Research Grant Application Process

Career Development and Established Investigator Awards

The application process for the 2011 grant cycle closed on November 1, 2011.  The next cycle of applications will be accepted from September 1 - November 1, 2012 for the 2013 award year. 

All submissions were completed entirely online through Proposal Central (https://proposalcentral.altum.com/ ).  Award decisions will be made by March 1, 2012 and applicants will be notified via Proposal Central.  Applicants will also receive reviewer critiques through Proposal Central.  Funds are distributed twice each year, on March 31st and September 30th.  

 All  Instructions will only appear on the Proposal Central website while the award cycle is opened. Outside of that time, you may view the research grant submission instructions here: 

View the 2011 Submission Instructions

Medical Student Research Grant 

The application process for the 2011 grant cycle closed on November 1, 2011. Decisions will be made by March 1, 2012 and applicants will be notified via email after the review process is completed. Funds will be disbursed on or around March 31, 2012.

 Applications Materials

MRF Research Grant Instructions, Application and Final Report (PDF)

• Completion of application cover page (Included)
• Research project proposal, including Title, Abstract, Background, Hypothesis, Specific Aims and Methods, Summary and Relevance, and Literature Cited (4 page maximum including Abstract and Literature Cited)
• Project Plan with Timeline (Included; 1 page maximum)
• CV of applicant (3 page maximum)
• Letter of support from Research Mentor approving research proposal as well as outlining Mentor's role and expectations.  (Research Mentor should be an M.D. or PhD engaged in melanoma research that is consistent with the program purpose as stated above.)

Selection Criteria

All research project proposals will be graded on a 3-point scale in five separate categories for a total of 15 points.  Each proposal will be reviewed by two independent members of the MRF Medical Student Research Grant Selection Committee.  Each reviewer will assign a point score to the research proposal and a final score will be generated by the average of the two reviewer's scores.  In the event that a major discrepancy exists between the two scores of the reviewers, a third reviewer will be selected and will determine the final point score.  No member of the MRF Medical Student Research Grant Selection Committee shall serve as a reviewer on a proposal for which he or she may have a conflict of interest.

The selection criteria grading scale is provided below:  

Reviewer One:   Score   ____ / 15
Reviewer Two:   Score   ____ / 15            Final Average Score    ____ / 15 

Reviewer Three (if necessary):   Score   ____ / 15

Research project proposals that qualify as being "Exceptional" in all five categories of the grading selection criteria will contain the following elements:

• Content:  Proposal information is accurate, thorough, and relevant.  Proposal demonstrates a thorough background knowledge and adequate literature review. 
• Clarity:  Information is communicated clearly and succinctly and is well-formulated.  The need for the proposed activity is clearly established and supported with available research data.
• Creativity:  Research hypothesis and proposed approach is novel, innovative, and provides new theoretical insights to the research problem at hand.
• Methodology:  Specific aims represent a logical match between the issues being addressed and the approach being proposed.  The proposal clearly explains what work will be done, techniques and instruments are appropriate, and the approach is cost-effective. 
• Achievability:  Proposed project plan and timeline is reasonable and appropriately meets the award timeline as specified in the application materials.

Submission Instructions

Submissions must be submitted electronically to Shelby Moneer at smoneer@melanoma.org. Handwritten applications will not be accepted. If you have questions regarding the MRF Medical Student Research Grant please email research@melanoma.org or contact the MRF office at (800) 673-1290.