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ADA Pathway Accelerator Award

General Information

Program Description

The ADA Pathway Accelerator Award is designed to provide flexible, long-term salary and research support to early career researchers who are proposing innovative and ambitious diabetes-related research programs. This award aims to support exceptionally talented and promising investigators who have distinguished themselves in the field of diabetes research. The program emphasizes the development of transformational ideas that have the potential to significantly impact diabetes treatment and management. By fostering innovative research, the ADA Pathway Accelerator Award seeks to advance scientific discoveries that can improve the lives of people with diabetes.

Limitation

Schools may submit one (1) application for Penn’s internal competition.

Eligibility

  • Position: Must hold a full-time independent faculty position.
  • Research Productivity: Must have demonstrated independent productivity in diabetes research, including senior author publications.
  • Funding: May currently hold independent NIH funding (K, U, or R awards, including an initial R01/U01), but must not have applied for, or received, an R01/U01 renewal or a second R01/U01 award.
  • Effort: Must devote at least 75% of their total time and effort to research during the funding period, with 25-50% effort dedicated to the ADA project.
  • Institutional Nomination: Must be officially nominated by their institution.
  • For any sponsored research projects, the applicant must be eligible to serve as Principal Investigator for the project, unless otherwise noted in the LSO. Please see Penn’s PI Eligibility requirements to ensure you are eligible. 

Award Information

  • A total research award of 1,625,000 over five (5) years.
  • Project Support and PI Salary: Provided for both phases.
  • Indirect Costs: Up to 30% of direct costs.
  • Effort Requirement: Must devote 25-50% effort to the ADA project

Limited Submission Opportunities Protocol 

What is a Limited Submission Opportunity? When a funding agency or foundation limits the number of applications Penn can submit, the OVPR manages a two-part internal review process to select the proposal that advances to the funder. 

What is the Review Process for Limited Submissions? The selection process begins at the school level, where candidates are vetted to choose a finalist for the OVPR round. Applicants must follow their home school’s deadlines and submission instructions. A committee of reviewers then recommends candidates to the Senior Vice Provost, who selects the final nominee. 

Where do I find out about limited submission opportunities on the OVPR website? The newly designed website lists LSOs. Use the filters on the left to refine your search. Opportunities are listed in summary form. Click on the title of an opportunity to see the full details. 

How do I apply? When the full detail page for the opportunity is open, click the “APPLY HERE” button at the bottom right of the screen. This starts your application process using InfoReady. Log in with your PennKey credentials. After you submit your application, InfoReady processes it for the first round of review at your school. If selected as the Penn nominee, you will be notified directly and will begin the submission process to the funder with the Office of Research Services and PennERA.