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University of California, Santa Barbara Call for Proposals

The 2024 Daryl and Marguerite Errett Discovery Award in Biomedical Research

 

Overview

Funded through an annual gift of up to $70,000 from the Errett Fisher Foundation, the Daryl and Marguerite Errett Discovery Award in Biomedical Research is intended to honor the lives of Daryl and Marguerite Errett, while providing seed funding to the most exceptional postdocs or research professional at UC Santa Barbara to support their innovative research in the field of biomedicine.
 
The Daryl and Marguerite Errett Discovery Award will provide support to one outstanding postdoc or research professional annually to enable them to conduct cutting-edge research in biomedicine and to launch promising projects that nurture the careers of gifted investigators who will have an impact on pioneering developments that advance human health.
 
The award is intended to supply seed funding to outstanding scientists and engineers who seek to conduct risk-taking research that might not yet qualify for traditional sources of funding from agencies like the National Institute for Health. The award is highly competitive, bestowing upon the recipient a significant measure of independence.
 

Application Process/Timeline

All laboratory heads (i.e., faculty) in Engineering and the Sciences (COE and MLPS) are invited to nominate their most outstanding postdoctoral fellows or research professionals, whose work focuses on biomedical research.
 
A complete application package should include:
  • A written proposal of the suggested research, limited to no more than 3 pages (10pt font, standard margins).
  • A brief budget (less than a quarter of a page, a few sentences and/or a small table can suffice) to indicate on what items the funds will be applied to (e.g., salary, supplies, etc.). The total budget can be up to $70,000. Benefits should be added if the salary is included. The proposal does not go through OR so does not have to include overhead.
  • Since the award intends to bestow a measure of independence, each proposal should include a paragraph to address the question: How is this work innovative, compared to the lab’s current direction? The proposal should also include a statement about the broader impact of the work.
  • A curriculum vita, as well as a statement of the candidate’s career objectives
  • Two letters of recommendation; one from the laboratory head or faculty mentor, and one from another scientist, either at UC Santa Barbara or another institution, who is familiar with the candidate's work. 

The deadline for submission of applications is May 1, 2024.

Once awarded, funds provided by the Daryl and Marguerite Errett Discovery Award could be used by the recipients for any costs associated with the proposed project. These may include salary (at the level set by the recipient's laboratory head and indicated within the proposed budgetary analysis within the proposal), research supplies, and access to vital equipment and instrumentation. The term of the award would be from July 1, 2024 to June 30, 2025 and funds should be expended within the end of the award year (by June 30, 2025).
 
The Daryl and Marguerite Errett Discovery Award Committee, which will be composed of highly- distinguished faculty representatives from various research areas in biomedical research in Engineering and the Sciences at UC Santa Barbara, will review the nominations and applications. The Committee will select the most outstanding candidate based on the quality, creativity, and promise of his or her proposed project. The decision will be announced by June 1, 2024.
 
The recipient of the Daryl and Marguerite Errett Discovery Award would provide the Errett Fisher Foundation Board with a written stewardship report at the end of the first year reporting on the outcomes of the recipient's research. The report would be due by June 30, 2025. In addition, board members of the Errett Fisher Foundation as well as a UCSB development officer will have the opportunity to meet with the recipient at the beginning of the award and learn first-hand about his or her research project and goals.
 

Please submit applications no later than May 1, 2024 via email to:

Spencer Smith Associate Professor
Electrical and Computer Engineering