About the AACSF-D research grant

The Alzheimer's Association recognizes the need to increase the number of underrepresented clinicians participating in clinical research. By providing this funding opportunity, we anticipate that the number of underrepresented physicians entering and remaining in clinical careers in Alzheimer's and all other dementia will increase. The areas of research that a clinician scientist proposes for funding through the AACSF-D grant program are not limited to patient-oriented, human-subject research but may also include translational research specifically designed to develop treatments or enhance diagnosis of neurological disease. These translational research areas include epidemiologic or behavioural studies, clinical trials, studies of disease mechanisms, the development of new technologies and health services and outcomes research. Disease-related basic science studies not directly involving humans or human tissue are also encouraged if the primary goal is the development of therapies, diagnostic tests, or other tools to prevent or mitigate neurological diseases. This grant is open to U.S. and international researchers.

Competition objectives

The Alzheimer's Association recognizes the need to support the training of clinician-scientists in Alzheimer's and related dementia. For this program, a clinician scientist is defined as an individual already trained, licensed and practising in a clinical field that includes patient contact (e.g., neurology, psychiatry, geriatrics, psychology) or patient-related diagnostic studies (e.g., neuropathology and radiology). 

Applicants within 15 years of receiving their M.D., D.O. or Ph.D. (or equivalent) and have licensure for clinical practice, including postdoctoral fellows through Assistant Professors, are eligible. Positions higher than Assistant Professor will not be considered.  

The areas of research that the clinician-scientist proposes for funding are not limited to patient-oriented, human-subject research but may also include translational research specifically designed to develop treatments or enhance the diagnosis of neurological disease. These translational areas of research include epidemiologic or behavioural studies, clinical trials, studies of disease mechanisms, mapping disease features or spread of the development of new technologies, and health services and outcomes research. Disease-related basic science studies that do not directly involve humans or human tissue are also encouraged if the primary goal is the development of therapies, diagnostic tests, or other tools to prevent or mitigate neurological diseases.

The Alzheimer’s Association feels strongly that the mentoring and involvement of researchers from diverse backgrounds and perspectives is essential to engaging cutting-edge ideas and thinking in addressing scientific gaps for Alzheimer’s and related dementia.  

The mechanism of the award is the individual research grant. The maximum allowable duration is three years (minimum two years). 

Funding and award period

Each AACSF-D award is limited to $250,000. Parts of the award include:

• A total of $230,000 (including direct and indirect costs) will be awarded for expenses related to the proposed research for up to three years (Award should be a minimum two years. For a 2-year award the total is limited to $200,000 with direct and indirect costs). Requests in any given year may not exceed $100,000 (direct and indirect costs). Indirect costs are capped at 10 per cent of total direct costs and include indirect costs for the implementing institution and any subcontracts.

• A total of $12,500 over a three-year period may be requested for travel purposes and is not to exceed $7,000 in any given year. If you request the full $12,500 towards just two years of travel and request a three-year award,,, you will not be able to request travel funds for one of those years.

• The remaining funds are two $10,000 research stipends ($10,000 to the applicant and $10,000 to the primary mentor), which are not guaranteed and are awarded only upon successful completion of the award. Successful completion of the award includes but is not limited to, achieving project aims and accomplishing all of the Fellowship benchmarks. These research stipends will be applied to sustaining ongoing research in the Alzheimer's field. They will be paid to the applicant‘s and mentor‘s respective institutions at the time of release.

The Principal Investigator (PI) must commit an average of 2 protected days per week (40%) research effort during each funding year. 

Eligibility

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• Applicants for the Alzheimer's Association Research Fellowship (AACSF-D) program must be clinicians interested in pursuing an academic career. They should hold full-time positions and have less than 15 years of research experience after earning their terminal degree. Additionally, they must be licensed for clinical practice and patient evaluation.

• For the AACSF-D program, eligible applicants should meet the same requirements as the AACSF-D program but also be underrepresented faculty in biomedical and behavioural research on a national, international, or institutional basis. Individuals from low and middle-income countries (LMICs) are encouraged to apply. Applicants should submit a Diversity Self Statement (one paragraph max) during the letter of intent (LOI) stage to outline their status and eligibility for the program.

• Applicants from the United States will be subject to the definitions provided by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for U.S. health disparity populations. This includes various ethnic and socioeconomically disadvantaged populations, as well as individuals from economically developing nations of Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Caribbean.

• Applicants born in economically developing nations of Africa, Latin America, and the Caribbean are eligible, as well as those employed by a university in these regions, provided they meet other career stage criteria. The Alzheimer's Association will not require proof of American citizenship or Permanent Resident Status.

• For questions regarding eligibility, applicants should contact the Alzheimer's Association at grantsapp@alz.org before submitting an LOI, as no exceptions will be made after the LOI deadline has passed. The Alzheimer's Association retains the right to request additional documentation if necessary, and the self-statement submitted will only be accessible to the applicant and the Alzheimer’s Association through their Proposal Central Account.

• As a U.S.-based charity, the Alzheimer’s Association is subject to U.S. law and cannot award grants in violation of applicable U.S. statutes and regulations, including funding that would result in a violation of sanctions or provisions related to combating terrorism.

Ineligibility

Ineligibility criteria include:

• Individuals who have a position of an Associate Professorship or above are not eligible.

• Individuals currently enrolled in a Master's or Doctoral Program are not eligible, regardless of prior degree status.

Deadlines and award dates

Letter of Intent deadline: September 5, 2024.

Each Fellowship LOI is evaluated with attention to the following:

• Demonstrable innovation/novelty of the proposed project (especially in the context of the PI's recently funded work)

• Alignment with the research priorities of the Alzheimer’s Association

• Impact of the project on Alzheimer’s and all other dementia research

• Evidence of methodological rigour that addresses the research question(s) being proposed

Letter of Intent notifications: Week of October 7, 2024. Note: due to the high volume of submissions, specific feedback and reviewer comments are not provided at the LOI stage.

Application deadline: November 12, 2024, 5 PM EST. If invited to submit a complete application, each Fellowship application is evaluated on:

• Applicant’s ability and promise as a clinician scientist based on prior record of achievement and career plan, letters of support, and CV (30%)

• Quality and emphasis of applicant and originality of the research plan (40%)

• Significance of the question being studied, quality of the work plan and the impact-risk of the proposal, impact on the advancement of diverse science (30%)

Resubmissions will have the opportunity to respond to prior reviews.

Award notifications: Before February 28, 2025.

Budget

A “budget summary” for the proposed research project is required and must be submitted with the application and within the allowable two-page limit. However, if the application is to be awarded, a more detailed budget will be required and must be approved before the disbursement of funds.

Allowable costs under this award

It is required that most of the funds awarded under this program be used for direct research support. No more than 10% of the total direct costs may be included as indirect costs; this is inclusive of indirect costs for the implementing institution as well as any to subcontracts.

Allowable costs include:

• Purchase and care of laboratory animals

• Small pieces of laboratory equipment and laboratory supplies 

• Purchases over $10,000 require prior approval, even if included in the project proposal budget

• Computer software if used strictly for data collection (requires prior approval)

• Salary for the principal investigator, scientific (including postdoctoral fellows) and technical staff (including laboratory technicians and administrative support directly related to the funded grant); there is no salary cap 

• Membership in the scientific association

• Professional development/communication training

• Training costs to visit and perform research related to the awarded project on another laboratory/facility (this is not to be included in the travel costs)

• Support for travel to scientific and professional meetings and additional support for travel expenses necessary to carry out planned research may include site visits. A total of $12,500 over a three-year period may be requested for travel purposes and is not to exceed $7,000 in any given year and must include attendance to the annual Alzheimer’s Association International Conference (AAIC)

• Participant travel expenses for projects involving human participants is not included in the travel and is allowable expenses that can be captured under other expenses (itemized) in the budget.

• As part of the Alzheimer’s Association's ongoing efforts to develop programs that support family-friendly research environments, Alzheimer’s Association awardees can request up to $2,500 per budget period for childcare costs provided by a licensed childcare provider

Direct costs not allowed under this award

Direct costs not allowed include:

• Computer hardware or standard software (e.g., Microsoft Office, mouse monitor, computer parts)

• Laboratory equipment such as freezers, ultracentrifuges, RT-PCR, Microscopy/imaging equipment

• Service contract fees of equipment

• Construction or renovation costs

• Tuition

• Rent for laboratory/office space

• Visa costs and fees

• Expenses such as Data Network Recharges and Computing and communication device support services. However, data sharing and/or storage for imaging, sequencing and other study data is allowed.

• General liability insurance, such as GAEL Wire and currency exchange fees

• The Alzheimer’s Association Medical and Scientific Advisory Group (MSAG), the International Research Grant Program (IRGP) Council members and current employees of the Alzheimer’s Association are allowed to be key personnel or collaborators on projects, however they are NOT ALLOWED to receive any salary or compensation. A complete list of MSAG and IRGP Council members can be found on our website.

Contact information

For any inquires or additional information, please contact a member of the Alzheimer’s Association Research Grants Team at grantsapp@alz.org.