HERA Foundation Ovarian Cancer OSB1 Seed Grant
Deadline: January 15th
Mission: The HERA Foundation is a non-profit organization whose mission is to prevent ovarian cancer and improve prognosis through innovative scientific research and education. The HERA Foundation funds basic, translational and clinical research projects that address challenging problems posed by ovarian cancer. Projects include, but are not limited to, those that study disease etiology and pathogenesis, and those that explore novel approaches to early ovarian cancer detection and targeted therapy.
Our goal is to encourage outside-the-box thinking and solutions and provide seed money for such projects. Chemotherapy has been in use for many years and to date we have not improved overall survival by 1%. New approaches to understanding and treating this disease are needed and are what is of interest to the HERA Foundation.
Eligibility: Applicants must hold a Ph.D. and/or an M.D. degree, and be either a post-doctoral research fellow or clinical fellow. A previous research background in ovarian cancer is not essential, as the HERA Foundation seeks to encourage new young investigators to enter the field. However, candidates should demonstrate the relevance of their previous research background to the proposed work, and indicate a strong long-term commitment to research in the field of ovarian cancer.
Evaluation criteria: Key criteria are the importance of the problem to be addressed, the originality of the approach and concepts, feasibility of the methodology, and the research experience and qualifications of the candidate.
Format of application: The following points 1-5 should not exceed 3 pages of single-spaced 12-point type.
Title page: Include your name, Department Chair's name and title of project.
(1) A 500 word layman's summary of the proposed research
(2) a statement of specific research objectives- explain what you expect to accomplish within the year, particularly if more than a year's goals are discussed. Are the proposed experiments overlapping with other applications? Explain.
(3) a concise description of the methodology to be employed
(4) a description of the significance of the proposed work, i.e. how the research contributes to prevention and detection of ovarian cancer and improvement of prognosis.
(5) A statement demonstrating the relevance of the candidate's previous research background to the proposed work
(6) A summary of the budget, i.e. how funds will be specifically utilized. The HERA Foundation does not support indirect costs.
(7) The candidate's biosketch in standard NIH format (not exceeding 2-pages) should be attached.
(8) A letter of support from your mentor and a commitment from the lab to support the project being funded.
Budget: Budgets may be requested for up to $40,000 for a total funding period of one year.
Submission: Submit complete applications electronically only as one file to Donna Sevigny (dsevign1@jhmi.edu) in Word format by the deadline of January 15, 2006.
Funding: If your application is funded, an original hard copy of the letter of support from your mentor must be received before funding may begin.
Post-award requirements: Award recipients must submit a one-page progress report within one month after the expiration of the term of the award. The report should:
(1) clearly state the findings of the work performed
(2) specify how the findings met the objectives established in the application.
(3) describe the impact that the research has on our current understanding of ovarian cancer
(4) describe future research goals
(5) mention any publications and conference presentations of the work performed
(6) include a personal statement of how the work funded by the HERA Foundation has enabled the professional growth of the recipient
