UC TRAC is pleased to solicit applications for Accelerator Awards in TB Science. Accelerator Awards will be granted up to three times per year to early-stage and new-to-TB investigators and dispersed as salary support for BSL-3 trained personnel who will perform the necessary experiments of the awardee.

The Accelerator Award in TB Science will be awarded through a competitive peer-review process with priority going to early-stage and new-to-TB investigators proposing innovative research approaches with high potential to benefit the TB research field. The award serves as a voucher to support short-term (4-12 week) pilot projects that would provide proof-of-principle data that would permit successful pilots to proceed for other funding, including TRAC-funded “New Directions” Pilot Awards. We expect to fund at least three awards per year.

The award will enable staff research associates, fully trained to work within the BSL-3/ABSL-3 to test innovative hypotheses, reagents and models in collaboration with the PI at the facilities at UCSF or UC Berkeley.

Please note: The awards are not intended as a mechanism to fund projects that merely continue an existing program of research.

All applicants should address how their idea could benefit the TB research field. Scoring criteria will include relevance of the question to a critical bottleneck in basic TB research, application of a new technology, reagent, tool or research modality, scope of the work and assessment of feasibility within the award program.

Rolling Application Deadlines:
Click here to apply

Eligibility

- Eligible applicants include postdocs, early-stage or new-to-TB* investigators at UCSF and UC Berkeley.

- Investigators are eligible to receive one award per fiscal year, although preference will be given to investigators who have not received an award for at least 2 years.

- Early-stage investigators that already work on TB will need to justify how this pilot substantially differs from their current main research direction. 

* New-to-TB investigator is defined as an early-stage or established investigator who has never received multi-year (>2 years) funding for a TB-related project. 

How to apply

Applications must include:

• A 2-page (maximum) narrative that describes:

  • Brief background, including the significance and innovation of the research questions, and their relevance to TRAC’s mission.

  • Specific aims/goals for use of the award. Awards will support a maximum of 12-week research time in the BSL-3/ABSL-3.

  • How will results inform the decision to move forward with more extensive proposals for funding/collaborations?

  • Any specific and/or specialized reagents/tools/skills required for the pilot.

  • Preliminary data if applicable

• A NIH Biosketch

• Letter of support for non-faculty PIs (e.g. postdocs) from their primary research mentor.

• Potential Established TB Investigator with which to collaborate (optional)

Click here to apply

Please review the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)  for more information.

For questions or additional information, please contact info@uctrac.org.

Potential applicants are welcomed to request an informal consultation with our faculty prior to submitting their application.