2023 AGA Research Foundation Research Scholar Award

Eligibility

• Applicants for this award must hold an MD, PhD and/or equivalent degree (e.g., MBChB, MBBS, DO), and a full-time faculty or equivalent position at an institution in North America (U.S., Canada or Mexico) by the start date (i.e., July 2024) of this award.
• Applicants must classify as “early career” according to the following criteria:
  • MD (or equivalent) applicants are considered “early career” if no more than seven years have elapsed following the completion of clinical training (GI fellowship or its equivalent) and the start date of this award (July 2024).
  • PhD (or equivalent) applicants are considered “early career” if no more than seven years have elapsed following the conferment of the PhD degree and the start date of this award (July 2024).
  • An appropriately documented leave of absence, such as parental or medical leave, will not be counted toward the above seven-year eligibility criteria. Exceptional circumstances may also be considered. Exemption requests must be submitted to AGA via email (awards@gastro.org) at least three weeks prior to the application deadline and be clearly indicated in the submitted application documents.
• Research Scholar Award applicants are ineligible for AGA fellowship-to-faculty transition awards in the same awards cycle.
• Applicants performing any type of research (basic, translational, clinical) relevant to digestive disorders are eligible to apply.
• AGA membership is required at the time of application submission. Candidates whose AGA membership applications are pending approval may apply for the award. Please visit the AGA membership page or call 301-654-2055 for membership information.
• Applicants who are physician-scientists, female or from racial/ethnic groups underrepresented in biomedical research are strongly encouraged to apply.

Summary

The objective of the AGA Research Foundation Research Scholar Award (RSA) is to support early-career investigators working toward independent and productive research careers in digestive diseases by ensuring that a major proportion of their time is protected for research (i.e., a minimum of 50 percent effort dedicated to the proposed project). The award will support junior faculty (not fellows) who have demonstrated exceptional promise and have some record of accomplishment in research.

There must be a strong commitment from the applicant’s institution to support the required protected time for research and adequate laboratory space and/or other supporting facilities. These commitments must be outlined in a letter from the applicant’s sponsor (e.g., division chief or department chair). The letter must certify that the award is being used to provide protected time in accord with the terms of the award. The institution must commit to ensuring timely and accurate reporting of the awardee’s current and future research activities at the institution to include verifying the funding status, grants submitted and pending and all publications at regular intervals via progress reports required annually by AGA.

In addition, it is expected that the mentor will provide a specific plan for the future development of the applicant via a letter of recommendation detailing how they will contribute to the applicant’s research career development during the award term.

Application Requirements

• AGA membership must be maintained throughout the three-year duration of the award.
• Applicants will be asked to self-assign their proposal to one of the following categories:
  • Clinical: Research involving direct contact with human subjects or using clinical data to address problems related to the prevention, diagnosis, treatment or outcome of human diseases (e.g., clinical epidemiology). This category also includes research related to health care delivery (e.g., health services, health IT).
  • Basic/translational: Research with a primary goal of understanding basic biology or disease mechanisms. This category can involve animal subjects, cell culture, human biospecimens or human data as resources for laboratory- or informatics-based investigation.
• Resources allocated through this award are intended to support the career development of the applicant. The applicant must allocate a minimum of 50 percent effort to the proposed project.
• Applicants are required to have a sponsor and mentor for the award; one individual may serve in the capacity of both positions. A sponsor (typically a division chief or department chair) is an individual who takes responsibility for the quality assessment of the proposed research project, the quality of the research environment within which the project will be undertaken, and the experience and expertise of the principal investigator and other key researchers involved. A mentor will supervise the principal investigator’s research activities ensuring timelines and deliverables and will work with the applicant to create a research career development plan.
• The intent of this award is to foster the scientific independence of junior investigators. Applicants whose research activities become incorporated into a grant application from a senior mentor will need to clearly delineate the scientific and experimental distinctions between their respective programs. This requirement applies both to pending applications submitted prior to review of this award and to applications submitted during the term of the RSA. It must also be clearly stated how the work submitted by the applicant is that of the applicant and not of the senior mentor(s).
• A complete research facilities and resources form must be submitted.
• Biographical sketches for the applicant, mentor and other key personnel must be submitted.
• Upon notification of receipt of this award, the recipient must provide institutional approval from the appropriate committee(s) for use of human subjects or animals. If approval is not necessary, then the recipient must provide documentation from the appropriate regulatory committee.
• Recipients must submit scientific and financial progress reports to AGA annually and final reports 60 days after the end date of the award period. Report templates and instructions are provided to awardees at the time of acceptance. Second- and third-year funding are contingent upon the submission and accuracy of this documentation.
• All publications, presentations and abstracts arising from work funded by this program must acknowledge support of the AGA Research Scholar Award.
• Additional pre-award policies are available on the Research Award Policies page.

Application Submission

The application deadline is December 5, 2023. Applications are only accepted through the AGA Grants Management System. Click the “Apply Now” button to create an account and/or submit an application. Applicants may preview the application as it will appear in the AGA Grants Management System. Please note that this template is for reference only; all applications are completed online by selecting the “Apply Now” button.

Applicants must obtain institutional approval from the University of Calgary prior to submitting their application to the sponsor. Initiate required University of Calgary internal approvals by completing a Pre-Award/applicationt record in RMS (https://my.rms.ucalgary.ca/). Attach a copy of your complete application materials and submit for approvals. Please ensure that you allow time for academic approvals prior to the Research Services Office internal review deadline of 12:00pm MT

Overhead

Not Applicable.

Application deadlines

RSO detailed review deadline

RSO final internal review deadline

Program application deadline

NOTE: Consult your Faculty Associate Dean (Research) (ADR) regarding Faculty-specific deadlines and submission processes.

Principal Investigators: Complete a Research Management System (RMS) record, including a copy of your complete application, and submit this for approvals in RMS.

Approvals: The University of Calgary requires that all funding applications be approved prior to submission. Approval requires signatures via RMS in the following order:

• Principal Investigator
• Department Head
• Faculty ADR/Dean
• Research Services (on behalf of the Vice-President Research)

Read the Meaning of Grant Signatures policy to understand what your approval means. Please see the agency guidelines for details about which signatures are required on your application, as it may differ from internal requirements.

Late submissions: Late submissions will only be accepted in cases of medical or family emergencies, or other exceptional circumstances. If you submit your RMS record to Research Services after the internal deadline has passed, you must secure additional approvals. Please read: Late Applications Process.

Additional Resources

Award Policies

Resources & FAQs

AGA Research Foundation

Application portal