KY Cha Award

KY Cha Award in Stem Cell Technology

(Supported by an endowment from the Asia-Pacific Biomedical Research Foundation)

THIS AWARD IS NOW CLOSED

CLICK HERE FOR MANDATORY PDF CHECKLIST

PURPOSE

This award carries a $20,000 grant awarded by ASRM and supported by the Asia-Pacific Biomedical Research Foundation. The purpose of this award is to provide start-up funds to initiate an innovative research project in regenerative medicine and stem cell technology. Funds are available for salary support, technical assistance, supplies, durable equipment, or other project expenses but may not be used for indirect costs, or institutional overhead.  A research project in which the applicant is the primary investigator is the essential core of the award. A progress report and a financial report on the work sponsored by the KY Cha Award in Stem Cell Technology are required to be submitted to the ASRM Office at the completion of the project or within two years, whichever comes first. This report should be signed by the recipient of the award and the Chair of the Department. Any published report must carry the acknowledgment “Supported by the KY Cha Award in Stem Cell Technology.” If the applicant has other funding for the same project then the proposed project must represent a significant enhancement of the research already funded.

APPLICANT ELIGIBILITY

Candidates eligible for the KY Cha Award in Stem Cell Technology:

  • Earned an MD, PhD, DO, and/or DVM degree or their equivalents (MD degree not required)
  • Be an independent investigator who has completed his/her training and has a full-time faculty/research staff appointment; note that clinical and research students, residents, fellows and postdoctoral trainees are not eligible.
  • Have not ever received any other ASRM research award (not including Reproductive Scientist Development Program, Frontiers in Reproduction Program, and SREI/ASRM traineeship [T32] awardees).

Applicants need not be ASRM members at the time of the application but will be required to become members prior to the initiation and throughout the duration of funding. Awardees must maintain an active membership until the project is completed and has been presented at an ASRM annual Scientific Congress. Please note that ASRM members will receive preferential review.

AWARD

This award carries a $20,000 grant for a TWO (2) year study period.

APPLICATION

An application must include the following information in order as described below. Additionally, all letters must be included in your application package and cannot be sent separately or post application deadline. Please note: Letters outside the required department head or program chair letters are not required but you may submit up to 2 additional letters of support should you choose.

  1. Title page
    1. Title of the project (not to exceed 200 characters including spaces)
    2. Applicant’s name and credentials
    3. Applicant’s department affiliation, sponsoring institution, and contact information
    4. Total funding amount requested
    5. Are you a current ASRM member? (Y/N)
    6. If yes, please provide your ASRM membership number
  2. Letters
    1. Applicant letter stating career goals and plans for achieving these goals, including a lay statement of 2-3 sentences describing the relevance of the proposed research.
    2. Chairman letter (no more than two pages) acknowledging the applicant’s project and grant proposal, endorsing the applicant’s research, and confirming the institution’s commitment to provide time and support to the applicant.
  3.  Abstract (One page maximum)
    1. Scientific Abstract (500 words) describing the research proposal including the potential immediate impact of the anticipated results on the practice of reproductive medicine.
    2. Lay-person Abstract (200 words) describing the project in general terms
  4. Specific Aims of the research proposal presented in NIH format– (One page maximum)
  5. A research proposal should include the following sections (no more than three pages)
    1. Background and Significance
    2. Innovation and Potential Impact
    3. Research Plan (methodology and statistical analysis plan must be clearly described)
    4. Timeline for project start up, implementation, and completion
    5. References/citations are required but will not count against the total number of pages for the application.  You may also include them as an appendix.
  6. NIH-style Biosketch
    1. A biosketch for each primary or co-investigator should be provided. Each Biosketch should include a specific description of the role of each investigator in the proposed project and should not exceed FIVE pages (including the current funding).
  7. Budget
    1. A detailed yearly and cumulative budget and budget justification for the project.
    2. Conference travel and/or registration expenses to present results related to this award
    3. Funds may not be used towards degree seeking courses, cost of routine clinical care, or investigator salary/benefits
    4. Funds are available for project expenses, technical assistance, patient expenses, research supplies and durable laboratory equipment (under $2000), analysis software, national registries, survey licenses, etc.
    5. Indirect costs (institutional overhead) will NOT be funded
  8. Formatting
    1. The proposal must be typed in Calibri 12 pt. type with page margins no less than .5 inches and no more than 1 inch.
    2. Pagination should be included at the bottom of each page (excluding the Title page).
    3. The entire application (including completed checklist) must be submitted as ONE PDF FILE to research@asrm.org Subject Line: KY Cha Award Application by 4pm EST on December 1, 2023.
  9. Regulatory Requirements
    1. Human and/or animal use must be approved by the Institutional Review Board or Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee, or their equivalent and documented before funds are released, but pre-approval is not required for application.
    2. It is required that any research involving human embryos will comply with applicable federal and state laws and will be in line with the ASRM’s guidance document on the ethics of human embryo research. No research will proceed without all relevant Institutional Board(s) and Committee(s) reviews and approval. 

SELECTION PROCESS

Selection of an award recipient is made by ASRM and is based primarily on the scientific merit of the proposed study and the qualifications of the applicant. Also, consideration is given to the availability of resources to conduct the proposed study and the identification of a suitable environment for the pursuit of the proposed project. The awardee will be recognized at the annual ASRM Scientific Congress. Award notifications and funding will be made in February 2024.

REPORTING

Annual progress and financial reports are required and should be sent to research@asrm.org. ASRM Research Institute will review and provide a confirmation of progress report acceptance via email. Continued funding will depend on demonstrated progress and productivity as well as compliance with progress report timelines and any regulatory requirements. A final progress and financial report is required and should be submitted to ASRM within 90 days of project completion.