Funding Opportunities
The Dystonia Medical Research Foundation (DMRF) encourages and supports research related to the causes, mechanisms, prevention, and treatment of all forms of dystonia, the third most common movement disorder. Through a peer-review process, all applications are reviewed and ranked by the DMRF’s Medical and Scientific Advisory Council, who then make recommendations to the Board of the Directors for funding. Types of Awards Fellowships A two-year Fellowship is designed to assist post-doctoral fellows establish careers in research relevant to dystonia. The DMRF supports hypothesis-driven research at the genetic, molecular, cellular, systems, or behavioral levels that may lead to a better understanding of the pathophysiology of dystonia or to new therapies for dystonia. Funding for fellowships is $50,000 per year for two years. Research Grants Research grants are available in support of hypothesis-driven research at the genetic, molecular, cellular, systems, or behavioral levels that may directly or indirectly lead to a better understanding of the pathophysiology and to new therapies for any or all forms of dystonia. Although early-onset primary generalized dystonia is of special interest, we also support studies on the focal dystonias, including laryngeal dystonia/spasmodic dysphonia, as well as secondary dystonias. Funding for grants is available up to $65,000 per year for 1 or 2 years. The deadline for grant and fellowship applications is December 15, 2008. Applications and guidelines will be available September 15.
Dystonia Medical Research FoundationNational Headquarters One East Wacker Drive, Suite 2810 Chicago, Illinois 60601-1905 Phone: 312-755-0198 Toll free: 800-377-DYST (3978) In Canada: 800-361-8061 Fax: 312-803-0138 Email: dystonia@dystonia-foundation.org
Student Fellowship--Myasthenia Gravis or Related Neuromuscular Conditions
These fellowships are awarded annually to current medical students or graduate students interested in the scientific basis of myasthenia gravis or related neuromuscular conditions, serving both to further scientific inquiries into the nature of these disorders and to encourage more research. The stipend is up to $5,000.
Annual deadline for applications is March 15.
Myasthenia Gravis Foundation of America 1821 University Ave. W., Suite S256 St. Paul, MN 55104 Telephone: (651)917-6256 or (800)541-5454 Fax: (651)917-1835
Ara Parseghian Medical Research Foundation
Request for Applications--Niemann-Pick Type C (NP-C) disease
Niemann-Pick Type C (NP-C) disease is a genetic, neurodegenerative disorder which causes progressive deterioration of the nervous system. It usually affects children by interfering with their ability to metabolize cholesterol. Adult onset may also occur. Large amounts of cholesterol accumulate within the liver, spleen, and brain. This metabolic disorder leads to a series of neurological problems that are ultimately fatal...until a treatment is found!
POTENTIAL APPLICANTS PLEASE NOTE: If you have never received funding from the APMRF, please submit electronically a Letter of Intent as outlined below. This procedure will allow our Scientific Advisory Board to read a brief summary of your proposed research without you having to submit the full grant application.Please have this letter addressed to the APMRF Scientific Advisory Board to the Foundation office by February 13, 2009. Send the Letter of Intent as an ATTACHMENT to Glen Shepherd, Executive Director: gshepherd@parseghian.orgOur SAB will review all Letters of Intent. You will be notified by April 1 whether or not the SAB would like for you to submit the full grant application for consideration of funding. The full grant applications are due no later than April 30, 2009.The Letter of Intent should not exceed 2 pages of text (12 font single spaced) and must include the following information in this order: 1. Your name, position, title, institution, address, phone and E-mail address 2. Title of proposed research study 3. The objective of the study and hypothesis to be tested 4. The relevance to Niemann-Pick Type C disease (an extensive literature review is not required) 5. Preliminary data (this is encouraged but not essential) 6. A statement of the methods to be used and a brief description of how the results will be evaluated 7. Estimated amount of award you are requesting and whether for a one- or two-year period 8. Current financial support: List each current grant or contract you have that would overlap with the conduct of this research and how this overlap will be accommodated if APMRF funding is awarded. If there are no such grants, state “NONE”If you have questions or comments on the Letter of Intent, please contact Glen Shepherd at (520) 577-5106 or gshepherd@parseghian.org
Therapeutics Development Initiative 2009 Pre-Proposal Receipt Date: January 20, 2009 – 6:00pm US ETThe Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research (MJFF) announces the launch of its Therapeutics Development Initiative (TDI) for Spring 2009, a funding mechanism to support and stimulate preclinical Parkinson’s disease research at for-profit institutions. This funding program seeks to support preclinical development of Parkinson’s disease therapies which have the potential for fundamentally altering disease course and/or improving treatment of symptoms above and beyond current standards of care. Proposals must focus on key and critical preclinical studies necessary for developing, optimizing and evaluating therapeutic strategies that if successful can move into human testing. Responsibility for the planning, direction, and execution of the proposed project will be solely that of the principal investigator who must be an employee of a for-profit entity. Academic investigators may have an advisory role in the project, but the operational and strategic ownership of the project must reside within the company. Investigators may seek up to two years of funding for preclinical development and testing of novel therapeutic approaches for the treatment or prevention of Parkinson’s disease. Please note that pre-proposals are mandatory and will be used to evaluate your proposal’s fit with the stated aims and review criteria of the RFP. All pre-proposals received in response to this program will be subjected to a triage process and only those pre-proposals deemed to be of suitable scientific merit will be invited to submit a full application. MJFF employs an expedited, abbreviated granting mechanism to accelerate discoveries and ultimately translate findings to PD patients more quickly. Conference Call MJFF will hold a 45 minute long conference call on December 16, 2008 at 12:00 PM U.S. Eastern Time to clarify and explain the Therapeutics Development Initiative 2009 program and to answer applicants' questions. To participate in this call, you must RSVP via email to conferencecalls@michaeljfox.org. Participants will receive a reply with call-in details.
While there are no restrictions as to the specific approaches to be studied under this RFP, successful applications are most likely to focus on at least one of the following categories: o Neuroprotective strategies focused on slowing or preventing the process of neuronal death. o Neuroregenerative strategies to restore or replace neuronal function. o Novel drug delivery mechanisms and/or surgical procedures. o Innovative therapeutic approaches to treat the motor and non-motor symptoms of PD, including cognitive dysfunction, autonomic dysfunction, sleep disorders, or depression among others. o Therapeutic approaches to alleviate complications of PD treatment including dyskinesias, etc.
If you would like to contact the Foundation, please call toll-free at 1-800-708-7644, or contact us by regular mail at the following address: The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research Church Street Station P.O. Box 780 New York, NY 10008-0780
International Society for Neurochemistry Support for ConferencesThe ISN Conference Committee (ISN-CC) provides financial support for the organisation of small conferences on specialised neurochemical topics and sponsors neurochemistry symposia within meetings of other scientific societies or groups. Applications are examined by the ISN-CC and are granted on a competitive basis according to these guidelines. The final decision on the funding of awards is made by the Chair of ISN-CC. Inquiries and formal applications, which may be submitted twice a year (before April 30 or October 31), should be sent by Email to: Prof. Ralf Dringen (Chairman of ISN-CC, ralf.dringen@uni-bremen.de).
General information on ISN-CC support: 1) A conference/symposium supported by ISN-CC should deal with an important and up-to-date topic of neurochemistry. Applicants should justify why their conference is important in the research area of neurochemistry and why ISN should support their conference. 2) The conference/symposium supported should be international (preferably intercontinental) as reflected by the composition of the organising committee, the list of prospective invited speakers and the countries of origin of the expected attendees. Local conferences will not be supported. 3) For applications the forms provided on the ISN homepage should be used. All required information should be carefully provided. A detailed budget for the conference should be included and a clear statement of how the support requested from ISN-CC will be spent. 4) The application must be received by the ISN-CC Chairperson by either of the deadlines (April 30 and October 31) and the activity should be held at least four months after the deadline and within a year of application submission. 5) ISN-CC strongly discourages application for support of a second consecutive conference/workshop in a series of meetings, or workshops that are organised by one society, one organizer or a group of organizers. Priority for funding will be given to conferences that have not previously received ISN-CC support. Applicants (organisers, groups of or ganisers or Societies) are required to declare if they have received previous ISN-CC support. 6) In the case of approval, the applicant(s) will receive 80% of the amount granted before the meeting. Upon approval of an application the funds must be sent to a bank account of the applicant’s institution or a designated bank account associated with the meeting. Transfer to any private bank account is not possible. The residual 20% will be transferred upon receipt of the meeting report and approval of the report by the chairperson of the ISN-CC. 7) Conferences that are supported by ISN-CC, as well as reports on ISN supported conferences, will be publicized on the ISN homepage (www.neurochemistry.org). 8) Conference organisers or chairs of supported symposia agree to submit a meeting report to the CC Chairperson within one month after the end of the meeting. The residual 20% of support will only be available and transferred if an acceptable report is received in time by the chairperson of ISN-CC. Support for small conferences on neurochemical topics: 1) The ISN-CC provides financial support for the organisation of small conferences on specialised neurochemical topics. The conference supported should deal with an important and up-to-date topic of neurochemistry. 2) ISN-CC provides support of up to US $ 20,000 for a small conference. 3) At least 60% of the money granted is expected to be used as Young ISN Neurochemistry Awards to facilitate the attendance of young neurochemists (postdocs and students) at Small Neurochemical Conferences. The name and institutional affiliation of the ISN awardees should be listed in the meeting’s brochure and in the post-meeting report. ISN Symposium in a conference of another society or scientific group: 1) The ISN Symposium should deal with an important and up-to-date topic of neurochemistry. 2) A symposium is a session within a meeting that normally consists of 3 to 5 presentations. Applications for support of full short meetings or satellite meetings are not considered for ISN symposium support. The application should list the title of the symposium, the names of the speakers, the titles of the presentations and at least 2 recent publications of each speaker that are relevant to the topic of the symposium. 3) Applicants can apply for up to US $ 7,000 for an ISN Symposium. 4) Funds should be used to cover travel, registration and accommodation expenses of speakers. Travel will only be supported at the level of advanced excursion rates. Expenses for honoraria, food, social events etc. will not be funded. 5) Only one ISN symposium per conference will be supported by ISN-CC. 6) A symposium supported by ISN in a meeting of another society or scientific group must be designated as an ISN Symposium and advertised in the conference material. 7) With the application, a letter of support from the chairperson of the Organising Committee of the conference should be submitted. This letter should state that the ISN-Symposium of the applicant will be included into the program as ISN-Symposium, if the application is successful. Additional Guidelines for Applicants to ISN-CC: Application for ISN-CC support will not be considered, if: 1) an application is received after the deadline (April 30 and October 31). 2) the conference applied for commences within four months after the deadline for applications. 3) the application does not sufficiently justify how the conference/symposium addresses an important and up-to-date topic of neurochemistry and why it should be supported by ISN. 4) the application does not contain a detailed budget that clearly states how the requested money will be spent according to the regulations of ISN-CC. 5) the application is for support of a satellite conferences of the ISN Biennial International Meetings. These meetings are supported from a different fund. In this case, applications are considered by the Chairperson of the ISN Meeting Program Committee. 6) the application is for support of an Annual and Biennial Meeting of the sister societies ASN, ESN and APSN. These meetings receive support from other ISN funds. 7) the applicant is a member of the ISN Council or the ISN-CC. 8) the applicant has applied or will apply for support from other ISN funds for the same conference (for example CAEN or other ISN-funded initiatives). Address any enquiries by email to: Dr. Ralf Dringen Chair, ISN-CC ralf.dringen@uni-bremen.de
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