2012 Grant Application GuidelinesStatement of PurposeThe Alzheimer Forschung Initiative e.V. (AFI) awards grants for basic research on the causes of or treatments for Alzheimer’s diseases on the basis of the scientific merit of the proposed research and the relevance of the research to improving our understanding of Alzheimer's disease. The main criterion for evaluation of the application is the potential for the proposed research to improve the understanding and therapy of the disease process in Alzheimer's disease. AFI is primarily interested in funding basic, academic research. The major criterion for evaluation of applications is the potential for meaningfully changing the direction of scientific inquiry in Alzheimer's disease by improving our knowledge of the disease process. The scientific plan should be well focused and able to stand alone. It is understood that more senior Alzheimer's disease investigators will have other funding in related areas of research, but the application to AFI should not be used to simply subsidize these other efforts or to compensate for grant cutbacks. Therefore, the applicant is advised to focus on a specific project that can be addressed in terms of a hypothesis and two or three specific aims. The proposed project should be distinct from other on-going investigations and grant awards. Please keep this in mind when preparing the research plan section of this application. Terms and RestrictionsAFI grants are awarded to universities, medical centers, and independent non-profit research institutions. Standard Awards are not made to individuals but to the group to whom the Principal Investigator (P.I.) is affiliated with, Pilot Grants are on individual basis. Pilot Grants can only be renewed once. Applications for research grants are accepted once a year, the deadline for the grant year 2012 is March 12, 2012. Two-year applications will be accepted for amounts up to a maximum of € 80,000 for two years and a maximum of € 40.000 per year for a Standard Award or € 40,000 for two years and with a maximum of € 20.000 per year for a Pilot Award. Pilot Awards are designed to support the academic career of the Principal Investigator. Grants may be renewed on a competitive peer-reviewed basis. In order to be eligible for grant funding from the AFI Standard Award Program, the Principal Investigator (P.I.) must hold the academic rank of assistant professor (or equivalent) or higher. For Pilot Awards, the P.I. is expected to be at a post-doctoral level (up to a maximum of six years after their PhD graduation). Applicants must be experienced in Alzheimer’s research; younger researchers have to be associated with an experienced laboratory. Investigators of the same laboratory can apply for a grant provided that there is no scientific or financial overlap between the proposed research projects. No P.I. may receive more than one AFI grant. No P.I. may submit more than one grant application in the same grant cycle. A new grant cannot overlap in funding with that of an active grant, or a grant that has been extended. This implies that current grantees can submit a new grant application or application for competitive renewal only in the last budget year of their active grant. Funds awarded are to be used solely for research. AFI does not fund institutional overhead, large capital equipment, construction of buildings or VAT. AFI will not fund the salary of the Principle Investigator of a Standard Award except under extraordinary circumstances. If salary for the P.I. is requested, it must be clearly and thoroughly justified. However, for Pilot Awards, junior Investigators may request up to € 20,000 per year in a contribution to their salary. Review of ApplicationsAwards are granted on the basis of scientific merit of the applicants’ research proposal, and its relevance to improving our understanding of Alzheimer’s disease. AFI uses a two tier review process. In the first tier, a brief Letter of Intent (LOI) selection is written. The LOI will be selected based on feasibility of the research plan, the applicant's past performance and relevance of the topic for Alzheimer’s disease. Upon selection, applications are invited to submit a full proposal that will be peer reviewed by members of the 3 Scientific Advisory Boards (ISAO, AFI, and LECMA) as well as by external experts. In September/October the applications and evaluations will be discussed and ranked by the Scientific Advisory Board. The Board of Directors makes decisions on funding in October. Research grants begin November 1st. To ensure that AFI is funding meritorious research proposals that have a high potential for success, the Board of Directors bases its funding decisions on the results of a formal, rigorous peer-review process, taking program goals and the availability of funds into consideration. Within the constraints of the peer review system, AFI will seek to maintain a good balance of funding between:
These goals will be implemented only if such implementation does not require funding grants with priority score ranking below "good" (numerical score 2.5). Applicants normally will be notified in writing of the Board of Director's decision concerning their application by October 31. AFI staff is not authorized to provide information on priority scores, ranking, or likelihood of funding of applications prior to written notification of applicants. Please do not telephone AFI, or SAB-members, to request such information. Competitive RenewalsAFI will not limit the total number of years of funding that an individual researcher may receive. Although each project may be funded at any one time for a maximum of two years, a researcher may submit an application for competitive renewal. However, for Pilot Awards, projects may only be competitively renewed once. Competitive renewal applications will undergo peer review in the same manner as new applications. Progress made during the previous funding period will be considered during review of the competitive renewal application. Human/Animal Research SubjectsAFI requires that research supported by AFI meet or exceed national regulations regarding the use of human subjects or animals in research. Applicants must provide written certification of approval by the appropriate Ethic Commission before funding begins. Public EducationAFI is a publicly supported charitable organization funded by donor contributions, and has an active public education program that informs donors and other interested individuals about the research we sponsor. Information provided to the public by AFI may include the title of the project, the name and institutional affiliation of the Principal Investigator, the amount of the award, and the non-technical project description provided by the applicant. Therefore, the non-technical description should not contain confidential information. The submission of this application shall be deemed consent of the applicant to the publication of this information should a grant be awarded. Publication AcknowledgementAll publications resulting from research sponsored by AFI must give the following or similar credit: Funds have been provided by Alzheimer Forschung Initiative e.V. (AFI). Sharing of ReagentsAFI believes that biological reagents (e.g. recombinant DNA clones, cultured cell lines, hybridoma cell lines, mutant or unique organisms etc.) developed during the course of AFI-sponsored research must be made available to qualified investigators after the publication of reports using or describing the reagents. These materials represent a valuable resource for the scientific community at large, paid for by the generous contributions of AFI´s donors. The availability of these reagents directly affects the ability of the members of the scientific community to replicate the experiments of others and the pace and cost of future research. Therefore, AFI requires that the Principal Investigator and the grantee institution accept the responsibility of providing biological reagents developed during the course of AFI-sponsored research to investigators who request them. Discontinuation of Grant FundingAlthough AFI has committed grant funding for the stated term of the grant, it reserves the right to discontinue the grant at any time in the event the work performed is in breach of the terms and obligations stated herein.
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Internationale Alzheimer-Forschung Unsere AnschriftAlzheimer Forschung Initiative e.V. |
