The Senior Scholar Letters of Intent deadline is March 9, 2005, 5:00pm Eastern Standard Time. Instructions will appear on this site at a later date.

The Ellison Medical Foundation was established and is supported by Lawrence J. Ellison to support biomedical research (including basic biology, basic biomedicine and epidemiology) on aging. The Ellison Medical Foundation Senior Scholar program is designed to support established investigators, working at institutions in the U.S., to conduct research in the basic biological and basic biomedical sciences relevant to understanding aging processes and age-related diseases and disabilities. The award is intended to provide significant support to established investigators in order to allow the development of new, creative research programs by investigators who may not currently be conducting aging research or who may wish to develop new research programs in aging. The Foundation particularly wishes to stimulate new research, which has rigorous scientific foundations, but which may not be currently funded adequately, because of its perceived novelty, its high risk, or because it is from an area where traditional research interests absorb most funding.

Areas of interest include, but are not limited to...

Structural biology
Molecular genetics
Studies with model systems ranging from lower eukaryotes to humans
Inquiries testing the relevance of simpler models to human aging
Genetic epidemiology of aging; candidate longevity genes
Aging in the immune system
Host defense molecules in aging systems
Mechanisms of free radical induced cell aging
Mechanisms of aging in various differentiated cell populations
Gene/environment and gene/gene interactions
Integrative physiology
New approaches to age-modulated disease mechanisms: Alzheimer's disease and others.

Eligibility: Investigators at least 4 years beyond their post-doctoral fellowship , employed by U.S. 501C3 institutions, or U.S. colleges or universities, are eligible to apply. Current or past Senior Scholar Awardees are not eligible to apply.

Applicants for the Senior Scholar Award are expected to furnish evidence of substantial prior scientific creativity and productivity not necessarily targeted to aging heretofore. Evaluation by the Aging Initial Review Group and the Scientific Advisory Board will be based upon the applicant's submission re: scientific contributions to date, the quality of publications, and the importance to aging of the proposed new research. The Aging Initial Review Group and the Scientific Advisory Board will pay close attention to arguments as to why the work does not or would not qualify for support from established sources such as the NIA. Except for compelling circumstances, the awards are not intended to supplement ongoing, already funded programs but, instead, to inspire new directions, which may entail substantial risk. There is no limit on the number of Senior Scholar letters of intent from any one institution.

Terms of the Award
The Ellison Medical Foundation Senior Scholar Awards in Aging will be issued in early October 2004. Up to ten awards are anticipated in this round, pending sufficient meritorious applications. Each award will be made for up to $150,000 per year direct cost, with indirect cost added to that, for up to four years. 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. Carry-overs in excess of $25,000 must be approved by the Ellison Medical Foundation Scholars Program Office. Full indirect costs at the NIH negotiated rate will be provided.

As applicable to the individual project, the Foundation will require the following documentation before an award can be made:

1. Human subjects:

a. Copies of the protocol submitted to the Institutional Review Board(s) and the notification of protocol approval from all relevant IRBs (for funded awards an annual update will be required at the time of the progress report).
b. Documentation from the applicant institution that the principal investigator has completed training on the protection of human research participants.

2. Animal subjects:

a. A copy of Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee approval for the proposed project (for funded awards an annual update will be required at the time of the progress report).

3. Foreign component:

a. A letter of support from the collaborating in-country institution.

4. Biosafety:Research supported by the Ellison Medical Foundation is expected to conform to the relevant NIH Guidelines for biosafety, including those for handling of hazardous reagents and those for research involving recombinant DNA and gene transfer
http://www4.od.nih.gov/oba/rac/guidelines/guidelines.html.

a. A copy of Institutional Biosafety Committee approval.

For further information, contact:
Richard L. Sprott, Ph.D.
Executive Director
The Ellison Medical Foundation
4710 Bethesda Avenue
Suite 204
Bethesda, MD 20814-5226
(301) 657-1830 (Phone)
(301) 657-1828 (Fax)
Contact Dr. Sprott