The ALS Association

General Research Grant Program Policies

General Information

The ALS Association is the only national not-for-profit voluntary health organization whose mission is to lead the fight to cure and treat ALS through global, cutting-edge research, and to empower people with Lou Gehrig’s Disease and their families to live fuller lives by providing them with compassionate care and support.

Headquartered in Southern California, The ALS Association and its widespread and fast growing nationwide network of local volunteer chapters and support groups, wages battle against the disease on four important fronts:

• Encouraging, identifying, funding and monitoring relevant and cutting-edge research into the cause, means of prevention and possible cure of ALS;
• Helping ALS patients and families through referrals for counseling, training and support on how to cope with this devastating disease;
• Serving as the national information resource on ALS for the medical profession, patients and family members;
• Educating the public as to the gravity of this problem to stimulate public support in the search for a cause and cure.

Use of Animals in Biomedical Research

1. Animals shall be used in biomedical research only when no other means of obtaining scientifically sound, valid and useful results are available.
2. The minimum number of appropriate animals required to obtain and validate results shall be used.
3. The acquisition, care and use of animals must be in accordance with all applicable federal, state and local laws and regulations.
4. Certifications must be received from research facilities prior to being approved for a research grant that the facility(ies), its researchers and employees adhere to the Animal Welfare Act, National Research Council Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals, and any appropriate U.S. Department of Agriculture or National Institutes of Health regulations and standards.
5. In cases requiring the death of an animal, only the most appropriate and humane form of euthanasia shall be used consistent with the purpose of the research.

Administration of The Association’s Research Grant Program

• Applicants interested in applying for a research grant should first submit a brief Abstract to The ALS Association. Pleases see our Call for Abstracts page for more information. Abstracts are to be sent by email to researchgrants@alsa-national.org.

• All applications are peer reviewed by The Association's Scientific Review Committee to ensure their scientific merit and relevance to ALS.

• The Scientific Review Committee's priority scores are forwarded only to The ALS Association Board of Trustees, which has the sole authority for awarding and funding research grants.

• The institution’s financial officer makes Grant award payments, to the Principal Investigator’s institution for disbursement.

• Payments are made on a specified quarterly schedule and, in the case of multi-year grants, after the first year, are contingent upon the receipt by The Association of satisfactory annual progress reports and documentation of research funds expended. For the Fall Cycle payments begin in February and for the Spring Cycle payments begin in August.

Policies

The ALS Association welcomes applications for support of promising, quality, innovative research in the field of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

Multi-year Grants

The Association will support research that is projected for periods of up to three (3) years. Funding for multi-year grants is committed for one (1) year only, with noncompetitive renewals conditioned upon receipt of satisfactory interim progress reports. Most awards will be in an amount of $60,000-$80,000 a year.

Starter Grants

These are one-year awards for New Investigators entering the field of ALS proposing innovative and novel projects likely to provide important results relevant to ALS research. Alternatively, they can be pilot studies by established ALS investigators. These applications do not require strong preliminary data but must emphasize novelty, feasibility, innovation and relevance to ALS. Awards will be in the amount of $35,000-$40,000 a year.

Post-doctoral Fellowships

The Association offers an annual post-doctoral fellowship award in the Spring Cycle. Awards are for two years at a maximum of $40,000 annually. See guidelines for details required when filling out the application form.

Submission

In submitting an application for an ALS Association Research Grant, applicants are urged to supply complete information in each category indicated on the electronic application form. (See “The ALS Association Research Grant Program - Procedures ”).

Principal Investigator

It is expected that the person shown as the Principal Investigator in the application is the one who is personally and actively responsible for the conduct of the research. The Applicant Institution ("grantee institution") is the official recipient of the grant made for the support of research of the Principal Investigator. The Principal Investigator may not request salary support for him/herself. A maximum of two PI’s can be named per award for Starter grants and Multi-Year grants. One PI can be named for Post-Doctoral Fellowships.

Duration and Amount

The Principal Investigator and the grantee institution will each be advised of the duration and amount of the grant awarded.

Renewal or Supplemental Support

All ALS Association grants are designated terminal. Renewal or supplemental support depends upon submission and approval of an application for a new grant and receipt of a report of all funds expended during the term of any preceding grant.

Extension of the Term of the Grant

An extension of the term of the grant without additional funds may be approved when requested and justified. Requests for extensions of the terms of grants will not be honored when such extension would allow creation of reserves for contingencies.

Unexpended Funds

Since research project budgets as detailed in the application are viewed as realistic estimates of the funds required to perform the research indicated, it is expected that for most grants some unexpended funds will remain at the termination of the grant. Such funds are returnable to The ALS Association.

Transfer of a Grant from one Institution to Another

Transfer of a grant from one institution to another along with the transfer of the same Principal Investigator may be requested, but such transfers cannot be made without prior written approval by The ALS Association. The original grantee institution must submit a detailed report of expenditures and return unexpended funds to The Association before a transfer can be made. To avoid interruption of financial support, the request for transfer should be made at least ninety (90) days prior to the anticipated date of transfer.

Under no circumstances can a post-doctoral fellowship be transferred.

Transfer of a Grant within the Grantee Institution

Transfer of a Grant within the grantee institution to a new Principal Investigator may be requested when the original Principal Investigator leaves or becomes unable to continue supervision of the research. This request should take place within thirty (30 days) of the change. Such a transfer must have prior written approval of The ALS Association and is an interim step until the grant can be terminated appropriately or until the new Principl Investigator can submit a new and complete application.

Under no circumstances can a post-doctoral fellowship be transferred.

Re-budgeting of Funds

Within the policies of The ALS Association Research Grant Program, transfers between and among categories of the budget approved in the grant may be allowed as follows:

• Transfers into personnel and consumable supplies categories may be made at the discretion of the Principal Investigator with knowledge of his/her Institution;
• Transfer of funds into equipment, travel, other expenses not specifically identified in the budget, or indirect expenses, may not be made without prior written approval of The Association.

Over-Expenditures

The ALS Association is not responsible for over-expenditures of grants, and The Association requires a refund of all non-allowable expenditures before payments will be made on continuation or supplemental grants.

Unobligated Funds

Funds remaining unobligated at the end of a grant period may not be carried over to the succeeding period to create an increase in funds for the succeeding period. Rather, unobligated funds will be applied against the succeeding grant payment. Where the grant in force has been terminated, all unobligated funds must be returned to The ALS Association within thirty (30) days of the termination of the grant.

Accounting Procedures and Forms

Accounting of all expenditures made under each grant must be made to The ALS Association within thirty (30) days of the termination of the grant. Any format may be used to accomplish this task.

Bonded Financial Officer

The Association prefers, but does not necessarily require, that the financial officer administering grant funds be bonded. Unless otherwise indicated in the application for a grant, it is understood that such officials are in fact bonded. Under circumstances satisfactory to The Association, it may forego the need of the financial officer to be bonded.

Renewal Grants

The Association will not ordinarily fund renewal grants. Renewal grants are conditioned upon showing (a) demonstrable progress toward achieving goals of initial grant; and (b) good faith, but unsuccessful efforts to secure renewal funding from other sources. In as much as all grants are terminal, they must be renewed by way of an application for continuation of funds.

Progress Reports

It is the Investigators responsibility to ensure that receipt of both interim and final reports is timely. An annual report is required for multi-year awards. Payments will be withheld until reports have been received. All progress reports are considered privileged communications and their distribution is limited to the reviewing consultants and staff of The ALS Association.

• Reports should be emailed toresearchgrants@alsa-national.org. The form and content of the report is left to the discretion of the Principal Investigator. However, The Association recommends the following:
  • A summary be placed first;
  • The body of the report be a concise statement of the course of the investigation and of such findings as the grantee deems significant;
  • Indicate any publications resulting from this application and mail any pre-prints to Science Director, The ALS Association, Research, 4338 Lavender Drive, Palm Harbor, FL 34685, U.S.A.

Interim Progress Reports and Final Progress Reports

• Interim progress reports are to be prepared annually unless otherwise requested
• Final progress reports are due within 30 days of termination of grant

Post-doctoral fellows are required to submit two interim reports (at eight month intervals) and a final report on completion of the award.

Publication and reprints

• The ALS Association expects that the results of the research shall be given appropriate publication. The responsibility for publication lies with the Principal Investigator. The results of any work supported by an ALS Associatoin grant may be published without review by The Association. Therefore, responsibility for direction of the work is not to be ascribed to The ALS Association
• One copy of each manuscript accepted for publication must be submitted to The ALS Association, accompanied by information as to probable date of publication and the journal accepting the manuscript. These manuscripts will be regarded as restricted and privileged communication. For the sake of uniformity, it is suggested the following acknowledgement be used with all publications and, where appropriate and ethical, with scientific exhibits:

“This investigation was supported wholly (or in part) by (a) grant(s) from The ALS Association."

Patents on Discoveries Made Under Grants

This applies to all rights related to developments made by Grantees during research funded by The Association. Arrangements or Contracts with Other Organizations: The ALS Association requires that the Principal Investigator disclose the fact of any collaboration or arrangements with consultant(s) and/or with private companies, and membership on the boards of directors or advisory councils of such companies. For further information contact Dr. Lucie Bruijn, Ph.D., ALS Association Science Director and Vice President, e-mail: researchgrants@alsa-national.org.

Postdoctoral Fellow as Principal Investigator

The Association will consider starter applications from senior postdoctoral fellows with sufficient scientific independence to direct research supported by a grant. The Association will not consider applications' from junior postdoctoral fellows for multi-year or starter awards. Applications can only be made in the post-doctoral fellowship program. Graduate students are not eligible to apply for any of the awards.

Pre-doctoral Fellows

The Association will not ordinarily support through a salary stipend the dissertation research of a graduate student. The Association will sometimes provide salary support for graduate students heavily involved in the project and/or with exceptional expertise in the procedures. In such cases, the grant proposal should include extensive information relating to the student's educational background. Assurances must be made that the requested stipend is in line with that received by pre-doctoral fellows at the institution. Under no circumstances will tuition costs be paid as part of the grant.

Postdoctoral Fellows

Postdoctoral fellows applying for the fellowship should not have been in the laboratory longer than one year when applying. If a post-doctoral fellow leaves the laboratory for any reason, the fellowship is automatically terminated and any unobligated funds must be returned to The ALS Association.

The ALS Association

General Research Grant Program Procedures

Guidelines for Completing the Application Form

Electronic Submission

AND

Hard Copies

• Mail ONE original signed and FIVE copies of the completed application to The Office of The Science Director, ALS Association, Research, 4338 Lavender Drive, Palm Harbor, FL 34685, U.S.A. These copies should be stapled and will be sent to reviewers.

Resubmission

Resubmitted applications must include a one-to-two page letter summarizing all deletions, additions and other changes responding to previous critiques. Reference should be made to any new preliminary data included.

Research Plan

Your Research Plan must not exceed 15 pages and must provide details of the proposed research under the following headings.

Specific Aims

State the broad, long-term objectives and describe concisely and realistically what the specific research is intended to accomplish and any hypotheses to be tested.

Significance / Relevance of this Research to ALS

Describe how this research is relevant to a better understanding of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, its causes, cure and/or prevention.

Background

Briefly describe the background to the present proposal, critically evaluate existing knowledge, and specifically identify the gaps that this project is intended to fill. State concisely the importance of the research described in this application by relating the specific aims to the broad long-term objectives.

Previous Work / Preliminary Studies

Provide an account of the Principal Investigator's preliminary work or studies relevant to the application and/or any other information that will help to establish the experience and competence of the investigator to pursue the proposed project. Titles and complete references to publications and manuscripts accepted for publication must be listed.

Experimental Design and Methods

Outline the procedures to be used to accomplish the specific aims of the project. Include the means by which the data will be collected, analyzed and interpreted. Describe new methodology and its advantage over existing methodologies. Discuss potential difficulties and limitations of the proposed procedures and alternative approaches to achieve the aims. Provide a tentative sequence or timetable for the investigation. Point out any procedures that may be hazardous and the precautions to be exercised.

Literature Cited

Include a complete reference list at the end of the research plan that has been appropriately cited throughout the text. Make every attempt to be judicious in compiling a relevant and current list that must include names of authors, the name of the book or journal, volume number, page numbers, and year of publication.

Original Papers

Note any original papers of particular relevance to the proposal but do not send copies of the manuscripts.

Figures and Tables

Supplementary background graphs, figures, tables and charts, directly pertinent to the application should be included within the body of the research plan.

Consultants (Not included in page count)

Include one original copy of an appropriate letter from each individual confirming his/her role in the project.
 

Detailed Budget

Grant funds may be requested for the following categories of expenditures.

Personnel

List all professional personnel, salaried or not salaried, including the Principal Investigator(s) and collaborating research professionals to be involved in this project indicating the percentage time they will involved with the project.

• Salaries: Salaries of all personnel paid from grant funds are to be in accordance with the prevailing policies of the Applicant Organization/Institution. These funds may be used to pay in whole or part the salaries of associate professional personnel, technical assistants, and other non-professionals in proportion to their time spent directly on the project. The salary of the Principal Investigator is NOT an acceptable item for inclusion. Also, funds of the grant may not be used to pay for administrative/support personnel unless requested in this application and approved as part of the grant.

• Fringe Benefits: Costs to the Applicant Institution, of Social Security, Retirement and Group Insurance Plans, may be included in the budget request for those persons, whose salaries are to be paid from the grant, provided they are in accordance with the policies of the Institution and in proportion to employee's time on the project.

Consumable Supplies

Itemize consumable supplies in separate categories such as glassware, chemicals, radioisotopes, etc. If animals are involved, state how many are to be used, their unit purchase cost and unit care costs.

Permanent Equipment

The ALS Association ordinarily will not fund the purchase of permanent equipment (in absence of extraordinary circumstances). List each item of equipment with a unit acquisition cost of $500 or more. The cost of installing and maintaining equipment is not allowed unless such funds were requested and approved as part of the grant.

Travel

State the purpose of any travel, giving the number of trips involved, the destinations, and the number of individuals for whom funds are requested. Our policy requires that coach or economy class air travel be used. The maximum allowed is US $1000.00

Other Support

Report all current grants and all applications pending to support research under the Principal Investigator and collaborators named in this project. In addition, list any prior grants or fellowship support received from The ALS Association or its predecessor organizations - The ALS Society of America and The National ALS Foundation.

Other Expenses

Itemize by category and cost such other expenses as computer charges, rentals and leases, consultant costs or fee-for-service contracts. If consultant costs or other contractual arrangements are involved, provide the names and organizational affiliation and services to be performed.

Indirect Costs

No indirect costs will be given to any of the awards.

Premium on Hazard or Other Insurance

If in accordance with institutional practice, and indicated by the nature of the research, the budget may include funds for payment of premiums on hazard or other insurance to protect personnel paid by the grant, but only after prior approval by The Association. No premiums are allowed for insurance of equipment and supplies.

Dues and Contingency Funds

Dues to organizations such as federations or societies: purchasing of books, journals or office equipment; and registration fees for scientific meetings are not allowable expenses. No funds shall be budgeted as "Contingency funds.

Budget Justification

Budget Justification: Describe specific function of personnel, including postdoctoral fellows and pre-doctoral fellows, and consultants. For ALL years, explain and justify any unusual items such as major equipment. For second and third year estimates of future requirements justify any significant increases and decreases in any category compared to the first year budget. Any recurring annual increase is limited to 5% - applied only to personnel and consumable supplies.

Post-doctoral Fellowship

Letters of support from the Principal Investigator and the applicant’s graduate advisor must accompany the application. Preliminary data is required and can be data generated in the PI’s laboratory not necessarily generated by the applicant. It is important to clearly state any preliminary data that has been done by the applicant. The PI should already be involved in ALS research even though the post-doctoral fellow may be new to the field. Curriculum vitae for the Principal investigator as well as the post-doctoral fellow must be included in the application. The Principal Investigator must sign off on the application.