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PURPOSE

The Howard and Georgeanna Jones Foundation for Reproductive Medicine in partnership with The American Society of Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) Investigative Scientist Award in Reproductive Medicine Research Grant application cycle opens August 22nd, 2022. This annual award will total $50,000 for a two-year study period. The purpose of this grant is to support an innovative research project dedicated to improving the assisted reproductive technology technique of in vitro fertilization.

The applicant must demonstrate a strong career goal within the field of Reproductive Medicine and must be dedicated to the advancement of assisted reproductive technology techniques, specifically in vitro fertilization. The research must be focused on new discoveries in the basic or translational medical sciences that impact the treatment and understanding of in vitro fertilization. All sources of funding must be disclosed by the awardee.

LETTER OF INTENT

The letter of intent with all required information must be submitted, as ONE PDF, to the ASRM Research Institute (research@asrm.org) no later than Friday, October 7th, 2022 to be considered.

All letters of intent must include the following information:

• Primary investigator information (full name, degree(s), title, institution)
• Title of project
• Abstract
• Aims and anticipated outcomes
• Impact statement
• Estimated award requested (no formal budget is required)

Please note: Submission of a letter of intent does not ensure a full proposal invitation. Invitations to submit a full proposal will be sent on Friday, November 11th, 2022.

APPLICANT ELIGIBILITY

Applicants must be working actively in areas related to reproductive medicine at an accredited medical school or in private practice in the United States. Funds may be used for support of a new or ongoing research/clinical investigation project. No age requirement.

AWARD

An award, not to exceed $50,000, will be made June 2023 for a TWO (2) year study period. One year of additional funding may be requested upon receipt and review of a progress report and application with justification or updated aims.

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. 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. ASRM Confirmation Email

   1. A copy of the ASRM letter of intent confirmation email must accompany your application to be considered for review.

4.  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

5. Specific Aims of the research proposal presented in NIH format– (one page maximum)

6. A research proposal should include the following sections (no more than three pages)

   1. Background and Significance
   2. Resources and Environment (can be attached as an appendix)
   3. Research Plan (methodology and statistical analysis plan must be clearly described)
   4. Timeline for project start up, implementation, and completion
   5. Innovation and Potential Impact
   6. 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.

7. NIH-style Biosketch

   1. A 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).

8. 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 toward degree seeking courses.
   5. Indirect costs to the sponsoring institution, travel expenses, investigator’s salary and/or benefits will be allowed not more than 10% of the grant distribution.

9. 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: Jones Foundation Grant Application by 4pm EST on February 15th, 2023.

10. 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.

The project will have the following objectives:

• Furtherance of the Jones’ Foundation mission to advance scientific and medical research in the field of reproductive medicine, including assisted reproductive technology techniques of in vitro fertilization and treatment of infertility.
• Furtherance of ASRM’s mission to advance the science of reproductive medicine.
• Increase awareness of Jones Foundation among ASRM members.
• Enable award recipients to initiate innovative research projects specific to in vitro fertilization.

The project will have the following deliverables:

• Increased insights and contributions to the field of knowledge of assisted reproductive technology techniques of in vitro fertilization with publication and sharing of results to the scientific community.
• Increased awareness and enhance discovery related to assisted reproductive technology techniques of in vitro fertilization.
• Presentation of grant recipients’ research findings at an ASRM Congress within two years of receiving the award.
• Acknowledgement of Jones Foundation and ASRM support in any publications, abstracts, manuscripts and/or presentations at scientific conferences or meetings resulting from the funded research.

SELECTION PROCESS

An ASRM Research Institute Grant Review Group in collaboration with Jones Foundation appointed designees, will review the proposals and an awardee determined. Awardees will be notified May 2023 and funding will be dispersed June 2023.

REPORTING

Research progress and financial reports must be submitted annually; this should include an activity summary and review of current findings/results. A final research report is due within 60 days of the end date of the project period. The reporting requirements for the final report are the following: Lay Summary, Activity Summary, Impact, Budget Summary, Publications, Presentations, Data Sharing Plan, and Other Study Generated Findings.

PUBLICATION, PUBLICITY, AND CO-BRANDING

Publications, abstracts, manuscripts and/or presentations at scientific conferences or meetings based on results from the funded project must acknowledge the Jones Foundation and ASRM using the following language: “Funded in part by a grant from the Howard and Georgeanna Jones Foundation in partnership with the American Society for Reproductive Medicine.” Results and research findings must be presented at the ASRM Congress within two years of receiving the award and copy of any published works should be sent to the Board of Directors of the Jones Foundation and ASRM Research Institute.

The names of the Investigator and institution as well as the project title, a description of the project, and information regarding the award (written or digital) may be listed on the Jones Foundation website (https://jonesfound.org/), ASRM Research Institute website (www.asrmresearch.org), social media pages, or in print & digital written materials.