Eligibility

Candidate is required to be an ASGE member at the time of application, be an MD (or have equivalent degree), and be currently practicing in North America (international applications will be considered as described below). Candidates who are delinquent on prior ASGE research grants (e.g., progress reports) are not eligible for future ASGE funding. If the candidate is a trainee, there must be a letter from the trainee's Division Chief confirming the trainee's ongoing appointment and position at the institution for the duration of the grant. If the trainee applicant is not guaranteed an appointment for the duration of the grant, a contingency plan is required. Also, trainees must include a letter of support from a research mentor.

International Eligibility

ASGE International Members are eligible to apply for a Research Award (Current ASGE membership is a requirement of eligibility for grants and awards). The ASGE Research Committee will consider funding one international project for up to $75,000. The project justification should explain its relevance to ASGE membership and should explain if there are unique reasons why an international location for the project might be more feasible than in North America. All other standards listed above will apply to international applicants. Please contact grants@asge.org or for more information on eligibility.

1. Grants may be requested for a maximum of $75,000 in total funding and spanning no more than two years.
2. Requests for funding pilot studies that will generate preliminary data to justify a larger clinical trial will be considered, as well as larger requests for definitive studies.
3. The budget and budget justification should be itemized, outlining its relationship to the research proposal. Budgets will be carefully scrutinized by the ASGE Research Committee and will be considered in the scoring of the grant. Inappropriate or poorly justified budgets will jeopardize the application. Additionally, the research committee may adjust the award amount if needed.
4. Funding requests may include:
• Personnel (e.g., research assistant and/or faculty salary support; this should include a percentage of effort up to the current NIH salary cap for the proposed study with appropriate justification).
• Study supplies
• Equipment essential for study
5. Funding will not be provided for:
• Salary support for trainees
• Computer purchases (unless a unique application is proposed)
• Standard equipment and supplies needed for appropriate patient care
• Indirect costs
6. For grants spanning two years, the second year of continued funding is contingent on satisfactory study progress determined by the Research Committee after review of mandatory annual progress reports.
7. Studies which include more than one center will require institutional review board approval at all centers before dissemination of funds. The participating institutions and investigators should be specified in the application.
8. Progress reports must be submitted to the Research Committee via the ASGE Administrative Office every 12 months for the duration of the project (deadline is June 30). Progress reports must include a financial statement from the institutional grants or accounting office. Failure to submit a progress report by the stated deadline may affect future funding.
9. Requests for no-cost extensions must be submitted in writing to the Chair of the Research Committee via the ASGE administrative office. This request should include a) a detailed summary regarding how grant money has been spent (or forecasted to be spent) up to the original award end date, and b) a proposed budget describing in reasonable detail how the remaining funds will be spent in the upcoming year. A change in PI for the upcoming award period may be proposed by and justified by the original PI, including changes of the PI-ship to the mentor.
10. Upon completion of the award, the ASGE requires that a final scientific and financial report from the grants or account office be submitted. All publications and abstracts must acknowledge support from the ASGE.

Each application must have page numbers, be in Arial 11-point font, with ≥0.75" margins, and contain each of the following elements:

1. Cover letter
• Cover letter should be limited to one page, and include a very brief synopsis of proposed project, investigator team, and disclosure of any conflicts of interest.
• Conflicts of interest include financial ownership, patent rights, or other relationship with industry that is pertinent to proposed research. Investigators should err on the side of complete disclosure. If conflicts exist, a plan for resolution of these conflicts should be delineated in the cover letter.
• If the proposal (or a related proposal) was submitted previously to the ASGE research award, this should be disclosed in the cover letter.
2. Impact statement: Include a brief summary of project and its potential impact on the field of gastroenterology and/or endoscopic practice (maximum 3 sentences).
3. Abstract - Include name, institution, project title, mentor name if applicable, and a one-page summary of the proposal including hypothesis and goals. Suggested headings include: Background; Aims/Hypothesis; Methods; Analysis and Sample size Calculation; Timeline and Feasibility; Future Study. Limit to one page.
4. Grant Proposal - Prepare according to NIH-form SF 424 (R&R) guidelines (https://grants.nih.gov/grants/how-to-apply-application-guide.html). Limit to five pages and include eachofthe following headers (excludingreferences):
• Title and Introduction
• Hypothesis & Specific Aims - This should be a clear statement of the problem, the related hypothesis/question and a brief description of the proposed scientific plan. Provide a concise explanation in a few sentences.
• Background and Significance to Endoscopic Practice- Justification regarding scope of the problem, and relevance to ASGE membership and the endoscopy community, and gastroenterology patients.
• Innovation- Describe how the proposed project is novel with respect to the research question, methods, and/or other facets of the research.
• Preliminary Data - Outline prior studies or your pilot work already completed in this area. If prior studies have not been done by your group, give brief details of pilot work done by others.
• Approach - Describe the methods of collection and analysis of the data. A statistical data analysis plan, including sample size calculations, is required, even for retrospective studies. Be as specific as possible.
• Pitfalls, alternatives and future directions
5. References - Limit to two pages.
6. Biosketches- Provide NIH-style biosketch for candidate, mentor and co-investigators that includes project specific personal statement, relevant prior publications, and all current funding (see example at https://grants.nih.gov/grants/forms/biosketch.html). Limit to five pages each.
7. Budget and budget justification - Please justify all items (including % effort) with a separate budget justification page. For multiyear projects, budget for years 1 and 2 should be separated. Limit to one page per budget year, and up to 2 additional pages for justification.
• The maximum request should be $75,000. Grant support for this amount may be distributed over two years. The second year of continued funding is contingent on satisfactory progress demonstrated in mandatory yearly progress reports.
• The budget request should be detailed, and all items should be clearly related to the research proposal.
• Funding will only be considered for allowed items (see "Awards and Requirements" section numbers 3-5).
8. Resources and Environment - List facilities, equipment, and available personnel required to complete this project. Be aware that reviewers may not be aware of the resources and/or patient volumes of your center. Limit resources statement to one page.
9. Institutional Review Board - Attach IRB approval and/or IACUC approval if applicable. Alternatively, attach proof of exempt status, if applicable. This is particularly important for human subject research that involves invasive testing and/or procedures that are not standard of care. For multicenter studies, IRB/IACUC approval must be provided from all participating sites. If not available at time of application, and the application is funded, no funds will be released until IRB approval is received by the ASGE Research office.
10. Supporting letters. Letters of support are required from all listed coinvestigators and key collaborators, especially if from other institutions. Trainees require both a letter from the Division chief and from their research mentor, as described above under "Eligibility". Limit supporting letters to one page each.