• Eligibility
• Use of funds
• Shared equipment
• Other
  

Q: I am an Associate Investigator at the VA Medical Center and an affiliation with the UCSF Neurology department, am I qualified to apply for REAC?

A: You need to have a faculty appointment through the medical school.

Q: I would like to apply but don't know what category I fall under. I am a junior clinical assistant professor of medicine in gastroenterology in my 3rd year on staff. My study is done using Kaiser db but I am not allowed to go through charts myself as I am not in the union. To finish my study, I need additional funds.

A: Generally, when faculty qualify as new/junior faculty then that's how they should apply. In this case, you should apply as new faculty.

Q: I am an Assistant Clinical Professor in the Dept. of Medicine. I am in the Clinical series, not the Academic Senate. Am I eligible to apply?

A: Any faculty series in the School of Medicine qualifies you to apply.

Q: I am an assistant professor in residence without salary. Does that mean I am not qualified?

A: You are probably qualified. Sometimes the source of the salary (esp at the VA) makes the appointment "without salary". If you are a full time faculty member, then you are qualified to apply.

Q: I am a UCSF faculty member in Peds-Cardiothoracic Surgery but will be doing my research at UCD. How would this relate to my IRB approvals or other possible matters? My appointment is assistant professor.

A: The only formal requirement is that the applicant be a paid faculty member at greater than 50% time. However, the Committee in the past felt that REAC funding should be used at UCSF rather than elsewhere. This would depend on the individual situation and needs. The most important aspect is that the funds will be used to further the career of a UCSF faculty member. IRB approval must be granted before funding. It helps to have it before review if there are IRB concerns. Explanation and justification of the specific circumstances should be clearly outlined in the application. IRB approval is required at the institution where the research is being done.

Q: I am interested in applying for a REAC grant. I was appointed on July 1, 2006 in Medicine. My current rank is instructor, but I am in the process of being promoted to Assistant Professor.

A: Instructor rank qualifies you to apply.

Use of Funds

Q: Can you use REAC funds to buy software upgrades? I need to use UC dollars so I can receive UC discounts.

A: Only if the software is specifically needed for your approved project. Not if it is for windows, office or other "general" use.

Q: I am a faculty member at UCSF. I am a Health Policy Researcher, and am currently collaborating with several investigators at the UCSF Health Policy Inst. I was told that REAC funding can only be used for "supplies and materials" not for "salary support." I am not interested in supporting my own salary, but the majority of my funding goes to pay for statistical support and a database manager. I do not have a wet lab per se, and the majority of my research is done on the computer.

A: I encourage you to apply. We changed this rule a few years ago to accommodate social science researchers. The rule now reads: “Ongoing salary support for PI or co-investigators is not allowable. Funds may be used to provide short-term salary support for postdoctoral scientists and partial salary support of not greater than 50 percent for existing research staff." Please make sure that we are not committing a new job to someone when only ONE YEAR of support is available. Be sure to justify your budget request.

Q: I would like to use one of our PI's as a statistician but he has just been promoted to Assistant Adjunct Professor. Can we still use him as the Statisician?

A: Assistant adjunct professor is faculty and cannot be paid with REAC funds.

Q: I have a REAC grant from the last fall cycle that will expire soon. Can I apply for a new grant at the next deadline?

A: REAC committee discourages continuing applications. We feel that these endowment funds should be distributed to as many people as possible. You can reapply after taking a cycle break.

Shared Equipment

Q: I am interested in applying for a shared instrument award, but it would be for more than one instrument. It would be for a couple of pieces of equipment that we need for our new China Basin facility. The amount would be under $25K and everyone at the center would be able to use it.

A: More than one instrument would be okay. It would make the most sense if they were used together, but that's up to you to describe. Be sure to describe any and all available equipment at Mission Bay or elsewhere that is comparable.

Q: For shared instrument grant, the proposal has 10 different faculty members. Do they all need to sign?

A: Yes, they all need to sign as co-investigators. REAC only accepts original signatures, no fax copies allowed

Other questions

Q: Does the proposal need to go through Contracts and Grants first, or simply to the REAC office?

A: No, REAC is an internal grant so there is no need to work through Contracts and Grants.