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Q1. Are researchers at independent (private) institutions eligible to apply for AMCARF Funding

A1. Private or independent researchers may apply

Q2. Are small companies eligible to apply for AMCARF funding?

A2. Researchers at small companies may apply.

Q3. The RFP specifies that PHD candidates and post-doctoral researchers may apply for AMCARF funding; but are master’s students eligible to apply?

A3. Master’s students may apply.

Q4. One of the stated priorities of the program is to encourage early career applicants. Does that mean that more established researchers will receive lower priority, or that they simply need not apply?

A4. No, the AMCARF is interested to fund the best science regardless of where the pi is in his/her career. All proposals will be scored on scientific merit and adherence to the format, research priorities, etc., described in policies & procedures and rfp. One of the potential benefits of the AMCARF is to provide a funding opportunity for great ideas from relatively new researchers who may not yet have a catalog of accomplishments, compelling preliminary data, or strong history of funding that would make it difficult or impossible to compete with more established researchers in other funding programs.

Q5. As stated in the RFP that university indirect costs cannot be covered by the grant, but is this the case for government administrative fees as well?

A5. Anything that would be taken away from AMCARF funding for covering any kind of overhead, administrative fee, etc., should not be covered by AMCARF.

Q6. If our agency typically charges a federally negotiated administrative fee on grants, will this be allowed by AMCARF or is it considered the same as ‘university overhead’ which is not allowed by AMCARF?

A6. Any kind of admin fee is not fundable by AMCARF. The small grant size we are capable of offering is not a good fit with also having to pay overhead; it detracts from the AMCARF mission of funding small projects.

Q7. Our project is initiated by a multi-organization team of early career researchers. To free them up to put their limited time towards technical aspects of the project, we would like the PI to handle the administrative and coordination role. Is this likely to affect the priority given to our proposal? Or is it critical that one of the early career researchers be designated as the pi in order for our proposal to be given higher priority for funding? 

A7. It is an enriching experience, and an important one, for early career researchers to go through the process of producing and managing a proposal. On the other hand, in this situation with a multiorganization team, it might benefit the project to separate administrative from research efforts. The project will be recognized as benefiting early career researchers as long as this is made clear in the proposal.

Q8. Is my agency, eligible to be considered a ‘qualified research institution’? Our agency is one of the organizations involved in planning, mapping, and conducting statewide public health vector surveillance. We do not have any mosquito abatement districts.

A8. This agency is a qualified research institution because the state does not have mosquito abatement and the agency covers public health vector surveillance.

Q9. Should a second, separate budget form for a sub-award be filled out or should the entire budget be combined into a single form?

A9. A separate budget form for sub-award is recommended, but include a notation in the main budget for reviewers to look for the separate sub-award budget.

Q10. I would like to include a vehicle rental in my budget but there is not a field for that. I see fields for gas and cab only. Could I change one of the existing fields that I am not using and make it for a vehicle rental instead?

A10. A vehicle rental can be included as a separate field or in the field for gas/cab. This would be considered general travel.

Q11. Can Latin American scientists apply for AMCA research funding?

A11. Yes, if they are based at an institution within the united states.

Q12. Does the research have to be conducted in the U.S.?

A12. Yes.

Q13. Should the 6 pages required under the RFP body of the proposal have to be single-spaced or double-spaced?

A13. It is up to the principal investigator (PI) whether single or double-spaced – the objective with the page limit was to make the process easier on both the pi and the reviewers (i.e., encouraging brevity and clarity). To these ends I would recommend keeping the message in the main part of the proposal clear and concise (served by double space); however, if the pi feels that more detail will better serve the proposal, then go ahead and single space

Q14. Can the AMCARF grant be used for tuition assistance for a grad student?

A14. The stipend for a graduate student falls under “salary” on line 18 of the budget worksheet. The AMCARF can’t directly pay tuition, but paying a grad student directly as a stipend provides funds that the student can in turn use for whatever they need (such as tuition).

Q15. Does the equipment and supplies purchased for the AMCARF funds become the property of the institution I am working at, or would I as the PI of the project be able to take the equipment with me to my next job or position?

A15. We suggest the PI work this out on a case-by-case basis with their host institution representative before submitting the proposal. There is a field on the proposal cover page for the institutional rep to sign. Thus, the PI should specify agreed on post-purchase ownership of equipment on the budget sheet, and once both the PI and the rep sign the cover page, they should both be protected.

Q16. Can you provide some clarity on the “biosketch format” that is requested for the required resumes?

A16. The “era commons user name” may be left blank. The section “contributions to science” is where the list of peer-reviewed publications go, but you may also list patents, books, or other kinds of scientific communication media.

Q17. Can AMCARF send funds directly to a collaborator to reduce administrative delays/costs of otherwise sending the funds to me first and then me distributing to the collaborator?

A17. Yes – this fits with our stated commitment in the policies & procedures to not fund overhead/admin charges.

Q18. Can you give me feedback on my proposal? I want to improve it for resubmission next year.

A18. We do not have specific feedback regarding your proposal at this time; however, we may have general comments on best practices for AMCARF proposals available to all applicants during the next rfp.

Q19. Is it possible to access successful pre-propsals and proposals from previous years? (in addition to the annual reports provided)

A19. Proposals are the intellectual property of the applicants and can’t be shared with the general public.

Q20: What is a good point of contact for questions regarding AMCARF?

A20: Please email all questions to amca@mosquito.org