Disability Research Grants

The FSH Society, Inc. (the “Society”) sponsors research programs to meet needs of critical importance in the research of facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy ("FSHD").

Each year, the Society will accept requests for research funding. All proposals are subject to peer review to identify the most meritorious and innovative to be funded.

The following programs are available to support research efforts:

A. Research Fellowships -- provide support for graduate student researchers at any stage of their research career.

B. Targeted Project Research Grants -- provide one-time support for research projects proposed by investigators at any stage of their independent research career.

C. Research Opportunity Grants -- provide rapid, one-time funding of novel ideas for finding a solution to urgent problems with immediate human benefit.

APPLICATION DEADLINE

There are no deadlines for the filing of fellowship and grant applications. Meritorious proposals are funded as resources and time permit at the sole and absolute discretion of the Society.

An applicant whose fellowship or grant application was rejected is encouraged to discuss with the Society the feasibility of a revised application. Revised applications will be reviewed in the same detail and compete on an equal basis with new applications.

Mailing Address
FSH Society, Inc.
BBRI R353
64 Grove Street
Watertown, MA 02472 USA

Telephone
(617) 658-7878 or (781) 275-7781
Office hours are Monday through Friday, 9 AM to 5 PM EST. Voicemail messages may be left after hours.

Fax
(617) 658-7879 or (781) 275-7789

e-mail
info@fshsociety.org

NNF Research Grant
Research Grant Application
General Instructions and Information

Applications must be received by November 1 or earlier for consideration. No extensions will be granted. Incomplete applications will be returned.

Applications are subject to blind review, meaning the reviewer is not aware of the identity of the applicant.

Applications Components/Submission Requirements
Application Form
- One copy of the application form with all information included.
- Six copies of the application form with all identifying information removed.

Investigator Information Form
- One copy of investigator information form (Form A) with all information included
(one for each investigator).
- Six copies of each investigator information form (Form B) for use in blind review.
Budget Page
- Six copies of the budget page.
The Proposal
- One copy of the proposal which may include names and identifying information.
- Six additional copies of the proposal without names or identifying information.
Local Institution Approval
- Approval from local institutional review board indicating approval of protection of
human participants. If local institutional approval is pending, submit it when obtained.
Study must have been submitted to local review committee prior to the time of
application. (Submit one copy with identifying information and six blinded copies.)
Applications must be collated as follows:
Identifying Set: One set with all information included – application form, investigator information forms, budget, proposal, approvals, appendices (tools, etc.)
Blinded Sets: Additional sets with all identifying information removed – application form, investigator information forms, budget, proposal, approvals, appendices (tools, etc.)

Be sure to remove names and other identifying information from letters, approvals and any other documents submitted for blind review. Identifying information includes names of co-investigators, advisors, support personnel, institutions, agencies, cities and hospitals.

When more than one principal investigator is listed, the first individual named will be the person with whom the NNF Research Review Board will communicate, and the investigator who will assume responsibility for the conduct of the research.

Policies
Purpose
The purpose of the NNF research grant program is to encourage qualified nurses to contribute to the advancement of neuroscience nursing through research.
Research funding
The Research Review Board will review applications and make recommendations to the NNF Board of Trustees on all proposals received.
Criteria for applicants
•Principal investigator must be a registered nurse.
•The project must be congruent with NNF research priorities.
•The project must be well-defined and significance to neuroscience nursing must be supported.
•Investigators are ready to start the research project, or are already in the process of conducting the research.
Funding
•Allocation of funds will be based on the quality of the proposed research, and the NNF research fund budget.
•A favorable (approval) decision by a majority of the members of the Research Review Board is necessary before a favorable recommendation can be made.
•No study will be funded without a copy of the local institutional review board approval.
Budget allocations
The amount of award is estimated at $10,000. Factors influencing the amount of the award are the amount of funds requested, the number of requests, and the amount of funds available. The allocation of funds will be recommended by the Research Review Committee to the NNF Board of Trustees for final approval.
Deadlines
November 1 is the deadline for applications to be considered. Principal investigators will be notified of decisions and funds will be awarded pending decisions of the Board of Trustees. Budget approval will be included in the notification. A summary critique of the proposal from the Research Review Committee will be sent to the primary investigator.
Rights
Applications will be treated as privileged communication and are restricted to members of the Research Review Committee. Applications will not be returned to the principal investigator. Non-funded applications will be destroyed after 1 year. Funded applications will be kept on file in the National Office. Applications that are funded may be announced in association publications. This may include publication of the submitted abstract, along with the name(s) and credentials of the investigator(s).
Responsibilities
In accepting a research grant from NNF you agree to:
•use the funds as described in the application and return any excess funds to NNF.
•submit a progress report yearly until the project is completed.
•send one copy of the completed project to the NNF National Office.
•acknowledge NNF financial support in any publication or presentation resulting from or about the research.
•make available your research to the public and members of the health professions through publication in the Journal of Neuroscience Nursing and presentation at the AANN meetings.
•accept responsibility for the scientific and professional conduct of the project.

The Proposal
Abstract limit to 200 words
Include an abstract of the proposed research. Outline purpose and methods. Specify the participant population and describe the research design, instruments, and data-gathering procedure.
Problem statement and specific aims limit to one double-spaced typed page
State concisely and realistically what the research described is intended to accomplish and/or the hypothesis/es to be tested. Include the problem statement.
Significance limit to two double-spaced typed pages
The literature review should support the use of all variables and provide a theoretical foundation for the study. Concisely state the importance of the research by relating the specific aims to long-term objectives. Make clear the significance to neuroscience nursing knowledge and the potential for leading to further research or theory development.
Methods limit to two double-spaced typed pages
Discuss the research design and the procedure to be used to accomplish the specific aims. Include how data will be collected, analyzed, and interpreted. If the study is qualitative, discuss as appropriate.
Participants
Describe the target population and characteristics of participants. Include the number of participants.
Apparatus or Instruments
Report on the specific characteristics of the instruments, including reliability and validity. Address how the tool will be used. (The instrument should be inserted in an appendix.)
Variables
Define and describe
Procedure
Describe the design and the procedure to be used for the proposed data collection. Give details of patient selection and patient care if a clinical situation is involved. Clearly state who will be conducting research activities and their training. Include a tentative schedule for the main steps of the investigation.
Limitations
Describe known limitations.
Tentative plan for data analysis limit to two double-spaced typed pages
Describe the means by which the data will be analyzed and interpreted.
Human Participants limit to two double-spaced typed pages
Provide a statement of participants’ rights and risks if they participate in your study. Approval form from human subjects review committee or institutional review board must accompany application.
Use of animals as research subjects limit to two double-spaced typed pages
Research animals must be acquired and cared for in accordance with the guidelines established in the National Institute of Health Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals (National Institutes of Health Publications, No. 85-23, Revised 1985).
Investigators must also be aware of any relevant local, state and federal laws.
Facilities/Support limit to two double-spaced typed pages
Describe the facilities available for this study. Include any institutional support. For new investigators, provide a description of the support/consultants available to conduct the study.
Appendices
Include copies of questionnaires, interview tools, or other instruments to be used.

NNF Research Grant Applications are due in the NNF Office no later than November 1, for consideration. Mail your complete application package to:

NNF
Grant Application Department
4700 W. Lake Avenue
Glenview, IL 60025-1485

Nursing Research Priorities
The American Association of Neuroscience Nurses (AANN) and the Neuroscience Nursing Foundation (NNF) statement of nursing research priorities represents a synthesis of priorities previously identified by the discipline’s scientific community, including input from the American Nurses’ Association, the National Institute for Nursing Research and the Healthy People 2000 Objectives.
The purpose of the statement is to provide guidelines for systematic development of knowledge in neuroscience nursing through the encouragement of certain nursing research activities. The list of priorities and their descriptions is not meant to be all inclusive of the concerns of neuroscience nurses nor does the order of the priorities imply ranking. In reviewing research proposals, the NNF Board of Trustees will consider the list of priorities as an additional element in the decision-making process when making recommendations for funding. “Neuroscience population” is defined generically, aiming to include recipients of neuroscience nursing care across the lifespan, and their significant others, in all practice settings common to neuroscience nursing.
Neuroscience Nursing Research Priorities
•Health Promotion, Injury Prevention, Disease Prevention
Health promotion research focuses on factors which enhance or promote health or limit morbidity or mortality. It may include strategies which promote compliance with health promoting behaviors, altering unhealthy behaviors which can influence the development of neuroscience disorders, or psychosocial factors which influence health promoting behaviors.
Injury prevention research may focus on strategies to promote seat belt use, use of helmets by cyclists, reduce alcohol related injuries, and fall related injuries.
Disease prevention research may pertain to the effect of the environment on the development of neuroscience health problems, strategies to decrease risk factors or patient and family education techniques related to the prevention of disease.
•Acute and Chronic Illness
Research in this area may focus on the promotion of self-care activities or independence, analysis of the impact of specific nursing intervention on patient outcomes, ethical decision making processes, factors affecting ethical decision making, the effects on the caregiver providing care to an individual, quality of life, coping, or critical pathways.
•Cognitive Impairment
Research may focus on interventions to prevent and/or manage cognitive impairment. Other areas may include the effects (positive and negative) of drugs on the individual’s cognitive status or quality of life.
•Nursing Interventions
Interventions may include but are not limited to those which are related to symptom management, pain, chronic wounds, community education, managing the effects of medications, lifestyle modifications and those which are most cost efficient or decrease length of stay.
•Cost Effectiveness
This area may include research related to the cost effectiveness of care provided by advanced practice nurses (nurse practitioners, clinical nurse specialists), computerized nursing documentation, alternative modes of health care delivery, and alternative modes of patient and staff education.