Funding/Seed Grants
The Nebraska Center for Substance Abuse Research was established in 2015 with a mission to bring the power of science and research to bear on drug abuse and addiction, thereby improving the quality of life of the affected individuals, while reducing the health care costs in the state of Nebraska through innovative collaborative basic and clinical research, premier education programs, and outreach to those suffering from addiction.
The establishment of the center promotes multidisciplinary neuroscience research activities at the University of Nebraska Medical Center and member institutions to prevent, treat and diagnose degenerative, inflammatory and infectious neurologic disorders in the context of substance abuse. One goal is to provide pilot funds to support cross-campus collaborations among basic and clinical scientists.
The objective of our pilot grant is designed to support innovative pre-clinical translational and clinical research projects to improve investigation, diagnosis and treatment of substance abuse related disorders.
The request for applications focuses on substance abuse and its consequences on the biological functioning within the central nervous system, with the ultimate goal of developing therapeutic strategies aimed at preventing and treating drug addiction and the associated co-morbidities.
A spring 2025 application announcement is forthcoming. Please follow the guidelines and instructions below for applications, as well as for awarded grants.
Guidelines
To be eligible for a Nebraska Center for Substance Abuse Research pilot grant, you must
- Possess a doctoral-level degree.
- Have an academic appointment at or above the instructor (faculty appointment) level at one of our member institutions.
- Be eligible to apply for an independent NIH R application.
Established investigators in another field applying their expertise to drug abuse and addiction and meet the above criteria are welcome to apply. Applications must adhere to several criteria and will undergo a rigorous, objective review process.
Pilot grants are available up to $30,000, funded for up to one calendar year from the award date. Three grants will be awarded
- One for pain research at UNMC.
- Two for other substance abuse work; interdisciplinary and interinstitutional collaborations will be prioritized.
- University of Nebraska Medical Center.
- University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
- University of Nebraska at Kearney.
- University of Nebraska at Omaha.
- Omaha Veterans Administration Medical Center.
- Creighton University.
- Boys Town National Research Hospital.
If your grant application concerns a study that requires approval (e.g. Institutional Animal Care Use Committee, Institutional Review Board, Biosafety, etc.), please complete and include the Regulatory Committee Form.
Regulatory Committee approvals are not required to submit your application; however, applicants are encouraged to submit the study for approval before applying for the pilot grant. These approvals often take several weeks.
If your application is funded, you will not be allowed to spend the award until you e-mail a copy of the approval to Shannon Callen.
- Use a black font of 11 points or larger in Arial, Helvetica, Palatino, Linotype or Georgia in a standard single column of text.
- Type density, including characters and spaces, must be no more than 14 lines per inch. Type may be no more than six lines per inch.
- Use standard paper size of 8 ½” x 11” with at least one-half inch margins (top, bottom, left, right) for all pages. Do not include headers, footers or page numbers.
- Use English and avoid jargon. If terms are not universally known, spell out the term the first time it is used and note the appropriate abbreviation in parentheses. The abbreviation may be used thereafter.
- The limit of four pages for the Research Proposal portion of you proposal must be followed or the proposal will be returned without review and not considered for funding.
- Scientific merit: Grants are evaluated on innovation, feasibility and potential contribution to the current body of knowledge.
- Pilot grant evaluation: Criteria include investigator eligibility, scientific merit, relevance to substance abuse research, and potential for generating subsequent funding and publications. Final funding decisions are made by the center director and steering committee.
- Notification: All applicants will be notified in early fall of their proposal decision. Along with the decision notice, applicants receive copies of the reviewers' critiques without the reviewers' names. The critiques are intended to help applicants improve their studies regardless of the funding decision.
If you receive a pilot grant, you are responsible for working with your department’s fund manager to manage the award. If any funds are left over at the end of your award period, they will be returned to the center. Extensions are not encouraged but will be considered in exceptional circumstances.
If you receive independent National Institutes of Health or equivalent institutional funding for a project that is currently funded by our center, please email the center.
Grant Application Instructions
Please submit the following documents. Required documents are noted by *.
- *Face page: PHS 398 Face Page (Form Page 1).
- *Project abstract and relevance statement: NIH PHS 398 Form Page 2.
- Abstract: Length is limited by the text box. The abstract should describe:
- The goal of the proposed project.
- Issues addressed.
- How success will significantly alter the landscape of drug abuse research in Nebraska.
- Relevance Statement: Using no more than two or three sentences, describe the relevance of this research to public health. In this section, be succinct and use plain language that can be understood by a general lay audience.
- Abstract: Length is limited by the text box. The abstract should describe:
- *Your Biosketch (NIH form; NIH Instructions)
- *Budget (NIH format-Form Page 5)
- *Budget Justification
- *Research Proposal:
- Specific Aims (one page)
- Research Strategy (four pages): Include significance, innovation and approach:
- Include the scientific premise of the proposed research (the strength and weaknesses of the research that is used to form the basis for the proposed research questions.
- May include preliminary data, though not required.
- Experimental design, including steps taken to ensure scientific rigor and transparency (robust and unbiased experimental design, methodology, analysis, interpretation, and reporting of results, explained as appropriate for a pilot project).
- Plans for extramural funding applications (e.g. to National Institutes of Health or other agencies, please specify) upon successful completion of this project.
- Authentication of key biological variables; (not included in Research Strategy page limits).
- Literature cited (not included in Research Strategy page limits.)
- Any letters of support.
- Appendices are not allowed.
Awarded Grants Instructions
- Faculty salary is not allowed
- No office/computer equipment unless justified for the research itself.
- Travel funds are only available for drug abuse meetings; specify meeting title, costs, and justification for expending fund.
- If an awarded grant includes work with humans or animals, approvals from the Institutional Review Board, Institutional Animal Care Use Committee or other review committees must be submitted to Shannon Callen, center administrator, before awarded funds may be spent. See Regulatory Approval section.
- Overspending on the award is not allowed and must be repaid.
- Any funds remaining after the funding period will be returned to the center.
- The Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Neuroscience grant administrator will notify all recipients and the UNMC Sponsored Programs Administration of awards. Sponsored Programs Administration will set up cost center numbers or contracts for each grant awarded. Awardees are responsible for working with their department’s grants manager to monitor and manage their funds and ensure that funds are not overspent. Any adjustments needed to balance the funds are the responsibility of the awardees.
- All awardees must submit written progress reports after six months and a final progress report at the end of the funding period.
- All Pilot Award recipients are required to attend the center's annual meeting and present their project/results.
- As part of their grants, awardees must provide documentation of publications and peer-reviewed funding that result from their award. They are also required to cite the Nebraska Center for Substance Abuse Research support in publications and presentations that are generated by or related to research performed using center funds. Suggested wording: This work was supported in part by the Nebraska Center for Substance Abuse Research Pilot Grant.
