350,000 EURO FOR RESEARCH ON ANGELMAN SYNDROME
Call for Applications for Research Grants into Angelman Syndrome
Deadline 4th January 2019
Angelman Syndrome is a rare neurogenetic disorder, resulting from the loss of function of a single gene, UBE3A, which encodes for the ubiquitin ligase E6-AP. It is characterised by severe intellectual disability, lack of speech, motor coordination deficits, sleep disturbance and an unusually happy demeanour.
The international Angelman Syndrome Alliance (ASA) is an initiative of parent support organisations from 15 countries (including Ireland, UK, Belgium, Netherlands, Germany, Austria, France, Italy, Portugal, Japan, Israel, and Spain) who have pooled resources and funds in order to advance research into the syndrome.
The ASA is now inviting applications from researchers from any country for grants of up to €175,000 (total grant fund €350,000). Proposals covering preclinical (basic) research as well as translational research are welcomed, however applications for behavioural therapies are not eligible at this point.
The duration of the grant is flexible up to a maximum of 4 years. After 50% completion of the anticipated duration, an evaluation of the project’s progress will be expected. This will be in the form of both a detailed written scientific report for the Scientific Advisory Board (SAB) and an update in more general layman’s terms to share with the parent organisations who fund the grant.
This is a two-stage application process. In the first instance, a short initial application should be submitted via the ASA website (www.angelmanalliance.org) by 12:00 noon on 4th January 2019 and should include the following:
- A cover letter, including the title of the proposal and the name of the principal investigator.
- A two-page summary of the proposed research including paragraphs on the hypothesis, background, research plan, principal methodology, and the significance of the proposed research. An overview of the budget must also be included (indirect costs cannot be applied for).
- The Curriculum vitae of the applicant.
All applications should be written in English, in Times New Roman, 10 point, 1.5 spaced on A4 paper.
From 14th January 2019, detailed applications will be invited for proposals passing stage 1, to be submitted by 12:00 noon on or before 11th March 2019. Successful applicants will be informed by 22nd July 2019 and will be invited to give the ASA-AWARD LECTURE at the next biennial ASA scientific conference in autumn 2020.
Proposals involving laboratory animal testing must be approved by the respective institutional review boards before funding can be released. Research applications from outside the EU, must still conform to ethical guidelines and laws within the EU.
à Questions about the grant process should be directed to the ASA Board at: Manuel Duarte – direccao@angel.pt
à Questions about research on Angelman Syndrome should be directed to the Scientific Advisory Board at: Harald Sitte – harald.sitte@meduniwien.ac.at
