ACG Clinical Research Award

Eligibility

ACG Membership Requirement: 
*Important! The Principal Investigator must be an ACG member in good standing. Applicants awaiting final approval of their applications are ineligible (membership applications MUST be submitted by September 19th). ACG membership must be active no later than October 2025. No exceptions will be made. To Join ACG, click here. For questions on ACG membership, please email membership@gi.org or call (301) 263-9000. 

Applicants must meet all the following criteria:

The following are not eligible for this award: 
• ACG will not grant more than one Clinical Research Awards to former or current Principal Investigators on R01, P01, U01, VA Merit Awards or Hughes grants 
• Projects that support laboratory or animal research projects. 
• Award overlap: ACG does not provide duplicate funding [If part of a larger study, must explain how funds are not duplicated] 
• Applications utilizing the same science may not be submitted for two different ACG grant categories (for example: the same project/science is submitted for both the Junior Faculty Award and Clinical Research Award) and if this occurs they will not be evaluated by the Committee. 
• ACG limits funding for a PI to one grant in a single award cycle. If a given investigator submits projects in two or more RFA categories and more than one is deemed worthy of funding, the larger grant will be funded. 
• If the applicant was awarded an ACG research award within the last three (3) years, they cannot apply for the same grant category in which they were awarded. They may apply for a different grant category, as the College is not trying to limit progression of research (pilot award to CRA or JR Faculty Award), but rather the same investigators being funded repeatedly.

Summary

The goal of the Clinical Research Award is to assist promising clinical researchers in developing research careers that have a direct bearing on clinical gastrointestinal practice. 

A key mission of the ACG and its Institute for Clinical Research and Education is to fund innovative patient-oriented research awards. For the purposes of these awards, patient-oriented research is defined as: 

1. Research conducted with human subjects 
2. Research on new diagnostic and therapeutic interventions 
3. Research on material of human origin, such as tissues and specimens
4. Research that is translational in nature; i.e., has direct applicability to clinical care. Note: Studies involving animals will not be considered unless the work cannot be done in humans. If you have any questions about the eligibility of your study involving animals, it is recommended you reach out to research@gi.org, prior to applying.

Overhead

Not supported. 

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.

Postdocs, students, and trainees: For fellowships and externally-sponsored research training awards or opportunities, you must complete the Research Funding Application Approval (RFAA) Trainee PDF form, and submit it, along with a complete copy of the application, to Research Services at rsotrainee@ucalgary.ca. Trainees should not use RMS at this time.

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.

Full RFP Instructions for Applications found at this LINK. 

IMPORTANT DATES

September 2, 2025 - Application submission period opens 
September 19, 2025 - ACG Membership application deadline (only for applications who are not ACG members or are not in good standing—see the Eligibility Section for further details) 
December 1, 2025 - Application submission period closes (11:59 pm Eastern time) 
By/before April 1, 2026 - Award notifications are sent 
July 1, 2026 - Award period begins / disbursement check provided 
December 31, 2027 - Final report and financial statement are due

RESOURCES

Reminder: The sooner the researcher engages with Research Services, the more help we can be!

Contact the following Research Service units for support with:

Projects Involving Indigenous Research:

Support with incorporating wise practices in Indigenous research, community engagement, and Indigenous data management is available through the Indigenous Research Support Team (IRST).

Applicants can reach out by email to IRST at IRST@ucalgary.ca in advance of the RSO internal deadline. For more information about IRST, please visit the IRST webpage.

Knowledge Mobilization, Research Impact Assessment, DORA:

Support for knowledge mobilization/engagement/translation, community partnerships, research impact, responsible research assessment (DORA), and open science, is available through the Knowledge to Impact team.

Applicants can reach out by email to the KI team at knowledge.impact@ucalgary.ca.

For more information and access to resource archives, please visit the KI team webpage.

Research Data Management:

For information on research data management plans, processes, or best practices for your research program, please contact research.data@ucalgary.ca.

EDI in Research:

RSO can provide resources and support to research teams on the integration of equitable and inclusive practices in research design and research practice.

Contact edi.rso@ucalgary.ca for more information.

Research Security:

The Research Security Division is available to ensure researchers adhere to research security guidelines and policies, including the National Security Guidelines for Research Partnerships (NSGRP) and the policy on Sensitive Technology Research and Affiliations of Concern (STRAC).

Visit the Research Security website to learn more or contact researchsecurity@ucalgary.ca.

Pre-Award Submissions:

RMS: Creating a Pre-Award LOI
RMS: Creating a Pre-Award Application