Cohen Awards Program
For 30+ years, the Bennett and Alice Cohen Research Fund for Laboratory Animal Medicine has assisted Unit for Laboratory Animal Medicine (ULAM) residents with training program expenses through several unique, meritorious grant opportunities to support and advance clinical research.
Offered only to current Unit for Laboratory Animal Medicine (ULAM) residents, these awards help support the costs of conducting significant clinical research projects during residency, as well as some of the travel-related costs associated with advancing research through presentations at national conferences, off-campus data collection, and more.
- The Cohen Comparative Medicine Research Award supports ULAM residents by helping defray the costs of conducting significant clinical research projects during residency at the U-M.
- The Cohen Resident Travel Award helps offset some of the travel-related costs for ULAM residents interested in advancing their research through presenting at national conferences, off-campus data collection, and other off-site learning opportunities.
The Cohen Comparative Medicine Research Award
Applicants must be current ULAM veterinary residents working on a clinical research project with a ULAM faculty member willing to serve as Principal Investigator on the proposed project.
Residents are eligible to apply for, and receive, one Cohen Comparative Medicine Research Award per University fiscal year (July 1 – June 30) in which they are the Resident Investigator.
This award is NOT intended to supplement programs with other grant support.
Criteria for funding will be based on the following:
- The significance of the research question being addressed
- Clarity and coherence of the project rationale
- Feasibility of the proposal within the given timeline and resources
- Qualifications of the resident to carry out the proposed research
- Relevance and reasonableness of the budget request for the proposed activities, and validity of the methodology and analysis
Spring Application Cycle:
- All application materials (General Information, Research Plan, Supporting Materials, Budget, and Budget Justification) are due by May 30**
Fall Application Cycle:
- All application materials (General Information, Research Plan, Supporting Materials, Budget, and Budget Justification) are due by November 30**
**A meeting with the ULAM Finance Team ([email protected]) must be scheduled prior to submitting a formal application to determine a budget plan and initial cost estimate. Please allow 10 business days for budget review when considering the final deadline for all application materials.
Two awards of up to $10,000 each (with up to $2,000 in cost-sharing provided by ULAM for Quality Assurance fees) are available per University fiscal year (July 1 – June 30).*
The duration of the award is for one year; no-cost extensions may be considered after submission of an appropriate request. This award is intended to help defray the costs of conducting clearly-defined research projects while completing a residency with ULAM.
Specific project costs may include:
- Research-related expenses (e.g., laboratory supplies that will be consumed in the course of the project, animal costs and per-diem rates, diagnostic testing fees, sample shipping feeds, etc.)
- Purchasing laboratory equipment or specialized computer software
- Salary support for technical staff performing work necessary to the project
- Courses or training material for the purposes of learning about specialized experimental methodologies
or analysis software - Quality assurance fees (20% for non-federal funding in the U-M Medical School)
For information on research-based travel, please review requirements for the Cohen Resident Travel Award.
- Research-related expenses (e.g., laboratory supplies that will be consumed in the course of the project, animal costs and per-diem rates, diagnostic testing fees, sample shipping feeds, etc.)
- Purchasing laboratory equipment or specialized computer software
- Salary support for technical staff performing work necessary to the project
- Courses or training material for the purposes of learning about specialized experimental methodologies
or analysis software - Quality assurance fees (20% for non-federal funding in the U-M Medical School)
*Please note: determinations for fund availability are made at the beginning of each fiscal year, and award opportunities may change with Cohen Fund levels.
Interested applicants should contact Jean Nemzek to submit a formal proposal. The following information is required in order to be considered for this award:
General Information:
- Research Study Title
- Total budget requested*
- IACUC approval # and species used, if applicable
- Brief overview of the project (summary/abstract) 1-2 paragraphs
- Budget*
- Budget justification*
Research Plan:
- Specific aims and hypothesis
- Background and relevance of the project
- Research objectives
- Project design and timeline
Supporting Materials:
- A letter of support from the faculty member serving as Principal Investigator
- CV and/or resume for both the Principal Investigator and Resident Investigator
Budget Planning & Justification:*
A meeting with the ULAM Finance Team ([email protected]) must be scheduled prior to submitting a formal application to determine a budget plan and initial cost estimate. Please allow 10 business days for budget review when considering the final deadline for all application materials.
The research budget should match all activities described in the proposal and should explain, in detail, the costs associated with each activity. The following items are UNALLOWABLE expenses:
- Personal emergency situations
- Research-related travel (e.g., attending a conference either with or without making a presentation)
- Research that has already been completed, with research expenses incurred prior to the application submission date
- University of Michigan tuition or fees
- Normal living expenses, including rent, car repairs, child care, and utilities
- Books that are available through the University of Michigan library or through intra-library loan
Two reports are required during the award period, a 6-month progress report and a 12-month final progress report. Any monies not used at the 12-month progress report will be returned to ULAM.
If reasonable justification is given in a formal extension request, no-cost time extensions past the 12-month deadline may be given for up to six months from the original project completion deadline.
Download the Project Report Form (available via PDF download) for a complete list of reporting requirements.
The Cohen Resident Travel Award
Applicants must be current ULAM veterinary residents working on a clinical research project with a ULAM faculty member in order to be eligible for this award.
Residents may apply for, and receive, one Cohen Travel Award per University fiscal year (July 1 – June 30).
Criteria for funding will be based on the following:
- Clarity and coherence of the project rationale,
- The significance of travel to the project, and
- Relevance and reasonableness of the budget request for the proposed activities.
Applications are accepted at any time and reviewed on an individual, rolling basis by ULAM faculty reviewers.
Please allow eight weeks of processing time.
Two awards of up to $2,500 each are available per University fiscal year (July 1 – June 30)
Residents who wish to apply for this award should submit the following documents to the ULAM Business Office ([email protected]):
- Letter of request describing the proposed travel, including a budget detailing the amount of funding needed, and
- Letter of recommendation from the ULAM Faculty Research Mentor outlining how the proposed travel is directly relevant to the resident’s clinical project.
References and Resources
Cohen Comparative Medicine Medicine Research Project Report Form (PDF download)
Offered to current Unit for Laboratory Animal Medicine (ULAM) residents only
Questions?
Questions about either of these awards should be directed to Jean Nemzek, DVM, MS, DACVS, at [email protected].