• Primary Appointment:
  • PIs must be full-time faculty whose primary appointment is at UConn/UConn Health.
  • Investigators with primary appointments to CCMC, Jackson Labs, TIP companies, or other institutions are not eligible to lead projects, but they may be named as Co-PIs, collaborators, or consultants on an eligible PI’s project.
  • Proposals that include external Co-PIs should be careful to describe how responsibility for the project will be divided between institutions, and ideally they will include cost-sharing commitments from external partners
• Effort and Salary:
  • Although no minimum effort level is required for CARIC projects, a UConn/UConn Health PI/Co-PI must have departmental research time available during the award period.
  • Research Professors / those whose positions are contingent on grant-funding (soft money positions) serving as co-PI must include details about their institutionally-funded research time as part of the budget justification to confirm eligibility to participate.  Faculty salary is not an allowable cost on CARIC awards.
  • PIs/Co-PIs must each make significant and distinct intellectual contributions to the design and direction of the project.

• Eligible Faculty Ranks:
  • As CARIC awards are intended to seed major externally-funded research centers, they require lead PIs who have the research and administrative experience needed to successfully lead such large-scale efforts. Accordingly, to be eligible for a CARIC award, lead PIs must be tenured Full Professors with a strong record of accomplishments in these areas.

• Application Limits: Eligible faculty may only submit one proposal per year as PI or Co-PI. Investigators may serve as collaborator on multiple projects.

Faculty Applicant Information Form (some information may pre-populate into the form):

• Submitting PI Name
• Home Department
• School/College
• Email
• Phone
• Faculty/Academic Rank
• Primary Employer
• Question - is your position contingent on grant funding?

CARIC Application Form

• Federal Opportunity Targeted: Please name the Federal funder and specific mechanism your team will be targeting. Please include the mechanism's award range and the date you are targeting for submission
• Size of Team: 0-8
• Key Personnel: Co-PIs, department affiliation, role on project
• Project Title:
• Project Abstract / Lay Summary: Succinctly state (for a non-specialist audience) your project's key activities and major goals.
• Results from prior OVPR-funded projects: If you've received funding in the past from OVPR internal seed grants or commercialization grants, please give a brief account of the outcomes of those projects and any research products generated.
• Keywords: List 4-5 keywords relevant to project

Project Plan and Supporting Documents (PDF Uploads)

• Cover Page: Title of Project, Principal investigator(s) with contact information, List of other team members, Specific funding mechanism targeted, Target submission date
• Abstract: A lay summary of the project activities and major goals (no more than 1 page)
• Project Plans: Describe the project, how it will be conducted, and anticipated outcomes. Project plans should address the following areas and should not exceed 10 pages in length.  References should be included and do not count against the page limit.
  • Core Research Questions to be addressed and their significance
  • Summary of proposed externally-funded center/major research project (approach / novelty / organization / anticipated impact on research question)
  • Currently available resources and personnel and how they will support the project
  • Proposed activities under CARIC Award and how they will improve competitiveness for targeted mechanism
  • Management plan describing how resources and personnel will be organized to prepare for external submission
  • Timeline indicating major development milestones leading to submission. This must include milestones being targeted for the end of year 1.
• Budget describing and justifying use of CARIC funds. Please see Internal Funding Budget Guidelines for instructions and a budget template.
• Biosketches / CVs for all PIs and Co-PIs: Please include an updated biosketch consistent with NIH (max 5 pg)/NSF (max 2 pg) format.  If your field is not typically funded by NSF/NIH, please include a brief CV following your discipline’s conventions.
• NSF/NIH-style Letters of support from any facilities providing support during the CARIC award period

• Reporting requirements: PIs will need to prepare a brief report summarizing project progress every six months. At the end of each award year, progress will be evaluated to determine if extension / renewal of the award is justified.
  • Six month Progress Reports (target length 1-3 pages) should include:
    • An account of project activities in the first half of the award period, with an overview of results and achievements realized so far.
    • An overview of the project activities (with revised timeline, if needed) you intend for the final six months of the award period and the milestones you plan to achieve.
    • A basic fiscal update indicating how funds have been spent thus far in each of the approved budget categories.  Details of specific expenditures are not required.
    • Reports should be uploaded to the Quest Portal in PDF format.
• Renewal:  the CARIC program is designed to provide multiple (in most cases up to three) years of funding support for projects that will enable UConn teams to be competitive for large federal funding mechanisms in the near future.  Year 1 awards are given on the strength of initial proposals, and subsequent years of funding can be awarded on the basis of strong results from prior funding years and on the presentation of compelling plans for future activities.  These future plans must demonstrate that further work is needed to achieve competitiveness, and that the activities proposed are necessary for enabling future external funding success.
  • Applications for CARIC renewal should be submitted according to these guidelines:
    • A report on the prior years' activities, results, and accomplishments and how that work has improved the team’s competitiveness for the targeted external opportunity.
    • A project plan for the next year that presents the new aims and timeline, describes how this work will build on prior results to reach larger project goals, and further enable competitiveness for external award.
    • New budget form with justifications.
    • Updated Biosketches for all PI/Co-PI or personnel with key expertise for project success
    • Renewal Applications are limited to 10 pages, plus references, budget, and biosketches.
  • Awardees will receive an invitation to submit a renewal NOI one month before the close of their current funding period.
  • Renewal applications can be accepted any time after NOI completion and will be due no later than 15 days after the end of the current funding period.
  • Note: CARIC awards cannot be renewed to support project activities after the targeted external submission has been made.
• Post-award reporting requirements:
  • PIs will need to prepare a brief report, using this Award Report Template to summarize project progress within one month of posting final expenses unless an extension from the OVPR has been received.
  • Further reports on project outcomes may be requested in the future to track return on investment.