ASRM $100k D&I Grant

ASRM $100k Discovery & Innovation Grant

(Supported by proceeds raised during the 2023 ASRM President's Gala)

CLICK HERE FOR MANDATORY PROPOSAL CHECKLIST

PURPOSE

The ASRM Research Institute invites submissions for its out-of-cycle $100k Discovery & Innovation Grant. Investigators are invited to develop research projects addressing fundamental questions of major clinical significance to reproductive medicine. Preference for funding will be given to projects that attempt to answer timely, basic, and clinically relevant questions of potential high impact to the practice of reproductive medicine and which are currently not fundable (either because of applicable existing federal law or because of relatively lower prioritization) by federal funding agencies. Funds may be used for support of a new or ongoing research or clinical investigation project. The ASRM Research Institute funding priorities are listed below. Applications must fall within one of these 4 priorities areas to be considered for committee review:

  • Research projects involving human gametes such as ones aiming to understand human egg maturation; determine single sperm variability to evaluate quality and function in clinical IVF; apply what has been learned from animal models to in vitro gametogenesis in the human; evaluate feasibility and safety of gene editing approaches in human gametes.
  • Research projects involving human embryos such as ones attempting to determine single cell (blastomere, trophectoderm, ICM cell) variability (chromosomal, transcriptomic, metabolomic, etc); define in molecular and cell biological terms cell lineages in the early human embryo; develop methodologies for the evaluation of “stressors” and safety of methodologies in the clinical IVF laboratory; investigate the feasibility and safety of gene editing approaches in human embryos.
  • Research projects evaluating outcomes by developing questionnaires and software for the long-term follow-up of children and their parents following fertility treatments. Building on existing databases and registries is strongly encouraged.
  • Research projects on access to fertility care by developing metrics to evaluate the needs for access to fertility care in low resourced setting(s) or in underrepresented minorities; determine the cost effectiveness and feasibility of easily implementable approaches for the evaluation of fertility status; develop treatment methodologies for cost effective fertility care.

APPLICANT ELIGIBILITY

Investigators, meeting eligibility, with expertise in reproductive health and science including endocrinology, biology, urology, epidemiology, embryology, and andrology are encouraged to apply. Eligible applicants include:  

  • Physicians or scientists with track records in basic, clinical, or translational research in reproductive medicine are encouraged to apply.
  • Investigators should have a doctorate degree (MD, MD/PhD, PhD, ScD or equivalent) and have sufficient expertise, commitment of effort, organizational structure, and operational effectiveness to successfully implement the plan for the proposed research.
  • Applicants should have completed their research and/or clinical training at least three years prior to submitting the application and actively working in the areas related to reproductive medicine.
  • Be an independent investigator serving as a full-time clinician/physician-scientist (academic, private practice, other non-profit or for-profit organizations).

Principal investigators responding to this RFP are encouraged to coordinate their submission with others applying to this initiative if their individual projects are complementary. Even though each submission will be reviewed independently, meritorious applications that score high and appear to be related in scope and complementarity are going to be given preference for funding. Applicants are encouraged to highlight such potential interactions between projects in their applications.

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. 

AWARD BUDGET

An award up to $100,000 will be made for a TWO (2) year study period.

APPLICATION

An application must include the following information in order as described below. 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 from collaborators/key personnel. Additionally, all letters must be included in your application package and cannot be sent separately or post application deadline.

  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 and sponsoring institution
    4. Applicant's contact information, including mailing address, telephone number, and email
    5. Total funding amount requested

  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 

           a. 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. No clinical care costs will be covered by this funding opportunity.
    3. Funds are available for project expenses, technical assistance, patient expenses, research supplies and durable laboratory equipment, analysis software, national registries, survey licenses, etc.
    4. Funds may not be used towards degree-seeking courses.
    5. Indirect costs to the sponsoring institution, conference travel and/or registration expenses, investigator’s salary and/or benefits are allowed but must not exceed 10% of the grant distribution.

  8. Formatting & Due Date

    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 must be submitted as ONE PDF FILE to research@asrm.org Subject Line: ASRM $100k D&I Grant Application by 4pm EST on Wednesday, May 1, 2024.

  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.

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.