Project Funding Details

ABSTRACT ? Developmental Core (Core B) The goal of the Duke CFAR Developmental Core is to stimulate new investigator-initiated research breakthroughs in HIV/AIDS by supporting CFAR members. We propose three mechanisms of support that correspond to our Specific Aims: 1) funding of pilot projects, 2) providing financial support for faculty recruitment and 3) enhancing mentoring activities and mentoring resources for all CFAR members. Funding for four categories of pilot projects (Small Grants, Emerging Opportunities, Strategic Partnerships, and Scientific Working Group-related) will continue to support primarily junior and new HIV/AIDS investigators using an NIH- style peer review process to provide funding on a competitive basis; thanks to our identification of co-funding partners, our addition of Scientific Working Group-related pilots has not affected in any way our Small Grant program. Summary statements will be provided to all applicants as a mentoring tool to provide critical feedback to enhance grant-writing skills. Grant review training will also be provided. Of 78 Small Grant proposals submitted in the previous four years, all received an NIH-style summary statement and 31 were selected for funding. Our faculty recruitment efforts will continue to help recruit exceptional faculty to Duke in support the CFAR mission. In the past four years, the CFAR has aided in the recruitment of 8 young faculty members: 5 female, 3 male including 1 underrepresented minority (URM); another URM CFAR member was promoted from a postdoctoral fellow to an Assistant Professor. In the proposed funding cycle, one of the past CFAR faculty recruits will serve as Co-Director for the Developmental Core. The provision of mentoring and mentoring activities is the final activity of the Developmental Core. Our mentoring activities and resources both connect CFAR members with existing career development activities and resources at Duke, which emphasize grant writing skills, and complement these by providing grant review mentoring and a requirement that all Small Grant awardees participate in a mentoring program. Grant review mentoring is provided as a component of the pilot projects application and funding process, and awardees' defined mentoring program can be through their primary academic department or through the CFAR. The Developmental Core is committed to contributing to CFAR's priority to increase the diversity of CFAR membership by attracting individuals who are underrepresented in the medical profession. To help achieve this goal, the Development Core will participate in a variety of activities designed to increase the diversity of students, fellows and faculty performing HIV/AIDS research at Duke.