2023 Alex's Lemonade Stand REACH Grant

Eligibility

Applicant Eligibility: must be met at the time of application

• Applicant institutions must be based in the United States or Canada. Applicants need not be United States citizens. Funds must be granted to nonprofit institutions or organizations.
• Applicants must have an MD, PhD, or MD/PhD or equivalent and be appointed as faculty (or equivalent) at an academic institution.
• Applicants must have a demonstrated track record of pediatric cancer research with experience in translational research.
• Multiple investigator applications that bring together pairs or teams of researchers with complementary expertise are encouraged.

Summary

Significant barriers exist that impede the translation of innovative and important ideas to the clinic. The Reach Grant seeks to remove one of these barriers by providing support for important preclinical hypothesis-driven research projects that are necessary to move a study from the pre- clinical arena into a clinical trial. Thus, the goal of this award is to support translational studies that will result in a phase 1 and/or 2 clinical trial, two to three years from the project start date. Examples of appropriate research projects include but aren’t limited to, completing IND- enabling studies, providing requisite preclinical data for clinical trial development, or perhaps through the validation of biomarkers that will enable selection of the correct patients for entry into new clinical trials.

Scope of Proposal: Proposals must fall within the scope of Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation’s mission, focused on childhood cancers. Proposals with a sole/primary focus on patients >19 years of age will not be considered. Proposals will be evaluated based on their late-translational potential. Thus, screening projects, discovery projects, and early-translational projects are not appropriate for the Reach Grant. The proposal must be hypothesis driven and demonstrate feasibility. Preliminary data are required. Proposals should be milestone driven and explicit timeline and time-based deliverables for the proposed studies must be presented. Proposals must include a plan to bring project to a clinical trial. Projects with a clear plan will be prioritized.

Budget: The requested budget should be in proportion to the scope of the proposed project and should be for direct costs of $250,000 USD or below over 2 years. A maximum of $125,000 in total costs may be requested per year. Refer to the Program Guidelines and Instructions for more information about budgetary allowances and restrictions.

Resource and Data Sharing

Grant recipients are expected to share unique resources developed under this funding award, and as part of the application, applicants are required to submit a Resource Sharing Plan using ALSF’s Resource Sharing Form. Applicants should describe their track record of generating resources that are broadly re-used, the specific resources that will be generated in this proposed project, and the mechanisms by which those resources will be shared. To demonstrate a commitment to sharing that will be actualized, applicants should provide information in their sharing plan that clearly states the type of resource that will be shared, the method, characterization and timing of such sharing, and the anticipated resources (budget, personnel, etc.) required by the applicant and the resource user. Reviewers will consider the extent to which the dissemination of resources produced under the award will enhance or diminish the impact of the proposed work. For a full description and an example, see the Resource Sharing Form. For the full Resource Sharing Policy visit our Resources for Grant Applicants page.

Overhead/Indirect Costs

Overhead/indirect costs are not allowed.

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 either RMS or the RFAA Trainee form, 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.

Application Process

1. To start an application, navigate to the ALSF portal and losing (or complete your one-time registration and then login).
2. Complete your application according to Program Guidelines and Instructions.
3. Before submitting your application, initiate internal university approvals by completing a Pre-Award/Application record in RMS (https://my.rms.ucalgary.ca/). Attach a PDF of your completed application (along with any additional required attachments) and submit for approvals from your department head and/or faculty Associate Dean (Research). NOTE: When submitting in RMS, please ensure that you allow time for academic approvals prior to the Research Services Office internal review deadline of 12:00pm MT, April 6, 2023.
4. Once these approvals are obtained, RMS will automatically forward the Application record to Research Services for institutional review and approval.
5. Research Services will review, provide feedback (by email) if necessary, and will provide the institutional approval. If digital or wet-ink signatures are required, we will provide the capping institutional signature and will advise when ready.
6. A fully approved Application, including any supplementary documentation, must be submitted via the ALSF portal by 6:00pm, April 11, 2023.