Duke Microbiome Center Rolling Voucher Program

Duke Microbiome Center Rolling Voucher Program is sponsored by Duke Microbiome Center. This program provides Duke Microbiome Center investigators with access to shared resources and state-of-the-art technologies for microbiome projects that are not yet externally funded.

Duke Microbiome Center Duke Microbiome Center Development Grants Duke Microbiome Center Development Grants Duke Microbiome Center Development Grants Request for Applications 2026 Application Deadline: May 10, 2026 (Midnight) Microbial communities (microbiomes) are known to contribute significantly to human health and disease, regulate global biogeochemistry, and harbor much of our planet’s genetic diversity.

The Duke Microbiome Center (DMC) supports microbiome science at Duke University through pilot project funding. The DMC is pleased to announce this new request for proposals for DMC Development Grants. The objective of the DMC Development Grant program is to support interdisciplinary and collaborative research projects in the microbiome sciences at Duke University.

Priority will be given to applications with one or more of the following attributes: (1) applications for which external grant support is currently difficult or impossible to obtain; (2) applications submitted by teams of investigators representing multiple scientific disciplines and academic units (i.e., schools, departments, and divisions); (3) applications submitted by teams of investigators that include junior members of the faculty who, by reason of their being earlier in their careers, find it difficult to obtain research support; (4) applications that have a high likelihood to lead to new extramural funding; and (5) applications that utilize Duke shared resource facilities (for example, the Microbiome Core Facility and Gnotobiotic Core ).

To be eligible for consideration, the PI of the proposal must be a faculty member at Duke University currently affiliated with the DMC (see DMC faculty list here ). Applications must include as co- investigators at least one additional faculty member at Duke, though they need not be currently affiliated with the DMC.

If you are a Duke faculty member that would like to become affiliated with the DMC, please contact Cindy Wicker < cynthia. wicker@duke. edu >.

These DMC Development Grants will have a one-year term, from 1 July 2026 – 30 June 2027. Each proposal may request a 1-year budget of up to $50,000, inclusive of all costs. Budgets are exempt from G&A, with the exception of any subcontracts which would require normal F&A costs.

The DMC expects to fund up to two proposals this cycle. Verification of non-overlap with internal (e.g., bridge or other center) or external (e.g., NIH/NSF) funded projects on time of award will be needed. Application Instructions: Click here to access the Google Form to apply.

Proposals must be submitted under the Duke Principal Investigator’s name. For questions concerning system issues, please contact Cindy Wicker @ cynthia. wicker@duke.

edu . Applicants will enter general project information via the web-based form: Investigator Information: Name, rank, and department. Coinvestigator Information: Name, rank, and department.

General Project Information: Applicants will be asked to answer general questions regarding the project (e.g. clinical need, IRB, IACUC, etc.). RFA: Select “DMC Development Grant RFA”. Proposal sections (except the Abstract) will be uploaded as individual PDF files.

The application sections are: Project Summary: Project Summary format uses the current NIH R03/R21 format and should be uploaded as a single PDF including (i) Specific Aims – 1 page, (ii) Research Strategy – 6 pages inclusive of all figures and tables, and additional sections (see below), and (iii) Bibliography – not included in the 6-page limit.. Include where applicable clear evidence of how the proposal meets the review criteria.

The Project Summary should include sections to address Significance, Innovation, and Approach, and address knowledge gaps and solutions therein. In the Significance section, applicants should address “…. the strengths and weaknesses in the rigor of the prior research (both published and unpublished) that serves as the key support for the proposed project.

” In the Approach section, applicants should “describe plans to address weaknesses in the rigor of the prior research that serves as the key support for the proposed project.

Please additionally include in the Research Strategy: 1) a section articulating why the support of the DMC Development Grant program is necessary for this project, 2) a statement of overlap with other funded and pending projects, including internal and external funding sources, and 3) a section articulating the specific complementary expertises and contributions of the collaborative team.

Budget with Budget Justification: (using PHS 398 Form Pages 4 and 5 with no page limit). The Budget Justification should include sufficient detail for reviewers to assess whether appropriate resources have been requested. Costs for salaries, supplies, animals, and Duke shared resources are allowed.

Human and/or Animal Subjects Description : Institutional Review Board (IRB) or Institutional Animal Care & Use Committee (IACUC) approval is encouraged but not required prior to submission. Briefly describe any human and/or animal subject issues. If human subjects are involved, provide a description of their involvement and characteristics, specific risks to subjects who participate, and protection against those risks.

Describe the sources of materials that will be obtained from human subjects as part of their study participation. Provide assurance that the project will be reviewed and approved by Duke’s IRB and comply with HIPAA. If vertebrate animals are to be used, provide a description of the proposed use of the animals in the work outlined and procedures for ensuring that discomfort, distress, pain and injury will be limited.

The Vertebrate Animals document must include the following sections, as described in NIH notice NOT-OD-16-006: (1) description of procedures, (2) justification, (3) minimization of pain and distress, (4) euthanasia. Biosketches for participating faculty as a single PDF.

NSF, SciEnv, old-school NIH Biosketches (e.g. this format) are examples of permitted formats, but please include a listing of all active grants, and any potential overlap between active grants and the proposed research must be described. Selection Process for Awards: Proposals will be peer-reviewed, and awards announced in June 2026. Applicants will be notified of funding decisions, and the 1-year award term will start July 1 st 2026.

For the Awardees, verification of non-overlap with pending and awarded internal and external funding sources will be required prior to funds disbursement, and a Discretionary code will need to be included or provide your Administrative Manager contact information. Feedback from the evaluation process will be of limited scope.

Awardees will be required to submit a year-end progress report and will be expected to present their accomplishments and findings at DMC-sponsored event in 2027-2028. Duke Microbiome Center Development Grants DMC Rolling Voucher Program Sites@Duke Express is powered by WordPress. Read the Sites@Duke Express