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George H. Hitchings New Investigator Award in Health Research

Administering Organization

Triangle Community Foundation

Purpose

The George H. Hitchings New Investigator Award in Health Research will support pre-doctoral research in the health sciences with awards of $5,000 made to students working toward the degree of Doctor of Veterinary Medicine at North Carolina State University. The award will provide flexible support for research by students who have begun to consider a research career, as well as for research by students who are working toward a DVM/PhD. Students who are developing an interest in an academic teaching or research career path are encouraged to apply.

In May 1998, the Burroughs Wellcome Fund (BWF) gave $500,000 to Triangle Community Foundation (TCF) to establish the George H. Hitchings Fund for Health Research.  The Hitchings Fund was endowed in memory of the former president and chair of the Board of Directors of BWF, an independent private foundation based in North Carolina whose mission is to advance the medical sciences by supporting research and other scientific and education activities.  Dr. Hitchings also founded Triangle Community Foundation, and in 1989 he donated the proceeds from his 1988 Nobel Prize in Medicine to the organization, whose mission is to connect philanthropic resources with community needs, creating opportunity for enlightened change and encouraging philanthropy as a way of life in North Carolina’s Triangle region, which includes Wake, Durham, Orange, and Chatham counties.  The goals of the Hitchings Fund are to help advance the health sciences by making modest research grants to investigators who are early in their careers, to further science education, and to serve as a model that will encourage other donors to support scientific research through the Triangle Community Foundation, as well as other community foundations.

The New Investigator Award represents an initiative developed within the Hitchings Fund.  The award at once reflects the fundamental beliefs of both its namesake and the Burroughs Wellcome Fund.  Dr. Hitchings long maintained that a small amount of money given at the right time to young researchers could have catalytic effects on their scientific productivity and their careers. At the same time, Hitchings recognized and believed strongly in the training and mentoring on the next generation of young scientists.  Similarly, one of BWF’s primary funding strategies is to support outstanding investigators early in their careers.

Criteria

-Applicant must in his or her second year of doctoral study at North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine.
-Demonstrate desire to pursue a career path in academic teaching and research

Amount

$5,000

How To Obtain An Application

Applications must be submitted by NCSU College of Veterinary Medicine on behalf of their students.  Only students enrolled at North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine are eligible to apply. 

Important Note:
Applications that contain more than the specified number of pages, or letters will be rejected out of fairness to candidates who adhere to the guidelines.  In addition, applications that are not properly organized or that do not include all of the requested materials will be rejected. 

Applications must be organized as follows:
1. Application form
All candidates must complete the application form.  An official of the host institution must confirm approval of the application by signing the application form as designated.  Candidates who hold permanent residency status in the United States or Canada must provide a copy of government documentation that residency has been granted.  Include a copy of the documentation after the application form. 

2. Sponsor’s statement of nomination
Present the institution’s reasons for nominating the candidate.  Verify that the candidate meets the award’s eligibility requirements and describe the expected impact of the award on the candidate’s research or training.  Describe all program and institutional support that will be provided for the candidate, including such things as mentoring for career development.  Briefly describe the laboratory space, equipment, and other resources for research and training that will be available to the awardee.

3. Candidate’s curriculum vitae (no more than two pages)
Include name, address, telephone and fax numbers, email address, education and training, experience in research, and a list of current and pending grants and awards- if any- with any presentation or publications. 

4. Research Plan
Rather than the standard Introduction/Specific Aims/Methods style of most scientific proposals, this application must address two points in plain English, (no more than three typed pages):
    -What do your propose to do?
This section should lay out the rationale for your scientific work; explain why it is important, what it will mean if it works, what you will learn if it doesn’t, and where you see it leading scientifically.  Though this section is to be written in plain English, it is also expected to be written with appropriate scientific rigor.

    -What is driving you, personally, to take on this particular project?
This award is meant to support work that may deepen a student’s interest in research: having extensive prior research experience is not a pre-requisite. We expect to see this program fund those relatively new to research as well as those who entered the College with a research destination in mind. If the candidate is already associated with a laboratory and has received support from other sources—for example, from an advisor’s federal research grant-  please explain how the opportunities supported by the Hitchings New Investigator Award will differ from or enhance those supported by other sources (on a separate page.)  No indirect costs may be charged against this grant.

5. Budget
Explain in general terms how the award will be spent.  The award should be spent for the academic enrichment of the student. No indirect costs may be charged against the grant.  Budget may include student stipend support but may not include university tuition or “general reagents” for the laboratory in which the student works.  Specialty reagents that will be purchased to make the student’s project possible may be allowed.  Some examples of how the award might be spent include attending outside short courses (for example, Cold Spring Harbor and Woods Hole Summer Courses), travel to scholarly meetings, purchase of a computer for the personal use of the student, or books for the personal use of the student.

6. Letter of recommendation
Provide a letter form the individual who is the primary mentor on the research project.  The mentor should speak to the qualifications of the applicant as well as the support that will be provided to the student.  In addition, the mentor needs to verify that he/she intends to be available to guide the student for the duration of the grant and the student’s research project.  The use of faxed letters is discouraged strongly, because faxing and copying from faxes diminishes the quality of printed documents.

Application materials should be mailed to:
Triangle Community Foundation
324 Blackwell St.
Suite 1220
Durham, NC 27701

Application Deadline

Application materials should be postmarked by March 5