Send us your best ideas so we can help bring them to life!  

The Rutgers Addiction Research Center (RARC) within the Brain Health Institute (BHI) is collaborating with the Rutgers Foundation to grow philanthropic support and collaborations. We have created a leadership council of engaged community members who are working with us to accelerate innovative addiction research toward meaningful real-world impact. This is where you come in!  

Send us your ideas for projects that can move research along the translational pathway. These should not be basic R01-like discovery projects – we want ideas for projects that take your research discoveries to the next level. Our goal is to encourage investigators to think strategically about the next steps needed to move their discoveries, interventions, technologies, or scientific insights closer to meaningful impact. Do you have a program with demonstrated effectiveness that you want to scale and take into schools or treatment settings? Do you have a promising idea for a molecule or neurotechnology that could advance treatment? Do you have a finding that should be shaping the way we deliver health services or policy? We are seeking concepts that articulate a clear opportunity for advancing your science along the pathway toward changing the landscape of addiction prevention, treatment, and recovery. We want to identify, cultivate, and showcase promising projects that may be well positioned for philanthropic investment, partnership, and commercialization.  

Each year we plan to select 3-5 projects to advance to review by our philanthropic leadership council. Investigators whose ideas progress through the process must be willing to engage with non-scientific stakeholders and communicate the significance, potential impact, and future vision of their work in accessible language. The RARC will work with investigators on this process.  

Process 

Please use THIS FORM to submit your project idea.  

Projects will be reviewed as they are received, with priority given to project ideas received by October 10.  The RARC Leadership Team will review and prioritize projects based upon scientific value, potential for impact, compelling narratives, and alignment with philanthropic interests. Projects selected for further consideration may advance through one or more stages of engagement, which could include: 

  • Refinement of the project concept with RARC leadership and program staff 
  • Development of a concise, donor-facing project description 
  • Presentation of the project to members of the RARC Leadership Council or other philanthropic audiences 
  • Follow-up discussions regarding philanthropic sponsorship, partnership, or other support mechanisms 

In the on-line form you will be asked to submit the following: 

  1. Project Summary (Maximum: 250 words) 
    A concise, public-facing overview of the project and its potential significance, written for a lay audience.  
  1. Project Plan (Maximum: 2 pages) 
    a. Significance 
    What is the problem being addressed and why is the proposed work important? 
    b. Innovation 
    What is new or distinctive about the proposed work? How will it advance the field?  
    c. Approach (Project Details & Team)
    What do you propose to do? Provide a concise description of the proposed project understandable to a scientific reviewer who may be outside your specific area of expertise. Demonstrate to reviewers that the team is qualified to lead and complete the project.  
    d. Partners, Translational Pathway, & Timeline 
    Who are the relevant clinical, community, industry, policy, or other partners? How will the work move toward eventual impact in prevention, intervention, treatment, recovery, or another real-world setting? What is the timeline for completion of project milestones?  If applicable, describe opportunities for commercialization, intellectual property, future revenue generation, external investment, or other pathways for sustaining or scaling the work. 
  1. Budget & Justification (Maximum: 1 page) 
    What would it cost to achieve your stated goals? Provide a short, itemized budget and explain how each expense supports the proposed work. Budget should be appropriate to the scope of the project. Note that philanthropic support generally starts with a smaller project with concrete milestones to demonstrate feasibility before the next phase of development/fundraising. Keep this in mind when proposing your idea. There may be a grand goal, but it needs to have a manageable starting project/deliverable as the first step. The amount requested will be considered as part of the funding decision. A well-defined project that can achieve meaningful progress with an initial investment (e.g., $50,000 or less) will be more feasible to support than a project that necessitates a large initial investment. Funds may not be used to support PI salary. 

Review Criteria  

Projects will be reviewed by considering the following. All submitted proposals will receive feedback.  

Significance & Innovation 

  • Does the proposal address an important problem?  
  • What is the likelihood that the proposed science will significantly advance the field and have lasting impact? 
  • Does the project further the RARC as a leader in cutting-edge addiction research (e.g., potential for new pharmaceuticals, prevention/intervention programs, treatment regimens, health services/policy)? 

Approach and Team 

  • Are the scientific methods appropriate? 
  • Is the project likely to produce important results? 
  • Does the team have the necessary experience to complete the project? 

Translational Potential 

  • Are partners in place to advance the research toward real-world impact? 
  • What is the potential scope and scale of impact? 
  • Is there potential for commercialization or revenue generation? 

Submit Your Project Ideas: https://rutgers.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_cvbqMT8R2BQ5TX8