Letter of Intent (LOI) Instructions: MSRC Common Data Elements

The objective of this Request for Proposals is to fund the best overall secondary data analyses of the MSRC Common Data Elements (CDEs). Information regarding the MSRC CDEs can be found here.

Funding

  • The MSRC anticipates funding approximately four secondary data analysis projects.
  • The maximum period of performance is 18 months.
  • The anticipated total budget for the secondary data analysis should not exceed $150,000. Indirect costs are to be budgeted in accordance with the organization’s negotiated rate.
  • All direct and indirect costs of any subaward must be included in the total direct costs of the primary award.

Submission Guidelines and Requirements

  1. Junior and senior Principal Investigators (PIs) interested in military suicide-related research should submit a letter of intent (LOI).
  2. The Letter of Intent (LOI) should be submitted no later than 11:59 pm EST on Friday, February 17, 2017.
  3. Proposals are by invitation only and include a Narrative/Research Strategy (limit 12 pages), Abstract (1 page), Statement of Work (limit 3 pages), and a detailed budget. Full details on proposal requirements will be distributed with invitations.
  4. The LOI must be clear and legible. Documents must conform to the following guidelines:
    1. Type Font: 11 point or greater (Times New Roman is strongly recommended).
    2. Margins: Minimum of 1 inch on all sides.
    3. Length: No more than three double spaced pages.
    4. Acronyms: Spell out all acronyms the first time they are used.
    5. References: List the references according to current APA or AMA format. Do not send or attach copies of articles in print. This does not count toward page limit.
    6. LOIs must be submitted as a PDF using the following file name format:
      LOI_CDE_PI Last Name_PI First Initial.PDF.

Elements of the Letter of Intent

In order to determine fit of the proposed project with MSRC priorities please address the following points in no more than three double spaced pages to be uploaded on our website.

  1. Background. Provide a brief statement of ideas and reasoning behind the proposed study.
  2. Personnel. Briefly state the qualifications of the PI(s) and key personnel to perform the proposed research. Briefly describe their roles on the project.
  3. Military Significance. State how the proposed study is responsive to improving scientific knowledge about suicidal behavior in the military that improves mental health outcomes of Service members.
  4. Aims and Hypotheses. State the aims and hypotheses to be tested and the expected results.
  5. Methods. Provide an overview of the analyses to be run.
  6. Budget. Provide an estimate of the total direct and indirect costs of conducting the study. A budget justification is unnecessary for the LOI.
  7. Length of Study. Please indicate the proposed length of study, not to exceed 18 months.

In addition to the three page double spaced letter of intent, PIs will be prompted to answer the following with the online submission:

  1. Institution/Organization name and job title.
  2. Research information including project title, total budget, which staff are MSRC members.

Submit an LOI