• Full time faculty at CU Anschutz.  
• Priority will be given to junior faculty, Assistant and Associate Professors, who have limited resources available to support data generation. 
• Applicants with two prior AFL awards require Committee and Dean approval to reapply.

Funding Conditions 

• Allowable expenses include research staff salaries, service contracts, animals, and supplies.  
• Faculty salary is not allowable. 
• Funding will be provided for 12-month period from the award date. Extensions past this period will be rare and based on exceptional circumstances. 
• The first half of the funding will be provided up front, with the 2nd half provided after a submitted progress report is reviewed and approved. Project period is not to exceed 12 months. 
• Final reports are required for 12 months post-award. Failure to submit a progress report will result in ineligibility for future support from the Dean’s Office Initiative funding. 
• Successful applicants may reapply once if eligibility and progress are demonstrated. 
• Unsuccessful applicants may reapply in future cycles. 

Application Format 

Include the following components (limit: specified pages, single-spaced, Arial 11 font, ½ inch margin):  

Documentation Required: 

• NIH biosketch (5 pages, include current funding) 
• Specific aims for the proposed R01-type submission (1 page) 
• Document outlining (1) importance of the work and how it represents a new research direction, (2) gaps in preliminary data that need to be filled before finalizing the R01-type submission, (3) if applicable, specific experiments to be performed in response to previous reviews, and (4) challenges inherent in generating the relevant preliminary data (2 pages) 
• A budget outline and justification for the funds requested towards generating the preliminary data (1 page) 
• NIH Current and Pending Support document  
• Summary statements (or scores, if summary statement not yet available) from unfunded applications 
• Chair’s letter including required match commitment 

 Do not include appendices. Non-compliant applications will be returned.  

Chair’s Letter Guidelines 

• One page cover letter 
• Designation as Junior Faculty member 
• Current research summary 
• Confirmation of ongoing salary and infrastructure support for applicant 
• Proposed research summary 
• Confirmation of 25% matching support from unit. 

Submission Instructions

Submit your application by 5pm on Wednesday, 9/24.
Click here to submit: AFL APPLICATION  

For questions, contact [email protected]

Funding will be awarded up to $100K and the budget requests must be reasonably tailored to generate the needed preliminary data. Funds must be spent during the funding year and any unspent funds will be returned to the SOM. Funds cannot be used to support faculty salary. We anticipate funding 2-3 grants per cycle depending on available funds.

AFL funds will be available to awardees for a one-year period. After which time, any unspent funds will be returned to the SOM. The one-year period starts after the approved award letter has been sent to the applicant/PI. If you have any questions or concerns about this, please contact [email protected].