Department of Defense Tuberous Sclerosis Complex Postdoctoral Development Award

Key elements of the award are as follows:

• Principal Investigator: The PI must be a postdoctoral fellow with 3 years or less of postdoctoral research experience (excluding clinical residency, clinical fellowship training, or family medical leave) and working in the Mentor’s laboratory at the time of the application submission deadline. While the PI is not required to have previous experience in TSC research, the proposed project must focus on TSC. Applications must emphasize the PI’s high potential for success in becoming an independent TSC researcher based on his/her qualifications, achievements (including first-author publications), and letters of recommendation.

• Mentor: The Mentor must be an experienced TSC researcher as demonstrated by a strong record of active peer reviewed funding and recent publications in the TSC field. In addition, the Mentor must demonstrate a commitment to advancing the PI’s career in TSC research. The Mentor’s record of accomplishments (such as publications, patents, presentations, etc.) should include documentation of significant contribution to the TSC field.
Research Approach: The scientific rationale and experimental methodology should demonstrate in-depth analysis of the research problem presented. The feasibility of the research design and methods should be well defined, and a clear plan should be articulated as to how the proposed goals of the project can be achieved. Additionally, resources necessary for the proposed research should be identified and their availability should be supported through documentation. Identification of potential problems and pitfalls are strongly encouraged with alternate approaches addressed. A statistical analysis of the proposed research should be included, if applicable, as well as a power analysis to support the design and sample size.

• Researcher Development Plan: A researcher development plan is required and should be prepared with appropriate guidance from the Mentor. The application should include a clearly articulated strategy for acquiring the necessary skills, competence, and expertise to successfully complete the proposed TSC research.

• Impact: The proposed research should have the potential for a major impact and accelerate progress toward advancing TSC research and/or patient care. The impact may be short-term or long-term, but must be significant and move beyond an incremental advancement.