Free Family Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD) Award

Overview

Free Family Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD) Award

The Free Family Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD) Award funding strives to find solutions for early, dry AMD. Efforts are concentrated on determining the strength of pathophysiologic pathways and their interactions with other pathways to cause AMD lesions of early AMD pathobiology. This award will include two PIs who are jointly responsible for the scientific and technical direction of the project, thereby leveraging a team science approach. Individuals from underrepresented racial, ethnic and gender groups, as well as individuals with disabilities, are always encouraged to apply. Multidisciplinary projects are highly encouraged.

Funding

* Support may be requested for a period of up to three (3) years.
* Annual budget requests may not exceed a total of $200,000.

Eligibility

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Application Details

THE FOUNDATION FIGHTING BLINDNESS
INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE PREPARATION OF
FREE FAMILY AMD RESEARCH AWARD APPLICATIONS
This document provides instructions for the preparation of Free Family AMD Research
Award applications to the Foundation Fighting Blindness (FFB) via the online application
portal. These instructions follow the sections of the online application portal.
Applications for the Free Family AMD Research Awards may be submitted ONLY by
those individuals who have been invited by the FFB.
GENERAL INFORMATION AND KEY DATES
KEY DATES:
Application Receipt Date: Applications must be received by January 5, 2024
Review of Applications: Jan/Feb 2024
Earliest Anticipated Award Date: April 2024
ELIGIBLE INSTITUTIONS AND PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATORS
Principal Investigators must hold an M.D., D.M.D., D.V.M., D.O., Ph.D. or recognized
foreign equivalent and occupy a faculty position or equivalent position at a college,
university, medical school, or other public or private research institution/facility.
Application is not limited to the U.S. or U.S. citizens. Applicants who are not U.S.
citizens and reside and work outside the U.S. may apply.
FFB CONTACT FOR INQUIRIES
Direct inquiries regarding the application and review process and required application
components and forms to:
Senior Vice President, Science Strategy and Awards
Tel: 410-423-0583, 1-800-683-5555
Email: grants@FightingBlindness.org
DURATION OF AWARD AND LIMITATIONS ON BUDGET REQUESTS AND
ALLOWABLE COSTS
1. Support may be requested for a period of up to three (3) years.
2. Annual budget requests may not exceed a total of $200,000.
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3. Purchase of capital equipment is generally not supported by the FFB. Capital equipment
is defined as permanent or semi-permanent apparatus, devices or systems costing more
than $5,000 per item or system. Applicants must obtain prior approval from FFB to
submit an application proposing to purchase equipment. Contact the FFB Senior
Director, Grants and Awards Program or the FFB Chief Scientific Officer for prior
approval. In addition, if approval is granted to submit a request, all such equipment
purchase requests must be well justified in the budget section of the application and in
the description of proposed project.
4. Indirect and other costs: FFB does not pay any indirect or overhead charges, nor does
the Foundation provide support for construction or renovation costs.
ANIMAL, RECOMBINANT DNA AND HUMAN SUBJECT ASSURANCES
FFB, like the National Institutes of Health (NIH), uses the "Just in Time" concept. Applicants
may defer, until after completion of peer review and just prior to funding: certification of
Institutional Review Board (IRB) and Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC) approval of the
application’s proposed use of human subjects and proposed use of recombinant DNA;
verification of Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) approval of the
proposed use of live vertebrate animals; Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act
(HIPAA) compliance; and, evidence of compliance with the requirement for education in the
protection of human research participants.
Evidence of IRB, IACUC, and IBC approval must be documented by submission of a signed
FFB Institutional Agreement Form (IAF) at the time of award. If approvals are pending at
the time of award, the FFB funding cannot be expended for research involving human
subjects, recombinant DNA, and live vertebrate animals until the signed FFB IAF is
submitted to document that the appropriate approvals have been obtained.
REVIEW CRITERIA
The Free Family Foundation, in collaboration with the Foundation Fighting Blindness, has
committed funding over the next five years to advance potential treatments for dry age-
related macular degeneration.
The Foundation Fighting Blindness will make an award for a meritorious research proposal
that proposes to understand pathophysiologic mechanisms that cause the transition from
aging to early, dry AMD with the goal of informing the design of targeted treatment for the
greatest number of people afflicted with AMD and prevent blindness from late stage
disease AMD pathobiology. Proposals will:
• Focus on early, dry AMD and
• Consider determining the strength of pathophysiologic pathways and their interactions
with other pathways to cause AMD lesions of early AMD pathobiology
• Must include two PIs who are jointly responsible for the scientific and technical
direction of the project.
• Leverage team science to approach the call in a manner that is not optimally served by
a single laboratory. Multidisciplinary projects are highly encouraged.
In their written critiques, reviewers will use the criteria listed below to assess the likelihood
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that the proposed research will have a substantial impact on the pursuit of this goal. Each
of these criteria will be addressed and considered in assigning the overall score, weighting
them as appropriate for each application.
1. Significance.
• Does the study address an important problem? How is the study unique?
• If the aims of the application are achieved, how will scientific knowledge or clinical
practice be advanced?
• What will be the effect of the study on the concepts, methods, technologies,
treatments, services, or preventive interventions that drive the field?
• What is the feasibility/plan to take the proposed studies/treatments to the clinic?
2. Approach.
• Are the conceptual or clinical framework, design, methods, and analyses
adequately developed, well-integrated, well-reasoned, well supported by
preliminary data, and appropriate to the aims of the project?
• Does the applicant acknowledge potential problem areas and consider alternative
tactics?
• Are the annual timelines realistic and feasible for achieving the specific aims of
the proposed project?
3. Innovation.
• Is the proposed research original and innovative? For example, does the
proposed research project challenge existing paradigms or clinical practice;
address an innovative hypothesis or critical barrier to progress in the field?
• Does the proposed research project develop or employ novel concepts,
methodologies, tools, or technologies for this area?
4. Investigators.
• Are the investigators appropriately trained and well suited to carry out this
research?
• Is the research proposed appropriate for the experience level of the Principal
Investigator and other researchers?
• Does the investigative team bring complementary and integrated expertise to the
project?
5. Environment.
• Does the scientific environment in which the research will be done contribute to
the probability of success?
• Does the proposed study benefit from unique features of the scientific
environment, or subject populations, or employ useful collaborative
arrangements? Is there evidence of institutional support?
• Are plans for collaborations with other FFB-supported investigators adequate with
respect to sharing methodologies/technologies, animal models, patient
assessment tools and results, and both positive and negative findings?
APPLICATION FORMATTING INSTRUCTIONS
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• Use an Arial typeface and a font size of 11 points or larger. (A Symbol font
may be used to insert Greek letters or special characters; the font size
requirement still applies.)
• Use a 1” margin
• Type density, including characters and spaces, must not exceed 15 characters
per inch.
• Type may be no more than six lines per inch.
• All page limits specified refer to single-spaced format using the above formatting
requirements.
o ABSTRACT: up to 1-single-spaced page
o SPECIFIC AIMS/RATIONALE: up to 2 single-spaced pages
o PRELIMINARY/SUPPORTING DATA: up to 2 single-spaced pages
o DETAILED PROJECT DESCRIPTION: up to 9 single-spaced pages
o BUDGET and BUDGET JUSTIFICATION: up to 2 pages
APPLICATION SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS
All applications must be submitted online. Attachments are required and must be
submitted through the application portal.
NOTE: The complete application must be SUBMITTED by January 5, 2024.
Online submission
First create an account on the site’s homepage by selecting “Applicant Registration-start
here” underneath the FFB logo. If you have previously created an account, this step is not
necessary.
You may log out and return to your in-progress application as many times as you wish until
it has been submitted. In order to be considered for the award, your online application must
be complete and in SUBMITTED status no later than 11:59 pm EST, January 5, 2024.
A. How to enter information
1. You may begin completing the application at any section. To begin, choose a section
of the application from the left menu or click "Continue" at the bottom of the screen.
2. Text boxes will hold only a limited amount of text. Where longer answers are
permitted, the number of available characters will be indicated. Before submitting,
we suggest you print and examine a hard copy of your application to be certain
your responses are complete and accurate.
3. The information you provide will be saved exactly as entered. Therefore, fill out the
form carefully, paying attention to spelling, case (do not use all caps), punctuation,
et cetera, and give special consideration when entering your contact information.
4. Begin typing all answers at the extreme left hand side of the response area or box;
do not leave a space or indent at the beginning of your answer.
B. How to SAVE and SUBMIT your data
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1. You must SAVE each time you leave a screen. If you do not click on SAVE or
SAVE & CONTINUE, anything entered since you last hit SAVE on that screen will be
lost (any work from a previous session will be retained, but any new entries will be
lost). The SAVE and SAVE & CONTINUE buttons are at the bottom of your screen.
2. You may work on your application over as many sessions as you wish, and the
status of your application will be IN PROGRESS until you submit it. Once you are
satisfied that your application is complete, you must go to the "Submit Application"
screen and select SUBMIT APPLICATION.
3. When you have completed your application, we strongly suggest that you print and
read it before submitting, to be sure there are no further revisions you wish to
make. If for some reason you need to make changes after your application is
submitted, email blindness@onlineapplicationportal.com.
4. Your application status must appear as SUBMITTED by 11:59 p.m. EST, January 5,
2024 in order for your application to be considered. Information on your application
status may be found on the Online Application Portal home page.
FREE FAMILY AMD RESEARCH AWARD APPLICATION COMPONENTS
• APPLICATION FACE PAGE
The application Face Page must be signed by the Principal Investigator and the responsible
institutional individual. Prior to submitting the application, print the face page, obtain the
appropriate signatures and upload as instructed on the application portal Face Page Upload
page.
• KEY PERSONNEL
Each Free Family AMD Research Award Application must be directed by two Principal
Investigators who are responsible for the conduct and management of the project. Co-
Investigators are allowed and must be identified.
1. Add all key scientific and technical personnel involved in the proposed project.
Designate researchers who are co-investigators.
2. Provide current and pending sources of ALL research support. For each source
(federal, private or commercial) provide: title, grant number, percent effort, funding
amount, and budget period. This information should include total support for all
current and proposed projects.
3. Provide abbreviated CVs for all key personnel (NIH biosketch is acceptable), listing
ONLY RELEVANT publications from the last three years and representative
publications prior to that. DO NOT include Abstracts.
• ABSTRACT (limit: 1 single-spaced page, see Application Formatting Instructions)
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Provide an abstract of the proposed research project, written in lay terms for a non-
scientific audience. The abstract should contain non-confidential material that can be
posted on FFB’s web site if the application is funded.
Include the following:
1. The research question(s) to be investigated.
2. The significance of the proposed project in terms of accelerating the advancement of
therapeutic and preventive approaches into the clinic, and how the proposed research
directly supports the mission of FFB.
3. A brief lay description of all specific aims, including experimental approach (es), and a
listing of all diseases/patient populations to be studied.
4. The expected accomplishments and outcomes for each specific aim.
• SPECIFIC AIMS AND RATIONALE (limit: 1-2 single-spaced pages, see Application
Formatting Instructions)
1. Describe the overall goal(s) and rationale for the proposed project. Numerically list the
specific aims and describe the anticipated results to be achieved in each year of the
project. Note that successful applicants will be required to submit Annual Progress
Reports that detail accomplishments for each of the specific aim identified in the
application.
2. Describe the potential clinical value of the proposed research in terms of developing
therapeutic and preventive interventions for inherited orphan retinal degenerative
diseases and dry age-related macular degeneration, including the feasibility of applying
the anticipated results to the development of new or improved interventions.
3. For clinical research projects, identify the disease(s) and patient population(s) to be
studied.
4. Briefly discuss how you envision FFB funding of this proposed research to promote,
supplement, or complement future support from the NIH and/or other funding
agencies/organizations.
• PRELIMINARY/SUPPORTING DATA (limit: 2 single-spaced pages, see Application
Formatting Instructions)
Describe existing experimental data or prior clinical research that support(s) the soundness
and feasibility of the proposed experiments. Include evidence of in vitro and/or in vivo
experiments, if applicable, that demonstrate the relevance of the proposed experiments for
advancing therapeutic and preventive interventions.
• DETAILED PROJECT DESCRIPTION (limit: 9 single-spaced pages, see Application
Formatting Instructions)
1. Experimental Plan and Methods: (limit: 5 single-spaced pages, see Application
Formatting Instructions)
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For each specific aim, describe the experimental design, procedures and methods to
be used. The level of detail in a NIH investigator-initiated research project
Award application is not required by the FFB. However, applicants must include
sufficient information so that reviewers can understand the proposed experiment, its
soundness, feasibility and importance for advancing the study of inherited orphan
retinal degenerative diseases and dry age-related macular degeneration.
Specific Instructions for Free Family AMD Research Award Applications Proposing
Research Using Human Samples
Applications proposing research using human samples must provide the
information delineated below.
NOTE: If IRB approval is not required in order to conduct the proposed clinical study
using human samples, then such projects are considered non-clinical and applicants
are not required to provide the information/materials listed below.
Clinical Research Requirements:
A. Study Description: A description of the proposed clinical study, including:
(a) hypothesis and study objectives; (b) study population(s) and relevance of
the proposed study to clinical disease/patient outcome; (c) study design,
methodologies, and the scientific rationale, including supporting data from
completed basic, preclinical and clinical research, and the feasibility and
appropriateness of applying such supporting data to the design and execution
of the proposed clinical study; (d) statistical analysis plan; and, (f) plan for
receipt and storage of human samples.
B. Human Samples: Documentation of the ability to acquire human samples
prospectively or retrospectively, including obtaining samples from planned,
ongoing or completed clinical studies/trials sponsored by any source. This
should include written agreements between the applicant institution, the
clinical trial sponsor, and the Investigational New Drug (IND) or Investigational
Device Exemption (IDE) sponsor, if not one of the above, for the conduct of
the proposed study.
C. Informed Consent: A copy of the approved or proposed informed consent
form to be used for collection of patient samples (include in Appendix
Materials, Key Publication Section; does not count against 9-page
proposal limit).
2. Milestones and Timelines: Delineate key milestones and timelines for the
proposed research project. Milestones are intended to define the specific stages
and/or steps involved in accomplishing the stated aims, and are to incorporate
timelines for the initiation, execution and completion of each specific stage or step.
The number of types of milestones will vary depending on the goals and intended
outcomes of the proposed research project. This information may be shown in a
Gantt chart.
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3. Collaborative Plans: Include plans for collaboration with other investigators to
share research materials, methodologies/technologies, animal models, patient
assessment tools and results, and both positive and negative findings.
4. Future Relevance: If the aims of the application are achieved, describe how
scientific knowledge or clinical practice will be advanced. Include a brief
discussion on the anticipated effect of the study on the concepts, methods,
technologies, treatments, services, or preventive interventions that drive the field of
research on inherited orphan retinal degenerative diseases and dry age-related
macular degeneration.
5. References: Provide a list of references and abstracts for: (a) publications relevant
to the data cited to support the science for the proposed research; and, (b) up to five
pertinent reprints representing the applicant’s research. Copies of the reprints can
be uploaded on the KEY PUBLICATION page. This information does not count
against the page limits for the Detailed Project Description.
• BUDGET (limit: 1-2 pages)
For each year of support requested, provide a detailed, itemized budget and budget
justification for each of the categories listed below.
1. Personnel: Listed by name with percent effort, salary, and fringe benefits
requested. Salary Support for the Principal Investigators of up to twenty (20)
percent of the total annual budget is permitted. There is no salary cap.
2. Supplies: (Itemized by category, e.g. glassware, molecular biology reagents, not by
individual items within the category).
3. Patient Costs: (Itemized)
4. Animal Costs (Itemized).
5. Travel Costs (limits):
• $2,000 per annum (U.S., Canada)
• $2,500 per annum (Europe)
• $3,000 per annum (e.g. South America, Australasia, India, Japan, China)
6. Other Costs: (Itemized).
Applicants MUST use the standard FFB Budget format provided as an Excel template in
the Free Family AMD Research Award Application Package which can be downloaded
within the application portal [below]. If you are unable to download the files, contact the
FFB to obtain the form. Applicants are to submit the proposed budget in U.S. dollars.
Note: Annual budget requests may not exceed a total of $200,000. The FFB no longer
allow an annual ‘cost of living’ increase.
The budget WILL NOT convert to PDF and therefore WILL NOT be visible to you in the
copy of your completed application. FFB will receive the excel file of the submitted
budget.
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• LETTERS OF COLLABORATION
Upload, if appropriate, letters of collaboration for all proposed collaborators (Word or PDF
format). There is no limit on letters of collaboration.
• KEY PUBLICATIONS
Upload up to five pertinent reprints representing the applicant’s research
individually in PDF format. Upload each reprint as a separate PDF document. Do
not combine the reprints into one document.
• PRINT & SUBMIT APPLICATION
Before submitting, we suggest you examine the final copy of your application to be
certain your responses are complete and accurate. The budget will not convert to
PDF and therefore will not be visible to you in the final copy. Unlike the Face Page
sections of the application a physical signature is not required when submitting your
full application. Follow the instructions listed on the Print &Submit Application page
to “sign” and submit your fully reviewed and completed application.
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