Seed Grant Program – NASCI D&E

Overview
In 2019, the North American Society for Cardiovascular Imaging established an annual US$10,000 Seed Grant. NASCI recognizes the challenges of starting an academic career and aims to assist its members in charting a successful career path. This year, we are soliciting grant applications in the areas of Cardiovascular CT and MR.

The NASCI development and education fund, in collaboration with the NASCI research and awards committee, and the NASCIent committee oversees the grant administration.

Eligibility
The purpose of the seed grant program is to allow promising early career cardiovascular imaging investigators (residents, fellows, clinical instructors or assistant professors within 5 years of completion of training) to develop a research project in the field that enables collection of preliminary data to support a subsequent larger grant proposal.

Requirements
The project should contain specific scientific aims and concrete deliverables feasible for a one-year study. Also, the identification of a project mentor, with description of clear mentoring role is required.

Award
NASCI will fund up to $10,000 for direct study expenses, including, but not limited to scanner time, purchase of software, research subject expenses, statistical analysis consultation, and other relevant expenses. Salary support and hardware purchases will not be funded through this mechanism.

Projects will be evaluated in the following categories: Innovation, Relevance, Feasibility, Research plan, Resource availability, Mentor

Application Process
To be considered for this Seed Grant, the application must include:

  • The proposal should be three pages* and contain a concise description organized into the following sections:
    • Background or Preliminary Data
    • Aims
    • Significance of Project and Hypothesis
    • Research Methods
    • Budget (as detailed as possible)
    • Timeline
    • IRB Number, if applicable
    • Personnel (Role of each investigator must be clearly articulated and percentage contribution of each clearly described)
    • *References do not count toward the three-page minimum/maximum
  • Applicants are required to submit a curriculum vitae
  • Applications require two letters of support
    • First letter of support must be from a project mentor detailing their mentoring role.
    • Second letter of support must be from the program director (resident/fellow applicants) or Division/Section Chair/Department Chair (faculty applicants) detailing their support of the project, commitment to provide access to departmental resources where necessary, and an appropriate amount of protected time to enable completion of the proposed research.

Submission Process
A three-page study proposal can be submitted through the NASCI website by clicking this link.

Seed Grant Award Timeline:

  • Submission Deadline:  June 2, 2024
  • Award Date:  September 23, 2024
  • Project Funding Date:  October 14, 2024 (IRB Required before Funding)
  • First Project Report Due:  April 1, 2025
  • Mid-Term Presentation:  September 2025 NASCI Meeting
  • Final Presentation:  September 2026 NASCI Meeting

Applications for 2025 grants will open in Spring 2025