Research Initiative Awards
Guidelines for the Research Initiative Awards
Deadline: August 25, 2008
AES Grants for Innovative, Collaborative Research
The American Epilepsy Society has established a novel grant opportunity for its membership that will provide seed support to encourage innovative, collaborative basic or clinical research associated with the epilepsy field. Awards from the Research Initiative Fund will be given to AES members who are established investigators.
"Established" means associate professor level and above, or assistant professor with secure grant funding
"Innovative" means that the proposed research represents a new direction for the investigator, and is sufficiently novel that funding would not be available from NIH or other standard funding sources.
"Collaborative" means that the proposed project requires the participation of one or more investigators outside the candidate’s area of expertise, preferably in a different department or a different institution.
The objective of these awards is to encourage established investigators to think "outside the box" and involve other established investigators who may not now be working in the field of epilepsy. Members who are candidates for an Epilepsy Foundation Junior Investigator Award or AES and EF research or training fellowships will not be considered.
Research Initiative Fund Award Subcommittee of Research & Training Committee
Steven Rothman, M.D., Chair, Washington University
Anne E. Anderson, M.D., Baylor College of Medicine
Gail D. Anderson, Ph.D., University of Washington
Peter L. Carlen, M.D., Toronto Western Hospital
Steve Danzer, Ph.D., Cincinnati Children's Hospital
John j. Hablitz, Ph.D., University of Alabama
Kimberle M. Jacobs, Ph.D., Virginia Commonwealth University
Kevin M. Kelly, M.D., Ph.D., Drexel University College of Medicine
Robert Schwarcz, Ph.D., Maryland Psychiatric
Gregory A. Worrell, M.D., Ph.D., Mayo Clinic
Kevin J. Staley, M.D., ex-officio, Massachusetts General Hospital
Awards will be made based on the proposed budget, with an anticipated award of $30,000 – $50,000 per project. Up to three projects will be funded each year. Only AES members are eligible to apply as PI (although not all participating collaborators must be AES members). Letters of intent will be submitted for a August 25, 2008 deadline, and reviewed by a senior research committee appointed by the AES president.
Application Procedures and Information (Only AES members are eligible for the Award.)
Members interested in applying for a Research Initiative Award should send a letter of intent by August 25, 2008, explaining why they want to do the project, why this work is not covered by their current research support, and why the intended collaboration is important. In addition you must include a 250-word abstract, a two-page (NIH format) bio-sketch and a list of current funding, The letter should be e-mailed to ctubby@aesnet.org or mailed to AES Research Initiative Fund Subcommittee, 342 North Main Street, West Hartford, CT 06117-2507. (Electronic submissions are encouraged.)
Appropriate proposals will be selected within three weeks (notification on or about September 22, 2008).
Selected candidates will then need to submit a complete application by October 27, 2008 for funding in January 2009. The application will consist of a single electronic document containing the following:
Face page, with basic information about applicant(s) and institution(s) [Click here for a Word Document]
Plan of activities (9 page max, excluding references), including:
specific aims (1 page)
background/significance (1 page)
research plan (5 pages)
role of collaboration in achieving research goals (1 page)
plans for future funding (1 page)
Bio-sketch (2-page, NIH-style) for PI and each collaborating investigator
Letter of commitment from each of the collaborating investigators
Budget (2-page maximum)
Animal care and/or IRB approval (not required in initial application, but must be submitted before the award will be made)
No report or summary of the scientific review will be provided to applicants. No institutional overhead will be provided. However, the PI, in consultation with his/her Department chair, may include in the budget a sum of up to 10 percent of the total award as administrative costs.
Submit application electronically (Word or PDF) to: ctubby@aesnet.org.