Children’s Miracle Network Grant applications are now available for FY 2008/2009 grant funding. Grants will be accepted for clinical and research programs directly impacting Children from any UC Davis faculty and staff. Grants are now two years in duration with the exception of the Staff Educational Development Awards that are awarded for one year.

The mission of the Children’s Miracle Network (CMN) at the UC Davis Children’s Hospital is to improve the health and well being of children by supporting a coordinated program of patient care, research and education of patients, families, faculty physicians, nurses, other health care workers and the public. The CMN implements this mission by disbursing collected donations in the form of grants, awards and program development.

• Applicants must be faculty in the UC Davis Academic Senate or Academic Federation for general Research grants, grants targeted to Clinical and Translational Science, Research Career Development Awards and Clinical Services grants.
• Applicants must be staff of the UC Davis Health System or University of California, Davis (for clinical services and educational grants).
• Applications must support the mission of the Children’s Miracle Network (see below).
• Research targeted to Clinical and Translational Science must meet the requirements of the Clinical and Translational Science Center (CTSC) Pilot and Collaborative Studies Program (see attached).
• All previously funded CMN grants must have an annual progress report on file.
• Applicants may apply for only one grant per year per category.

January 9th thru 5:00pm, February 25th, 2008

CMN grant applications should be submitted by hard copy and by email by the deadline date of Monday, February 25th, 2008 at 5:00pm, PST. There will be no exceptions made to the deadline.

February 2008

• Reminders are sent out for expiring grant funding; these are non-extendable.
• Reminders for annual grant progress reports go out for all prior year recipients and extended grantees.

March 2008

CMN grants are reviewed and recommended for funding.

April 14th 2008

Annual grant progress reports are due.

April 22nd 2008

The CMN Executive Committee will decide funding for FY 2008/09.

April 28th 2008

Funding letters and denial letters will be sent out for FY 2008/09.

End of June

New accounts are created and go to recipients with a start date of July 1, 2008

General Research Grants — These funds support research projects aimed at improving the health and welfare of children; or elaborating principles of biology or disease processes, which have an impact on the health and welfare of children. These projects may be of a clinical or laboratory nature. While all funded proposals must be meritorious, priority will be given to investigators for pilot projects to obtain preliminary data for future grant submissions (e.g. NIH, AHA, etc.). Special consideration will be given to Junior Faculty. Such faculty must have rank of Assistant Professor. A senior mentor for the project must be identified and will be expected to have reviewed the proposal.

Research Grants Targeted to CTSC — The goal of the Clinical and Translational Science Center (CTSC) Pilot and Collaborative Studies Program is to enhance and augment research areas crucial to translational research by providing pilot and collaborative funds for novel research projects. The Program fosters new multidisciplinary collaborations that will enhance the integration of existing technologies or to use novel approaches to a common investigative theme. The CTSC will support studies translating basic discovery into potential medical applications, and translating proven clinical applications into improved practice (“health services/community research”).

• Research Grant Guidelines
• CTSC Guidelines 
• Universal Grant Application 
• Biographical Sketch  

This award is specifically designed to enhance the research career of investigators who have already established a specific research theme and focus, and only available to be awarded once during the investigator’s career. The purpose of this award is to provide research funding to a full-time or adjunct faculty member of the University of California, Davis for a period of not more than two years. This award will fund a single preeminent research project of clinical or laboratory nature that will have a significant impact on the health and welfare of children. The award will be for $75,000 annually for two years. Funds may be used to offset clinical time, up to $25,000 annually of the award for each year. The subsequent year’s non-competitive award will be made only after the submission and review of a progress report at the end of the first budget year. If no award application is found appropriate for funding, the RCDA will not be granted.

• RCDA Guidelines 
• Universal Grant Application 
• Biographical Sketch

These funds will be used to support specific educational needs of staff (individuals or groups) involved in the development of new and specialized programs aimed at improving the health and welfare of children. These awards may be requested for travel to meetings, books and registration, or tuition fees for the development of highly specialized, state-of-the-art programs for children’s healthcare.

• Staff Educational Development Grant Guidelines 
• Universal Grant Application 

These funds support projects and equipment that enhance the clinical care of children. Examples include medical equipment specific to the special needs of children not normally provided in hospital budgets, purchase of books and materials for use in the development of clinical pathways specific to the treatment of children. Other examples include child-specific medical equipment as used in the Children’s Hospital Transport Program, education programs to improve pediatric care, the production of videotapes, pamphlets and other educational materials, and distribution of child car safety seats that have been funded through CMN grants.

• Clinical Services Grant Guidelines
• Universal Grant Application 

Can CMN funds be used for licensing or certification? 

No.

Can I apply for more than one CMN grant in the same funding cycle? 

Yes. Applicants are able to apply for one grant per year per category (i.e. Research, Clinical Services, Educational Development, etc). Applicants cannot apply for multiple grants under the same category.

Can I apply for a grant if I already have a grant from the previous fiscal year?

Yes. Funding of additional grants will only be considered if the grantee’s progress report for the previous year(s) has been received and progress demonstrated. The new grant submissions should be substantially different from prior applications.

Can I include equipment in our itemized budget?

Yes. Equipment can be included in the itemized budgets, if the intent of the proposal is the purchase of new equipment. However, should there be other sources of funding available, such as capital equipment, hospital unit budget and departmental budgets; these should first be considered. It is expected that lack of availability of other funding sources will be addressed in the budget justification.

What will happen with the funds if they are not spent by the expiration date?

All unspent funds will revert to CMN.

How do I make changes to my grant?

All changes must be submitted as an amendment. This document must include a copy of the original grant, the requested changes and the reason for the change. The amendment will be presented to the CMN Executive Committee for review and approval.

If funds for a conference are requested, must the attendance be within the fiscal year?

Yes. Educational grant applications will not be approved for funding for a conference that was attended prior to the funding cycle or beyond the funding cycle.

Is Volunteer Clinical Faculty eligible for CMN grants?

No. CMN Grants are only available to faculty and staff of UC Davis.

When will I know if my application was approved?

The CMN Executive Committee will meet April 22nd to discuss the applications and approve those recommended for funding by the review committees.

Does the application need to be circulated through the Office of Research?

No. This is an intramural funding program and the application should not be circulated through the Office of Research.

Who do I contact regarding questions on my account?

Nicole Sainz, Extramural Contracts & Grants Analyst — (916) 734-4544

Who do I contact regarding questions on my submission?

Rachel Bennett, CMN Assistant Coordinator – (916) 734-8513

For further information or questions regarding the application process, please contact Rachel Bennett by E-mail at Rachel.Bennett@ucdmc.ucdavis.edu or at (916) 734-8513.

If your questions are specific to the Clinical and Translational Science grants, please contact Alice Tarantal by E-mail at aftarantal@primate.ucdavis.edu or at (530) 752-6680.