AGENCY: The Ellison Medical Foundation

PROGRAM: New Scholars Program in Aging

OBJECTIVES: This program provides funding to new investigators of outstanding promise in the basic biological sciences relevant to understanding lifespan development processes and age-related diseases and disabilities. The award is intended to provide the significant support needed to permit new investigators to become established in the field of aging.

Nominees for the New Scholars Award are expected to have great promise as potential leaders of biomedical science with relevance to aging. The quality and relevance of the nominee's publications and the importance to aging of the nominee's proposed research will be significant factors in the evaluation process.

ELIGIBILITY RESTRICTIONS: An institution may nominate two candidates for the New Scholars Program in Aging. These awards are intended for investigators who are in the first three (3) years of their research career following their post-doctoral fellowship experience. For the 2010 competition, as of March 1, 2010, nominees must hold regular full time appointments (tenure or non-tenure) on the faculty of the sponsoring institution and they must not have been in such an appointment, at the sponsoring institution or other institution(s), for more than three years as of July 15, 2010, i.e. the appointment having been made no earlier than July 15, 2007. Time spent in clinical internships, post-doctoral training, residencies, or in work toward board certification does not count as part of the three-year limit.

The Ellison Medical Foundation New Scholars may hold one similar award from a private source concurrently for up to one year. Conflicting career development or new faculty awards include, but are not limited to: American Cancer Society - Research Scholar; American Diabetes Association - Career Development Award or Junior Faculty Award; American Federation for Aging Research - AFAR Research Grant; Arnold & Mary Beckman Foundation - Young Investigator Award; Brookdale Foundation - Brookdale Fellowship; Burroughs Wellcome Fund - Career Awards Medical Scientist; Dana Foundation - Brain & Immuno-Imaging (Conventional or Cellular) Award; Hartford Foundation/Amer. Geriatric Society - Jahnigen Career Development Scholar, Geriatric Health Outcome Scholar, or T.F. Williams Research Scholar; Hillblom Foundation - Hillblom Start-up Grant; Partnership for Cures/Goldman/Rockefeller Fund - Culpeper Medical Science Scholar; Pew Charitable Trust - PEW Scholar Award; Rosalind & Arthur Gilbert Foundation/AFAR - New Investigators Award in Alzheimer's disease; Sidney Kimmel Foundation for Cancer Research - Kimmel Scholar Award; and Whitehall Foundation - Grants-in-Aid. New Scholar Awards will only be made for the full four-year term. If a conflicting award is accepted prior to the New Scholar Award, this must be resolved by either declining The Ellison Medical Foundation award or arranging to terminate the conflicting award within one year.

DEADLINES:
Internal BU Deadline: December 16, 2009
Agency Deadline: February 25, 2010

FUNDING INFORMATION: The New Scholars Program provides awards of up to $100,000 per year for a four year period for successful candidates. Funding for years two, three and four is contingent upon submission of an acceptable progress report. Acceptable uses for award funds include salary, other personnel, equipment, supplies, resource acquisition and travel. The scholar's salary costs (including fringe benefits) may not exceed $20,000 per year. Not more than 8% of the total award may be deducted for overhead costs.

AGENCY CONTACT:
Richard L. Sprott, Ph.D.
Executive Director
The Ellison Medical Foundation
4710 Bethesda Avenue
Suite 204
Bethesda, MD 20814-5226
Telephone: (301) 657-1830
Fax: (301) 657-1828
Web: http://www.ellisonfoundation.org/adsp.jsp?key=emf_applications

INTERNAL REVIEW PROCESS: Each institution is permitted to nominate two individuals. Faculty wishing to be considered for nomination should provide the following proposal material to Associate Provost Joan Kirkendall, Office of Sponsored Programs, 25 Buick Street, Boston, MA 02215, for internal review purposes:

1. A letter of recommendation from the appropriate Department Chair or Research Mentor, commenting on the nominee's potential for scientific innovation and leadership.
2. A description of the proposed research (maximum length 4 pages) including a detailed explanation of the work’s relevance and importance to aging.
3. A list of related publications.
4. Budget and budget justification (two pages).
5. Nominee’s biographical sketch (NIH format).

Nomination material will be collected and forwarded to the Office of the Vice President for Research for final selection. All nomination material should be received by Wednesday, December 16, 2009.

REMARKS: An online application and detailed instructions will be made available to nominated candidates. Complete program guidelines may be obtained from the web site listed above or from the Office of Sponsored Programs (OSP). Please distribute this notice to any faculty or staff members who might be interested in the information. For more information, please contact the OSP at X3-4365 or ospinfo@bu.edu, or visit the OSP web site at http://www.bu.edu/osp.