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2011 PSC Seed Grant Award

The American Liver Foundation (ALF) PSC Seed Grant provides support for a faculty member at any level to initiate a project that addresses a novel and important research question related to PSC.

The proposed investigation may involve basic, clinical or translational research. The award supports investigational work related, but not limited to pathophysiological studies, clinical trials and applications, or assessment of new diagnostic and/or therapeutic modalities.

 Eligibility
 Terms of Award and Requirements 
> Funding
 > Institutional Requirements
 > Publications 
> Reports 
Preparing Your Application 
> Checklist
 Submitting Your Application
Frequently Asked Questions
Application Form

ELIGIBILITY

Applicant must be sponsored by a public or private non-profit institution accredited in the United States, Canada or Mexico engaged in health care and health-related research.
Applicant must have a full-time faculty appointment at any level.
Applicant may apply for only one ALF award each year.

TERMS OF AWARD AND REQUIREMENTS

Funding

Funding is provided in the amount of $100,000 over two years.
Annual renewal will depend on scientific progress, verification of faculty status, and other received or pending research funding.
Funding is provided to eligible institutions. Funding can include: investigator salary support, personnel salaries, study supplies, equipment essential for study and institutional overhead (not to exceed 10%).

Institutional Requirements

Recipient is directly responsible to the sponsoring institution.
Award cannot be transferred to another institution without prior written approval from the American Liver Foundation.
Recipient will promptly notify ALF regarding any change in his/her status or receipt of additional salary and/or research support.
If the award is relinquished prior to the specified end date of the award cycle, any funds applicable to the unused portion of time are to be returned to ALF.
Recipient must continue to hold a full-time faculty appointment at the sponsoring institution.

Publications

It is required that ALF be acknowledged as “American Liver Foundation” in any presentation or publication resulting from research performed during the ALF PSC Seed Grant Award cycle. Please forward an electronic copy or four (4) hard copies of each abstract, presentation, manuscript, publication and review to ALF.

Reports

The ALF Research Awards Program Interim Scientific Report and ALF Research Awards Program Fiscal Accountability Report must be submitted to ALF by May 31 of the first year of the award cycle.
At the conclusion of the award cycle, the ALF Research Awards Program Final Scientific Report and the ALF Research Awards Program Fiscal Accountability Report must be submitted to ALF by July 31.
ALF Research Awards Program Interim and Final Scientific Reports should consist of no more than two pages, written in lay language to the extent possible, and contain a summary of research during the reporting year, including actual results and their significance, changes in principal investigator or in the original research proposal, as well as any pending or planned applications for additional research funding.
ALF Research Awards Program Fiscal Accountability Report should be prepared by the chief financial officer of sponsoring institution or other person certified to sign that funding has been used for the purposes intended and in keeping with ALF award requirements. Certification also acknowledges that such expenditures may be subject to a spot audit by ALF. The report should indicate how funds were used and amount remaining, if any. All unexpended funds must be returned to ALF at the conclusion of the award along with the ALF Research Awards Program Fiscal Accountability Report.
Delays in report submission may cause delays in the award payment schedule.

PREPARING YOUR APPLICATION

Do not exceed page limits and assemble the application in the order described below. Include separate, typed pages for all additional information using ½ inch margins and 11 point Arial font. Put your name (last name, first name) in the upper right-hand corner of each page and clearly label each piece of additional information. Convert your completed application into a single PDF file and submit it online by October 15, 2010 at 5 PM Eastern Time (see "Submitting Your Application"). Applications that do not meet the requirements, in content or format, will not be reviewed. The application should contain the following sections:

Applicant Information – Use this information as the face page for your application
Summary and Abstract
Biographical Sketch – Provide a biographical sketch, including other support, using the current PHS 398 form for the applicant as well as any other key personnel
Research Plan – Prepare in this order: Specific Aims, Background and Significance, Preliminary Results, Research Design and Methods, and References. This section is restricted to eight pages. Results of unpublished observations may be summarized using text, tables or figures and they must be included in the eight-page limit. The section on previous work should highlight the candidate’s previous studies and his/her contributions to knowledge in this field. The reference section is not included in the eight-page limit.
Research Facilities – The research environment should be described, including laboratory space, if applicable, consultants and technical (including computer) resources. Limit to one page.
Institutional Review Board – All human studies require IRB approval. IRB approval for the proposed research project may be supplied with the application, or applied for at the time of application and verification of approval sent to ALF by January 14, 2011. If IRB approval is not necessary or not attached, please state why. Limit to one page.
Other Grant Abstracts – The abstracts of all other awards currently funded or submitted for review must be included
Signatures – The "Signatures" page must be completed and signed by the appropriate individuals and included in the award application.

Checklist 
Make sure to double check your application before submitting it for consideration. Your complete application should include the following:

Applicant Information
Summary and Abstract
Biographical Sketches
Research Plan
Research Facilities
Institutional Review Board
Other Grant Abstracts
Required Signatures

SUBMITTING YOUR APPLICATION

Submit your completed application electronically no later than October 15, 2010, 5 PM Eastern Standard Time.

Completely fill out all forms
Collect all of your supplemental materials and assemble along with your application forms into a single PDF file (including all letters of recommendation)
Copy and paste this link into your web browser address bar and hit enter: https://secure.liverfoundation.org/upload/2011pscseedgrant (be sure to enter the link exactly as shown)
Follow the instructions on that page to upload your PDF file
You will receive a confirmation email

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Question:
Are there any funding opportunities for pre-doctoral students at the American Liver Foundation?
Answer:
Currently there are no funding opportunities for pre-doctoral students.

Question:
Must my project focus on basic science? Can I submit a project focused on clinical studies?
Answer:
Either basic science, or clinical studies are eligible for funding.

Question:
My fellowship program is 3 year program but my second and third years are dedicated to research training. I am currently in my 3rd year of the program. Does this make me ineligible for the Postdoctoral Award?
Answer:
The amount of years of actual research training is counted, so you are still eligible.

Question:
One of our transplant doctors is interested in submitting for a Liver Scholar Award however his salary is already covered so he would like to hire a tech and purchase supplies instead of using the award solely for his salary support. Would that be acceptable?
Answer:
No, the Liver Scholar Award must be used for salary support only.

Question:
Can I apply for both a Liver Scholar Award and a Postdoctoral Research Fellowship Award?
Answer:
No, you must apply for one or the other.

Question:
I am a faculty member but my job title is Postdoctoral Associate. Prior to this appointment, I was a post-doctoral fellow for 2 years. Am I still eligible for a Liver Scholar Award?
Answer:
If you are a faculty member then you can apply. Clearly state in your commitment letter from your department chair that you have a faculty appointment.

APPLICATION FORM

Download the application form here.

2011 PSC Seed Grant Award Application

98KB

Page updated: August 30th, 2010

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