Research Opportunity Fund (ROF)

The RPC is currently not accepting applications for the Research Opportunity Funding mechanism.

The main goal of the Research Opportunity Fund is to provide rapid funding for investigators in the School of Medicine for specific and urgent project needs.

The ROF is not a replacement for the PRF.

For this funding opportunity, investigators should focus on one of the three approved uses listed below, and describe how funding this request will improve the likelihood of extramural funding success.

ROF funds may be used for the following:

  1. To obtain final data for a biomedical research proposal to be submitted for extramural funding.
  2. To obtain data that will significantly increase the impact of a publication, thereby increasing likelihood of future funding.
  3. For the purchase of innovative instrumentation or technologies to be used by multiple investigators.

Deadlines:

  • ROF applications are accepted on the 10th of any month by 5 pm CST.
  • Award decisions will be made no later than the 10th of the following month after the application was received.

If the 10th falls on a holiday or weekend, the deadline will be the next business day.

Available Funding:

Applicants may request up to $20,000 for studies to be completed within a 1-year interval.

Budgets will be evaluated carefully. Items including equipment over $20,000 will be considered and should include justification of a unique need of the equipment that will serve multiple investigators.

Goals of the Program:

Funds for the ROF are provided by the Saint Louis University Research Institute. The Research Institute Goals, which are extended through this ROF initiative include:

  • Achieve and sustain annual research expenditure growth that places SLU among the fastest growing universities.
  • Establish eminence in strategic research priority areas
  • Raise SLU’s profile and reputation as a world-class research university
  • Recruit and retain eminent research leaders and invest in their work
  • Increase federal, industry, and philanthropic funding for the research conducted at SLU

Application Requirements

  • Applicants

    Applicants must be faculty in the School of Medicine. A mentor may submit on behalf of a research fellow or trainee with appropriate justification.

  • Project Narrative

    Applicants should include a detailed description of the project or equipment, and focus their plan on how a project or completion of a high impact publication will improve the likelihood of extramural funding success. Applicants must also include a paragraph describing: 1) the direct relationship of the proposed studies to the goals of the program and, 2) any other funds available to the PI to perform the studies and any overlap with other funds in the lab. For equipment requests, detail how it fulfills a unique need and/or benefits investigators and their research. Documents should be single-spaced in Arial 11-pt. font with 0.5 inch margins and a strict 2-page maximum.

  • NIH Biosketch

    Include an updated NIH biosketch for the PI (5 page maximum).

  • List of Collaborators to Exclude from Review

    Include a list of SOM collaborators who should be excluded from evaluation of the proposal due to conflict of interest.

  • Budget

    Applicants should include a detailed budget for the study. Quotes for instrumentation should be obtained, if needed. Justification for instrumentation may be requested.

Application Submission and Review

  • Application Submission

    Applications are submitted via the ROF Openwater Portal. Click the icon to access the page and use your SLU credentials to log in. You may use existing OpenWater credentials if you have logged in prevously, or you will be prompted to set up your profile if it is the first time you are logging in.

  • Application Review

    All applications will be reviewed by two members of the RPC. A non-member of the RPC will be invited to review an application if additional expertise is required. The NIH scoring system (1-9) will be used to evaluate the impact of the proposal. A high priority will be placed on evaluating the potential return on investment for the proposed study. The membership of the RPC will vote on each proposal following recommendations by reviewers and discussions of proposals.

  • ROF Guidelines

    Click the icon to download the full ROF guidelines.

  • Questions?

    Questions about PRF applications and submissions should be directed to Denise Johnson (977-8067; denise.johnson@health.slu.edu).

Award Terms:

  • All applicable regulatory approvals (IRB and/or IACUC) must be approved, prior to issuing of award.
  • The PI must use the awarded funds only for the approved studies.
  • Awarded funds will be available to the PI for up to one (1) year and may not exceed available program funding.
  • Investigators will be asked to complete a brief survey annually for 3 years after the ROF award expires, in order to assist in capturing the Return on Investment (ROI) (e.g., proposal submissions, award, publications, other outcomes, etc.) for this funding program.