The steps in the application process are intended to provide experience in two essential components of grant writing: submission of a letter of intent and preparation of a full proposal.

1. The first step is submission of a two-page letter of intent by the investigator, with a third page for references (if necessary). These letters will be solicited by the Research Committee of the Division of GIM twice a year. The Research Committee expects the designated research mentor for the investigator to be involved in the preparation of the letter of intent and to serve (in most cases) as a co-investigator.
2. The GIM Research Committee will review all submitted letters. For all submitted letters, the committee will provide specific suggestions to applicants about methodologic issues to consider in preparing a full proposal and potential advisors or collaborators. Most letters of intent will be accepted for preparation of full proposals; the committee will only disapprove a letter of intent under unusual circumstances.
3. Following acceptance of a letter of intent, the applicant, under the guidance of the research mentor and other advisors, will prepare the full proposal (10 pages or less). The format for proposals will be provided to individuals with successful letters of intent. The usual time period for projects will be 12 months.
4. The final proposal will be reviewed by the GIM Research Committee, which will either accept the proposal for full or partial funding, return it for minor revisions and reconsider the proposal in the same funding cycle, return it for major revisions and reconsider it in the funding cycle, or decide not to fund the proposal. Once again, the committee will provide specific suggestions to the investigator, for both funded and unfunded proposals.

1. Appointment as a full-time faculty member (this does not preclude applications from faculty working less than 1.0 total FTE).
2. Possession of a doctoral degree (M.D. or Ph.D.)
3. Collaborative projects among junior investigators and/or across different sites (UH, VA, DG, P/SL) in the Division of GIM.

Investigators whose research is funded under this program will be expected to:

1. Provide a two-page progress report six months after initiation of the project.
2. Provide a final report two months after completion of the project (typically 14 months after funding).
3. Present the findings of their research at appropriate forums, including the Tuesday morning Division conferences, the Division of GIM poster session for the Department of Medicine, and the regional and/or national meetings of the Society for General Internal Medicine.

1. The direct costs allowed for most individual grants will be up to $15,000.
2. Direct costs for a multi-site grant will be up to $40,000. In the case of a multi-site grant proposal, salary support for the Principal Investigator may be allowed.
3. No more than 12 months of research will generally be funded. A three-month extension will be considered with adequate justification.
4. Allowable costs include research assistant costs; costs of data collection, entry and analysis; and essential supplies.
5. Costs not allowable without special justification include investigator salaries, most equipment (including computer hardware or software), travel, cost of reprints, books, journals, basic office supplies.