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2007 NARSAD INDEPENDENT INVESTIGATOR AWARD GUIDELINES
NARSAD is the largest non-government, donor-supported organization that distributes funds for brain disorder research. The NARSAD Independent Investigator Award Program offers up to $50,000 a year for two (2) years and is intended for scientists at the associate professor level (or equivalent) with national competitive support as a principal investigator (P.I.)
The NARSAD Independent Investigator Award program stands between the NARSAD Young Investigator Award and the NARSAD Distinguished Investigator Award programs. The Young Investigator Award is intended to extend initial research training, or to support independent scientists at the assistant professor rank (or equivalent). The Distinguished Investigator Award supports senior investigators (full professor or equivalent) pursuing innovative and new directions in research. Strict adherence to eligibility guidelines for the Independent Investigator Award will apply to prevent overlap between the three NARSAD Programs, and to ensure that a reasonable proportion of applications judged to be excellent can be funded.
The NARSAD Independent Investigator Award program is intended to facilitate innovative research opportunities rather than supplement support for ongoing work and supports basic and/or clinical investigators. However, research must be relevant to schizophrenia, mood disorders or other serious mental illnesses including research with bipolar disorders, personality disorders, or child and adolescent psychiatric disorders.
NARSAD is committed to spending its entire income for direct support of research. Administrative cost of review is small—reviewers are members of the NARSAD Scientific Council, and volunteer their time to evaluate applications; therefore, no feedback can be provided to applicants.
The application should enable reviewers to determine eligibility; judge that independence and productivity are established; establish the relevance of the proposal to the NARSAD mission; and estimate the originality and scientific promise of the investigator.
- Applicants must have a doctoral-level degree (M.D., Ph.D., etc.), be an associate professor (or equivalent), and have received, as P.I., competitive research support at a national level such as NIH, NSF, or foundation support;
- Investigators that have been promoted to associate professor, but have currently active NARSAD Young Investigator Awards, or that have active Staglin Investigator Awards, may not apply (NARSAD awards may not overlap in time—this does not include no-cost extensions);
- Independent Investigators are eligible for a maximum of two NARSAD Independent Investigator Awards. Previous awardees at the associate professor level are encouraged to apply for a second award. However, awards cannot overlap in time, grant requirements from all previous NARSAD awards (including Young Investigator Awards) must be met, and an applicant cannot submit more than one application per cycle;
- Funding is for two years and is up to $50,000 per year. Funding of institutional overhead at an 8% rate (excluding equipment) is allowed and overhead must be included within the total budget request which may not exceed $100,000. Equipment, salary, and technical support are typical budget requests, but NARSAD wishes applicants to identify requirements specific to their research and setting;
- A need for funding must be shown, and the applicant's institutional position must allow a minimum of 50% time for research. The applicant's institution must provide assurance that facilities and the investigator's time will be available to pursue the proposed work, if funded;
- Applications must be received by March 5, 2007;
- Notices of receipt will be sent via e-mail within 6 weeks of application receipt—it is the responsibility of the applicant to contact NARSAD if an e-mail notification is not received within this timeframe;
- Notification of awards will be mailed in August, 2007. It is NARSAD’s policy to provide no feedback on applications, other than funding notification. Earliest award start date is September 15, 2007.
**Notification of receipt of applications are sent approximately six (6) weeks after the application deadline; if you do not receive a confirmation, please contact the NARSAD Grants Office (516-829-5576) or e-mail: grants@narsad.org (e-mail answered daily).
Applications must be submitted electronically via the NARSAD website as one electronic document, be brief, typed in a font size no smaller than 11 pt., and include in the following order (please label each section accordingly and include applicant’s name in the upper right corner, unless otherwise noted, and include a separate page for each):
The application consists of:
- Institutional Assurance - a statement providing institutional assurance regarding the applicant's time, availability of facilities, and future position if research is funded. This page must be signed by the applicant’s departmental chair or equivalent and the applicant's institutional signatures (i.e., Grants & Contracts/Sponsored Research Office), thereby signifying the institution's acceptance of these terms. The page must also state that the applicant is an associate professor, or if not, specify how the current position is the associate professor equivalent in the host institution. This rank must be held at the time of the application. Promotion will not negate the award. A scanned document depicting a signature should be submitted electronically;
- Abstract -- a less than 500 word description of the research in terms understandable to lay people. If the proposal is funded, this material may be used in NARSAD announcements;
- Proposal -- a maximum of two pages to describe the project background and progress to date, clearly specify hypotheses, and outline the research plan. An absolute maximum of two pages standard type, with no appendices, is required (figures, tables, diagrams, et. al.., must be included within this page limit);
- References –- a separate page listing up to ten bibliographical references (optional);
- Budget -- a separate page of the budget description specifying the amount requested with a brief justification. Requests must not exceed $50,000 per year. Please specify budget for both years of grant. Specific assurance that receipt of this award will not result in duplication of funding is required. Other support (received or pending) must be included;
- Collaborator Letter/s (optional) -- letters of commitment from essential project collaborators (not solely letters of reference), addressed to the applicant briefly explaining the specific contribution and confirming a willingness to collaborate (only necessary if applicant will utilize collaborators). The scanned document/s depicting a signature should be submitted electronically;
- CV – NIH-style biosketch or biography portion of the CV and bibliography. The “Grant Support” section of the CV must specify competitive funding which meets eligibility requirements for this Award;
**IRB approval for human and animal subjects will need to be verified at the time of the Award, as will institutional acceptance of the NARSAD Terms of Award.
**Supplemental material and material exceeding the specified length will not be considered in the review process. Letters of reference/support will be treated as supplemental material.
Applications should be submitted as an electronic application through the NARSAD website: www.narsad.org/research/apply.
E-mailed or faxed applications will not be accepted.
However, if the Institutional Approval cannot be scanned with signature, send to:
NARSAD
60 Cutter Mill Road, Suite 404
Great Neck, NY 11021
Research Grants Program: (516) 829-5576
OR
Fax: (516) 487-6930
PLEASE NOTE: Notices of receipt of application are sent approximately four weeks after the deadline of March 5, 2007, via e-mail. If an e-mail verification is not received, it is the responsibility of the applicant to contact NARSAD to ensure receipt.
e-mail: grants@narsad.org (e-mail answered daily)
web site: www.narsad.org (electronic application, guidelines available)
 
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Announcements
2008/2009 NARSAD Grant Deadlines:
2008 Staglin Award application deadline: December 4, 2007
2008 Independent Investigator application deadline: March 5, 2008
2008 Young Investigator, 2008 Distinguished Investigator and 2008 Staglin Grantees Announced: March 15, 2008
2008 Distinguished Investigator Earliest Start Date: May 1, 2008
2009 Distinguished Investigator Award application deadline: May 15, 2008
2008 Young Investigator Earliest Start Date: July 1, 2008
2009 Young Investigator Award application deadline: July 25, 2008
2008 Independent Investigator Award Earliest Start Date: September 15, 2008
2008 Staglin Award Earliest Start Date: September 15, 2008
2009 Distinguished Investigator Earliest Start Date: May 1, 2009
2009 Young Investigator Earliest Start Date: July 1, 2009
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