Academic Enrichment Fund

The purpose of the Academic Enrichment Fund (AEF) Program is to cultivate and support the scholarship and research of clinicians who devote the majority of their effort to clinical service and medical education.

The fund is established to support a wide range of activities, including hypothesis-driven investigations, educational programs, research related to patient safety or medical administration, establishment and implementation of registries, etc.

Examples of recently funded projects include:

• Increased incidence of congenital hypothyroidism in Asian infants in Washington state
• Effect of an evidence-based guideline of care for appendicitis on ED throughput and quality
• Does inhaled nitric oxide lower pulmonary pressures while on venovenous extracorporeal life support?
• Are the neurodevelopmental effects of neonatal stress and morphine regulated by miRNAs?
• Effect of Occupation Therapy on Function and Mobility in Supracondylar Humerus Fractures
• Educational value of emergency room simulations

AEF Funding Details

The fund’s annual budget of ≥$350,000 will be administered by Chief Academic Officer Dr. Bruder Stapleton based on recommendations from the Academic Enrichment Fund Committee. The Committee, comprised of Children’s clinicians from varied hospital departments, along with Dr. Stapleton, established eligibility criteria, formulated the application and review processes, and will review and rank the applications.

Funding

• Amount awarded will be a maximum of $25,000 per individual applicant and up to $50,000 for projects that involve multiple eligible investigators from different divisions or departments. Payment of indirect costs is not allowed for this Award.
• Projects are two years in length.
• On average, the program funds 10–12 application per year.

Eligibility criteria

All of the following criteria must be met by the applicant AND any co-applicants to be eligible for an award.

• Must hold an appointment with ≥60% FTE dedicated to clinical service at Seattle Children’s Hospital or a Seattle Children’s satellite.
• No active extramural research support as Principal Investigator (PI) or Co-PI (includes federal, external non-profit, or industry funding) at the time of application submission. Candidates with intramural support are eligible to apply. Candidates with investigator status with ≤10% total combined FTE/salary support on extramurally funded awards are eligible to apply.
• No active AEF support at the time of application submission. Candidates who completed AEF supported projects on/before the application due date are eligible to apply. Final progress reports must have been submitted and approved for any prior AEF projects to be considered complete.
• Academic Enrichment Fund Committee members are not eligible to apply.

Note: The funds are not intended to support the research of established funded investigators. However, an individual who does not meet one or more of these criteria may serve as project “mentor,” provided the roles of the mentor and principal investigator and the independent nature of the principal investigator’s project are clearly delineated in a supporting letter to accompany the application.

Allowable costs

• Personnel (PI salary not allowed)
• Travel (limited to $2K per individual)
• Supplies and research equipment
• Other expenses, such as fees for core services*

* Seattle Children’s/University of Washington core services must be used when available. Detailed justification is required for core service requests outside of Seattle Children’s or the University of Washington.

Key Dates

•  RFA Released: March 29, 2012
• Application Deadline: July 1, 2012
• Review of Applications: July –August 2012
• Award Announcement: September 2012
• Funding Begins: January 1, 2013 (or July 1, 2013)**

** Applicant may delay start of funding to July 1, 2013, to allow sufficient time for IRB or IACUC approval.

Review Process

1. Applications will be reviewed and ranked by the Academic Enrichment Fund Committee.
2. Prioritization will be based on a project’s:
   • Likelihood of enhancing our knowledge of disease, clinical practice or educational mission
   • Having a well-defined outcome or product (such as, but not limited to, a publication)
   • Feasibility within a justified budget 
   • Likelihood of promoting the applicant’s and/or Seattle Children’s academic status
3. Preference will be given to collaborative projects involving multiple departments and/or divisions.
4. All unsuccessful applicants will receive a summary of reviews conducted on their applications.
5. Final funding decisions will be made by the AEF Program Director.
6. Applications will not be reviewed unless they are complete and adhere to the eligibility requirements specified above.

Award Terms and Conditions

1. Seattle Children’s Academic Enrichment Program will grant a cost-reimbursable award of up to $25,000 per individual applicant and up to $50,000 for projects that involve multiple eligible investigators from different divisions or departments. Awardees will receive a Lawson activity number for project-related expenses.
2. AEF awards are non-transferable. They are intended to cultivate and support the scholarship and research of the recipient.
3. A progress report must be submitted to aef@seattlechildrens.org at least 30 days prior to the year 2 project start date. Year 2 support is contingent upon receipt and acceptance of this project report.
4. It is expected that the research will be conducted within the timeline of and as outlined in the submitted proposal. Funds not expended by the end of the project date will be returned to the AEF Program.
5. No-cost extensions require the approval of the Academic Enrichment Fund Committee. All requests for a no-cost extension should be submitted to aef@seattlechildrens.org no less than thirty days prior to the project end date. Only one no-cost extension will be granted and the funds must be expended within one year of the no-cost extension approval.
6. Payment of indirect costs or applicant salary is not allowed for this award.
7. The Recipient must ensure that, before the research commences and during the full Award Period, all the necessary national and local ethical, legal and regulatory requirements to conduct the research are met, and all the necessary licenses and approvals have been obtained.
8. Where the terms and conditions of the Award have not been observed, the AEF Program reserves the right to withdraw the remainder of the award.
9. At the conclusion of the project, a final report will be submitted to aef@seattlechildrens.org within 60 days of project end date.
10. The following support acknowledgement should be included on all publications that result from support by AEF Program funding: "This publication was made possible with support from Seattle Children’s Academic Enrichment Funds Program."

Contact Information

Pre-award application preparation and post-award grant management

Lykheng Huot
AEF Program Administrator
206-884-1131

AEF committee chair

Michael Goldberg 

Biostastical services

Children's Core for Biomedical Statistics