2013 APFED HOPE Pilot Grant

Objective:  The APFED HOPE Pilot Grant was established to allow investigators from a variety of disciplines to initiate new projects relevant to eosinophilic disorders.  Successful applications will focus on the development of new ideas which are likely to lead to future external funding. 

Sponsor:   American Partnership for Eosinophilic Disorders (APFED) - a non-profit advocacy organization for those living with eosinophilic esophagitis, eosinophilic gastroenteritis, eosinophilic colitis, Hypereosinophilic syndrome, Churg Strauss Syndrome and other eosinophil associated disorders.

Amount:   $50,000 one time annual grant.

Funding:  The grant may be used for the purchase of supplies and services directly related to the approved research endeavors.  Funds may also be directed to the salaries of technical personnel and other direct expenses as necessary for the completion of the research project.  Funds may not be used for institutional indirect costs or to acquire administrative or clerical support.

Funds will be distributed in two equal $25,000 payments.  This grant will include a travel grant of up to $1000 which must be used to attend a professional meeting to present results of the funded research.

Eligibility:  Applicants must be all of the following to be eligible for Pilot Grant:

• MD, DO, Nursing Doctorate, PhD, or MD/PhD
• Full-time faculty as an instructor or assistant professor at a medical school in the US or abroad
• At the time of application, candidates must be United States citizens or foreign nationals holding one of the following visa immigration statuses: permanent resident (Green Card), exchange visitor (J-1), temporary worker in a specialty occupation (H-1, H-1B), Canadian or Mexican citizen engaging in professional activities (TC or TN), or temporary worker with extraordinary abilities in the sciences (O-1). Non-citizens must submit a notarized copy of proof of possession of a Green Card or J-1, H-1, H-1B, TC, TN or O-1 visas. At the time of application and throughout the award, an applicant/recipient must be employed by a U.S. institution.

Deadline:   Applications must be submitted in a single pdf file by October 1, 2012.  Applicants will be notified regarding status of application by February 15, 2013.

Selection:  Review and decision will be made by the APFED Grant Review Committee and the APFED Board of Directors.  The APFED Grant Committee will be formed for the purposes of reviewing grant applications and will be comprised of members of the APFED Board of Directors, Medical Advisory Panel and other certified members of the medical community as deemed necessary by the APFED Board of Directors

Terms:   The APFED HOPE Pilot Grant is designed to support the initiation of research that will be the basis of a larger research project within this subspecialty.  Preference will be given to the applicant who presents a plan to generate and implement a career focused on research on eosinophilic disorders.

Recipient must provide APFED Grant Committee reports on the progress of the research project at three, six and 9 months.  These updates will be a one page summary of what has been completed, what is currently underway and what is next.  This update will be emailed to the grant committee.  Recipient will also submit a final report at the end of the 12 months outlining project results and anticipated next steps.  Preference in awarding grant will also be given to research projects that are most likely to generate results or data to report at the end of one year. 

Recipient must attend the APFED Annual Meeting and present project status and results.  Research status and results will also be published in the APFED newsletter. 

Announcement of the grant recipient will be placed in publications at the discretion of the APFED Board of Directors.

Receipt of the APFED HOPE Pilot Grant does not preclude the applicant from obtaining grant support from other sources. 

Other existing support can not conflict with the requirements of the APFED HOPE Pilot Grant.

Support from the APFED HOPE Pilot Grant is to be acknowledged in all presentations and publications resulting from the APFED HOPE Pilot Grant sponsored research. 

APFED may discontinue this grant if it is documented that the purpose of the terms of the grant is not being fulfilled.  In this event, the recipient will be notified in writing of this determination, the reason, and the effective date. 

The APFED HOPE Pilot Grant is non-transferable. 

PILOT Grant Application Requirements

The proposal should contain the following components and be assembled in this order:

• An abstract of the proposed project (maximum 30 lines of text), including its public health significance, impact and relevance to the mission of APFED.
• Applicant’s Statement of Purpose:  current and future eosinophilic disorder related research objectives including planned future grant application based on the pilot project, and training plans as appropriate to current career status (1-page maximum).
• NIH-format biosketch for the PI and all co-investigators and key scientific personnel.  Should include a full disclosure of all currently active grants or grants pending review or funding decisions, addressing overlap, if any, with the APFED Pilot Grant application.
• Three (3)-page description of project, including background and significance, innovation and impact, long-term objectives, specific aims, and research strategy/experimental approach.  Also include a description of the facilities for research and training needed by the applicant (1-page maximum, not included in the 3-page limit).
• Detailed Budget and Justification. Purchase of equipment may be proposed, if adequate justification is provided.
• For grants involving human subjects, include a letter showing IRB approval of the study protocol, or indication that the protocol as been submitted and is in review. If IRB approval will be needed and issued only in the event of funding, please indicate this.  For grants involving vertebrate animals, provide a letter showing protocol approval by the institution's Animal Care Committee (ACC).
• Officially signed letter from the applicant institution's Office of Sponsored Research or similar, approving the submission and willingness to comply with APFED grant management and reporting requirements.

Submission:
Application should be submitted by October 1, 2012 in a single pdf file as an attachment in an email to grants@apfed.org.  Documentation that can not be submitted electronically can be mailed to the following address: 

APFED Grant Review Committee
c/o Kathleen Sable
11155 Linbrook Lane
Duluth, GA  30097