Applicants may request up to $5,000 (direct costs only). The Research Completion Awards are intended to provide support for on-going research by allowing investigators to request funds for research related expenses necessary for completion of the research project. They cannot be utilized to initiate research. Funds are available for costs such as:

• Shared Resource Expenses (i.e. Analytical and Translational Genomics, Animal Models, Behavioral Measurement and Population Science, Bioinformatics, Fluorescence Microscopy and Cell Imaging, Flow Cytometry and High Throughput Screening, Human Tissue Repository and Tissue Analysis, etc.)
• Qualitative research equipment such as audio or video recorders, etc.
• Transcription fees
• Software licenses
• Mileage/travel expenses
• Graphics/web expenses
• Research materials such as participant honoraria, project specific supplies, etc.
• Consultant fees

Projects are not renewable and investigators can only be PI on one project. Researchers can receive one Research Completion Award per year. Non-allowable expenses for this funding mechanism include:

• Overhead/F&A Costs
• Faculty or administrative staff salary
• Training (e.g. statistical training, other)
• Graduate student tuition
• Equipment (over $5000)
• Conference Travel (or mileage not related to data collection, etc.)

• Investigator at an institution within GMaP Region 3 (see above).
• Investigator must be a Predoctoral student, Postdoctoral student, New Investigator or Early Stage (ESI) Investigator.
• Investigator must intend to apply for funding via one of the Continuing Umbrella of Research Experiences (CURE) mechanisms within the next two years (see https://www.cancer.gov/about-nci/organization/crchd/diversity-training/cure)

The application must:

Be in at least one of the following categories of focus: Population-based Research, Basic Science Research, or Clinical/Translational Research.

• Focus on Cancer and/or CHD research and have the potential to lead to peer-reviewed external funding and/or publications.
• Include the research project’s overall Specific Aims, Significance, Innovation, Approach, and Environment (3-5 pages maximum).
• Include a one-page career and professional development plan including a timeline for an application to a Continuing Umbrella of Research Experiences (CURE) mechanism, such as a K01, K08, K22, K23, F31, R03, R18, R21, R34 etc.
• Include an NIH biosketch.
• Include a one-page letter of support/recommendation from the applicant’s mentor or department chair.
• Include a Scope of Work (maximum 2 pages) and a detailed budget explaining how all costs will be spent by August 31, 2017, and justification. Clearly state the request and total costs of this research support requested and describe how funds requested will be allocated.

Accepted applications are evaluated for the following:

• Scientific merit
• Potential for the proposal to lead to peer reviewed external funding, publications and competitive extramural funding (e.g. R01, R03, K series, etc.)
• Appropriateness of the career development plan
• Appropriateness of budget for the proposed work
• Feasibility to complete work by August 31, 2017

The GMaP Region 3 Steering Committee will conduct a peer-review of the pilot funding applications. The GMaP Region 3 Steering Committee members are a diverse group of faculty from GMaP Region 3 partner institutions representing all disciplines of Cancer and Cancer Health Disparities Research. NIH scoring scale will be used, and the scores will guide the selection of awardees.

The GMaP Region 3 Research Completion Awards carry several important obligations and responsibilities. Specifically, award recipients agree to the following:

• Awardees must have appropriate institutional regulatory approvals and status before funds will be allocated.
• Awardees must submit, no later than November 31, 2017, a two-page report. This report is submitted via email and describes: 1) pilot project progress and results, 2) all publications and funding resulting from the project, and 3) future directions.
• These funds must be spent by August 31, 2017. It is expected that the grantee will completely utilize the full amount of funding during the 1-year term of the award.
• Awardees must acknowledge GMaP Region 3 in any publications or presentations related to their award by including the statement below:

Statement: Funding provided by the Geographic Management of Cancer Health Disparities Program (GMaP) Region 3, a Supplement of the National Institutes of Health grant P30 CA118100 (Willman, CL). The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.