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Research Resources

Introduction to Funding at the Medical College of Wisconsin

Securing funding is an important link in the research chain. Provided below are a few foundational resources for investigators, including search tools and other helpful information. For inquiries on these or other funding topics, please contact the Office of Research.

Getting Started

Register for eBridge

MCW uses the eBridge system for all funding proposal development and submission. Investigators should register for eBridge upon arrival at MCW to be able to initiate new funding proposals. The Research Systems team also offers eBridge training, including the course Funding Proposals and Budgets in eBridge.

Principal Investigator Eligibility

Individuals with the faculty rank of Professor, Associate Professor and Assistant Professor, who are employed by MCW Full-Time or with Full Professional Effort are automatically eligible to serve as a Principal Investigator for sponsored awards in the academic department where their faculty appointment is held. Additionally, these faculty whose appointment start date is in the future may obtain the PI role and submit proposals for Sponsored Awards provided the project start date is not prior to the individual’s appointment start date.

Support for Funding Proposals

Investigators should partner with the grant support staff and administrative leadership in their department to support funding searches, proposal development and submission in eBridge, and award management activities. The MCW Grants & Contracts Office, which is a unit in the Office of Research, supports MCW investigators and research staff in submitting competitive, compliant, and high- quality funding proposals via eBridge. The GCO manages all pre-award submissions on behalf of the institution and publishes a grant deadline schedule on the GCO intranet. The Office of Sponsored Programs supports all post-award activity and assists with grant management.

Identifying Funding Opportunities

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Use Pivot Search Tool
The Pivot Tool is a database of federal and governmental funding opportunities, as well as non-profit and philanthropic opportunities. Pivot allows you to set up a profile with custom searches and can notify you when new funding opportunities are released that meet your criteria. Set filters by research area, sponsor, funding amount, deadline, and more.
Databases and Listservs
  • Grants.gov is a searchable database of all active federal funding opportunities including the NIH, National Science Foundation, Department of Defense, and more.
  • eBRAP Listserv (Electronic Biomedical Research Application Portal) allows you to select from a list of Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs for which you want to be notified when a new funding opportunity is released.
Internal Funding Opportunities

*Intranet access required

Application Support

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External Review Program

The External Review Program* facilitates a full NIH style review of applications for R01 and K-level grants from an outside reviewer. Reviewers receive a $750 honorarium. Following preset program deadlines, applicants should first submit an intake form to target the appropriate NIH funding cycle. This program is available at no cost to applicants and is available through the Office of Research and the Clinical & Translational Science Institute.

*Intranet access required

Pre-Award Support Services (PASS)
Through the Pre-Award Support Services (PASS) Program*, the Grants & Contracts Office produces a series of resources, templates, and checklists for NIH applications.

*Intranet access required
Limited Funding Opportunity Review and Selection
Some opportunities may only permit one or an otherwise limited number of candidates from the same institution. For certain prestigious foundation funding opportunities, such as the Searle Scholars or the Pew Biomedical Scholars, the Office of Research will release a special “F2” announcement outlining the internal application process. The Cancer Center will manage the selection for cancer-focused opportunities such as American Cancer Society and St. Baldrick’s Foundation. Other opportunities may be open on a first-come, first-served basis. If you are interested in applying for limited opportunity, please consult with the Office of Research to understand the nomination procedure.

About the NIH Loan Repayment Program

The NIH offers Loan Repayment Programs (LRPs) which may pay up to $50,000 of your qualified student loan debt per year for individuals conducting research in one of six programs: Clinical Research, Pediatric Research, Health Disparities Research, Contraception and Infertility Research, Clinical Research for Individuals from Disadvantaged Backgrounds, Research in Emerging Area Critical to Human Health (REACH).

Eligibility

  • You must be a U.S. citizen, U.S. national, or permanent resident of the U.S.
  • You must have a health professional doctoral degree (MD, PhD, PharmD, PsyD, DO, DDS, DMD, DPM, DC, ND, OD, DVM, or equivalent doctoral degree) from an accredited institution
  • You must have total qualified educational debt equal to or in excess of 20 percent of your institutional base salary at the time of award
  • You must engage in qualified research for an average of at least 20 hours per week during each quarterly service period of your LRP award
  • For complete details on eligibility, please review NIH Division of Loan Repayment Eligibility of Individuals

Assistance & Resources

Please direct inquiries to David Evans, (414) 955-8578, in the Office of Faculty Affairs and Leadership Development.

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