Due Date:  November 1

Progress and financial reports are required of all BWF grants, and are due on the date specified in the award letter or contract.  Advisory Committee and staff depend heavily upon progress and financial reports to evaluate progress.  Late reports inconvenience advisory committee reviewers and impede BWF's evaluation of its programs.  Failure to submit progress or financial reports in a timely fashion will result in termination of funding.

BWF provides the following progress report guidelines to assist in the preparation and submission of Progress Reports in an acceptable manner.  Awardees must provide BWF with an annual progress report detailing scientific progress.  Institutions must provide an annual financial report.  Both reports must be submitted by the due date , November 1, according to the instructions below.  Failure to submit any portion of the report by the due date will result in an interruption or cancellation of your funds.  All PDF on-line forms and instructions referenced on this page are accessible below.

No-Cost Extensions
No-cost extensions allow awardees to carry over unused funds beyond the original end date of the award through tenure review.  Progress and financial reports are required during the no-cost extension.  The same standards required during the award for progress and financial reports apply to the no-cost extension period.  BWF will request a return of all no-cost extension funds if progress report requirements and deadlines are not met.

Sections of the Progress Report

I. Cover Sheet

The Cover Sheet for your Progress Report (see below) may be completed on line and should contain the following information:

1. Progress report period and due date
2. BWF Request ID number for your grant
3. Name of awardee
4. Degree
5. Current academic title
6. Department
7. Institution
8. Name of sponsor writing letter of evaluation
9. Project title
10. Your position this year: postdoc, faculty member, or both
11. The year of the award for which you are reporting (year 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5), or no-cost extension
12. Which year of the no-cost extension this report covers (year 1, 2, 3, or 4)

II. Progress Summary

The written text of the Progress Report must not exceed four (4) typewritten pages with a minimum of 11-point font.  Note:  The biosketch is a separate document from the written portion of the progress report.

1.  Biographical Sketch.  Include a brief, updated NIH-style biographical sketch. Only include publications in refereed journals.  Indicate the following using the notation described:  *=papers published during the term of the award;  **= published papers which are newly published for this reporting period; A = papers accepted for publication; and S = papers submitted for publication.

2. Abstract.  Provide a brief summary of your research that can be understood by a multidisciplinary audience.

3.  Specific Aims.  Provide a brief summary of the original goals of the proposal.

4.  Studies and Results.  Describe progress which has been made toward the original aims, and any changes from the original research plan.  BWF recognizes that research will evolve from the original plan over the course of the award.

5.  Accomplishments/Impediments.  Provide a maximum one-page narrative of what you have accomplished and what impediments you have encountered in the past year.

6.  Research Plan.  Provide a research plan for the forthcoming year.

7.  Mentoring, Institutional Environment, and Career Development.  Describe how your sponsor and institution contributed to your research aims and development as a scientist, and any career development plans not described in nine below.  For awardees in no-cost extensions, please describe your progress toward tenure.

8.  Other Activities and Award Administration.

A.   If you are obtaining a faculty appointment, describe whether the position is tenure track and the institution's level of commitment to you (e.g., salary, laboratory start-up funds,  and ancillary support).

B.   List national or international (do not use single letter abbreviations) meetings attended at which you presented a paper, poster, or participated in another invited function and indicate the activity.

C.   Because the Burroughs Wellcome Fund is committed to the career development of scientists early in their careers, effective July 1, 1999, BWF implemented a policy whereby all postdoctoral fellows or trainees who are fully or partially supported by funds from your award must be given adequate salary and benefit support.  In addition, a mentoring and a career plan must be in place for each fellow or trainee supported fully or partially by BWF funds.  At minimum, benefits should include a health plan.  When graduate students are supported by this award, a training and professional development plan must be in place.  Postdoctoral support must meet or exceed the National Research Service Award (NIH) scale appropriate to the trainee's level.

List the name and degree of each postdoctoral fellow or trainee supported by funds from your BWF award and indicate their annual (12-month) salary.  By listing these individuals, you certify that an appropriate salary, training, and professional development plan is in place.

D.  Comment on the Fund's award management and give any suggestions to improve the award structure.  (Optional)

9.  Final Year Essay.  Write a brief, informal paragraph describing your highest accomplishments during your period as a Career Awardee.  This essay is due the fifth year after receiving your faculty appointment as Assistant Professor (tenure-track).  (For example, if you received the CAMS award in 2012, transitioned to Assistant Professor in 2013, the final year essay would be due in 2018).

III. Sponsor/Chairperson's Letter of Evaluation

It is your responsibility to have your sponsor/chairperson write a letter summarizing your research and career growth during the period, or use the Sponsor’s Annual Letter of Evaluation  abbreviated form (see below) in place of the letter.  If you are a postdoctoral fellow, the sponsor is your mentor. If you are a faculty member, the sponsor is your department chair.  The letter is due by the same date as the Progress Report.   Convert the letter to a PDF and submit it with your report.

IV. Publications

Attach copies of any publications, submitted, or published during the reporting period. Publications must be submitted, by the due date, as individual PDF files.  The committee will expect to see BWF support acknowledged on all relevant publications during the award period.

V. Financial Report

The Financial Report (see below) must be completed on line, using the form provided, by the institutional financial officer. The report should contain the typed name of both the awardee and the institutional officer completing the report. Original signatures are not required, only typed names.

• If you submitted a Financial Report last year, information provided in that report should be used to calculate the Cumulative to Date figures.
• The subtotal fields in both columns will automatically calculate as you enter the relevant numerical data.
• The "Balance" in both the Current Reporting Period and Cumulative to Date columns should be equal.

The Financial Report may be submitted under separate cover, as a PDF file to cams.progress@bwfund.org.

Instructions for completing the on-line forms:

1. Determine your system software. Adobe Reader is widely used because it is free software (easily downloadable from http://www.adobe.com) which allows you to complete the form on line, print the form, convert it to PDF format, and email it to BWF. Adobe Acrobat is purchased software required to save PDF files. “Acrobat” allows you to complete the form on line, save the form and data to your system, and immediately email the PDF form to BWF.
   • With "Reader" software, print the form you just completed (do not use the Email button on the form). Convert the paper form to a PDF file by some electronic means and submit the PDF file to BWF via email to cams.progress@bwfund.org.
   1. • With "Acrobat" software, after completing the form, click the Email button and you will be prompted to save your file to your system. If you are not prompted, it is likely that you do not have the required software, must print the form and follow bullet one above. If you email this form without Acrobat software, it will email a blank form and you will lose your data.
2. To complete the on line forms, click on the first blank line and begin typing. To advance to the next line, press the keyboard "Tab" key until the form is completely filled out. Be sure to press the return key after the last entry to complete the process.   The subtotal fields will automatically calculate as you enter the relevant numerical data.

Report Format

Number each subsection separately and use a minimum 11-point font size with one inch margins on all sides. Combine all subsections, including the cover sheet, into one PDF file. Submit publications, by the due date, as separate PDF files.  The Financial Report may also be submitted as a separate PDF file.

Submit your entire Progress and Financial Report in PDF via email to cams.progress@bwfund.org. by November 1. If you have questions, please contact Kendra Tucker via email or at 919/991-5115.

Forms