Seed Grant Program
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 Research & Development Fund Committee, in collaboration with the NASCI Research & Awards Committee, and the Trainee 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:
I. Research Plan
Maximum length: 3 pages, including figures and tables, references excluded
Formatting: Arial, 11-point font, 0.5 inch margins
Page 1: Specific Aims
-Title
-Background [summarize relevant prior literature and existing approaches, outlining what is currently known]
-Significance / current knowledge [explain the unmet need and why the project is important]
-Hypothesis [state a clear, concise, and testable hypothesis]
-Specific aims [define how the hypothesis will be tested]
-Expected outcomes [describe anticipated results and potential impact]
-Innovation [highlight the novel aspects of the proposed work and how it advances the field]
Pages 2-3: Approach
-IRB [indicate if IRB approval is needed and its current status]
-Personnel [describe the role and percent effort of all contributors]
-Preliminary work [provide relevant prior work / experience]
-Methods [include study rational, sample size justification, imaging protocol, image analysis, quantitative metrics, and statistical approach for each aim]
-Resources [describe access to institutional resources necessary to the study]
-Timeline [provide a detailed timeline with measurable milestones]
-Budget [provide a detailed budget and justification, clearly indicate which costs are covered by this grant and how remaining costs (e.g. efforts) will be supported]
-Funding potential [describe plans how this seed grant will support future external grant applications]
References
II. Biosketch
-NIH style biosketch required
III. Letters of support
-Letter 1: from project mentor outlining mentoring role and support
-Letter 2: from department chair confirming coverage of applicant effort
Submission Process
A three-page study proposal can be submitted through the NASCI website by clicking this link.
Seed Grant Award Timeline:
- Submission Deadline: May 31, 2026
- Award Date: September 28, 2026
- Project Funding Date: November 2, 2026 (IRB Required before Funding)
- First Project Report Due: May 3, 2027
- Mid-Term Presentation: September 2027 NASCI Meeting
- Final Presentation: September 2028 NASCI Meeting