General RFP
Mathilde Krim Fellowships
in Basic Biomedical Research
Deadline: CLOSED
CONTENTS
amfAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research, is pleased to
announce the availability of support for Mathilde Krim Fellowships in
Basic Biomedical Research.
Qualifications
Krim Fellowship applicants must have a research or clinical
doctorate and no more than four years of postdoctoral training at the time of
LOI submission, and are expected to
secure an independent research position by no later than six months following
the end of the two year fellowship period of performance (i.e., within 2.5
years following the start of fellowship funding).
The Krim Fellowship applicant must be mentored during the
funding period by an experienced investigator who: (a) is affiliated with the
same nonprofit institution; (b) is qualified to oversee the proposed research;
(c) has successfully supervised postdoctoral fellows; and (d) is at the
associate professor level or higher.
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Available Support and Performance Period
Each fellowship is funded at a total of up to $125,000
(phase I): A direct cost maximum of $110,000 is allowed for personnel (salary
and fringe benefits) and other research-related expenses. It is expected that a
Krim fellow will devote the decided majority of his or her time to the approved
fellowship project. Personnel costs supported by the fellowship grant must
represent a minimum of 85% effort and be consistent with institution policy for
other institution personnel of similar rank and title, regardless of source(s)
of support. An additional $3,636 is provided to support the direct costs of
participation in activities designated by amfAR. Institutional indirect costs
may not exceed 10% of direct costs.
Contingent upon subsequent application and peer review, phase II
funding for an additional $50,000 may be approved to support basic biomedical
HIV/AIDS research costs during the first 12 months of an independent research position
at any US or international nonprofit research institution.
The period of performance for Mathilde Krim Fellowships awarded under this RFP will be from January 1,
2013, to December 31, 2014.
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Background and Areas of Interest
amfAR plays a uniquely important role in AIDS research,
identifying critical gaps in our knowledge of HIV and AIDS and supporting
groundbreaking studies that often lack the preliminary data required by more
traditional funders. The Foundation's research program focuses on efforts to
prevent HIV infection among vulnerable populations and to improve treatment,
with the ultimate goal of eradicating the virus in people living with HIV
infection.
The goal of amfAR’s Mathilde
Krim Fellows in Basic Biomedical Research program is to provide funding for
exceptional researchers who are new to the HIV/AIDS field. Krim Fellowship
funding will support the successful applicant’s ongoing HIV research and
facilitate the transition to a productive and independent long-term career in
the HIV/AIDS biomedical research field. The Krim Fellowship provides support
for two years of postdoctoral research, with the possibility of one additional
year of research support during the first year of an independent research position.
Research fellowships offer an invaluable source of support
for talented new investigators for whom funding opportunities are increasingly
scarce. According to a study by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the
proportion of funding awarded to scientists aged 35 or less dropped from 23
percent in 1980 to less than four percent in 2001. The trend continues: A
recent Nature Medicine article
reported that the number of young scientists securing NIH grants fell by 14
percent between 2003 and 2006.
Meanwhile, the average age at which principal investigators receive
their first independent research funding from NIH (R01) has risen to 42 years
for Ph.D. degree holders and 44 years for M.D. and M.D./ Ph.D. degree holders.
Applicants must be
conducting basic biomedical research on HIV/AIDS to be considered for funding
in this program.
Phase I of the Krim Fellowship is intended to support salary
and research costs associated with the conduct of basic biomedical research on
HIV/AIDS during the final two years of a postdoctoral or equivalent appointment
at any US or international nonprofit research institution (such as a college or
university). Applicants are expected to
start an independent research position within
two years (and no later than two and a half years) following the start of
phase I funding (i.e., no later than June 2015). During the phase I period,
Krim Fellows will be required to participate in an NIH grant-writing workshop
or similar training activity approved in advance by amfAR.
Contingent upon application, peer review and approval, an
additional year of funding may be awarded (phase II) to support basic
biomedical HIV/AIDS research costs during the first year of an independent
research position at any US or international nonprofit research institution.
Phase II funding must start no later than six months following the end of the
phase I period.
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Submission Requirements and Deadlines
Letter of intent
(LOI) forms and instructions may be obtained by sending an email to grants@amfar.org.
Please include the following in the body of the e-mail:
- fellowship
applicant’s name and degree(s)
- mentor’s
name and degree(s)
- institution
- proposed
project title
The LOI must then be prepared on amfAR-provided forms in
conformance to the instructions and must include:
Face Sheet:
completed and signed by the fellow and fellowship mentor.
Abstract: no more
than 200 words describing the proposed research plan.
Relevance Description:
200 words or less addressing the significance of the proposal to priorities in
HIV/AIDS research.
Career Goals
Statement: one page addressing the anticipated impact of the fellowship on
research plans and career goals and path.
Biographical Sketches
of the fellow and mentor.
Research Plan (submitted
as a separate document): three
single-spaced pages (one-inch margins, Times New Roman 12 point font) including
background and rationale, preliminary studies, specific aims, experimental
design, procedures, and data analysis to be used.
Please see the LOI INSTRUCTIONS for detailed directions.
Important Notice
Electronic (e-mailed) LOIs that are received late, are incomplete, or exceed
page limitations (please see instructions for details) will not be accepted for
review. Fax submissions are not accepted. Deadline extensions are not
available.
Submission of an LOI is not a guarantee of eligibility to
submit a full application. The pre-application process is highly competitive.
Only a limited number of investigators submitting an LOI will be invited to
submit a full application.
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Other Important Dates
Applications solicited
August 30, 2012
(tentative)
Applications due
October 2, 2012
(tentative)
Funding decisions
announced
December 2012 (tentative)
Future requests for proposals:
Click here to signup for e-mailed Grant Opportunity announcements.
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Policies and Conditions
To Whom Grants Are Made
Grants and fellowships are awarded to nonprofit institutions worldwide;
they are not awarded to individual investigators. Accordingly, an application,
if solicited, must bear the signature of an official authorized to sign for the
institution and, if requested, the applicant institution must submit documentation
of its nonprofit status. Applications are neither requested nor accepted from
for-profit entities. amfAR policy does not require institution endorsement for
Letters of Intent.
By accepting an amfAR grant or fellowship, the recipient institution
will accept full responsibility for the conduct of the investigation and for
the acts of the investigator(s). Both are under the direction of the
institution and are subject to its medical and scientific policies. Similarly,
project personnel compensated in full or in part with funds awarded by the
Foundation are employees of the recipient institution; they are not amfAR
employees.
Applicant investigators and fellows need not be US citizens, and there
are no restrictions as to age, color, creed, gender, medical condition,
handicap, national origin, parental status, political affiliation, race,
religion, marital status, or sexual orientation.
Members of the Foundation’s board of trustees are not eligible as
investigators in Foundation-supported research. They may, however, sponsor
fellowship applicants. Members of the Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC) are
eligible. Members of the board of trustees and SAC must comply with the
Foundation’s policies regarding the avoidance of conflicts of interest.
Allowed Use of Funds
A phase I Mathilde Krim
Fellowship is applied to direct costs of the fellow’s supplies and salary.
Salary supported by the fellowship must represent at least 85% effort and be
consistent with institution policy for other personnel of similar position and
rank; requests for salary support in excess of the current stipend levels set
by the U.S. National Institutes of Health for the Kirchstein National Research
Service Awards will be carefully evaluated and are subject to peer review and
administrative approval. Up to $3,636 is
included in fellowship budgets to support the cost of participation in
activities designated by amfAR. Support
for indirect institutional costs is limited to a maximum of 10% of total direct
costs.
Phase II Krim Fellowship grants
provide support for project-specific research costs and the phase-II
investigator’s salary and/or benefits.
Funds are not awarded for the
following:
- Major construction or the remodeling of
facilities (minor alterations are allowed with adequate justification);
- The direct cost of support services normally
available at a sponsoring institution (e.g., telephone, office furniture,
and supplies) except when directly allocable and essential to carrying out
the proposed research;
- The purchase, lease, rental, or servicing of
office equipment;
- Funding for dissertation research;
- Indirect costs in excess of 10% for phase I Krim
fellowships or 15% for phase II Krim Fellowship grants.
Foundation grants and fellowships are
not meant to cover the total cost of a proposed research project. A grantee institution is expected to provide
the necessary physical facilities and administrative services, as well as other
supporting services normally available at a sponsoring institution. Expenses generally considered to be indirect
costs may be budgeted as direct costs only when required for the operation of remote
sites deemed necessary and leased or rented exclusively for conduct of the
funded research. Such requests will be
carefully assessed for appropriateness and are subject to peer review and administrative
approval. Because indirect costs are a
function of direct costs, the budget for indirect costs may not be modified,
and the Foundation in no case will reimburse any indirect costs beyond the
stated 10% for fellowships or 15% for phase II Krim Fellowship grants.
When an application for project support is submitted to amfAR and also
to other grant-making agencies, accepted support from the Foundation and from
another agency cannot be in duplication.
Recipient institutions agree not to promote or engage in violence,
terrorism, or the destruction of any state, and to take prudent measures to
insure that they do not provide support through sub-grants or other financing
to any entity that engages in those activities.
All amfAR grants are paid in arrears and awarded contingent upon the
availability of funds and without assurance of continued or subsequent funding.
Restrictions on the Use of Funds Awarded
to Foreign Organizations
Unless written authority is obtained in advance from amfAR, funds from
grants awarded to organizations outside of the United States may not be used to
support (a) services performed in the US, or (b) travel to or from the US.
Authorization to use funds for such purposes may be obtained by providing
either of the following sets of documentation: (1) a copy of US Internal
Revenue Service (IRS) form W-8EXP bearing a valid International Taxpayer
Identification Number or Employer Identification Number and either (a) an IRS
determination letter or (b) written opinion of US counsel that the organization
is described in IRS Code section 501(c)(3); (2) alternatively, an applicant
organization in a country that benefits from an exemption under a tax treaty
with the US should provide (a) a completed copy of IRS form W-8BEN and (b) an
affidavit stating the treaty provision under which benefits are claimed and
asserting facts pertinent to the treaty provision (e.g., facts to establish
that the organization would qualify under IRS code section 501(c)(3)).
Although these documents are not required for LOIs, applicants should
anticipate and prepare for their submission as part of the application or award
process.
Source of Funds
Funds available to the Foundation are obtained principally from private
donations.
Review and Approval Process
amfAR intends to encourage and support HIV/AIDS research of the highest
quality. Therefore, every properly prepared and submitted LOI or application
received in response to an amfAR solicitation is peer-reviewed by members of
the Foundation’s Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC). Each is subject to an
overall conformance review by the Foundation staff, in consultation as
necessary with the members of the program advisory council. Those found to be
inconsistent with the guidelines and instructions are eliminated at that time,
and the investigator and the applicant institution’s grants official are
notified. The SAC, a volunteer body of scientists who are experts in various
fields of HIV/AIDS research, evaluates the scientific merit of the proposal;
the relevance of the research to the control of the epidemic or to the benefit
of patients with AIDS or HIV/AIDS-related conditions; the qualifications,
experience, and productivity of the investigator/sponsor; the facilities
available; and the likelihood of success. The SAC’s determinations are
considered by the amfAR board of trustees, which holds the sole authority to
approve project funding. Mathilde Krim Fellowship phase II funding proposals
are subject to separate peer review and approval.
Applications are solicited from investigators and fellows whose letters
of intent have been recommended by the Foundation’s Scientific Advisory
Committee. Unsolicited applications are not accepted for consideration.
Submission of an LOI does not guarantee invitation to submit a complete
application. The LOI process is very
competitive and only a limited number of proposals are approved for additional
review.
Written critiques are not available for LOIs.
Confidentiality
Throughout the review and award process, the Foundation respects the
privacy of the applicant and endeavors to protect from disclosure any
confidential or proprietary information contained in a submitted proposal.
However, amfAR has in place no mechanisms to maintain or guarantee
confidentiality and, as a not-for-profit corporation, lacks the financial
resources to (1) institute such mechanisms or (2) accept liability for the
disclosure of information. At the same time the Foundation does not consider
information on an application’s project description form (lay-language summary)
to be confidential. That information may be made public as a description of the
project being funded by amfAR. Submission of an application or LOI is deemed
acceptance of these provisions.
Human and Animal Subjects / Biohazards
Applicants are required to submit documentation of institutional
approvals for research involving human or animal subjects, or the use or
production of biohazards. Research activity may not begin, nor may expenditures
be made, until such approvals are received and forwarded to amfAR. Although
these approvals are not required at the LOI stage, investigators should prepare
to submit them with full applications. For research involving human subjects, no grant payments will be
issued until participant enrolment has commenced.
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