Application Procedures

Applications for San Diego Center for AIDS Research (CFAR) traditional Developmental grants are accepted twice each year and must be submitted via InfoReady Review. Applications are typically due on February 1 and August 1 of each year or the next business day if either date falls on a weekend or holiday. 

Early stage investigators need a mentor

Early stage (pre-R01) investigators must identify a mentor prior to submission of the proposal. The mentor will provide assistance with preparing the proposal, and if funded, with the conduct and publication of the study. For those who would like help with identifying a mentor, you may use our Mentor Match program or contact one of the following:

Developmental Core Director: Dr. Mary Lewinski

Developmental Core Leadership Trainee: Dr. Laramie Smith

SD CFAR Co-Directors: Dr. Davey Smith and Dr. Douglas Richman

PREPARE Institute: Dr. Davey Smith

One of the SD CFAR Core Directors, depending on the subject matter (please see San Diego CFAR Core Services)

San Diego State University: Dr. Eileen Pitpitan

Scripps Research: Dr. Richard Wyatt

La Jolla Institute for Immunology: Dr. Alessandro Sette

Recruits to SD CFAR member institutions

If you are a new recruit in the first year of your new position at an SD CFAR member institution, you may apply for a Developmental grant up to $50,000 whether you are an early stage or senior (post-R01) investigator. We are happy to help you establish your new role and become acquainted with the SD CFAR. Early stage investigators require a mentor; senior investigators do not, though as a new recruit, you may find a mentor to be quite helpful. Recruits in the second year of their new positions will be considered on a case-by-case basis. Please email cfar@ucsd.edu if you have questions.

International research has additional requirements

International research has additional budgetary requirements. Please contact us for instructions regarding your budget and budget justification if your proposal involves international research. We can also advise you on NIH regulations concerning participant recruitment and data or specimen collection from another country. Please email cfar@ucsd.edu before uploading your application.

Download forms

To begin working on your Developmental grant application, please download the following forms. Except for the face page, the same forms are available in InfoReady Review.

• Face page and demographic information
  • No need to upload. This is for your reference only so you can assemble the required contact information before you apply via InfoReady Review.
• Abstract
• Goals/mentoring plan
• Blank NIH non-fellowship biosketch
  • Visit this NIH webpage for links to detailed instructions, FAQs, and a sample biosketch.
  • Include one for the Developmental grant PI, mentor if applicable, and each co-investigator.
  • Combine all biosketches into a single PDF before uploading.

• Blank NIH other support
  • Only needed for Developmental grant PI.
  • Visit this NIH webpage for links to detailed instructions, FAQs, and a sample other support file.
• Budget in Excel or Budget in Word  (upload only one version and see ** below)
• Budget justification **

  • **Please explain how each item in your requested budget will further your research plan. Briefly describe the specific expertise and role of each person listed in the budget, and the reasons you are requesting specific equipment, supplies, or other expenses, such as participant reimbursement.

  • **Travel is only allowed for two purposes: (1) for early stage investigators to present results of their Developmental grants at scientific conferences and (2) for study planning and coordination in collaboration with a foreign investigator.

  • **Follow NIH guidelines for typeface and size in the justification (minimum 11 point type).

• Environment and institutional commitment

  • Describe your research environment and institutional commitment to support your project, if funded.

• Service core checklist
  • If you plan to request assistance from SD CFAR service cores, you must contact the cores before grant submission. Although many services are offered for free to SD CFAR grant recipients, there may still be some costs that you need to include in your budget. Additionally, the cores work with many investigators and you need to know of any time and schedule limitations.
     

• Research plan and literature cited

  • Describe your research plan following the outline below:

1. Specific Aims
2. Significance
3. Preliminary Studies (if applicable)
4. Experimental Design and Methods
5. Literature Cited (not included in 4 page limit)

• Sections 1-4 must be covered in four pages. You may take as many pages as needed for section 5. Follow NIH guidelines for typeface and size (minimum 11 point type).

**If your proposal involves international research, please contact us for additional instructions. 

Upload Your Application

Files may be uploaded to InfoReady review beginning January 9, 2024. All sections of your application (see forms above) may be completed offline, then uploaded as PDF files via InfoReady Review . Remember the Face Page and Demographic information are for your reference and need not be uploaded. Please review the InfoReady Review Applicant Guide . Login instructions follow.

• Click Log In at the top right of the InfoReady Review home page.
• If you have a ucsd.edu email address, log in using your Active Directory credentials.
• If you have an address at one of our member institutions (lji.org, scripps.edu, sdsu.edu, va.gov), click the Register button. The registration process is quick and easy. You'll receive a confirmation email. Respond as instructed.

Note: You must use an institutional email address for logging in. A Gmail account, for example, will not be accepted for grant submissions.

• If an administrator will be submitting your application on your behalf, please establish your own InfoReady Review account first, then designate a proxy. Search "proxy" in the InfoReady Review Applicant Guide for full instructions.
• After you have logged in to InfoReady Review, you can scroll through the list of opportunities or select the Seed Funding category to find the San Diego Center for AIDS Research Developmental Grant.
• Click the link, and follow the online instructions to upload your application.

If you have questions, please email cfar@ucsd.edu. Don't be shy! We're ready to help!

Due Dates

Applications are generally accepted by 5:00 pm (Pacific Time) on February 1 and August 1. If either date falls on a weekend or holiday, applications will be due by 5 pm (Pacific Time) on the next business day. Developmental grants submissions will next be accepted on Tuesday, August 1, 2023. We strongly recommend that you submit your application at least one week before the due date to allow for administrative preview and corrections, if needed.

Early stage investigators: remember to allow time to work on your application with your mentor before submission.