The VA R&D Committee meets the 1st Wednesday of every month. All Request to Review Research Proposal forms with accompanying grants to be reviewed by the Committee must be submitted the Wednesday prior to the meeting, before 12:00 p.m. Proposals should be sent to the Science Information Office. An audit of all proposals will be made to ensure that appropriate sections are included (see the checklist below). Incomplete applications will be administratively held. Holds placed on grants submitted at the last minute may cause them to not be reviewed at the meeting the following week.

All submissions of research proposals require the a signature from the Service Line Chief of the Principal Investigator. Additionally, when the research impacts other clinical services, Chiefs from the affected service lines must sign the Assessment of Clinical Impact form to indicate agreement to participate in the study.

Before any research commences, the R&D Committee must grant final approval. Although the R&D Committee is willing to review grants prior to approval by any applicable subcommittees, final approval will not be granted until all necessary committees have reviewed the associated project component. After each R&D meeting, the Principal Investigator will be notified by e-mail or memorandum within three days of the outcome of the review. When a project is approved pending changes, deferred, or tabled, the proposal will be returned with guidance.

Checklist for Submissions to the R&D Committee

• You have filled out the Request to Review Form and have all the necessary signatures (including any relevant Service Line Chief signatures on the Assessment of Clinical Impact form).
• You have included an abstract of the proposed work (500 words or less) organized under the following headings: Objectives, Research Plan, Methods, and Clinical Relevance.
• The abstract is typed, single-spaced, uses a 10- or 12-point font. The abstract does not use sub/superscripts or Greek letters (spell out 'alpha,' 'beta,' etc.).
• You have included a budget page. In the event the study is unfunded, a budget is not necessary but you must clearly indicate that there is no funding on the Request to Review Form. The budget page must indicate how much money will be received for the research, which personnel will be supported by the funds and what percentage effort they will contribute, any funds used for patient reimbursement, any funds used for procedures or clinical work, and funds available for supplies.
• If you require approval for human use, biosafety, radiation, animal use, or investigational drugs/devices, you have filled out the proper forms and submitted them to the appropriate office/personnel. The R&D Committee will only grant you approval pending any necessary subcommittee approvals.
• You have included the original grant and three copies for the R&D Committee reviewers.
• It is on or before 12:00 p.m. on the last Wednesday of the month. Any submissions received after this deadline will not be reviewed until the following month.