Seed Grant RFA

Written Application Due:

December 2, 2024 (by midnight)

Start Date:

March 1, 2025

2025 Seed Grants Request for Applications

In partnership with the Department of Surgery, Division of Surgical Sciences

Program Description:

The Center of Regenerative Medicine (CRM) is an interdisciplinary research center at Washington University focused on advancing regenerative medicine through excellence in research and education. Through the generous support of our WashU Departments, Schools, and Dean, and in partnership with the Department of Surgery, Division of Surgical Sciences, the CRM is pleased to offer 1-year seed grants in the form of competitive innovation awards. The 2025 Regeneration Innovation Challenge is a dynamic seed grant competition designed to spark interdisciplinary collaboration and drive cutting-edge research in regenerative medicine and bioengineering.

Participants are invited to pitch transformative projects to a distinguished panel of judges, with the opportunity to receive seed funding to propel their ideas forward. Any project of high merit in regenerative medicine will be considered, but priority for 2025 will be given to the following:

  • Projects with potential to revolutionize patient care, medical technologies, and surgical interventions
  • Applications of stem cells and organoids in regenerative medicine
  • The intersection of medicine, imaging, and/or engineering for tissue renewal
  • Translational and/or entrepreneurial regenerative medicine
  • Newly initiated interdisciplinary collaborations in regenerative medicine that span multiple campuses and departments
  • For 2025, additional funds are available for projects that feature partnerships with PIs in the Department of Surgery, and we strongly encourage these applications

There are two competitive funding opportunities for FY2025, as detailed below. We anticipate administering at least four total awards, two in each category.

Program Dates:

  • Written Application Deadline: Dec 2nd, 2024
  • Notification of Finalists: Dec 22nd, 2024
  • In Person Pitch Event: January 2025 (date TBD)
  • Awardees Announced: February 2025

Funding Opportunities and Eligibility:

Opportunity #1 – $50,000 Senior Innovator Awards. Awardees must hold a faculty appointment at Washington University for the duration of the award and be current members or eligible for membership in the Center of Regenerative Medicine for the 2025-2026 fiscal year. There is no citizenship requirement. The grant may include up to 10% coverage for faculty salary (maximum, total). The grant may not be used for large equipment, journal subscriptions, memberships, or the purchase of general reference materials. Funds may be allocated to support grant-related publication fees or travel to present the work.

Opportunity #2 – $10,000 Junior Innovator Awards. Awardees must hold a clinical resident, fellow, staff, or postdoctoral appointment at Washington University for the duration of the award. Awardees must be in the lab of a faculty that is a current member or eligible for membership in the Center of Regenerative Medicine for the 2025-2026 fiscal year. A letter of endorsement must be provided by this faculty sponsor. There is no citizenship requirement. The grant will support research expenses (only) and up to $1,500 for related travel to present the project. Grants may not include salary support, equipment, journal subscriptions, memberships, or the purchase of general reference materials.

Terms:

Grants will be awarded in the specified amount for 1-year (direct costs only). Awards may not be transferred or renewed. Funding is anticipated to begin March 1, 2025. Successful proposals must be approved, if applicable, by the Human Studies, Animal Safety, Biosafety, and/or Radiation Safety Committees. Approvals may be pending at the time of application.  Grantees should acknowledge funding from the CRM in publications and are expected to provide a progress report at the end of the grant period. In addition, grantees are expected to engage with the CRM and participate in various activities, such as subsequent grant review. Grantees will also be required to present the results of their work, with presentation details to be determined at a future date.

Questions may be directed to the CRM at crminfo@email.wustl.edu

Instructions:

Written Application (DUE December 2nd):

To apply for this award, please submit the following information as a single PDF document:

  1. Brief cover letter describing the eligibility for the intended award opportunity
  2. NIH PHS398 Face Page (Please complete sections 1, 3-6, 8, and 12)
  3. Budget Justification (listed personnel with effort, budget items with justification)
  4. NIH Biosketch for each PI, and additionally sponsor PI for Junior Innovator Awards (max 5-pages each)
  5. Written Research Pitch – Aims, Significance, Innovation, Approach, Timeline (max 3-pages)
  6. Training opportunities, commercial potential, and plans for future funding (max 1-page)
  7. Bibliography (max 4-pages)
  8. Multi-PI only: Description of the collaborative relationship between the Co-PIs, emphasizing how their combined expertise will drive the project forward. New collaborations are welcome and encouraged (max 250 words).
  9. Postdoc/fellow/staff award only: Brief letter confirming faculty PI support of the project.

Compiled applications are due by midnight on December 2, 2024, to:

CRM Seed Grant Selection Committee

c/o Jason Huang, MS

Email: crminfo@email.wustl.edu

In-Person Pitch (January 2025, by Invitation Only)

Finalists will present their work in person to a panel of judges (10-minute pitch with 10-minutes for questions). Teams should clearly outline their project’s objectives, the biologic, clinical, or technical problem it seeks to solve, the innovative aspects of their approach, and the potential for real-world implementation. Visual aids are encouraged to support the pitch.

Questions may be directed to the CRM at crminfo@email.wustl.edu

Review:

A selection and review committee identified by the leadership of the Center of Regenerative Medicine will review applications. Notification of award is anticipated in February 2025 with funding to start March 1, 2025.