BLR&D/CSR&D LOI Instructions

Instructions for Preparation and Submission of a Letter of Intent for Exceeding Merit Review Budget and Award Duration Cap


Preparation. A letter of intent to exceed the Merit Review budget and award duration cap consists of the VHA Research and Development Letter of Intent (LOI) cover page (VA Form 10-1313-13) plus a standard LOI. The LOI should consist of single-spaced typed pages. Use only letter-quality print. All text must be prepared with at least 11-point font, with no more than 15 characters per inch and no more than 6 lines per inch. Page margins must be a minimum of 1 inch at each edge.

1. VHA Research and Development Letter of Intent (LOI) Cover Page (VA Form 10-1313-13)
2. Standard LOI
3. LOI Submission

1. VHA Research & Development Letter Of Intent Cover Page (VA Form 10-1313-13). Note that the VA Form 10-1313-13 has been revised. Please use the current version available on the VA R&D website

Instructions for VA Form 10-1313-13 (Boxes 1-5):

Box 1. Select the appropriate service (BLR&D or CSR&D) based on the nature of your proposed study. Use the following guidelines for service purviews: BLR&D supports laboratory studies, both in vitro and in vivo, including tissue culture and animal models; and studies on human biological samples. CSR&D supports studies on whole human subjects involving interventional or exploratory procedures (with the exception of procedures for obtaining biological samples such as drawing blood, buccal swabs etc.).

Box 2. Select "New", if the LOI is for the first submission of the proposed research or the first LOI submission for a competitive renewal of an ongoing project. Note: This definition of "new" is valid only for an LOI submission and may differ for a full proposal submission. If this is not a new LOI, you should select either "Revision" or "Resubmission." Select "Revision" if the there are any substantive changes in the scientific component of the study (e.g., number and scope of specific aims or methodology proposed) since the previous LOI submission. Select "Resubmission" if there are no substantive changes in the scientific component of the study since the previous LOI submission.

Box 3. Select the appropriate program. Check the box for Standard Merit Review if it for a regular Merit Review, including CLIN and EPID. If you are responding to a specific announcement, check the box for Response to a Specific Announcement or Other and type the title of the announcement and number, if applicable, in the box below.

Box 4. Enter the project title (Limit the title to a total of 72 characters, including spaces).

Box 5. Enter the principal investigator's (PI's), complete VA direct contact information. If the PI is not a current VA employee, enter the contact information for your local VA Research Office. Note: A proposal may have only one principal investigator (PI). As per current policy, BLR&D and CSR&D Services do not allow co-PIs.

2. Standard Letter of Intent (LOI): Limit to a total of 3 pages

a) Hypothesis(es)/Research Questions
b) Discrete Study Objectives
c) Description of Relevance to VA
d) Overview of Design/Methods
Note: This section should include a clear statement of the model(s) of choice for the study, i.e., human, animal, cell culture etc.
e) Description of Intervention(s)/Treatment(s) - if applicable
f) Total Budget and Study Duration: If you are submitting an LOI to request waiver of budget cap(s) (annual budget and/or equipment budget) and/or the study duration for a Merit Review proposal, the following should be addressed in this section.

  • Provide a budget for the proposed project. Include annual and total costs and specify major elements of the personnel, equipment, consultants, supplies, and all other expenses categories.
  • Justify each category.
  • For the equipment category, the justification needs to include a discussion of why the equipment is needed and why existing equipment cannot be used. Describe the equipment used or to be used in the generation of pilot data for the research proposal.
  • Explain why the project requires special funding consideration based on the topic, the nature of the study, unusual resource requirements, or other factors.
  • Describe how the proposed study could be completed or modified if the request to exceed the budget limit is denied.

g) Statement of Disclosure- 1-2 sentence statement from the PI indicating that no financial or contractual relationship exists between any organization involved in the proposed study that could constitute a real or apparent conflict of interest (including all investigators and collaborators who plan to devote 5 percent or more effort to the proposed project). If such a relationship or contract does exist, full disclosure must be provided.

h) Acknowledgment of the VA policy to include women and minorities in research (if applicable).

i) References: Up to five reference citations relevant to the proposed study.

3. LOI Submission

The deadline for LOI submission to BLR&D/CSR&D is January 15 for the Spring round and July 15 for the Fall round. Early submission of LOIs is encouraged.

Submit the original and 3 copies, reproduced back-to-back, to the following address via courier:

Department of Veterans Affairs
BLR&D/CSR&D Letter Of Intent for
Merit Review Budget cap
Program Management Division (121E)
810 Vermont Avenue NW
Washington DC 20420

Telephone Number for Courier Delivery: 202-254-0183/84

 


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