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Grant and award review FAQ

Research Funding: Grants Research Funding: Awards
Funding opportunities

Grant eligibility

Are multi-PI applications allowed?

Multi-PI applications are allowed. However, SIR Foundation’s ability to approve a multi-PI grant will be dependent upon an applicant’s institutional policy to execute a multi-PI agreement with SIR Foundation. A contact PI must also be established and identified at the time of application submission. 

Can applicants apply for more than one SIR Foundation grant?

Yes, applicants can apply for more than one grant, but not in one grant cycle. Previous SIR Foundation grant awardees are also eligible and encouraged for the Reviewer-in-Training Program. 

I do not have an adviser or mentor. Where can I find one?

If you are an SIR member, you access the Mentor Match Program where you can request a mentor that matches your specific interests in IR. 

Can those in an SIR or SIR Foundation leadership role apply for a grant?

SIR Foundation is a scientific nonprofit organization that was created for the purposes of advancing scientific knowledge in the field of interventional radiology, increasing the number of skilled investigators, and developing innovative therapies that lead to improved patient care and quality of life. It is critical to SIR Foundation that those serving in appointed leadership positions avoid conflicts of interest. The decisions and actions of those in our leadership positions must be made solely for the benefit of SIR Foundation. 

  1. SIR members currently serving in a leadership position in the SIR or SIR Foundation** are not eligible to apply for or receive new grant/research funding from the SIR Foundation during the term of their tenure.
  2. A principal investigator (primary recipient or transfer recipient) of an SIR Foundation grant is not eligible to apply for or receive further SIR Foundation funding until after the completion of the existing SIR Foundation funding. Completion includes submission of a final report to the SIR Foundation and SIR Foundation sign off of that report. 

** defined as: Board of Directors; members of the Steering Council or Clinical Specialty Council; and chair/vice chair of an SIR/SIR Foundation committee, division or section.

Grant review process

Application submission
  • Submitted applications are screened for eligibility prior to being assigned for review.
  • Since SIR Foundation offers a variety of grants for researchers of different levels (students, residents, faculty), we have varying eligibility criteria. One criterion that remains the same is that all applicants must be SIR members.  
Initial application review and assignment

Grant Review Study Section chair meets with SIR Foundation staff to assign reviewers 

  • SIR Foundation staff screens reviewers for potential conflicts of interest (COIs) and identifies reviewer area of expertise through a CV review (interventional oncology, renal, women’s health, etc.) to provide the Grant Study Review Section chair with the needed information to assign reviewers with the appropriate expertise.  
  • Application is assigned to reviewers for initial review  
  • The reviewers assess applications and score them on the following criteria:  
    • Significance  
    • Investigator qualifications  
    • Innovation  
    • Approach  
    • Environment 
    • Budget 
  • Based on these criteria, the reviewers are then asked to provide an overall score on the application.  
  • Scores and comments provided by each reviewer are blinded from one another. This prevents influence or bias during the review process.  
Final application review and decision
  • Grant Review Study Section meets to review applications for final review 
    • For Dr. Ernest J. Ring Academic Development Grant and Funding Source Development Grant, all applications are discussed. 
    • For other grants, if the reviewers were not unanimous in their scoring, the applications are discussed. 
  • Before each grant is reviewed, all reviewers with COIs are asked to identify themselves and be excused from the room when the conflicted application is up for review. They cannot provide a score and are not told of the voting outcome.  
  • After the reviewers with COIs are removed, each reviewer presents their comments and scores. The group then discusses the application.  
  • Once the group discusses the application, each member gets to score blindly and the mean score is used as the application’s final score.

Note: All committee members are given access to all applications prior to the meeting. This allows for an in-depth discussion and all concerns to be brought up.  

Awarding process

Award
  • After the study section makes its recommendations, SIR Foundation staff members review the final scores and put together a funding package in accordance with the specific grant’s guidelines. 
  • The package is then sent to the SIR Foundation Board of Directors for approval.  
  • The board votes while blinded from the applicant names. The approval must be unanimous. Any board member with a COI is not permitted to vote on the package. 
  • Awardees are notified within 7 days and an announcement is posted on SIR Foundation’s website once the award contract is signed.  

Please note that SIR Foundation does offer other review stages (proposal development and pre-review), prior to the final application submission. These stages provide opportunities for applicants to obtain and respond to reviewer feedback prior to submitting the final applications.  

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