Make sure to review your proposal before it is submitted, incomplete proposals will NOT be reviewed favorably.
Late proposals will not be accepted.
ALL proposals must be submitted by the signing official of your institution. Proposals submitted directly by faculty will not be reviewed.
For proposals involving vertebrate animal research, it is strongly advised to contact the Arkansas INBRE administration during proposal development for guidance.
QUESTION: The NIH instructions ask for Form Page 4 with a detailed budget for year one followed by Form Page 5 for all years.
ANSWER: We are requesting a detailed budget for each year along with the Form page 5 for All Years for the multi-year Research Project Grant applications.
These funding opportunities are intended to strengthen the science departments at the PUIs by providing biomedical research opportunities for faculty and students.
QUESTION: In the sample budget, only undergraduate students are listed. Can I include a graduate student in my budget?
ANSWER: Yes, providing you have the required number of undergraduate students in your budget, you can include graduate student(s) as your budget allows.
QUESTION: For the equipment grant applications, can an application focus on one major piece of equipment or can an institution propose purchasing multiple smaller instruments?
ANSWER: You can propose purchasing one large instrument or multiple smaller instruments. Your proposal should justify the need for and use of each instrument you request.
QUESTION: I did not submit a Letter of Intent; can I still submit a proposal?
ANSWER: Yes, the Letter of Intent is optional. It is designed to let us know how many proposals we will be receiving so that we can recruit reviewers for the proposals.
QUESTION: What should be included in the Letter of Support (LOS) from my mentor?
ANSWER: Your mentor’s LOS should include the areas of science that they will be contributing to regarding your project.
QUESTION: For the minimum effort of 50% Calendar Year, does it have to be in a “2.5 summer months & 3.5 Academic months”
ANSWER: This is just an example; the Research Project grant applications require 50% effort or six (6) calendar months and the Pilot Project grant applications require 25% effort or 3 calendar months.
QUESTION: My lab does animal work, but we are not doing any animal work in the proposal, can I include animal supplies in my budget?
ANSWER: Only supplies that are essential for the proposed research may be included in your budget. Please do not include supplies you will use for other projects or for teaching purposes. Your budget justification and research plan should outline all supplies as needed to address your specific aims.
QUESTION: Do the pages need to have the correct headers and footers?
ANSWER: Yes, all the pages should have the correct headers and footers and be numbered correctly. Refer to the 398 forms for the correct footers and headers.
QUESTION: What should be included in the Letter of Support (LOS) from my institution?
ANSWER: The LOS from your institution should confirm that you will be given the required release time from teaching should your proposal be recommended for funding. Additionally, if you mention specific institutional support within your proposal, it should be confirmed in the letter.
Contact information:
For help with identifying a mentor please contact Drs. Jerry Ware or Samantha Kendrick.
For form page questions and budget assistance, please contact Caroline Miller Robinson.
Program Coordinator and Developmental Research Project (DRP) Program Director
(501) 526-6096 | Email
INBRE Liaison for PUI Faculty
(501) 686-5823 | Email
Project Manager
(501) 526-6503 | Email
Page updated 9/2/25