FRCS Frequently Asked Questions

The following information pertains to general questions about the Fund to Retain Clinical Scientists at Duke. For questions specific to your circumstances please contact jessica.womack@duke.edu.

Yes. Faculty interested in using a Fund supplement to buyout clinical time must negotiate a proposed plan with their business manager and relevant clinical administrators, and submit that plan with their budget proposal as part of the application. Applicants should work with their business manager to ensure all effort reporting requirements are met. Faculty interested in buying out clinical time are strongly encouraged to consult with grants administrator Cris Kopper prior to applying, to ensure all needed budget components are in place. 

The most competitive applicants will have external peer-reviewed national funding, for example, an NIH K award or a career development award from a national foundation. However, we recognize that many different situations exist in the SOM, and each application will be considered fully.

Associate professors are eligible only in their first year at that rank.

Yes. There is nothing in the application criteria that prohibits this type of use.

No. While we understand that PhD faculty may also conduct clinical research, the guidelines from the foundation specifically require an MD or DO degree in order to apply to the Fund.  

Yes. As long as your faculty appointment starts before the funding start date and you meet all other eligibility criteria (See: Eligibility), you are still eligible to apply. Plan to describe these circumstances as part of your application essays.

Yes.  The Doris Duke Charitable Foundation recognizes the importance of non-human animal models in research, however, cannot fund them because of Doris Duke’s wishes (See: Possible Uses of Funds). The foundation understands that research with non-human animal models may be necessary to complement the work that they fund and in fact may be published together. It is recommended that when these results are published a disclosure be made to acknowledge that “no funds from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation grant were used to support the research with non-human animal models in this study.”