Eligibility: Investigators must be either a full-time CDC employee or a tenured or tenure-track UGA faculty member.

Research Priorities: Successful proposals responsive to the CDC/UGA guidelines for seed award funding will have collaborative, interdisciplinaryinfectious disease research in at least two of the three following broad priority areas:

i.   public health (e.g., infectious diseases,  biostatistics and modeling, surveillance and epidemiology, diagnostics and clinical/public health laboratory science or practice,  and environmental health)

ii.  veterinary medicine (e.g., wildlife, companion animals, surveillance, risk analysis, disease detection and prevention, and human interface)

iii.  ecological science (e.g., climate change, entomology, spatial analysis, mathematical and environmental modeling, environmental exposures/conditions, informatics, and infectious disease ecology)

Seed proposals should approach existing problems from a new perspective and/or use new avenues of investigation. It is strongly encouraged that proposals align where possible with CDC Winnable Battles and strategic priorities. Proposals should be based on a rational hypothesis derived from critical review and analysis of the literature and/or logical reasoning and should demonstrate a collaborative relationship between UGA and CDC research scientists. For more specific information pertaining to CDC’s Winnable Battles and strategic priorities please see the following links:

• http://www.cdc.gov/WinnableBattles/index.html
• http://www.cdc.gov/about/resources/pdf/WBGeneralFAQs_102010.pdf.

Expectations:  Co-Principal Investigators are expected to jointly publish, apply for patents when applicable, present in scientific forums, and explore other funding sources that will support the continuation of the collaboration.  Where applicable, projects are expected to support graduate education, particularly at the interface of veterinary medicine, ecology, and public health.  As appropriate, the transfer of any technology developed into commercialization should be pursued.

Funds Available: CDC and UGA jointly expect to commit a total of $150,000 per year towards awards and anticipate that up to three seed awards will be funded. The maximum award amount is $50,000 per project year ($25,000 for each institution) for one- or two-year durations. Accordingly, the maximum total budget for the two-year project period is $100,000 ($50,000 per institution). Please note that funding is CONTINGENT upon availability of funds. Second year funding is also CONTINGENT upon submission of a satisfactory progress report.

Letter of Intent: CDC and UGA investigators planning to apply for a CDC/UGA collaborative seed award must submit a letter of intent by August 17, 2012.  The LOI should include: a list of the proposed collaborators with their institutional affiliations, up to five keywords describing the research area covered by the proposal, and a paragraph describing the nature of the collaborative research.

LOI’s should be sent via email both to: Laura Thompson (lthompson2@cdc.gov) and Sharon Milton (smilton@uga.edu)

Full Proposal Submission Instructions: Proposals must identify a Co-Principal Investigator from each institution. Each investigator must be a full time employee (for CDC) or a permanent tenured or tenure-track faculty member (for UGA). Co-Principal Investigators cannot be funded simultaneously for more than one seed award under this Program. Investigators should not submit more than one proposal to be considered.

An identical proposal should be submitted to both institutions, including:

1.  Cover page   Include the title of the proposal, names of co-investigators and departmental affiliations, email addresses, telephone numbers, and total funding amount requested.

2.  Abstract (up to 250 words). State the goals and objectives, the collaborative nature of the project, and the projected outcome.

3.  Research description (6 pages maximum for Items A through D, exclusive of references; single spaced, 12pt. font). A well-written concise narrative research description is imperative.  It should include sufficient information needed for purposes of rigorous peer review of the project, independent of any other document.

a. Problem Statement and Specific Aims (1 page or less). (i) Briefly define the problem or recognized need that the proposal addresses, and include the scope and magnitude of the problem or issue.  (ii) Identify the gaps that the project is intended to fill. (iii) List the objectives and the goal of the proposed research.

b. Background and Significance (1 page or less). Briefly sketch the background leading to the present project.  In addition, state concisely the importance and public health relevance of the research described in the proposal.

c. Research Design and Methods (3 pages or less). Describe the research design, major methods to be used, how the data will be collected, analyzed, and interpreted, and criteria for success of the proposed studies.

d. Feasibility and Collaboration (1 page or less). Briefly provide information to establish the experience and competence of the investigators to pursue the proposed project in the near and longer term.  Describe the collaborative nature of the research project including the activities for which each Co-PI will have responsibilities.  Include potentially novel collaborations that may be formed as a result of the research (e.g., any proposed interdisciplinary collaborations with other scientists from disparate fields).

4. Timeline and Projected Plans (1 page or less). Provide a timetable for completing each specific aim; where appropriate include specific milestones for evaluating progress for each aim. Describe possible avenues for garnering future full funding, including a timeline. Where applicable, present a brief plan for potential publications and patent disclosures.

5. Biosafety and animal care issues (1 page or less). Where applicable, identify and briefly address issues related to biosafety (where BSL-3 or higher containment is required), and animal use (justify need for animals and number required and briefly outline details regarding handling, euthanasia, minimizing discomfort, etc.).

6. References (2 pages or less).

7. Biosketches (4 pages or less each). Provide biosketches for all key personnel using the PHS 398 format: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/phs398/biosketchsample.doc

8. Budget and Budget Justification.  The budget and budget justification detailing proposed expenditures must be presented  for each institution. Personnel costs, fringe benefits, materials and supplies, equipment, and travel between CDC and UGA or to meetings and conferences are appropriate budget items. Indirect costs are inappropriate budget items.  Annual budgets for each institution are capped at $25,000 ($50,000 total); the two-year project period is capped at $50,000 for each institution ($100,000).

9. Routing sheet:

For CDC staff: a CDC Routing and Transmittal Slip (CDC Optional Form 41 or 0.41A) should be used to indicate supervisory approval – proposals must have appropriate internal approval prior to submission.

For UGA: a Transmittal Sheet will be required only for those proposals selected for funding and will be requested with award notification.

REPORTS: A progress report will be due by the end of the first year. Lack of satisfactory project progress by the PI at either institution may result in discontinuation of funding. Recipients of Seed Funding awards must submit a final report of their activities to both Program Co-Directors no later than 30 days following the end of the project. Reporting requirements will be included in award letters.

POLICIES: Each Co-PI will be responsible for adhering to all legal requirements, applicable regulations, and established policies of their respective institution. This includes, but is not limited to, policies and requirements for 1) reporting of employee inventions; 2) clearance of publications; 3) following safety regulations and procedures; and 4) abiding by ethical guidelines. It is anticipated that final project approval clearance will take all such requirements and procedures into consideration. Where projects involve graduate student dissertation research, the student will have complete and timely access to data for the purpose of completing their dissertation. Where a delayed release date might be necessary due to the proprietary nature of the data, this should be clearly communicated to the student in advance.

Proposals will be evaluated by a Peer Review Committee composed of scientists from UGA and CDC. Awards will be made based on scientific and technical merit according to the following criteria:

Significance and Impact: Does this research address an important problem? How will completion of the aims of the proposal advance scientific knowledge and impact public health?

Approach: Are the conceptual framework, design, methods, and analyses adequately developed, well integrated, well reasoned, and appropriate to the aims of the project?

Innovation: Is the project original and innovative? Does it advance the field?

Feasibility:  Is the proposed project feasible?  Can the studies be completed within the project period?

Investigators: Are the Co-PIs and other research team members appropriately trained and well suited to carry out this work? Is the proposed work appropriate to the experience level of the Co-PIs and other researchers? Do the Co-PIs and research team bring complementary and integrated expertise to the project?

Collaboration: Is the proposed research project truly collaborative in nature? Is the
collaboration well defined?

Potential for Yielding Additional Funding: How strong are the potential and plans for securing future funding?

CDC/UGA seed funding proposals must be received at both institutions by August 31, 2012. Proposals should be submitted in both email and hard copy format (3 copies) to BOTH institutional contacts simultaneously.

THE CDC CO-PI FOR THE PROJECT SHOULD DIRECT QUESTIONS ABOUT SCIENTIFIC AND/OR RESEARCH ISSUES TO:

Sheree Marshall Williams, MSc, Ph.D. Senior Behavioral Scientist
Office of the Associate Director for Science, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 1600 Clifton Road NE, Mailstop D-72 Atlanta, GA 30333
Phone: 404-639-7742 / Email: smw6@cdc.gov.

SUBMIT THE EMAIL AND 3 HARDCOPIES OF THE PROPOSAL TO:

Laura Thompson
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention / Office of Public Health Research
1600 Clifton Rd., NE / Mailstop D-72 / Atlanta, GA 30333
Phone: 404-639-4807 / FAX 404-639-4903 / Email: lthompson2@cdc.gov

THE UGA CO-PI FOR THE PROJECT SHOULD DIRECT QUESTIONS ABOUT SCIENTIFIC AND/OR RESEARCH ISSUES TO:

Duncan C. Krause, Ph.D.
Professor and Director, Faculty of Infectious Diseases
019 Riverbend South Research labs / University of Georgia / Athens, GA 30602
Phone: 706-542-2671 / Email: dkrause@uga.edu

SUBMIT THE EMAIL AND 3 HARDCOPIES OF THE PROPOSAL TO:

Sharon Milton
BHSI / S150 Paul D. Coverdell Center / University of Georgia / Athens, GA 30602
Phone: 706-542-5922 / Email: smilton@uga.edu

• “Ecological and Anthropogenic Drivers of Vampire Bat-Transmitted Rabies Outbreaks”
  S. Altizer, P. Rohani – UGA; C. Rupprect - CDC
• “High Sensitivity Nano-Optical Method to Detect Measles Virus in Clinical Samples”
  R. Dluhy, R. Tripp – UGA; P. Rota – CDC
• “Development of Simple, Field-Usable Molecular Tools for the Diagnosis of Malaria”
  J. Kissinger – UGA; V. Udhayakumar - CDC
• “Aerosol Delivery of a Virus-Like-Particle Vaccine  against H5N1 Avian Influenza in Poultry”
  E. Mundt, H. Sellers – UGA; M. Papania, R. Donis – CDC
• “Ecosystem and Human Health: Understanding Ecological Effects of Prescribed Fire Regimes on the Distribution and Population Dynamics of Tick-Borne Zoonoses”
  M. Yabsley, S. Hernandez-Divers – UGA; M. Levin, R. Massung - CDC
• “Climate-Change Based Predictive Modeling of Rising Vibrio Illness in the U.S.”
  E. Lipp – UGA; E. Barzilay – CDC
•  “Low-Cost, High Throughput and Efficiency Microfluidic Platform for Cell Enrichment in HPV Cervical Cancer Screening”
  L. Mao – UGA; E. Unger – CDC
•  “Genetic Diversity and Clinical Correlates in Plasmodium Field Isolates”
  D. Peterson – UGA; V. Udhayakumar - CDC