- 1 - Revised August 2020

Competitive Medical Research Fund (CMRF) Policies

Effective September 2020

The UPMC Health System established the Competitive Medical Research Fund (CMRF) in 1985 to

provide modest research support for projects across the broad range of biomedical sciences. These

funds are used to support new investigators as they conduct the preliminary studies necessary to

Health Sciences (OORHS) prior to preparing and submitting applications (Email:

Key Personnel Definitions

Principal Investigator (PI) - The individual who conceives the project and has the authority and

responsibility for directing the proposed research, should the project receive a CMRF award.

Co-Investigator/Collaborator - An individual involved with the PI in the scientific development or

execution of the project. A Co-Investigator typically devotes a specified percentage of time to the

project and is considered senior/key personnel. The designation of a Co-Investigator, if applicable,

does not alter the PI's roles and responsibilities. Co-Investigator and Collaborator are synonyms,

other schools) to develop the hypotheses, preliminary data, and methods necessary to successfully

compete for extramural funding.

Applicants for CMRF support must fulfill the following eligibility requirements:

 Applicants must hold academic ranks of at least Assistant Professor or Research Assistant

Professor. Applications from Associate Professors will be considered if the applicant can

convincingly demonstrate that he or she has only recently begun independent research

activities. Full professors, post-doctoral researchers, instructors, and clinical fellows are

ineligible for CMRF funding. Applicants whose primary appointments are not in the

Schools of the Health Sciences may apply if the proposed project has clear

health/biomedical relevance, as such relevance will be an important criterion in

- 2 - Revised August 2020

awards). Principal Investigator salary support and fringe benefits, as well as postdoctoral

awards, are not counted toward this total. If an applicant feels that there are extraordinary

circumstances that would warrant deviation from this policy, he or she should contact Dr.

Brickner.

 Applicants need not be U.S. citizens to be eligible for CMRF funding. If an investigator is

Investigators who have received NIH career development awards (e.g., K01, K08, K23, and

K99/R00) or similar awards from private foundations that primarily provide salary support with

limited funds for supplies, technical personnel, and equipment may be eligible to apply for a CMRF

award as long as the proposed research focus is different from the career development award. It is

imperative that the applicant clearly demonstrates that the research proposed in the CMRF

application is different from, though it may be related to, research outlined in his or her K

application. Similarly, the recipient of a career development award from an organization other than

NIH may not request CMRF funding for the funded project; funds may be requested for a related

project. An investigator must submit the NIH abstract of his or her K (or other career development)

application as an appendix and must explicitly address differences between the two research

CMRF awards will support direct costs only; no indirect support will be provided. The monies

awarded may not be used for salary support for the Principal Investigator or any other named

faculty rank investigator, but investigator effort on the proposed CMRF project must be reflected on

the budget page and must be cost shared by the department or other entity that will support such

effort. The CMRF Cost Sharing Agreement Page must be signed by the Principal Investigator’s

department chair or appropriate responsibility center director (e.g., division chief or institute

director) who can authorize cost sharing against an Entity-02 or -04 institutional account. This

signature certifies acceptance of Principal Investigator cost shared effort. The appropriate

institutional account number against which the effort will be charged must also be provided. Any

applicant who is currently a recipient of a mentored career development award (e.g., K12, K23, etc.)

- 3 - Revised August 2020

contact Dr. Brickner for verification of the eligibility to subsume effort related to this

announcement.

on no more than one additional CMRF application in a given cycle. If not an applicant in the round,

Biosketches (2017 NIH format, or any subsequent revisions thereto), including “Other Support”

information (which must include annual direct costs and duration of the award), are required for the

Principal Investigator and each Co-Investigator/Collaborator listed in Key Personnel. In addition,

applicants who work within the laboratory of a more senior investigator must include a biosketch

and Other Support information for this person, even if he or she is not listed as a Co-Investigator on

the CMRF project. During the review process, OORHS may request funding information from

additional individuals, including, but not limited to, consultants and mentors. Please note that the

term “Mentor” is reserved for appropriate individuals cited in an applicant’s career development

award application (e.g., K award).

include additional experimental or other descriptive information. Please note, however, that

OORHS must have copies of approval letters from all applicable regulatory offices at the University

of Pittsburgh before funds can be released, in the event that the application generates a CMRF

award. The IACUC, IBC, IRB, hSCRO and/or CORID approvals must be specific for the CMRF

grant application submitted and the Principal Investigator on the CMRF application must be the

named Principal Investigator on the protocol; the use of IACUC, IBC, IRB, hESCRO and/or

CORID approval for research projects other than those proposed in the grant application is not

permitted and will result in a delay in awarding CMRF funds until the appropriate approvals are

obtained and submitted to OORHS.

Funding Levels and Award Periods

enable the completion of the project must be specified.

Frequency and Timing of Solicitations

- 4 - Revised August 2020

Annual solicitations will be issued each September, with an early January deadline for submission

of applications and a July 1 award date (pending approval of relevant regulatory protocols) for

selected applications.

Pre-review Process

The staff of OORHS will perform preliminary evaluation of all submitted applications to ensure

adherence to CMRF policies and instructions. Applications deemed incomplete, or those not

following the directions outlined in these Policies and the CMRF Grant Application Instructions,

will be withdrawn from consideration without review or appeal. In addition, there will be no

opportunity for applicants to provide supplementary materials after the submission deadline, unless

specifically requested by OORHS.

Procedure for Review

for providing written critiques of each application, and for making recommendations for awards to

OORHS and to the UPMC Board of Directors.

Review Criteria

The most important review criteria for all applications are scientific merit, health or biomedical

relevance, need for funding, and the potential for subsequent peer-reviewed major grant support.

Reviewers also evaluate applications for grantsmanship and completeness.

Independence of the junior faculty member is also a key review criterion. If the CMRF application

is for research that is an extension of an ongoing project (for which either the applicant or someone

else is the Principal Investigator), the applicant must indicate how the proposed project differs from

the ongoing project. In addition, if the applicant works in the laboratory of a senior investigator, he