Merkin Spark Grants

This call for project proposals is posted annually. An updated call similar to the one below will be announced with a submission date in May, 2023.

The Merkin Institute for Translational Research invites proposals for Merkin Spark Grants of $10,000 each to support Graduate students in exploring an independent translational project idea. We anticipate that up to four awards will be made.

The project is to be conceived and driven by graduate student applicant(s). It should not be an immediate or obvious extension of ongoing or proposed research in the host lab or labs. Novel applications of methods and variations across labs are encouraged. The project should be designed to generate go/no-go data for an innovative direction or novel technology that will ultimately translate to improve human health. These projects can be at any stage on the path toward translation, as long as the purpose and vision for translation is clearly stated. We encourage collaboration between students in different labs to create project proposals, but this is not a requirement. 

Grant Submission Deadline: For the first cycle, applications are due by end of day Monday June 6th. Inquiries before then are welcome. Please reach out to George Tolomiczenko (gtolomic@caltech.edu) if you have questions about the program or the application process.

Proposals should include:

1. Up to 3-pages describing the project itself (including a one paragraph abstract and any figures).

In addition to the pertinent scientific background and research plan, your project description should include a section explaining the biomedical translational potential.

1. At the end, provide a brief (~one paragraph) discussion of how the project is distinct from ongoing research in the student's lab.
2. References (this section is not included in the 3-page limit).
3. An appended short statement obtained from your thesis Professor indicating they are OK with you participating in this round of applications.

Proposal submission:

Attach your full proposal (in pdf format) to an email and send it to this Box address: MSG_Jun.cwe1clf53xipjrmh@u.box.com  This will automatically deposit the attached proposal in the submission folder. You should receive an automated confirmation of receipt. In the event you do not receive the expected automated confirmation, report that failure in an email George Tolomiczenko (gtolomic@caltech.edu), attaching your application pdf to the message.

Name your attached proposal file as follows: MGS_SubN_Last Name_First Name. For example, the second (corrected or updated) proposal submitted from Groucho Marx would be named "MGS_Sub2_Marx_Groucho" His first submission would have been "MGS_Sub1_Marx_Groucho"

The submission deadline is Monday June 6th, 2022.

Note: If awarded, you will be asked to submit a budget outlining how the award will be deployed. Funds are for research only and cannot be used for personal expenses or travel unless the travel is essential for conducting the research.