, please state in your extended letter when you expect to receive it, as it must be received before funding could begin. Funding can begin as early as July 1, 2021 or as late as December 1, 2021.
• Applicants are encouraged to apply at the earliest point possible in their postdoctoral research.
• Applicants must write and submit a research plan and provide the mentor’s research record, as well as a description of how the mentoring experience will enhance the applicant’s career development in Translational Medicine. A key component of Translational Medicine involves collaborative programs that span non-clinical and clinical domains, potentially involving multiple laboratories, advisers, and institutions.

FUNDING

• This fellowship is for two years and provides $60,000 in stipend support per year. The second year of funding is based upon the PhRMA Foundation receiving a satisfactory progress report from the applicant upon completion of the first ten months of funding.
• The funding for this fellowship is intended solely as a stipend and may not be used otherwise.
• An individual may not simultaneously hold or interrupt any other fellowship providing stipend support while the PhRMA Foundation fellowship is active.
• If necessary, the institution may supplement the award to a level that is consistent with other postdoctoral fellowships it offers. (Please upload a “Stipend Justification” explaining whether the stipend is to be supplemented and the amount. 
• The fellowship provides no other subsidies (travel, tuition, fringe benefit costs, etc.).
• PhRMA Foundation funds may not be used for indirect costs to the university.
• Fellowships may be activated beginning July 1, 2021 or on the first day of any month thereafter, up to and including December 1, 2021.
• Payments will be made directly to the university on a quarterly basis.
• (*) The second year of funding is based upon a receiving a satisfactory progress report from the applicant upon completion of the first ten months of funding.
• A financial report will be required upon completion of the first twelve months of funding.
• A final progress report and financial report will be required at the conclusion of the fellowship.
• Unspent funds are to be returned to the PhRMA Foundation.
• These funds are traditionally non-transferable. However, funds may be considered transferable if the training program requires the postdoctoral candidate to be formally trained at a collaborating institution where such a transfer would be required and can be documented. The PhRMA Foundation and scientific review committee reserve the right to approve or deny such a request.
• Any changes to the proposed project must be approved by the PhRMA Foundation.

Postdoctoral Fellowship in Translational Medicine

Application deadline for all materials (applications and letters of support) is February 1, 2021 @ 11:59 PM EST.

To start an application, go to the proposalCENTRAL website at https://proposalcentral.com/. If you are a new user of proposalCENTRAL, follow the “CREATE AN ACCOUNT NOW” link under “Need an Account?” and complete the registration process. If you are already a registered user, login at https://proposalcentral.com/ with your username and password. If you have forgotten your password, click the “Forgot your Password?” link.

Once you are logged in, please click the “Professional Profile” tab at the top and complete steps 1-10 or update with current information. Your name, degrees, Position/Title, Academic Rank, Department and address will be pulled from this page in proposalCENTRAL.

To start an application, select the “Grant Opportunities” tab and a list of applications will be displayed. Find “PhRMA Foundation” and click the Apply Now link next to the Postdoctoral Fellowship in Translational Medicine to create your Application.

We look forward to receiving your application. Items needed:

1. General Registration Information
2. Applicant Biosketch (should be NIH or NSF format)
3. Extended Letter

This letter is an opportunity to tell us who you are and to describe your career and future plans. Include a synopsis of your career, your professional interests, and your desired career path. The letter should not exceed two single-spaced pages (U.S. letter size 8.5” x 11” / 12-point font / .5” margin).

Note: In order to receive a PhRMA Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship in Translational Medicine, you must hold a PhD, DSc, DEng, or MD degree. If you do not hold one at the time of application submission, please state in your extended letter when you expect to receive it, as it must be received before funding could begin. Funding can begin as early as July 1, 2021 or as late as December 1, 2021.

4. Project/Research Title

Your title should not exceed 200 characters (including spaces).

5. Project/Research Abstract

Your abstract should not exceed 1,000 characters (including spaces).

6. Research Plan

Upload a comprehensive yet concise statement, written by the applicant, not to exceed eight single-spaced pages of the plans for research, education, and training in the selected discipline. 

This should include an introductory page outlining how this project addresses the following questions:

• What is the innovative component of your project?
• How will this proposal advance the field?
• What are the challenges in the field you are you actually addressing?
• How are human subjects / data / specimens involved in the study as opposed to laboratory models?

The remaining seven pages of your plan should include: a research plan, the mentor’s research record, as well as a description of how the mentoring experience will enhance the applicant’s career development in Translational Medicine. A key component of Translational Medicine involves collaborative programs that span non-clinical and clinical domains, potentially involving multiple laboratories, advisers, and institutions.

Applicants should use a format similar to the format specified for grants submitted to the National Institutes of Health, including a description of the objective(s), the rationale, methods of approach, and a bibliography of major references (bibliographies are not included in the page limit). Preliminary results, if any, should also be included. A project timeline is suggested. The first use of any abbreviation or acronym should be preceded by the full name or description or included in a footnote.

The Advisory Committee will review each application to assess the quality of the proposed research and whether the proposed environment — where the applicant will be carrying out their research — provides additional education and/or training opportunities necessary to support them. It is essential that that the application includes documentation stating that proper guidance and available departmental support will be in place to ensure training in the techniques and principles required to carry out the proposed research. The proposal must document the approval of all departments in which the candidate will train via letters from chairs or mentors in these departments, or from appropriate personnel if the proposal includes an experiential rotation in an industrial research laboratory.

Required type specifications: U.S. letter size 8.5” x 11” / .5” margin / 12-point font (figures may be provided in a smaller font). Submissions that do not meet the specified guidelines for proposal preparation will be considered non-responsive and will not be considered for funding.

7. Transcripts

Please upload unofficial copies of your undergraduate and graduate transcripts. 

8. Other Sources of Funding

Upload other support this project receives. If it does not receive other support, upload a document stating “No other support has been received or is pending.”

Other support includes all financial resources, whether Federal, non-Federal, commercial or institutional, available in direct support of an individual’s research endeavors, including but not limited to research grants, cooperative agreements, contracts, and/or institutional awards. Training awards, prizes, or gifts do not need to be included.

Information required:

• Project Number 
• Principal Investigator
• Source of Support
• Title of the project (or sub-project)
• Start / End Dates (if Pending, date of notification)
• Amount
• Your Role
• Is the funding for research or stipend support or combination, in which case, how is it split
• Explain any overlap with your proposed project

9. Budget

This award is solely to be used for your stipend. Please enter your anticipated start and end date. If your institution is supplementing the award in order to be consistent with other postdoctoral fellowships it offers, please attach a “budget justification” providing details.

10. Career Publications

Up to three relevant authored publications should be uploaded.

11. References

Please note that the system will not accept your application unless the letters of support from your references have been successfully uploaded.

You are required to submit contact information for the following personnel:

• Department Chair (a.k.a. program director, center director, institute director, etc.)
• Sponsor (the person who mentors and authorizes your work in the lab)
• General Reference(s) (1-3) who are familiar with you and your scientific career

Once you add their name and contact information to your application, an auto-generated email will be forwarded to them. The email will include instructions as to what they should address in their letter of support and it will provide a personalized hyperlink where they should upload their letter. 

We suggest you inform your references in advance of what items should be addressed in their letter of support. See below:

Department Chair (a.k.a. program director, center director, institute director, etc.) should provide:

• Information as to the mechanisms by which the department supports translational medicine.
• Assessment of the applicant and proposed project.

If the department chair is also your sponsor, only enter their information once. Be sure to ask them to address the requested information from both perspectives as listed below.

 Sponsor should provide:

• Brief biographical sketch (5-page limit).
• Assessment of the applicant and proposed project.
• The Sponsor must describe how the multidisciplinary goals of the proposed work will be accomplished and provide assurance that key collaborating mentors endorse and are willing to support the proposed research (which requires their letters of commitment as well).
• Information describing how the department will support the applicant (e.g., funding, space, etc.).
• Information describing the relevant education/training background of the applicant.
• Information on the training program in translational research, including current activities and experience.
• If the applicant does not have a formal background in translational research, the Sponsor must describe how the applicant will obtain such training as a postdoctoral student (e.g. a class, part of a project, etc.). The mechanism and assessment to establish successful training of the applicant must be made clear.
• The Sponsor should confirm the applicant’s current source of financial support for the proposed project and any pending applications for stipend support should be provided. If none are pending, this should be stated.

General Reference(s) should provide:

• Contact information
• Assessment of the applicant
• General references who are connected to an applicant’s project should explain their roles and responsibilities regarding the project.

REMEMBER to begin your application early so your references have ample time to meet the February 1^st deadline.

It is your responsibility to see that these letters are uploaded. The application portal will permit you to review your application and the status of your letters of support before your final submission. Be sure to check it frequently and do not wait until the last minute.

The application portal will not permit the application to be submitted until the letters of support have been uploaded.

Application deadline is February 1, 2021 @ 11:59 EST. Late submissions will not be accepted.

NOTE

Submissions that do not meet the specified guidelines for proposal preparation will be considered non-responsive and will not be considered for funding.

Award notification is April 15, 2021.

The PhRMA Foundation does not provide written reviews.

Click HERE for 2021 Translational Medicine brochure.

Application and letters of support are due by the application deadline of February 1, 2021 @ 11:59 EST.