ASRM Access to Care Grant

ASRM Access to Care Grant

PURPOSE

The ASRM Research Institute Access to Care Grant (up to $25,000) application cycle opens May 1, 2023. The purpose of this award is to work towards bridging the gap in our understanding of access to care challenges and identify solutions that will improve education, availability, and overall access to care. Proposals for the Access to Care Grant will be due June 5, 2023 @ 4pm EST.

    APPLICANT ELIGIBILITY

    Investigators meeting eligibility within the reproductive health field in the United States are encouraged to apply. Eligible applicants include:

    • Investigators should have a doctorate degree (MD, MD/PhD, PhD, DO, ScD, or equivalent) with significant interest in addressing access to care challenges.
    • Be an independent investigator serving as a full-time clinician and/or physician scientist (academic, other non-profit, or private practice).
    • Trainees may apply but must have a letter of support from a faculty mentor and must complete the project prior to their program completion.
    • Funds may be used for support of a new or ongoing research/clinical investigation project.


    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

    ASRM will award up to $25,000 (distribution of funds to be determined) for a ONE (1) 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. IF YOU ARE A PRACTICING PHYSICIAN: Chairman/Division Chief 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.
      2. IF YOU ARE A FELLOW: A letter of support must be provided from your research mentor confirming the institution’s and/or practice’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. Resources and Environment (can be attached as 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.
    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. No clinical care costs will be covered by this funding opportunity
      3. Funds are available for project expenses, technical assistance, patient expenses, 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 (including the completed checklist) must be submitted as ONE PDF FILE to research@asrm.org Subject Line: ASRM Access to Care Grant Application by 4pm EST on June 5th, 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

    ASRM Research Institute Grant Review Groups (GRGs) will review the proposals and awardees determined. To avoid a potential conflict of interest, members of the GRGs will recuse themselves from review of any proposal that involves their institutions of employment. Award notifications will be made in late summer 2023.

    REPORTING

    A final progress and financial report, to include reconciliation of funds, is required and should be submitted to ASRM at research@asrm.org within 60 days of project completion.