2025 Postdoctoral Grant Program Request for Proposals

The project overview describes the postdoc’s professional accomplishments and career goals; the proposed project, publication or professional development opportunity; and how the project or activity contributes to the career development of the postdoc. The project overview also describes how completion of the project or activity prepares the postdoc for a career focused on improving health or advancing health equity in Wisconsin and beyond.

The project overview must be uploaded as a PDF and cannot exceed two single-spaced pages with one-inch margins and a minimum 11-point font. Footnotes, references, a table of acronyms (if applicable) and up to three tables and/or figures are not included in the page limit and should be inserted after the proposal overview.

The application must include a nomination letter on SMPH departmental letterhead from the Principal Investigator (i.e., postdoc’s supervising mentor) that addresses the following items. Please bold each item and use as topic headings, following the nomination letter template.

• Postdoc Qualifications: Describe the postdocs’ experience and expertise as it relates to this project
• Postdoc Career Development: Describe the impact that a Postdoctoral Grant Program award would have on advancing the applicant’s career development focused on improving health or advancing health equity in Wisconsin and beyond
• PI Support to Postdoc: Describe professional support and resources, such as facilities or other appropriate resources, for the postdoc during the grant period
• PI Attestations:
  • Attest that the PI intends that the postdoctoral research appointment in the UW School of Medicine and Public Health will continue for at least 12 months from the award start date, including anticipated appointment renewal date and duration, if applicable
  • Attest 75 percent or higher protected time for the postdoc

The letter must be uploaded as a PDF. There is no page limit for the nomination letter.

Using the required budget template, the project budget should clearly indicate how the grant funds will be spent. Requests should be made by expense type (services, travel, supplies, etc.) and should provide sufficient detail for individuals unfamiliar with the project.

Expenditures must:

• Be related to a project, professional development opportunity or open access publication fee
• Be fully justified, reasonable and clearly related to the project’s goals and activities listed in the proposal
• Explain the sources and amounts of any cost share
• Be allowable, reasonable and applicable in accordance with WPP Cost Principles

The budget justification describes in detail the major budget line items: services, supplies, travel and other expenses. The justification provides specific information about why an expense is necessary to achieve the project goals and objectives. The budget justification must be uploaded as a PDF with one-inch margins and a minimum 11-point font.

Applications must include a biographical sketch for the postdoc and the Principal Investigator in NIH format, including a personal statement, positions, scientific appointments and honors, and contributions to science. Biographical sketches, each up to five pages in length, must be uploaded as a single PDF.

Designation of Confidential and Proprietary Information is required in accordance with Wisconsin’s public records and open meetings laws. See the Wisconsin Partnership Program terms and conditions for more information.

Indicate whether the application includes proprietary and/or confidential information, and using the form provided, identify and request confidentiality for any trade secrets or proprietary information.

Compliance indicates whether the project requires approval by the Animal Care and Use Committee, the Madison Campus Biological Safety Committee, UW–Madison Institutional Review Board, and/or the University Radiation Safety Committee. See the Wisconsin Partnership Program terms and conditions for more information.

The Non-Supplanting Questionnaire must be completed by responding to the questions and providing explanations as necessary. The Non-Supplanting Questionnaire must be signed by the PI. See supplanting review for more information.

Technical Review: Wisconsin Partnership Program staff will review each application to confirm eligibility of the postdoc and the Principal Investigator (supervising mentor) and to ensure that all requirements are met. This will include confirmation that the PI nomination letter assures that the postdoc’s research appointment in the UW School of Medicine and Public Health will continue for at least 12 months from the project award start date with 75 percent or higher protected time. Applications that do not comply with the eligibility or submission requirements will not be reviewed, and the applicant will be notified.

Content Review: The Review Panel, which is advisory to the PERC and includes UW School of Medicine and Public Health faculty members, will review the applications. Each application will be reviewed by at least two reviewers. Faculty reviewers typically are from SMPH basic and clinical science departments with experience mentoring postdocs and expertise in biomedical research, health services research, health policy, community-based population health research and/or education. The reviewers will independently review assigned applications based on the review criteria. The review panel will share their scores, comments and feedback with each other, allowing for diverse opinions. The ranking of the applications and the de-identified reviewer comments will be shared with the PERC. PERC will take up the top-ranked proposals for review.

The PERC will make a final decision to select the grant award recipients based on rank, discussion of the application and review materials, additional information from the applicant team (if requested by PERC or WPP’s Administrative Leadership Team) and the project’s alignment with the goals of the 20th Anniversary Postdoctoral Grant Program. Applicants will be notified of whether they are selected for a grant award no later than October 14, 2025.

Supplanting Review: Supplanting means to replace, to take the place of, or to supersede. The Wisconsin Partnership Program prohibits any funds from being awarded that will supplant funds or resources otherwise available to applicants from other sources for the proposed project.

PERC’s award decisions are conditional on a review of non-supplanting by the Wisconsin Partnership Administrative Leadership Team. If a determination is made that supplanting has occurred or likely will occur, the SMPH Chief Financial Officer will be consulted, and the Administrative Leadership Team will take action in compliance with WPP’s non-supplanting policy. The WPP Administrative Leadership Team and SMPH CFO have sole discretion over supplanting determinations.

Applicants selected for awards by PERC are required to provide information for review by the Wisconsin Partnership Program:

• An up-to-date non-supplanting questionnaire
• Postdoc and PI signed Other Support pages in NIH format with three sections: Project/Proposals by status (Active and Pending); In-Kind Contributions; Overlap

The committee’s decisions at each stage of the review are final and cannot be appealed.

• Proposed project, professional development opportunity or open access publication fee reimbursement has the potential to advance the career development of the postdoc, in the health or health equity space in Wisconsin
• Principal Investigator (postdoc’s supervising mentor) is highly engaged and committed to support the professional development of the postdoc
• Postdoc is qualified to successfully complete the proposed project or professional development opportunity
• Proposal appears feasible with high likelihood for completion within requested funding period