Foundation Faculty Starter Grants provide $100,000 for one year. (Pictured: Foundation alumna Young Hye Song, PhD, University of Arkansas, 2021 Starter Grant Recipient.)
The PhRMA Foundation Faculty Starter Grant in Drug Delivery offers financial support to individuals beginning independent research careers at the faculty level in drug delivery research, including basic pharmaceutics, biopharmaceutics, pharmaceutical technology, pharmaceutical biotechnology, or biomedical engineering.
Eligibility
The Faculty Starter Grant is available to applicants (U.S. and non-U.S. citizens) recently appointed to a tenure-track position in a department that has responsibility for drug delivery research and instruction. (Non-tenure track candidates will not be considered.)
Those holding a tenure-track appointment at the academic rank of assistant professor, research assistant professor, instructor, or equivalent are eligible, provided their proposed research is neither directly nor indirectly already being subsidized to any significant degree by an extramural support mechanism. Individuals receiving only intramural funding or start-up funding from their institution are eligible to apply. The applicant must be eligible to apply for independent external research funding by their institution and provide a letter from the Department Chair confirming that the applicant has dedicated laboratory space and research independence.
Funding
$100,000 for one year
Application Process
To apply, applicants must submit a letter of intent (LOI), due June 16, 2022. Those whose submissions are selected will be notified by July 22, 2022, and asked to complete a full application.
Important: Please click the buttons at the top of this page (Award Aims, Eligibility, etc.), to learn the full details about this award.
PhRMA Foundation Definition of Drug Delivery
Successful proposals in Drug Delivery emphasize the quantitative understanding of the principles, pathways, and/or mechanisms underlying improved or optimized:
- formulation composition and delivery modalities/technologies that enable more favorable transport (absorption, targeting, elimination) of drugs; and/or
- drug dosage forms that can be manufactured to achieve higher quality, lower cost, and greater stability or flexibility.
Today’s drugs include biologics, small molecules, and cell and gene therapy. Delivering increasingly complex drugs demands thorough understanding of technologies and formulation approaches.
Research that focuses on findings that can be generalized to other systems will be prioritized. Testing the delivery of a single drug by one approach is less preferred.
Award Aims
- To offer financial support to individuals beginning independent research careers in drug delivery research, including basic pharmaceutics, biopharmaceutics, pharmaceutical technology and pharmaceutical biotechnology at the faculty level in a tenure track position.
Eligibility
- Applicants (U.S. and non-U.S. citizens) must be:
- Employed at a PhD and/or MS degree-granting accredited institution in the U.S.
- Appointed to a tenure-track position in a department that has responsibility for drug delivery research and instruction. (Non-tenure track candidates will not be considered.)
- This grant is not intended for individuals in postdoctoral training. However, those enrolled in postdoctoral training programs scheduled to conclude by the start of the funding, i.e., January 1, 2023, through August 1, 2023, who will hold an academic appointment by that time, may apply.
- Individuals receiving only intramural funding or start-up funding from their institution are eligible.
- The applicant must be eligible to apply for independent external research funding by their institution.
- This grant is not meant to augment an ongoing research effort or be used for any direct effort to obtain further extramural funding. Funds must be used to conduct the proposed research.
- If other funding becomes available during the grant, the PhRMA Foundation must be notified.
- Research projects that intend to extend or develop the proprietary value of specific drug products will not be accepted. This exclusion does not preclude research in which specific drug products are used to test hypotheses that have general applicability.
- If multiple applicants are submitting proposed efforts on the same project, the efforts must be separate activities and not duplicative. This pertains to applications in all three categories of our Drug Delivery programs (predoctoral and postdoctoral fellowships and faculty starter grants). We will not consider multiple applications for the same or similar efforts on the same project.
Funding
- The PhRMA Foundation Faculty Starter Grant in Drug Delivery provides funding of $100,000 for one year.
- The grant is paid on a quarterly basis to the institution on behalf of the applicant, with the understanding that the institution will administer the funds.
- Funding is conditional upon the award recipient’s continued employment with the institution, which will be assessed on a quarterly basis prior to payment. Recipients are required to notify the PhRMA Foundation if they leave the institution.
- The funds may not be used for salary support of the awardee, fringe benefits, or indirect costs.
- Funds may be budgeted to include the support of a technician or graduate student at an hourly rate. The funds may not be used to provide tuition assistance, fringe benefits, or indirect costs for said personnel.
- Up to $1,500 may be used for travel to professional meetings by the awardee.
- Funds may be used to purchase equipment and/or data to support the research efforts.
- Awards may be activated beginning January 1, 2023, or on the first day of any month thereafter, up to and including August 1, 2023.
- Within 60 days of the grant’s conclusion, a final progress report and financial statement are to be submitted to the PhRMA Foundation.
- Unspent funds are to be returned to the PhRMA Foundation upon the grant’s conclusion.
- Funds are not transferrable.
- Any changes to the proposed project must be approved by the PhRMA Foundation.
Application Process
To apply for a PhRMA Foundation Faculty Starter Grant in Drug Delivery, applicants must submit a letter of intent, due June 16, 2022, at 11:59 PM EDT. Those whose submissions are selected will be notified by July 22, 2022, and asked to complete a full application.
Logging in to ProposalCentral
Go to the ProposalCentral website at https://proposalcentral.com/. If you are a new user of ProposalCentral, follow the link “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 1-11 or update with current information. Your name, degrees, position/title, academic rank, department, and address will be pulled from this page in ProposalCentral.
Step 1: Letter of Intent (LOI)
To submit an LOI, select the “Grant Opportunities” tab in ProposalCentral and a list of applications will be displayed. Find “PhRMA Foundation” and click the “Apply Now” link next to the Faculty Starter Grant in Drug Delivery Program.
Candidates must submit a 600-word LOI describing their research project and its aims. In addition to the LOI, please submit a one-page cover letter answering the following questions:
- Explain how your project fits into the PhRMA Foundation’s definition of Drug Delivery. (The definition can be found in the PROGRAM DESCRIPTION TAB.)
- How will this project advance the field?
- What are the challenges or gaps in the field you are solving?
- How is your project innovative?
The LOI should be written by the applicant on a U.S. letter-sized 8.5” x 11” page with .5” margin and 12-point font. The first use of any abbreviation or acronym should be preceded by the full name or description. Citations and figures do not count toward the 600-word LOI limit.
The cover page and LOI (including citations, if any) should be uploaded as separate documents.
Those whose submissions are selected will be notified by July 22, 2022, and asked to complete a full application. Full applications are due September 15, 2022, at 11:59 PM EDT, including letters of support.
Step 2: Application Process (by invitation)
The following items will be required if you are invited to submit a full application.
- Extended Letter
We want to know our applicants. 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” / .5” margin / 12-point font). - Applicant’s Biosketch or Curriculum Vitae (CV)
- Project Title
- Project Summary / Abstract
- Research Project Proposal
The applicant must prepare a comprehensive statement, not to exceed eight single-spaced pages, of the plans for research in drug delivery. 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. The proposal should detail the research design and methodology.
Clearly identify other principals involved as collaborators in the project, the amount of time they will commit, and the amount of time you will commit. List by titles the funded research projects of each principal, the portion of time committed, and the amount and source of funds for these projects. Identify the amount of intramural support available for the proposed project and other research efforts by budget categories and amounts. If the university makes the services of a technician available, note this. Identify the part of the proposal that will be directly initiated or expedited by the Foundation’s funds.
The Advisory Committee that reviews each application places considerable emphasis on the quality of the research and training proposal. In describing the research and training plan, it is essential to document that guidance and departmental support will be available in order to ensure proper training in the techniques and principles of the specified area.
Similar to the LOI submission, a one-page cover page is necessary addressing the following:
- Explain how your project fits into the PhRMA Foundation’s definition of Drug Delivery. (The definition can be found in the GENERAL INFORMATION TAB.)
- How will this project advance the field?
- What are the challenges or gaps in the field you are solving?
- How is your project innovative?
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 not be considered for funding.
- Budget
Upload your budget explaining:
- How the funds will be used
- Whether the project receives other funding
- Funding
Upload information about other support you may receive or have received since completing your postdoctoral appointment. All amounts should be in U.S. dollars.
If no 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 start-up funding, research grants, cooperative agreements, contracts, and/or institutional awards. Training awards, prizes, or gifts do not need to be included.
- Career Publications
Upload up to three relevant authored publications.
- References
Please note that the system will not accept your application unless the letters of support from your references been successfully uploaded.
You are required to submit contact information for the following personnel (2-4 references):
- Collaborators, if any
- General Reference(s) 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. Letters of support should be uploaded before September 15 so you can submit your application before 11:59 PM ET. We suggest you inform your references in advance of what items should be addressed in their letter of support.
Collaborator should include:
- Acknowledgment of their commitment, participation, and enthusiasm in the project.
- Brief biographical biosketch.
General Reference(s) should include:
- The period of time you have known the applicant and in what capacity.
- Comment on the applicant’s communication and interpersonal skills, and ability to collaborate with peers on research projects.
- Explanation of how this program will be a productive experience for the applicant and why they should be selected.
REMEMBER to begin your application early so your references have ample time to meet the September 15 deadline. It is your responsibility 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 September 15, 2022, at 11:59 EDT. Late submissions will not be accepted.
Preference is for the applicant to submit a CV. References, where requested, may submit either CV or NIH style biosketch.
Per our policy, the PhRMA Foundation does not provide written reviews.
Award notification is December 15, 2022.
