US-Ireland R&D Partnership Programme Planning Grant:

Applications to NIH

Please read in detail the SFI/HRB Call Document relating to Applications to the NIH under the US-Ireland R&D Partnership programme in advance of submitting a US-Ireland Planning grant

Aim: The aim of the planning grant is to provide support to researchers in Ireland to travel to the United States in order to develop the tri-partite proposal with their US collaborators. Planning grants are not a pre-requisite for RoI researchers who intend to submit a formal tri-partite application to the NIH; they are intended as a vehicle to facilitate development of the tri-partite application.

1.  To enable Irish-based researchers to travel to the US to meet with pre-identified collaborators for a period of no more than 10 days.

2.  To facilitate development of a joint, comprehensive and inclusive tri-partite proposal, for subsequent submission to the NIH.

3.  The output from the Planning Grant award should enable the development of world-class research proposals in Health for submission to the NIH, typically as an R01 application or other instrument identified by the Irish funders.

Eligibility: Please review the eligibility criteria as outlined in Section 6 of the call document. US-Ireland planning grants are available to applicants who have submitted the mandatory Intention To Submit form. If the mandatory Intention To Submit form has not been submitted, it can be submitted in parallel with the planning grant application.

Funding: Planning grants for RoI partners are funded by HRB and SFI, and by Invest NI for NI partners. Planning grants offer funds for travel and accommodation up to a level of €5,000 for lead applicants in the RoI, and £3,000 for lead applicants in NI. The HRB/SFI US-Ireland R&D Partnership Planning Grants are not subject to an overhead contribution.

Application Procedure: Please complete the planning grant application form in Appendix 1, the Intention To Submit form (if not already completed-see Appendix 2), and provide letters of support from the host partner in the US. This information should be combined into a single pdf document and be submitted to HRB no later than 5 weeks in advance of the deadline for close-to-final draft tripartite proposal submissions. Completed applications, signed and stamped by the lead RoI applicant and the responsible signatory at the research institution should be emailed directly to: . For any queries please contact

Review process: Applications are accepted on a rolling call basis. Applications will be reviewed by SFI and HRB staff who will consider the following:

-  That the team assembled contributes relevant expertise to execute the proposed research programme which goes beyond what might be achieved by any one investigator working alone supported by national funding only.

-  The quality of the partners’ plans for interaction.

-  That the budget is well-justified and represents value for money

Post-Award Reporting: Once travel has been completed, please email HRB at within 45 days of your return, with the following details:

-  Your planned date for submission of the draft tri-partite proposal to HRB; please note the draft tri-partite proposal must be submitted to HRB at least 6 weeks in advance of the NIH deadline.

-  If you are not planning a submission within 9 months of your return date, please submit a short report outlining the reason for the delay in submission, the activities undertaken with the US and Northern Ireland collaborators, and an update on the current status of the proposed collaborators funding request.

Appendix 1: Planning Grant Application Form

HRB/SFI US-Ireland R&D Partnership Programme Planning Grant / NIH INSTITUTE, FUNDING OPPORTUNITY ANNOUNCEMENT (if available) and CLOSING DATE FOR APPLICATIONS:
TITLE OF PROPOSAL (up to 30 words)
NAME OF HOST INSTITUTION / TITLE & FULL NAME OF LEAD REPUBLIC OF IRELAND CONTACT
REQUESTED PLANNING GRANT BUDGET DIRECT COSTS (euro) / Intention to Submit Code (if applicable)
PLANNED TRAVEL DATES / Is NI collaborator also travelling Y/N
Signatures below confirm acceptance and agreement with HRB/SFI grants and awards Terms and Conditions, and that the institution ensures the applicant meets eligibility requirements, and that the project is in full agreement with all legal and regulatory matters governing research in Ireland, and no aspect of this project is already being funded from another source and all details provided are correct.
INSTITUTIONAL SIGNATORY AUTHORITY
Name (print):
Position:
Email:
Correspondence Address:
Signed:
Date: / LEAD Republic of Ireland CONTACT
Signed:
Date:


Section 1: Objectives and work plan of the planned visit (approx. half page)

Section 2: Planning Grant budget and justification (approx. half page)

Planning Grant Budget
Subsistence
Travel
Accommodation

Budget justification – please provide details of the requested budget

Section 3:

Letter of support from host US partner.

Appendix 2: Mandatory Intention to Submit Form

For RoI applicants to the NIH, please complete the relevant sections and submit in the form of an Adobe pdf document to

For Northern Ireland candidates, please complete the relevant sections and submit in the form of an Adobe pdf document to

This form must be submitted to the relevant funding agencies, North and South, via the Research Body Research Offices of the RoI and NI lead applicant respectively at least 10 weeks in advance of the full proposal deadline at NIH.

Section 1: Contact Details and eligibility[1] of applicants/co-applicants

Please insert another table as required if co-applicants exist

RoI Applicant Contact Details

Title
Name
Department
Institution
Telephone
Email
Eligibility: / (i) Contract status
(ii) Qualifying research award: awarding body, grant title, grant #, funding period
(iii) Year PhD awarded
(iv) If you currently hold a US-Ireland award, when did the award commence?

NI Applicant Contact Details

Title
Name
Department
Institution
Telephone
Email
Eligibility / (i) Contract status
(ii) Year PhD awarded
(iii) Qualifying research award: awarding body, grant title, grant #, funding period
(iv) If you currently hold a US-Ireland award, when did the award commence?

US Applicant Contact Details

Title
Name
Department
Institution
Address
Telephone
Email
Eligibility / NOT REQUIRED

Submission by Research Office required to inform them about the submission and to confirm eligibility

Section 2: NIH INSTITUTE and PROGRAMME DETAILS

Target NIH Institute
NIH Programme
Submission Deadline

Section 3: APPLICATION OVERVIEW

Proposed topic, title of proposal, abstract

Proposed Topic
Title of proposal
Abstract (max 250 words)
RoI: / Highlight area of speciality which the RoI partner is contributing to the proposal
Indicative total direct costs likely to be requested for RoI / €
NI: / Highlight area of speciality which the NI partner is contributing to the proposal
Indicative total budget figure likely to be requested for NI / £
US: / Highlight area of speciality which the US partner is contributing to the proposal
Indicative total budget figure likely to be requested for US / $

[1] Please review the eligibility criteria in Section 6 of the US-Ireland R&D Partnership programme guidance to applicants to the NIH and provide details confirming the eligibility of the applicant and any co-applicants to apply to the US-Ireland R&D Partnership programme. This is ONLY required for the RoI and NI applicants/co-applicants and NOT for the US applicants.