Doris Duke Charitable Foundation

Clinical Interfaces Award Program

Purpose

Established in 2003, the Doris Duke Clinical Interfaces Award Program seeks to catalyze activity at the interface of clinical and other research disciplines by:

• Supporting the formation of new collaborations and strengthening existing collaborations of outstanding scientists across disciplines;
• Demonstrating successful models for clinical research at the interface of multiple disciplines; and
• Supporting interdisciplinary and inter-institutional endeavors that go beyond the program project mindset.

Rationale

Historically, most research into human disease has involved single disciplines or at most two closely related disciplines. However, we are now on the cusp of a new era in biomedicine where technologies have opened a vast frontier that should take us to the next level of knowledge and understanding of human health and disease, and then to improved prevention, treatment and cures. The exploration, and indeed exploitation, of this frontier requires research at the interface of clinical and other sciences, including the biological, physical, chemical, social and population sciences, mathematics, computer sciences and engineering.

Grant Details

Full grants of up to $2.25 million over 5 years are awarded to established teams with key investigators from at least three disciplines. Since 2003, 4 full grants and 5 planning grants totaling $9 million have been awarded to teams of investigators working at the interface of clinical and other research disciplines.

New grants are not being offered at this time.
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Criteria

Teams of at least three key investigators whose primary areas of expertise lie in different disciplines are eligible to apply. Key investigators must have advanced degrees (M.D., Ph.D., M.D./Ph.D., or the equivalent), and one of the key investigators must be a clinical researcher.

The team leader must work in a U.S. nonprofit institution, such as an academic medical center. The team may include investigators at other institutions in the United States and overseas.

Process

The Clinical Interfaces Award competition is structured in three phases:

1. The Medical Research Program issues a Request for Pre-Proposals, which are reviewed and ranked by an Advisory Panel.
2. The Medical Research Program invites applicant teams of the top-ranked pre-proposals to submit a proposal for either a full grant or a planning grant.
3. An Advisory Panel reviews full grant and planning grant proposals, and recommends teams for funding. Site visits are conducted for finalist teams applying for a full grant.