Muscular Dystrophy Association
Clinical Research Training Grant (CRTG) Summary: The CRTG is designed to provide promising young clinicians the research training opportunities needed to become productive clinical investigators in neuromuscular disease research. This training opportunity is designed to be compatible with the requirements of a traditional clinical fellowship in neuromuscular disease and any forthcoming requirements for certification in neuromuscular disease. Trainees will be expected to design their own educational plans and to participate, under the supervision of a mentor, in the development and/or coordination of a clinical research project. At minimum, trainees should gain experience in the basic epidemiological methods of clinical research, ethical and legal issues, and the principles involved in monitoring patient-oriented research, including regulatory requirements and quality assurance. Recipients are also encouraged to acquire knowledge of and exposure to research technologies, large dataset management, bioinformatics and other research tools, as well as to develop the communication and collaboration skills necessary for successful investigator development. Clinical Research Training Grants will be awarded annually to no more than two qualified recipients for the amount of $90,000 per year for two years. Deadlines* *Potential applicants are strongly encouraged to contact MDA staff before submitting a letter of intent for this grant. 2009: Letter of Intent: August 1, 2008 Grant Application: September 1, 2008 Start Date: July 1, 2009 FOR ONLINE SUBMISSION OF THE "REQUEST FOR GRANT APPLICATiON" go to: https://proposalcentral.altum.com Frequently Asked Questions What is the funding level and percent commitment for this grant? This Fellowship is funded at up to $90,000 per year, with a cap of $85,000 to be applied to salary and benefits, and a cap of $10,000 to be applied to coursework, travel and a laptop computer. Applicants are expected to commit 100% of their time to this Fellowship. Who can apply? To apply for the CRTG, you must hold a Doctor of Medicine or Doctor of Osteopathy degree and be licensed to practice medicine in the state or province in which the grant will be given; be board eligible or board certified in neurology, child neurology or physical medicine and rehabilitation at the time of the award. Clinicians who have been in a practice focused on neuromuscular diseases for not more than 5 years are also eligible to submit an application. See the CRTG Policy Manual for further requirements. Do you need to be a U.S. citizen to apply? U.S. or Canadian citizens, resident aliens, or nonresident aliens with a valid employment authorization are eligible for this training opportunity. Strong preference will be given to applicants who intend to remain in the U.S. or Canada after completing training. How are applications reviewed? Applications are reviewed by members of MDA’s Medical Advisory Committee (MAC) at its October meeting. Review criteria include: quality of applicant; quality of mentor and training environment; and quality of educational plan. See the CRTG Policy Manual for more detail.
How many grants are awarded each year? No more than two grants will be awarded annually. How should the “classwork” requirement be met? Applicants are asked to design an “educational program” including formal classwork in clinical research. The classwork requirement can be satisfied through many different mechanisms including classes in relevant areas offered at the applicant’s own institution or classes offered by government or private organizations, or some combination of both. Both certificate and credit hour classes may be counted toward the educational requirement. Examples of appropriate topics for classwork include, but are not limited to epidemiology, ethics/responsible conduct of research, study design/clinical trials design, use of human subjects, scientific writing/grantsmanship, and good clinical practice. Your application will be reviewed, in part, on the breadth and depth of the educational plan that you develop. What is meant by "development or coordination of a clinical research project"? Your second-year project should allow you to apply information that you gained from the first-year coursework in a clinical research setting. Planning for this project should begin in year one. Appropriate projects might include, for example, participating in a clinical trial, conducting a restrospective chart review study, or designing and implementing a small epidemiological study. Your role in the design, execution, and/or data anaylsis for the research project should be clearly delineated. The project should not be a laboratory research project. It is expected that a publication or presentation at a scientific meeting will result from the research project. Is this program compatible with certification in neuromuscular disease? Certification requirements for neuromuscular training are currently under development. This fellowship is meant to be compatible with requirements for such certification. If you plan to seek certification in neuromuscular training, please indicate this in your applicant statement and educational plan, and include the requirements for certification in your educational plan. How will progress be judged? Progress reports will be required at six months, twelve months and eighteen months. Applicants who are not judged to be making satisfactory progress will be subject to cancellation. Contact: Elizabeth Habeeb-Louks MDA Research Department (520) 529-2000, ext. 6021 crtg@mdausa.org
Pharmacology/Toxicology > Sabbatical FellowshipPurposeThe PhRMA Foundation Sabbatical Fellowship in Pharmacology/Toxicology provides stipend support for individuals engaged in a multidisciplinary research training program that will create or extend their credentials in pharmacology or toxicology. The purpose (intent) of this program is to enable faculty with active research programs to work outside of their home institution for periods of 6 months to one year to learn new skills or develop new collaborations that will enhance their research and research training capabilities in pharmacology/toxicology. Applicants are expected to engage in multidisciplinary research that integrates information on molecular or cellular mechanisms of action with information on the effect of an agent in the intact organism. It is anticipated that this research experience will occur in academic and/or industrial laboratory settings as part of a multidisciplinary team organized to integrate informatics, molecular, cell, and systems biology with pharmacology/toxicology research.The applicant and mentor of the program must describe how the multidisciplinary goals of the research experiential program will be accomplished and provide assurance that key collaborating mentors endorse and are willing to support the plan. Matching funds must be provided by the home institution.EligibilityEligible applicants must (1) hold a Ph.D. degree or appropriate terminal doctorate and record of research accomplishment in a field of study logically or functionally related to the proposed post doctoral activities, (2) hold a faculty appointment that imparts eligibility for a sabbatical leave from their home institution, (3) have institutional approval of a sabbatical plan that includes partial salary that matches the PhRMA stipend, (4) hold an endorsement from a mentor who agrees to sponsor the applicant's visiting scientist activity, and (5) be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident.The AwardProvides up to $40,000 stipend support for mid-career scientists to engage in an academic year or calendar year experiential program intended to redirect their core research focus to an area of emerging importance to pharmaceutical research and development. The program provides no other subsidies (travel, tuition, fringe benefit costs, etc.) and indirect costs to the institution are not provided. It is expected that the fellowship will be administered in accordance with the prevailing policies and procedures of the institution. Successful applicants will have approval for a sabbatical leave from their home institution, and a commitment to host their experience from a research mentor in an environment other than the applicant's home institution.NOTE: Awards may be activated beginning January 1, 2009 or on the first day of any month thereafter, up to and including December 1, 2009.
Pharmacology/Toxicology > Sabbatical FellowshipApplication InformationApplications for a sabbatical fellowship award should be submitted online by September 1, 2008. Please note that no applications will be accepted after the deadline date. Identification of the successful applicants will be made no later than December 15, 2008.
Pharmacology/Toxicology > Post Doctoral FellowshipPurposeThe PhRMA Foundation Post Doctoral program in Pharmacology/Toxicology provides stipend support for individuals engaged in a multidisciplinary research training program that will create or extend their credentials in pharmacology or toxicology. The purpose (intent) of this program is to support post doctoral career development activities of individuals prepared (or preparing) to engage in research that integrates information on molecular or cellular mechanisms of action with information on the effect of an agent in the intact organism. Recent graduates from pharmacology Ph.D. programs interested in postdoctoral experience that integrates pharmacology with a morphologic specialty (cell biology/anatomy/pathology) are also eligible to apply for this fellowship. It is anticipated that this research training will be accomplished in academic and/or industrial laboratory settings where multidisciplinary teams are organized to integrate informatics, molecular, cell, and systems biology with pharmacology/toxicology research.The purpose of this award is to support candidates proposing to gain new skills in pharmacologically relevant areas. The funding is for up to 2 years but not beyond the 3rd year of the existing Post Doc. Applications requesting funds to continue an existing postdoctoral program for a 3rd to 5th year will not be supported, nor will preference be given to those applying for funds for postdoctoral work in the same laboratory in which their graduate work was performed.The sponsor (mentor) of the post doctoral program must describe how the multidisciplinary goals of the research training program will be accomplished and provide assurance that key collaborating mentors endorse and are willing to support the training plan.EligibilityEligible applicants must either (1) hold a Ph.D. degree or appropriate terminal research doctorate in a field of study logically or functionally related to the proposed post doctoral activities, or (2) expect to receive the Ph.D. before activating the award. They must also have a firm commitment from an accredited U.S. university and be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident.AwardThe award, consisting of a $40,000 annual stipend, is made to the institution on behalf of the fellow. The award is intended solely as a stipend and may not be used otherwise. If necessary, the institution may supplement the award to a level that is consistent with other postdoctoral fellowships it currently offers. If the stipend is to be supplemented, indicate the amount. If no supplement is intended, so state this. The program provides no other subsidies (travel, tuition, fringe benefit costs, etc.) and indirect costs to the institution are not provided. It is expected that the fellowship will be administered in accordance with the prevailing policies and procedures of the institution. The second year of this award is contingent upon a progress report approved by the Foundation and submission of a financial report.
Application InformationApplications for a postdoctoral fellowship award should be submitted online by September 1, 2008. Please note that no applications will be accepted after the deadline date. Identification of the successful applicants will be made no later than December 15, 2008.
Informatics > Research Starter GrantsPurposeThe purpose of the PhRMA Foundation Research Starter Grants is to offer financial support to individuals beginning their independent research careers at the faculty level.This program supports individuals beginning independent research careers in academia who do not have other substantial sources of research.The areas of interest within this program consists of research that supports career development of scientists engaged in computational and experimental research to integrate cutting edge-edge information technology with advanced biological, chemical, and pharmacological sciences in:Genetics Molecular Medical (human) Pharmaco PopulationGenomics Function Structural Toxico Pharmaco Comparative ProteomicsBiological pathwaysPreference will be given to those individuals whose research combines novel computational methods with experimental validation. Emphasis will be placed on the development of new informatics technologies that demonstrate the translation of genomic data into an elucidation and understanding of biological and disease processes.The program provides a research grant of $30,000 per year for up to two years.Research projects that extend or develop the proprietary value of specific drug products are not acceptable in this program. This exclusion does not preclude research in which specific drug products are used to test hypotheses that have a general applicability.The "starter" aspect of the program strives to assist those individuals who are establishing careers as independent investigators in the field of informatics. The program is not offered as a means to augment an ongoing research effort or is the grant intended to be used for any direct effort to obtain further extramural funding. The funds are to be used to conduct the proposed research.Funds are generally unrestricted, with flexibility of use - a characteristic of the program. In an effort to gain the maximum usefulness, some guidelines are in order. The funds may not be used for salary support of the grantee, but may be used to support technical assistance. No more than $500 a year may be used for travel to professional meetings by the grantee. Indirect costs are not provided to the institution, and grant funds may not be used for this purpose.Applications, however good, which do not meet the aims of the program will be disapproved.EligibilityThose holding the academic rank of instructor or assistant professor and investigators at the doctoral level with equivalent positions are eligible to apply for these research starter grants, providing their proposed research is neither directly nor indirectly subsidized to any significant degree by an extramural support mechanism. The program is not intended for those in postdoctoral training programs. However, individuals in postdoctoral training scheduled to conclude and who will hold an academic appointment by January 1, 2008 may apply. Applicants must be sponsored by the department or unit in which the proposed research is to be undertaken. The grant is made to the university on behalf of the applicant and with the understanding that the university will administer the funds.Applications must be submitted by an accredited U.S. school, and all applicants must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents.Applicants will be judged on the scientific worthiness of the proposed research, and on the degree of need. If support is obtained after the application has been submitted, the Foundation must be so informed.Before an individual is eligible to apply for a PhRMA Foundation award, the applicant must first have a firm commitment from a U.S. university.
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