Calls for applications: October 1 and April 1 each year.
B.1. Eligibility Requirements:
- Reside and work in Costa Rica.
- Have a formal employment relationship with a Costa Rican public university.
- Have a portfolio of scholarly research and publications and/or courses taught at their institutions.
- Demonstrate institutional support for participation in the fellowship.
- Commitment to continue scientific research in their home country.
- Present a feasible and high-quality research project plan to be carried out during the fellowship period.
B.2. Benefits:
- $20,000 to be used for equipment, supplies, travel, and other necessary expenses for the development of the project accepted by the applicant's institution. This amount includes indirect administrative costs incurred by the scholar's institution (see section B.6).
- The opportunity to spend one month in New York to meet with mentors at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. If a visit is arranged, airfare and accommodations will be provided by Mount Sinai and should not be included in the $20,000 award.
B.3. Documents to be submitted for the fellowship application (all in English):
- Curriculum vitae, including scientific publications of international collaborators.
- Research proposal (no more than 8 pages in English), including:
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- Title.
- Rationale and statement of the problem.
- Hypothesis and specific aims.
- Scientific plan.
- Materials and methods.
- Training plan for technicians and students involved in the proposal.
- Plan for publication and dissemination of data obtained.
- Evaluation plan: describe how the research will be evaluated (internally and/or externally).
- Table of work plan (timeline) for a maximum of two years starting 6 months after the call deadline (1 April and 1 October each year) (see section B.4).
- Budget and justification of costs, including indirect costs.
- Implementation plan: how you will ensure the use of funds according to the budget and who will be responsible for its management.
- Plan for review and approval of the responsible use of human subjects in scientific research (if applicable).
- Documentation of compliance with ethical, scientific, and other institutional requirements necessary to conduct the research. If these approvals are not available at the time of proposal submission, a letter explaining the situation must be included. The proposal may be pre-selected, but the transfer of funds will be subject to compliance with these requirements (see section B.5).
B.4. Notification of results and disbursement of funds:
Notification to proposers of pre-selected proposals will be made within 2,5 months after the closure date of the call (1 October and 1 April each year). After notification of results, the first disbursement ($4,000 in the case of pilot grants) will be made in approximately 3.5 months, subject to the scholar providing the necessary banking information and meeting the relevant ethical-scientific requirements. Other disbursements will be made as activities progress.
B.5. Ethical-Scientific and Institutional Requirements:
For research involving human subjects, for initial disbursement:
- Researchers involved in the proposal must have current accreditation with CONIS, if applicable.
- The research protocol must be approved by an Ethics-Scientific Committee (ESC). In the case of research that is part of a larger project approved by an ESC, this macro-approval must cover what is presented in the proposal.
- For research involving wild animals, the approval of the competent authority (CONAGEBIO, SINAC, Institutional Committee) must be obtained prior to sampling. The disbursement of funds for the sampling phase is subject to this approval.
- For proposals that are part of graduation projects, they must have the approval of the project by the appropriate institutional bodies at the time of the first disbursement.
B.6. Banking Requirements:
If the proposal is selected, the program team will provide the scholar with the required banking information for deposits and a deadline for making all necessary arrangements. Scholarship funds will be transferred to an institutional account designated by the scholar's institution. The scholarship amount should include the indirect costs charged by the institution (not to exceed 8% of the direct costs to be incurred).
B.7. Budget and Schedule Format: Download the Budget and Timeline Format here.
Link to the Advanced Scholarship Application: https://redcap.mountsinai.org/redcap/surveys/?s=9JN87XTLH9
Email for additional questions: