Research

Joint Research Grant Call

The Infectious Diseases Translational Research Program (ID-TRP) recently organised a joint workshop with the Institute for Health Innovation & Technology (iHealthtech) at the National University of Singapore (NUS) to seek potential synergies in the two entities to explore innovations for better translation of potential therapies, pathogen detection, vaccine development and disease control.

Arising from the success of this workshop, ID-TRP, in conjunction with iHealthtech, NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine and Faculty of Engineering, with support from DPRT are jointly launching a seed grant call to support projects in the area of “Technological Innovations in Infectious Diseases”.

General Information

• This grant call is open to PIs from NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine and Faculty of Engineering, ID-TRP and the iHealthtech.
• The funding quantum of each proposal will be up to S$100K for a period of up to two (2) years maximum.
• This funding can be used to support manpower, small equipment and consumables purchases, and one travel conference.
• All applications will be subjected to a thorough peer-review process by an expert panel.
• Principal Investigator (PI) will be required to submit a one (1) page annual progress report and a two (2) pages final report on the achievement of the project no later than 3 months after the end of the grant.

Funding Criteria

• Innovativeness (Is the idea novel and useful?)
• Translational Value (Does it address a substantial unmet need in health?)
• Collaborative spirit (Is the research interdisciplinary and involving collaboration with different faculties and departments within NUS and/or NUHS?)
• PI and team member’s track record (Is the team capable?)
• Potential for further industry or academic funding (What is the plan beyond this seed grant?)

Eligibility Information

Applicants for this grant must meet all of the following requirements:

• This grant call is open to PIs from NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, IDP-TRP, iHealthtech and Faculty of Engineering.
• One PI is allowed to lead one proposal only.
• The PI must hold, at the point of application, a primary appointment with NUS (minimum from assistant professor onwards) and with a minimum of nine months resident service with the primary employer, NUS, per calendar year in Singapore.
• PI and Co-I(s) must have at least a PhD or MD/MBBS/BDS qualification.
• PI must have a laboratory or clinical research program that carries out research in NUS.
• PI with multiple appointments is to select one host Faculty or Department for matters related to grant administration and finance.
• Proposal should articulate plans to apply for future competitive external funding or technology commercialisation in the direction of Proof of Concept.
• Research projects must obtain full ethics approval (applicable for projects involving cells, humans or animals etc.) and other research-related approvals from relevant authorities upon award of funding.
• Each project team must comprise at least 1 member from ID-TRP or 1 member from iHealthtech as PI or Co-I. There is no restriction on numbers or institution of Co-Is and collaborators.
• For the avoidance of doubt, Co-I(s) from outside of NUS will not be allocated any of the seed grant budget.

The following will NOT be considered for funding:

• Funding is for new research ideas, not for supplementing existing projects or collaborations.
• Research that is conducted primarily outside of NUS.
• Research on COVID-19 will be excluded as there have been several grant calls related to the topic.
• Parallel submission of grant application is not allowed. Applicants should not submit for consideration either similar versions or parts of similar grant applications.

Application Details

Please click the links below for application documents and links:

Appication Form: ID TRP- iHealthtech Grant Call 2020

Budget Phasing: Technological Innovations For Infectious Diseases Translation Budget Phasing

Grant Endorsement Form

Please use the Grant Endorsement Form specific to your department if available: Grant Endorsement Form

Research Compliance: https://staffportal.nus.edu.sg/staffportal/research/apply/prepare-proposal-iv.html

Softcopy of submission (one MS Word file and one PDF with the e-signatures and/or approval from HOD and Dean/Vice Dean by emails) from iHealthtech and NUS Faculty of Engineering should be emailed to Dr Donny Liang.

Softcopy of submission (one MS Word file and one PDF with the e-signatures and/or approval from HOD and Dean/Vice Dean by emails) from ID-TRP and NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine should be emailed to Mrs Mayvien Teo.

All proposals should be submitted to ID-TRP or iHealthtech offices by 30 November 2020 (Extended to 4 Jan 2021).