(6 Page Limit for all letters combined)
Note that letters of support are not the same as letters of reference (also known as reference letters), which are required for some K applications.
For more information about letters of reference, see the NIH’s Reference Letters page.
From whom are letters of support required? From whom are letters not required?
Letters of support from collaborators, contributors, and consultants will be required for any such person who will contribute to the scientific development or execution of CDA application’s proposed project. Follow the requirements for letters of support as listed in the FOA.
Letters are not required for personnel (such as research assistants) not contributing in a substantive, measurable way to the scientific development or execution of the project.
Format:
Follow the page limits for the Letters of Support from Collaborators, Contributors, and Consultants in the NIH Table of Page Limits unless otherwise specified in the FOA.
Attach a file with all letters of support, including any letters necessary to demonstrate the support of consortium participants and collaborators such as Senior/Key Personnel and Other Significant Contributors included in the grant application. The letters must be appended together and uploaded as a single PDF file. See NIH’s Format Attachments page.
Content:
Letters from consultants should include rates/charges for consulting services.
Mentored CDA applications should identify collaborators, contributors, and consultants involved with the proposed research and career development program, and not already included in the “Plans and Statements of Mentor(s) and Co-Mentor(s)” section. Letters should briefly describe their anticipated contributions and document their role and willingness to participate in the project. The letters should also briefly describe research materials, data, guidance, or advice each person will provide.
Non-mentored CDA applications should include letters from collaborators, consultants, and contributors. Letters should list proposed roles and document their willingness to participate in the project. The letters should also briefly describe research materials, data, guidance, or advice each person will provide.
Example:
September 11, 2020
Dr. XXX
Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging Massachusetts GeneralHospital
149 13th St. Suite 2301
Charlestown, MA 02129 Dear Veronica,
I am pleased to serve on the advisory committee for your 1<25 resub mission application titled “Imaging zinc secretion from the exocrine for early diagnosis of pancreatic adenocarcinoma”.
As you are already aware, I am an associate professor of Pathology at Harvard Medical School and an associate pathologist at Massachusetts General Hospital. I am the director of the MGH pathology tissue bank and the tissue Microarray (TMA) corefacility. Your proposal suggests the use of MRI to infer disease states in the exocrine pancreas by use of a simple MRI contrast agent sensitive to zinc. I am committed to help you reach your research and career goals by meeting with you quarterly and reviewing your histopathological results when tissue becomes available. I direct the Biomarker Discovery Lab at the Massachusetts General Hospital where you will have access to human tissue samples, tissue staining by IHC/IF or RNA-ISH, and molecular analysis with next generation sequencing.
Your proposal sounds very exciting and the preliminary data you were able to obtain suggests that one could be able to leveragezinc secretion as a biomarker for early detection of pancreatic cancer. I believe that your interesting proposal may elucidate important mechanisms in pancreatic tumor development, and thus I commit to support you in identifying, quantifying, andvalidating novel biomarkers involved in the dysregulation of zinc homeostasis in pancreatci cancer. I envision that during your training you will require guidance through the experiments validating MRI diagnosis by histopathology and immunohistochemistry as well as quantification of zinc transporters in tissue. I confirm my support and commitment to help you attain all your goals as I believe that you will make an exceptional independent scientist.
Sincerely,
Name:
Title:
Insititution:
Department
Phone
