Reviewers

Frequently Asked Questions

INFORMATION ABOUT OUR PEER-REVIEW PROCESS
AND GRANTS FOR DIABETES RESEARCH CONNECTION

Welcome to our frequently asked questions for reviewers page. On this page, you will find helpful information about our peer review process, grant information, and details for members of the scientific review committee. Click any of the plus signs below for answers to many of our frequently asked questions for reviewers.

GENERAL

Why The Diabetes Research Connection?

The Diabetes Research Connection was established by a group of experienced diabetes researchers who were concerned over the scarcity of funding for innovative, discovery-stage science.

We created a crowdfunding platform to connect ambitious early-career research scientists with potential donors so they could launch innovative diabetes research projects as quickly, and with as little bureaucracy, as possible.

The Diabetes Research Connection facilitates up to $50,000 in seed funding to young scientists to perform one-year-long experiments in the categories of Cure, Care, Complications or Prevention. Scientists who manage to establish proof of a concept are positioned to leverage it to apply for larger grants from major funders.

This crowdfunding model empowers donors to influence the direction of diabetes research, diabetes prevention, and a type 1 diabetes cure while providing a platform for young scientists to promote and pursue innovative ideas. Through social networking, we connect investigators with sponsors – hence the word “Connection” in our name.

What Is The Role Of The Reviewer?

All reviewers are selected by Diabetes Research Connection’s Internal Scientific Committee and its Board of Directors. Our 80+-person Scientific Review Committee is comprised of eminent diabetes researchers. Our Layperson Committee is a group of well-informed non-scientists who have diabetes themselves, or have a family member or friend who is affected by the disease. Together, these committees provide rigorous peer-reviews to assure our donors of the scientific validity and exciting potential of the projects they hope to fund. Diabetes Research Connection reviewers foster the connection between young scientists and donors.

Our reviewers offer valuable skills and expertise to make a meaningful contribution to the organization’s mission. If you are an established diabetes researcher, you are naturally concerned about the continuity of exploration in your field – and you know how difficult it is for young researchers to secure funding for anything beyond the most conventional projects. If you are someone who is affected by diabetes, you look at innovative investigations as a source of excitement and hope.

Applicants for Diabetes Research Connection grants are the next generation of innovators, and you have the power to make a positive impact on their future. This is your chance to leave a legacy, to make a difference. We are deeply grateful for your participation.

How Does The Review Process Work?

There are three phases to our review process.

When Diabetes Research Connection receives a one-page Letter of Intent, we screen it for completeness and then send it electronically through our grant management system to all members of our Scientific Review Committee for a Phase 1 review.

Every member of the committee is asked to read the Letter of Intent and approve or reject it based on the quality of the basic concept.

If the proposal is approved, it proceeds to Phase 2 where the applicant is invited to submit a detailed three-page Grant Application.

In Phase 2, we select three reviewers who are specialists in the applicant’s area of investigation to independently review the Grant Application. These specialists approve or reject it based on the NOVELTY, SCIENTIFIC MERIT and FEASIBILITY of the proposed science, as well as the applicant’s ability to perform the study.

If the proposal is approved by two out of three reviewers, it is approved for funding and proceeds to Phase 3.

In Phase 3, approved grantees create a website presentation to “sell” their idea to donors. Members of our Layperson Committee – people who represent our donor demographic – work with scientists on their presentations to be sure that non-scientists can comprehend them and will be inspired to donate to them.

Who Can Apply For A Grant?

The Diabetes Research Connection invites applications from graduate students, post-doctoral Fellows, Instructors, Assistant Professors (or their equivalent at research institutions) and other pre-tenured scientists who propose novel, early-stage diabetes research.

Your own associates, as well as personal acquaintances, are welcome to apply as long as you recuse yourself from all aspects of the decision-making process pertaining to their applications.

How Are Grants Funded?

We have created a crowdfunding platform where young research scientists showcase their approved concepts to potential donors – people visiting our site who are looking relentlessly for solutions to type 1 diabetes. Our Layperson Committee helps grantees create website presentations that are both comprehendible and compelling to non-scientists in order to optimize their chances of reaching their fundraising goal.

Whenever possible, Diabetes Research Connection will supplement funding to support deserving projects that are falling short of their fundraising goal.

MISCELLANEOUS

How Long Is My Committee Appointment?

Three years. Shorter terms may be possible on request.

What Time Commitment Is Required?

We administer the entire review process through a user-friendly grant management system. Phase 1, the one-page Letter of Intent, should take less than half an hour to read and cast a yes/no vote. If asked to review a three-page application (Phase 2) due to your particular expertise, you will likely spend one to two hours reading and thinking about it. We do not require a detailed written review, merely your yes or no vote, however all comments are useful and welcome. Particularly if you vote against a proposal, we encourage you to write a few lines explaining your concerns. This will be helpful to the other reviewers and the applicant.

In Phase 3, members of the Layperson Committee will be asked to look at and comment on website presentations and should expect to spend an hour or so on each.

What Steps Do You Take To Protect Intellectual Property?

Applicants are advised that once they post descriptive materials on the Internet, their work is in the public domain, viewable by your colleagues and competitors. The Diabetes Research Connection does not accept any responsibility for confidential information released to the public via postings on its website, or for information submitted by scientists seeking research support.

All reviewers are asked to sign conflict of interest, confidentiality, and non-disclosure agreements when they join the panel.

How Do I Apply To Become A Member Of The Scientific Review Committee Or The Layperson Committee?

Membership is by invitation only. If you are interested in participating on a committee, submit an inquiry with CV to ckalberg@diabetesresearchconnection.org

FOR MEMBERS OF THE SCIENTIFIC REVIEW COMMITTEE

How Frequently Are Letters Of Intent Reviewed?

We estimate that that we will send out up to 50 LOIs a year. Because we use a rolling review process, members of the Scientific Review Committee will never be deluged with LOI’s at any time.

How Quickly Do I Need To Respond To A Letter Of Intent?

Kindly submit your vote within one week after we send a Letter of Intent to you.

How Does The Second-Phase Review Differ From The First?

After receiving notification that the Letter of Intent was approved, the applicant is asked to submit a three-page detailed Grant Application, and Diabetes Research Connection forms a Specialty Advisory Panel to review it. This panel is comprised of three members of the Scientific Review Committee who have expertise in the particular area of the proposed research.

If I Am Asked To Serve On A Specialty Advisory Panel, What Should I Be Looking For In The Grant Application?

This panel assesses Grant Applications based on the NOVELTY, SCIENTIFIC MERIT and FEASIBILITY of the science proposed, as well as the applicant’s ability to perform the study, and either approves it rejects it. Panel members who reject the application are asked to provide explanations and recommendations to the applicant – things they like as well as suggestions on how the applicant might modify the proposal for re-submission. This feedback is passed along anonymously.

How Often Will Diabetes Research Connection Ask Me To Participate On A Specialist Advisory Panel?

It depends on how your area of expertise matches the proposed projects. We estimate we will ask for your participation in this important step five to 15 times a year. As with the Letter of Intent, our rolling review process assures you will not be deluged with Grant Applications at any time.

How Quickly Do I Need To Respond To A Grant Application?

Please submit your vote (and your explanatory paragraphs if you rejected the application) within two weeks after we send the application to you.

What Else Will I Have To Do As A Member Of A Specialist Advisory Panel?

Send any questions you have about this initiative to Casey Davis at cdavis@diabetesresearchconnection.org or phone 844-484-3372.

Send any questions you have about this initiative to Kayleigh Dearstyne-Hulin at

kdearstyne@diabetesresearchconnection.org
or phone 844-484-3372.