2025 SATA Seed Grant Funding Mechanism!

We invite you to submit your application for the 2025 Seed Grant!

Grant Description
The SATA Seed Grant is a one-year, $5,000 starter grant for transplant projects, open to junior faculty members and trainee physicians (residents and fellows). This grant aims to inspire and assist aspiring faculty/trainee physicians in initiating a transplant-related research project. It is specifically intended for projects that have not previously received extramural / non-departmental funding. Recipients must have sufficient departmental support to complete the project within one year.

 

Application/Grant Cycle Timeline

October 11, 2024	Announcement of the grant
November 4  – December 2, 2024	Proposal Submission (Phase 1)
December 18, 2024	Invitations to submit full proposals will be sent out
January 20, 2025	Submission deadline for full proposals (Phase 2)
February 19, 2025	Announcement of the awardee and send letters of feedback to the other applicants
March 23, 2025	Project presentation at SATA National Meeting in Honolulu, HI
July 1, 2025	Grant initiation
December 2025	Submission of the mid-term report
August 2026	Submission of the final report

 

Eligibility Requirements
Applicants must: 

• Be a current member of the SATA.
• Have received no prior extramural (“outside”) research funding for this specific project.
• Be a trainee (resident/fellow) with dedicated research time or faculty within ten years of their first appointment.
• Present an original project idea.
• Name a mentor and submit a mentoring plan (only required for Trainees and Faculty within three years of their initial appointment)
• Have the full support of the Department Chair, who must sign off on the grant application if awarded.
• Have the full support of the Program Director if the applicant is a trainee. 
• Submit a budget plan. This grant does not cover overhead or salaries, as it is a starter grant. While the SATA Seed Grant cannot be applied to salary support, it can be used to support costs for professional services from salaried professionals that are essential for the planning or execution of the project (e.g., statistician fees).
• Agree to present the completed study (or a progress report) at the SATA National Meeting following the award, including a financial report detailing how the grant was used.
• When submitting a manuscript to a peer-reviewed journal for publication, the investigators must acknowledge SATA Seed Grant funding.

 
Application requirements, instructions, and process. 

The grant application must include the following and must be submitted to sata@pacainc.com:

 

Phase 1: 

• Letter of Intent 

To include:

1. Project Title 
2. Name of the Investigator & Mentor
3. Description of the Proposed Research (500-word limit).
   Structure:
   • Background & Significance (2 paragraphs)
   • Specific Aim (1 paragraph)
   • Methods (1-2 paragraphs)

• Applicant Biosketch
  • (NIH Biosketch), including a personal statement tailored to this application.

 

Phase 2: 

The SATA Research Committee will select three submissions and invite the three applicants to submit a complete application & a 5-minute recorded presentation of their planned research.

 

Additional Documents for Phase 2:

1. Detailed project plan
   To include Objective, Background, Hypothesis, Aims, Methods and Materials, Timeline, Pitfalls, Solutions, Significance, and References. (2 pages + references)
2. Mentor Biosketch
   (A mentor is required if the PI is a trainee or a junior faculty member – within three years of their initial appointment)
3. Budget and Budget Justification
   Please note: the grant does not cover overhead or investigator salaries. (1 page)
4. Mentoring plan
   A mentoring plan, written by the mentor, is required if the PI is a trainee or a junior faculty member – within three years of their initial appointment (1 page)
5. Letter of support and commitment
   From the Mentor (if the PI is a trainee or a junior faculty member – within three years of their faculty appointment) or the Department Chair (for faculty members starting in the 4th year of their appointment) (1 page)

Selection Process

The review process will consist of two phases: The SATA Research Committee & SATA Council will review all letters of intent (Phase 1). Three investigators will be invited to submit a full proposal (Phase 2). One grant will be awarded per year.

 

Reporting and Award Requirements

Awardees must submit two progress reports six months and one year after the receipt of the grant:

The 6-month report should be brief (less than two pages) and include:

• Progress made to date (including expenses).
• Difficulties encountered or anticipated roadblocks and plans to mitigate them.
• Identification and explanation of any changes made from the original proposal.
• The committee will review the progress report and help resolve problems that arise to ensure the success of the grant recipient.

 
The 1-year report must be provided for review 13 months after the beginning of the Grant Period. The report will include:

• A summary of the objective and the results of the study,
• Any changes in the research project or mentorship,
• Publication or abstracts that have been generated from the study,
• A financial report detailing how the grant money was spent,
• Award of further funding.

 

The grant will be awarded to the grant recipient’s institution. All expenses funded by the grant are to be paid by the institution. Any unused funds are to be returned to SATA. The SATA and its auditors reserve the right to receive documentation and itemized expense receipts upon request.

 

Please address your questions regarding the application process to Dr. Dieter Adelmann (Chair of the SATA Research Committee) at dieter.adelmann@ucsf.edu.

For administrative questions, please reach out to the SATA Office at sata@pacainc.com.

Sincerely, SATA Office