American College of Rheumatology Research and Education Foundation Rheumatology Investigator Award
Application, format and submission requirement: All applications must be submitted electronically via the ACR REF Web site by 5:00 pm ET August 1, 2012. To submit your application, visit www.rheumatology.org/REF for a link to the online application. Please use 1 inch margins and Arial 11 point font for all documents submitted as part of your application and avoid jargon and abbreviations. Additional information concerning our awards and grants program is available at www.rheumatology.org/REF, or by contacting the REF at ref@rheumatology.org or (404) 633-3777.
The purpose of the ACR REF Rheumatology Investigator Award is to provide support for basic science and clinical investigators engaged in research relevant to the rheumatic diseases for the period between the completion of post-doctorate fellowship training and establishment as an independent investigator. The award is intended to support junior investigators during the period that they are developing a project that will be competitive for NIH funding. It is not intended to be a second postdoctoral fellowship.
Eligibility
To be eligible for the award, the applicant must:
1. Be a member of the ACR or ARHP.
2. Have a doctoral level degree, including but not limited to MD, DO, or MD/PhD. ARHP members who are doctorally prepared (i.e., must have PhD, DSc, or equivalent doctoral degree) are eligible for this award.
3. Applicants must be clinician scientists (both physicians and non-physicians). Applicants who are not clinicians must have a clinician mentor, consultant or co-Investigator on the project. All proposed projects must involve patient-oriented research even if the PI is not a licensed clinician. PhD scientists proposing epidemiology, outcomes, and health services research projects qualify for funding. PhD basic scientists and MDs who are not licensed to perform clinical care may not apply.
4. Have a faculty appointment (e.g. instructor, assistant professor) at the time of application, and a firm institutional commitment to support the applicant’s academic career for the duration of the award.
5. Be able to commit a minimum of 75% full-time professional effort to research (including at least 50% effort to the proposed project), academic career development, and other research-related activities.
6. Former or current principal investigators of mentored career development awards (e.g., K awards), NIH research grants (R01) or subprojects on a program project (P01) or a center grant (P50) are NOT eligible to apply. Past recipients of this grant or the Arthritis Foundation Arthritis Investigator Award as well as Institutional K recipients are not eligible to apply. Individuals at the NIH and CDC are not eligible to apply. (Applicants may serve as principal investigators for industry-sponsored trials, or serve as co-investigators for other research awards.)
7. Previous recipients of the ACR REF Rheumatology Scientist Development Award are encouraged to apply.
If you have questions about your eligibility, please contact the REF before preparing your application.
Award Terms and Funding
The institution must agree to protect at least 75% of the applicant's full-time professional effort for research, academic career development, and other research-related activities. The applicant must devote at least 50% full-time professional effort to the proposed project. Award funds may be used for purposes of the Rheumatology Investigator Award project only. Funds may not be used to compensate clinical or teaching efforts.
Award recipients cannot have ever received funding as principal investigator by any of the award mechanisms outlined in the Eligibility section at the time that funding for this award begins. Should the recipient receive any of the awards mentioned above during the REF award period, they must return the remainder of the REF award.
Awards are funded for up to three years; however, funding in Years 2 and 3 is contingent upon evidence of a scored application, status on a pending submitted application or a detailed resubmission plan toward federal (e.g. NIH, VA) funding. This information must be included in the Year 1 Progress Report. Funds will be used to support a $75,000 annual salary—including fringe, if requested.. In addition, an amount of up to $50,000 per year will be provided for supplies and other justified research costs—including salary support for technicians, coordinators, and statisticians, or advanced tuition.** Total costs per year may not exceed $125,000, including eight percent indirect costs. Award payments will be distributed in two equal installments in July and January of each award year.
**Payment for tuition and fees will be disbursed separately upon demonstration of course completion and a bill from the institution.
