Endoscopic Research Career Development Awards

Submission

The ASGE Research Committee requires electronic submission.

**Grants that do not meet the sbmission requirements, such as exceeding the page limits, will be administratively returned without review.**

Description & Objective

These awards provide salary and/or research and educational support necessary for the investigator to enhance his/her career development.

Award

$75,000 per year for two years (Total: $150,000)

Eligibility

Applicants must be ASGE members who hold full-time faculty positions at North American (U.S., Canada) universities or professional institutions, but are not federally funded or funded by another career award, reference will be given to the rank appointments of Assistant Professor level or lower at the time of application(i.e., rather than more senior faculty changing their career direction). The award is not available for core GI fellows, but advanced/research fellows beyond their core fellowship, who have a promise of academic appointment, may apply if they have sufficient evidence of developing an independent reserach career. It is intended for faculty (existing or incoming), who have demonstrated promise and have some record of accomplishment in reserach. Individuals who are delinquent on prior ASGE award progress reports will not be eligable for future ASGE funding.

Awards and Requirements

1. The award must be used to acquire new skills for furthering a career in endoscopic research, and is especially designed for junior faculty. Examples of such skills include advanced training in endoscopic procedures, training in outcomes research relevant to endoscopy, training in the reserach of educational techniques relevent to endoscopy, training in use of large databases such as CORI, and new endoscopic research techniques, such as animal models. Indirect costs are not allowed. 
2. Evidence for developing independence in research initiatives should be provided as well as at least a junior track record for research, without current NIH funding as PI, or other concurrent careerdevelopmetn award. Endoscopicresearch award funding via ASGE is not allowed during the award peroid.
3. A commitment of at least 30% effort (protected time) to research in GI endoscopy.
4. A detailed budget should be presented to justify the expenditure of the grant award. Progress reports must include a financial statement from the institutional grants or accounting office. Failure to submit a progress report by the stated deadline may affect future funding. 
5. Upon completion, recipients must submit a list of publications resulting from research supported by this award. In addition, annual progress reports must be submitted to the Chair, ASGE Research Committee, demonstrating expected progress as outlined in the grant proposal in order to receive second year funding. Subsequent publications must acknowledge this support.
6. Requests for (no-cost) extensions must be submitted in writing to the Chair of the Research Committee via the ASGE administrative office.

Selection Criteria

Candidate Attributes – The candidate should provide a letter clearly stating how the award will advance his/her endoscopic research career. Candidates must explicitly define how further training will enhance their career development as an independent endoscopic investigator who can successfully compete for future grant funding. Limit to 2 pages.

Career Development Proposal – The proposal should be constructed as follows:

1. Skills to be Acquired – A detailed plan outlining the site, schedule and timetable for the acquisition of these skills should be provided. Proposals will be judged on the basis of their feasibility, significance(and relevance to ASGE memebership and priorities), need for researchers in the area of study chosen, and importance to the candidate's career development.
2. Research Project – Candidates should include a proposal for a specific research project that must include the following: a testable hypothesis, study design and analysis, and measurable milestones to assess progress. It should be emphasized that the research proposal will be assessed in the context of the candidate's overall career development plan in endoscopic research.

Mentorship – Candidates must provide a letter of support and recommendation from the mentor responsible for overseeing the career development plan, and if different, those individuals responsible for teaching the skills to be acquired, along with a detailed plan of training. The mentor need not be based at the candidate's institution but must provide a strong commitment to the research and career development of the candidate and must provide a letter of support outlining specific plans to enable the candidate to develop an independent and productive career in endoscopic research. This is an essential component of the application. Preference will be given to mentoring plans that appear more throughly thought out and specific, regarding deatils such as meeting times and frequency, specific support, etc.

Institutional Commitment – The sponsoring institution must be explicit in its commitment to the career development of the candidate. The application should be accompanied by a letter from the Department Chair and the Division Chief, stating how this award will be used to further the candidate's career and what additional measures will be undertaken by the institution in this regard. Examples of such measures include acknowledging the amount of protected time provided by this award, outlining any protected time above and beyond that provided by this award, matching funds, additional support for research space or personnel, time and tuition for formal course-work, etc.

Review Process

The ASGE Research Committee will review the proposals and recommend awardees. The application will be judged by 1)the quality (and promise) of the applicant; 2) the qualit yof the mentor; 3) the quality of the mentoring and training plan, including any associated research plan.The final selection of awards is made by the ASGE Governing Board.

Grant Proposal Outline

1. Abstract - Include Name of PI, Institution, Project Title, Mentor Name(s), Co-Investigator Name(s) and Institution(s), and a brief summary of the proposal, including hypothesis, specific aims and proposed methodology, career development plan, and mentoring plan. Limit 1 page. 
2. Candidate's Statement – Description, purpose and expectations of this training program. Limit sections 1- 5 to two pages. 
   
   1. Designation of area of interest.
   2. Justification for pursuing training in this area and its importance to the candidate's career development in endoscopic research.
   3. Career Development and Mentoring Plan- Describe coursewok, workshops, formal and informal training to be undertaken as part of the grant. Describe the involvement of the mentor and co-mentor in this plan, describing meeting schedules, time and other resource commitment, mentoring track record, etc. Limit to 2 pages.
   4. Research/Training Plan – Provide a proposal outlining the site, schedule and time-table for training in the desired area. Prepare according to grant proposal section of the ERA applicaiton guide, whick is based on NIH-form SF 424 (R&R) guidelines:  Limit to five pages. 
      1. Title/Introduction
      2. Specific aims and hypothesis
      3. Research Strategy (including Background/significance, Preliminary Data, Innovation, and Approach (Methods/Outcomes, Analysis/Sample-Size, Challenges/Alternatives) sections).
      4. Timeline & Feasibility
      5. Future Directions: Role of project supporting long term goals and leading to future funding.
   5. Research Facilities and Support – List office laboratory equipment, support staff, clinical facilities and funded research, including all past, current and pending funding from all sources. Limit to one page.
3. References  Limit to two pages. 
4. NIH Biosketch of Candidate, Mentor, and co-Mentors/Trainers – Provide NIH-style biosketch for candidate, mentor, adn co-investigators that includes all relevant publications and current funding.  Limit to four pages each.
   http://grants.nih.goc/grants/funding/phs398/phs398.html to see sketch sample. 
5. Letters of Commitment – Letters should be from the mentor, Department Chair and Division Chief. They should summarize your attributes, assess the impact of the research training project on career development in endoscopic research and aims, ensure that the funds will be used for salary support, state the total percentage of your time that will be protected for research and provide details of any additional support being offered. The letters should also state that all of the requirements of the sponsoring institution in applying for and receiving research training funds have been met. Limit letters to two pages each.
6. Statement of Research Mentor – This letter of support should describe the candidate's  and mentor's role in the project and state that appropriate space, equipment and other resources are available to the candidate. The letter should detail the specific mentoring plan, including frequency or meetings, involvement and assistance with various aspects of the career plan and reserach project.The letter should also su,,arize the mentor's track record, and state convincingly that the mentor is prepared to, and able to, devote the necessary time and effort to the candidate's career development and research program. Limit to two pages. 
7. Statement of Co-mentors/Trainers – Candidates should provide a letter of support and recommendation from the indviduals responsible for teaching the skills, outlining the facilities and resources available and a detailed plan of training and/or research. The letter should also summarize the trainer's track record, and state convincingly that the trainer is prepared to, and able to, devote the necessary time and effort to teach the relevant skills to the candidate. Limit to one page each.
8. Budget – A detailed budget with adequate justification for each line item. Funding will not be provided for indirect costs. Limit to one page budget, one page justification.
9. Institutional Review Board – Attach IRB approval, or proof of exempt status. If not available at the time of application, this proof is needed prior to releasing funds.