External Review: for Peer-Reviewed Research
The deadline for submitting an External Review request is December 1, 2008.

Instructions for External Review Grant Requests
Your application should include the following information, printed in 12 pt. typefont with 1” margins, without binders, notebooks, folders or staples. Use paper clips or binder clips only. We distribute black and white photocopies of all proposals and supporting documentation for review. If it is important that images appear in color, you must provide us with 5 (five) copies of each color page, clearly marked with a page number, so we can collate it into the photocopied material.

Submission Methods:
• Submit 1 signed hard copy of the grant request, including the supporting documentation, to ESFA.
• Your proposal, in its entirety, must also be submitted electronically, via email, to be considered for funding. The application must be provided in Word or a similar editable format (not PDF). However, supporting documentations such as item 12 are allowed to be submitted as PDF attachments. Send to srhamilt@uab.edu with Grant Request in subject line.


Information Required:

1.	Organization Information - organization name (for UAB requests, also list school and/or department); organization’s primary contact (CEO, dean, department chairman) name and address.
2.	Applicant Information - principal investigator name/title/degrees; address/city/state/zip; phone; fax; email; web address. For UAB Applicants: provide campus mail address and campus zip code. The application must be signed by the principal investigator for the request, as well as by an officer or top staff (executive director, president, department chair, dean, etc.) of the requesting organization.
3.	Project Information - project title; total project cost; amount of request; one, two or three-year request (include breakdown of amount requested for each year).
4.	Specific Aims - project summary in lay terms; project summary in scientific terms. (Include a one-paragraph abstract that briefly describes the specific aims of the proposed project in lay terms, and a separate paragraph in scientific terms.).
5.	Support Team - co-investigators/titles; sponsoring institution; dean or department chair name/title/and signature. (Include NIH format Biographical Sketches and Other Support on all investigators as attachments).
6.	Background and Significance - a description of the background leading to the proposal, including an evaluation of existing related knowledge and identification of gaps the project is intended to fill; a concise statement of the importance and health relevance of the research.
7.	Preliminary Studies - the principal investigator/program director’s preliminary studies relevant to the application that will help illustrate the qualifications of the investigator to pursue the proposed project.
8.	Project Experimental Design and Methodology - describe the research design and procedures to be used to accomplish the specific aims of the project, including plan for data collection, analysis and interpretation; a description of any new methodology and its advantage over existing methodologies; potential difficulties and limitations of proposed procedures; alternative approaches; project timetable; any aspects of the project that may be hazardous to personnel and the precautions to be taken.
9.	Budget and Justification - the budget may include costs for equipment, personnel, supplies, and consultants. It may not include indirect costs or simple replacement of existing salary support.
10.	Plan for Management of Funds - description of oversight of funds management should be included, along with an expense timetable and plans for long-term funding of project.
11.	Additional Sources of Funds Available for Project - list additional sources of funds currently available for the project.

Supporting Documentation:

12.	NIH Format Biographical Sketches - on all individuals associated with the project.
13.	If the research project is approved, ESFA must receive official documentation with assurances that its design meets accepted standards for human use and animal use from the applicant organization before a check can be issued.