20th Anniversary Postdoctoral Grant Program Request for Proposals

The project overview describes the postdoc’s professional accomplishments and career goals; the proposed project or skill, learning or training activity; 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 from the Principal Investigator (i.e., postdoc’s supervising mentor). In addition to describing the postdoc’s qualifications, the letter is required to:

• Assure that 12 consecutive months remain in their postdoctoral research appointment in the UW School of Medicine and Public Health, including anticipated appointment end date, and 75 percent or higher protected time
• Describe the impact that a 20th Anniversary 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
• Address professional support and resources, such as facilities or other appropriate resources, for the postdoc during the grant period

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 limited to a single project, fully justified, reasonable and clearly related to the project’s goals
• Reflect the 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

Allowable and Unallowable Expenses

Applicants should review the WPP’s Allowable and Unallowable Grant Expenses Policy when creating their project budget.

Funds must be used for project-related costs. Examples of how funds may be used include:

• Professional development
• Conference travel
• Childcare (limited to one-time related conference attendance)
• Open-access publication fees
• Services, such as consultant or contractual services
• Supplies and other expenses, such as participant support costs

Funds, as outlined in the Unallowable Grant Expenses Policy, may not be used for:

• Pre-award costs
• Indirect overhead and administrative costs
• Infrastructure
• Lobbying
• Institutional Review Board fees (for more information, see terms and conditions)
• Supplanting (for more information, see Non-Supplanting Policy)

Additionally, for this grant program, funds may not be used for:

• Direct salary support, such as stipends, salaries and fringe benefits or graduate student tuition
• Equipment, which is defined as items costing more than $5,000 with more than one year of useful life

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.

The Wisconsin Partnership Program is required to operate 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.

Indicate 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.

Complete the required non-supplanting questionnaire (form provided) 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.

• Proposed project or skill, learning or training activity has the potential to advance the career development of the postdoc, in particular in the health or health equity space in Wisconsin or beyond
• 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 skill, learning or training activity
• Proposal appears feasible with high likelihood for completion within requested funding period

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 12 consecutive months remain in the postdoc’s research appointment in the UW School of Medicine and Public Health 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. Applications that include multiple projects will not be considered.

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 September 13, 2024.

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. The Administrative Leadership Team’s decisions regarding non-supplanting are final and cannot be appealed. 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.