All investigators considering whether to submit an application for this award are encouraged to contact us at ithspilots@uw.edu or through the form at the bottom of the page. ITHS can provide referrals to possible collaborators and consultants who could assist with the development of your project.
Frequently Asked Questions
ITHS › Frequently Asked Questions
Collaboration Innovation Awards
Do our suggested reviewers need to be a part of the University of Washington?
No. A reviewer may come from any academic institution, community-based organization, or industry leader. A general note about conflict of interest: A reviewer would have a conflict of interest if they are the applicant’s mentor, department chair, spouse, or close relative; or if they currently work together on manuscripts, grants, community-based work, or business ventures. Simply being in the same department or division is not, in and of itself, a conflict of interest.
What does “total costs” mean? Are there any restrictions on indirect costs applied to these awards?
Award amounts are provided in total costs. The maximum award amount includes both direct and indirect costs (if applicable). Applicants should ensure that their total project budget, including combined direct and indirect costs, does not exceed the maximum award amount.
Applicant institutions must use a rate no higher than the approved, federally recognized indirect cost rate negotiated between the applicant institution and the federal government. ITHS would like to maximize funds to directly support the investigator’s research and encourages investigators to work with their Office of Sponsored Programs to obtain a waiver to reduce indirect costs on the project. Indirect costs are waived for applicants from the University of Washington as this is an internal grant. University of Washington applicants should therefore not include indirect costs in their proposed budgets.
The Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center and Seattle Children’s have agreed to consider requests for indirect cost waivers for ITHS pilot awards from their faculty.
- ITHS members whose research program is based at Fred Hutch who wish to apply for ITHS pilot awards are required to go through the Fred Hutch standard institutional procedure for requesting a waiver of facilities and administrative (F&A) costs.
- ITHS members whose research program is based at Seattle Children’s who wish to apply for ITHS pilot awards are required to go through the Seattle Children’s standard institutional procedure for requesting a waiver of F&A costs.
Are there any formatting requirements?
Applications will follow National Institutes of Health (NIH) formatting guidelines, including the following:
Font (size, color, type density) and Line Spacing
- Font size: must be 11 points or larger (smaller text in figures, graphs, diagrams and charts is acceptable as long as it is legible when the page is viewed at 100%).
- Type density: must be no more than 15 characters per linear inch (including characters and spaces)
- Line spacing: must be no more than six lines per vertical inch.
- Text color: must be black (color text in figures, graphs, diagrams, charts, tables, footnotes and headings is acceptable).
- We recommended the following fonts, although other fonts (both serif and non-serif) are acceptable if they meet the above requirements:
- Arial
- Garamond
- Georgia
- Helvetica
- Palatino Linotype
- Times New Roman
- Verdana
Citations
- We do not require a specific citation format.
Paper Size and Margins
- Use paper size no larger than standard letter paper size (8 ½” x 11”).
- Provide at least one-half inch margins (top, bottom, left, and right) for all pages. No applicant-supplied information can appear in the margins.
ITHS requires the applicant to designate one of the PIs as the Contact PI. This person is responsible for communication between the PIs and ITHS but has no special authorities or responsibilities within the project team. In many ways, a Contact PI is analogous to a corresponding author on a publication. The Contact PI must serve as a member of the PI team and must meet all eligibility requirements for PI status. In those projects where there is an identified project coordinator, the coordinator could serve as Contact PI or that role could be assigned to another PI. It will be possible, and may even be desirable, for the grantee institution to periodically designate a change in Contact PI. For example, it may be desirable to rotate the role of Contact PI among the multiple PIs on an annual basis at the time of grant renewal. Note that the Contact PI must be associated with the applicant/awardee institution.
Do you expect the PI or Co-PI to have a specific amount of effort committed in the form of salary?
ITHS will follow NIH Policy: Each PI must have a measurable effort (greater than zero), and the level of effort must be adequate to achieve the proposed goals. The PI and other individuals who contribute to the scientific development or execution of a project in a substantive, measurable way, whether or not they receive salaries or compensation under the grant. Typically, these individuals have doctoral or other professional degrees, although individuals at the master’s or baccalaureate level may be considered senior/key personnel if their involvement meets this definition. Consultants and those with a postdoctoral role also may be considered senior/key personnel if they meet this definition. Senior/key personnel must devote measurable effort to the project whether or not salaries or compensation are requested. “Zero percent” effort or “as needed” are not acceptable levels of involvement for those designated as senior/key personnel.
Can funds be dispersed prior to IRB approval to aid the application process?
No, funds cannot be dispersed until IRB approval is confirmed. Applicants will have the opportunity to provide just-in-time approvals prior to the start date.
ITHS is funded through a CTSA grant from NIH’s National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS). NCATS requires the review and approval of all pilot grants involving human subjects research before funds are released. Therefore, if your proposal is awarded funding and involves human subjects research, additional documentation will be required. NCATS review and IRB review can be concurrent, but final NCATS approval is contingent upon IRB approval.
Research Innovation Awards
How could I find out whether my project is a good fit for this award?
All investigators considering whether to submit an application for this award are encouraged to contact us at ithspilots@uw.edu or through the form at the bottom of the page. ITHS can provide referrals to possible collaborators and consultants who could assist with the development of your project.
What does “total costs” mean? Are there any restrictions on indirect costs applied to these awards?
Award amounts are provided in total costs. The maximum award amount includes both direct and indirect costs (if applicable). Applicants should ensure that their total project budget, including combined direct and indirect costs, does not exceed the maximum award amount.
Applicant institutions must use a rate no higher than the approved, federally recognized indirect cost rate negotiated between the applicant institution and the federal government. ITHS would like to maximize funds to directly support the investigator’s research and encourages investigators to work with their Office of Sponsored Programs to obtain a waiver to reduce indirect costs on the project. Indirect costs are waived for applicants from the University of Washington as this is an internal grant. University of Washington applicants should therefore not include indirect costs in their proposed budgets.
The Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center and Seattle Children’s have agreed to consider requests for indirect cost waivers for ITHS pilot awards from their faculty.
- ITHS members whose research program is based at Fred Hutch who wish to apply for ITHS pilot awards are required to go through the Fred Hutch standard institutional procedure for requesting a waiver of facilities and administrative (F&A) costs.
- ITHS members whose research program is based at Seattle Children’s who wish to apply for ITHS pilot awards are required to go through the Seattle Children’s standard institutional procedure for requesting a waiver of F&A costs.
Are there any formatting requirements?
Applications will follow National Institutes of Health (NIH) formatting guidelines, including the following:
Font (size, color, type density) and Line Spacing
- Font size: must be 11 points or larger (smaller text in figures, graphs, diagrams and charts is acceptable as long as it is legible when the page is viewed at 100%).
- Type density: must be no more than 15 characters per linear inch (including characters and spaces)
- Line spacing: must be no more than six lines per vertical inch.
- Text color: must be black (color text in figures, graphs, diagrams, charts, tables, footnotes and headings is acceptable).
- We recommended the following fonts, although other fonts (both serif and non-serif) are acceptable if they meet the above requirements:
- Arial
- Garamond
- Georgia
- Helvetica
- Palatino Linotype
- Times New Roman
- Verdana
Citations
- We do not require a specific citation format.
Paper Size and Margins
- Use paper size no larger than standard letter paper size (8 ½” x 11”).
- Provide at least one-half inch margins (top, bottom, left, and right) for all pages. No applicant-supplied information can appear in the margins.
ITHS requires the applicant to designate one of the PIs as the Contact PI. This person is responsible for communication between the PIs and ITHS but has no special authorities or responsibilities within the project team. In many ways, a Contact PI is analogous to a corresponding author on a publication. The Contact PI must serve as a member of the PI team and must meet all eligibility requirements for PI status. In those projects where there is an identified project coordinator, the coordinator could serve as Contact PI or that role could be assigned to another PI. It will be possible, and may even be desirable, for the grantee institution to periodically designate a change in Contact PI. For example, it may be desirable to rotate the role of Contact PI among the multiple PIs on an annual basis at the time of grant renewal. Note that the Contact PI must be associated with the applicant/awardee institution.
Do you expect the PI or Co-PI to have a specific amount of effort committed in the form of salary?
ITHS will follow NIH Policy: Each PI must have measurable effort (greater than zero), and the level of effort must be adequate to achieve the proposed goals. The PI and other individuals who contribute to the scientific development or execution of a project in a substantive, measurable way, whether or not they receive salaries or compensation under the grant. Typically, these individuals have doctoral or other professional degrees, although individuals at the masters or baccalaureate level may be considered senior/key personnel if their involvement meets this definition. Consultants and those with a postdoctoral role also may be considered senior/key personnel if they meet this definition. Senior/key personnel must devote measurable effort to the project whether or not salaries or compensation are requested. “Zero percent” effort or “as needed” are not acceptable levels of involvement for those designated as senior/key personnel.
Can funds be dispersed prior to IRB approval to aid the application process?
No, funds cannot be dispersed until IRB approval is confirmed. Applicants will have the opportunity to provide just-in-time approvals prior to the start date.
ITHS is funded through a CTSA grant from NIH’s National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS). NCATS requires the review and approval of all pilot grants involving human subjects research before funds are released. Therefore, if your proposal is awarded funding and involves human subjects research, additional documentation will be required. NCATS review and IRB review can be concurrent, but final NCATS approval is contingent upon IRB approval.