A: Yes. All TRDRP applications are due December 5, 2008 by 5 pm, Pacific Standard Time. We strongly advise that you submit your application online as early as possible. No late applications will be accepted for any reason.

Q: The Community of Science (COS) Funding Opportunities website says that the TRDRP application deadline is in January. Are there two deadlines this year?

A: No. All TRDRP applications are due December 5, 2008 by 5 pm. The COS website had the wrong information and has now been corrected.

Q: Can revised applications be submitted for the new award mechanisms?

A: No. All Exploratory/Developmental Research Award and California Research Award applications submitted in the upcoming funding cycle must be submitted as new applications. A revision statement should not be included. This applies even if you submitted a Research Project application last year that was not funded and you plan to propose an identical or similar project under one of the new award mechanisms. Your Summary Statement of reviewer comments will not be available to the reviewers. However, you can and should feel free to incorporate reviewer suggestions from the previous year into your Research Plan if you feel this will improve your grant application.

Revised applications may be submitted only for previously-existing mechanisms. In 2009 these include the Dissertation Award, Postdoctoral Fellowship, New Investigator Award, and the community participatory awards (CARAs and SARAs).

Q: Have there been changes to existing award mechanisms?

A: Yes. Changes have been made to the Pilot CARA and Pilot SARA as well as the Postdoctoral Fellowship.

The maximum duration of the Pilot Community/Academic Research Award (Pilot CARA) and Pilot School/Academic Award (Pilot SARA) has been increased to two (2) years and the total direct cost cap has been increased to $250,000.

The maximum duration of the Postdoctoral Fellowship has been increased to three (3) years and the annual the direct cost cap has been increased to $45,000.

Q: Is high impact possible when working with small populations?

A: Yes. Regardless of the size of the population that you chose to work with or investigate, all population groups will be evaluated equally. For example an application looking at smoking among inmates in California prisons will fair no better or no worse than an application investigating smoking among emergency room nurses.

Q: Is it possible to combine research areas, for example research on geographic determinants and cessation research?

A: Yes, absolutely.

Q: Could you please elaborate what you mean by “near term cost leveraging opportunities” in Exploratory/Developmental Research Awards?

A: This is the potential of your project to produce data that can lead to greater opportunities and allow you to move on to a larger project.

Q: Must CARA pilot studies be intervention studies or can they be observational studies?

A: CARA and SARA studies can be observational. The key thing with these awards is to demonstrate the participatory nature of how the research question was arrived at and collectively how the research plan is being carried out.

Q: I couldn't find research priorities in the TEROC document (referenced on the CALL webpage). Where are they?

A: On the TEROC website, http://www.cdph.ca.gov/services/boards/teroc/ , go to the TEROC Master Plans and click on the “Toward a Tobacco-free California 2006-2008: Confronting a Relentless Adversary, A Plan for Success”. You will find the five TEROC objectives detailed in this document.

Q: We had an RT (cardiovascular, general biomedical science) that received a good but not fundable score (1.9). We intend to submit a revision. Should this revision be in the Exploratory Award category?

A: Yes, you should submit the application in the Exploratory/Developmental Award category. All applications submitted in the new California Research Award and the Exploratory/Developmental Award must be submitted as new applications. We encourage you to incorporate revisions that address the reviewer comments to help improve your project, but these should not be highlighted in any way. You will not have the extra two page revision statement to include in your proposal.

Q: Can we submit more than one Exploratory/Developmental award proposal?

A: Yes, you may submit more than one application; however you can only be funded for one award.

Q: If you submit a grant as P.I., can you be a co-investigator on another grant? Can both be funded?

A: Yes to both questions.

Q: How many exploratory grants do you anticipate funding in 2009?

A: Though we can’t put an exact number on how many Exploratory grants will be funded, we do hope to balance between funding a few larger California Awards and as many Exploratory Awards as possible.

Q: In the 2009 Exploratory Award, which type of research is emphasized - technology development or hypothesis driven research?

A: There is no preference given between these types of research. We want to fund the very best proposals that fall within our priority areas. You can view our priority areas in our Call for Applications on our website at www.trdrp.org.

Q: Why are several major areas lumped all in nicotine dependence, policy, social, behavior etc? What about exposure assessment issues?

A: An exposure assessment application would fall under our General Biomedical area. This still remains one of our priorities.

Q: Can you clarify the real difference between the Exploratory Award and the IDEA?

A: Yes, the IDEA award did not require any preliminary data in the application. The Exploratory Award will be a small research project that will have some preliminary data or support data.

Q: Can you clarify the SARA as a participatory project compared to the SARA as a California Award?

A: The SARA is a participatory project and will require you to have a collaborative partner on the project. The California Research Award does not require a second PI or partner; one PI can apply. The California Research Awards will be very competitive with maybe a maximum of 6 applications being funded and more likely 3 to 4 funded applications.

Q: When will award decisions be announced?

A: We expect to announce the award decisions no later than early June 2009.

Q: Can we look at these slides somewhere in your website after the seminar?

A: The webinar slide presentation is currently available.