Grant Accelerator Program (GAP) Awards
Supported by the Alice McPherson Endowment Fund for the Visual Sciences, the Van Vreede McPherson ERI Greatest Needs Fund, the Robert A. Brandt Macular Degeneration Fund, and additional donors to the McPherson ERI
Application deadline: The application period for this award opportunity is now closed. Please check back in Fall 2025 for the next opportunity to apply for a GAP award.
Award amount: $50,000 each
Applications reviewed by the GAP Review Committee
Timeline
December 2nd: Submissions close
Late December: Finalists are notified
Late January: Finalists deliver proposal talks to the MERI Leadership Committee on January 31st
Early February: Winners announced
Overview:
The McPherson ERI is offering up to six $50,000 awards to support a broad range of vision research, as well as one additional $50,000 AMD GAP award specifically designated for research in age-related macular degeneration (AMD), for a total of up to $350,000 in pilot project funds. To be considered for this award, you must (i) be a McPherson member at UW-Madison and (ii) be faculty, permanent principal investigators, or have limited PI status (see complete eligibility criteria here).
Winners can expect to receive their award approximately 2.5 months after the application deadline, and must use their award within 12 months of receipt (unless a one year no cost extension is granted). Overlap in budget line items from any other internal or external grant mechanism is not allowed during the award period, but other support can be used to complement the proposed activities on this project. If budgetary overlap occurs after the project is awarded, the investigator must report it promptly to the McPherson ERI Center Administrator. Award funds cannot be used for meeting or conference attendance.
Eligibility Requirements:
To be eligible to receive a Grant Acceleration Program Award, you must…
• …be a McPherson ERI member at UW-Madison.
• …be faculty, a permanent principal investigator, or have limited PI status.
• …be proposing a project where there is no overlap in budget line items from any other internal or external grant mechanism during the award period (although other support can be used to complement the proposed activities on this project). If budgetary overlap occurs after the project is awarded, the investigator must report it promptly to the McPherson ERI Center Administrator. Of note, submission of outside grant applications that utilize data obtained with GAP Award funds is highly encouraged.
• …plan to use the award within one year of the month that you received it. Funds remaining one year after issuance of the award will be retained by the Institute unless a one-year no cost extension is granted.
• …not have received a GAP award in the previous academic year.
Submission Guidelines:
To apply for a Grant Acceleration Program Award you will need to…
1. Check the appropriate box on the fillable application form to indicate whether you are also eligible for the AMD GAP award.
2. Complete the fillable application form (which requires a brief lay abstract and budget statement) using single-spaced text, Arial font no smaller than 11 point, and page margins of 0.5 inches. The form must be signed by the principal investigator. For the budget statement, in a few sentences outline how you will use the funds—up to $50,000—to advance your project over the one-year award period. Use can include personnel salary and other allocations including, but not limited to, equipment, supplies, reagents, core facility costs, etc. Travel can only be included if critical to conduct the research. Do not include travel to attend meetings or conferences.
3. Complete the provided compliance form, indicating use/non-use of human or animal subjects, human stem cells, and coverage under a biosafety protocol.
4. In a separate document, create the following using single-spaced text, Arial font no smaller than 11 point, and page margins of 0.5 inches:
A. A brief research proposal in language that a person outside your field could understand, including text and figures (latter not required). Your research proposal must not exceed FOUR pages and should include the following sections:
• Background/Rationale
• Significance/Innovation
• Specific Aims
• Research Plan and Methods
• Anticipated Results
• Potential for future funding from external grant agencies.
B. A list of references cited, immediately following the research proposal, beginning on a separate page (no page limit)
5. Provide your NIH- or NSF-style biosketch.
6. Combine all of your files into a SINGLE PDF FILE in the order listed above.
NOTE: In your abstract and your research proposal, whenever possible use LAY LANGUAGE. Avoid using jargon, acronyms, and technical terms that assume common expertise. The review panel is of researchers from several different scientific fields, including psychology, neuroscience, computer science, medical genetics, human development and family studies, biostatistics and medical informatics, engineering, ophthalmology and visual sciences, and many others. Make sure you convey the purpose and importance of your research project so that a researcher from any school, college, or department can fully understand it. Your ability to make your work accessible and understandable by a general audience is a key factor in the judging process.
All materials should be submitted as a single pdf to Dr. Jonathan Lang (jonathanlang@wisc.edu). When submitting, format your email subject line as follows: GAP Award Application: [your last name], [your first name]