Apply for a New DBP Member

The center can only thrive and succeed if there is active recruitment of new DBPs coupled with sunsetting of DBPs that have achieved their goals and matured to the point of testing the TDP technologies for specific biomedical applications. The sustainability of the CPMM requires that new DBPs and collaborators are recruited to join the CPMM. It also requires that we build pathways to move the technology out of the center and into the hands of individual labs.

Application for new DBPs

Applications for a slot as a new DBP will be evaluated on a rolling basis. The central goal of recruiting new DPBs is to expand the test-bed cases for the technology within the three TDPs. We aim to minimize the barriers to joining the CPMM and accordingly, the application for consideration as a DBP will require a single 1-page document that is accompanied by an NIH-style biosketch and current/pending support. The application will be submitted to the EAC and SSC for evaluation based on the rubric below. In the application, we will request to submit the following information to mechanotechnology_CPMM@example.com:

  1. Summary of currently supported NIH work. This section should address the fundamental hypothesis or goal of the work.

  2. Challenge or limitations of current or conventional tools. This will help the CPMM identify synergy with specific TDPs.

  3. The impact of addressing the challenge for the research community.

DBP Evaluation Rubric

1. Synergy with TDPs. DBPs applications are deemed highly synergistic with one or more of the TDPs. This requires that the DBPs have a genuine need for the TDP technology(ies). In our inaugural set of DBPs, this was an essential selection criterion. DBPs that required specific TDP tools to test a fundamental hypothesis or model that could not be tested with conventional tools were prioritized.

2. Feasibility We will prioritize DBPs are deemed more feasible within the staff/reagent resources and time span of the CPMM. The rationale for this metric is that we want to avoid over-investing in a limited number of DBPs and we are aiming to maintain 5-10 DBPs across the lifespan of the CPMM.

3. Impact DBP applications will be scored based on their potential impact. For example, the immunology focused DBPs #1-#4 are challenging but the impact on understanding T cell functions and response in areas of vaccine design to oncology are highly impactful; DBPs of this nature would receive high scores for impact.

4. External support. DBP applicants should have at least 1 year of future support by NIH, meaning the projects have financial support and have been judged as impactful by external peer review. While the EAC and SSC will strive to prioritize DBPs in a balanced manner, we will also value the input of expert NIH study sections. While we anticipate that many of the applicants will be NIGMS supported, the broad impact of the CPMM will lead to DBPs that are supported by NIAID (immunology), NCI (cancer biology), NHLBI (platelet biology).

5. Diversity. The initial DBPs are scientifically diverse, and geographically distributed across the US including investigators from the Northeast, Southeast, Midwest, and West coast of the US. We need to maintain this diversity and accordingly if the EAC and CPMM leadership team deems multiple applications as being highly meritorious (based on criteria 1 and 2 above), then we will select DBPs based on these diversity criteria. We will actively avoid having the CPMM as becoming a geographically localized mechanism to support a specific single area of biology.