How to Apply for a Grant

The process of applying for any type of funding involves 2 stages:

1. Submit a Letter of Intent (LOI) by August 3, 2009 (by 11:59pm EDT). Notification of acceptance will be sent within one week.
2. Submit a full proposal only If the LOI is accepted. The deadline for receipt of proposals is September 30, 2009 (by 11:59pm EST).

Instructions may be viewed below, or downloaded for reference. Use the Budget and Biographic Sketch forms provided.

Address questions to grants@epilepsytherapyproject.org.

Forms

Right click and choose "Save As.." to download the following forms:

• LOI & Grant Application Instructions [PDF 72k]

Letter of Intent (LOI)

LOI Content and Layout

1. Title of proposed project (not to exceed one line)
2. Principal Investigator (name, titles, affiliation, address, telephone, fax, email address)
3. Co-Investigators (names, titles, affiliations)
4. Contact person if other than the Principal Investigator (name, address, telephone, fax, email address)
5. Anticipated total budget for 1st year
6. Brief summary of project goals (one paragraph)
7. Brief description of intellectual property position and potential for commercialization (one paragraph)
8. Brief description of what is unique about the project, and how it will lead to new treatments for epilepsy (not to exceed one page)

LOI Format

• Must not exceed three pages, inclusive of all information listed above (#6, #7, #8)
• Must be submitted on 8.5 x 11" paper
• Margins 0.75”
• 10 point Arial font
• Convert the LOI document to a PDF file and then upload it in section 5) Upload LOI Template

LOI Submission

• Submit the completed LOI through proposalCentral: https://proposalcentral.altum.com
• Once there, click on the "Applicants: Click here to Login, Register and Apply," and setup an account.
• Click on Validate to make sure all required fields have been filled in.
• Click on the Submit link to submit LOI in proposalCENTRAL.

LOI Acceptance Notification

LOIs will be reviewed within one week, at which time Principal Investigators / Contact People will be notified if the proposal is not considered suitable for a full review. LOIs considered suitable must be submitted as full proposals by September 30, 2009 (see grant instructions,  following).

Grant Application

Proposal Content, Layout, and Submission Instructions [for all types of proposals]

1. Title Page:

1. Title of proposed project (maximum one line)
2. Total amount requested

2. Download Templates & Instructions

1. Instructions for grant application
2. Biosketch template

3. Enable Other Users to Access this Proposal

1. You may give other users access to your grant application, and assign them one of three levels of permissions:
   • View (View only. Cannot change any details.)
   • Edit (Can view and change information in the grant application. Cannot “Submit” or view this Access Permission screen.)
   • Administrator (Can view, edit and submit the application. Can give access rights to others.)

4. Principal Investigator

1. Include name, titles, affiliation, address, telephone, fax, email address

5. Institution & Contacts

1. Include name, titles, affiliation, address, telephone, fax, email address
2. Contact person if other than the Principal Investigator (name, address, telephone, fax, email address)
3. Institutional officers (financial officer and grant administrators) responsible for the proposal and award

6. Co-Investigators

1. Names, titles, affiliations

7. Budget Period Detail

1. Detailed budget for 1st year (and 2^nd year if needed).
2. Funds may only be used for direct costs; Funds may NOT be allocated for travel, administrative purposes, or equipment (apply for an exemption if essential). Salary for pre/post doctoral trainees should be justified.

8. Budget Summary

1. Include detailed budget justifications and describe milestones for payments

9. Other Support

1. Title, role in grant, percent effort, amount of funding and years of current and pending support for each grant.
2. Include all non-governmental funding (e.g., CURE, Epilepsy Foundation, American Epilepsy Society, SBIR, other foundations) for work related to this proposal (past, current, pending).

10. Organization Assurances

1. Institutional approvals for work involving humans or animals (project number and date of approval)

11. Proposal Narrative and Other Attachments - PDF files to upload and include:

1. Summary Statement – (maximum two pages)
   1. What is unique and significant from a therapeutic perspective about the project, how will it lead to new treatments for epilepsy
   2. What proof of principle or indication of efficacy and safety currently exists
   3. A project summary written in lay language for consumers (approximately fifty words)
2. Commercialization Potential (maximum 2 pages)
   1. Description of intellectual property position
   2. Potential pathway for commercialization
   3. Possible or actual commercial partners
   4. Timeline for work proposed; estimated time to reach patients
3. Proposal (maximum 10 pages including references)
   1. Background (suggested limit of one page)
   2. Methods
   3. Procedures (Most important section: emphasize what will be done during the first year). Include Go/No Go decision points and milestones
   4. Sample size (as needed)
   5. Statistical analysis plan
   6. Facilities: Clinical or laboratories and equipment available for project
   7. References (limit to abbreviated, essential references)
4. Biosketches
   1. All Principal and Co-Investigators.
   2. List only investigators who will actively participate in the program, not merely mentor, advisor
5. Collaborators
   1. Include letters from collaborators indicating the extent of their participation (no bio sketches).

Supplementary materials are discouraged, but may be included as an Appendix IF ESSENTIAL.

12. Validate

1. a. Click “Validate” to check for any missing required information or files. If any required information is missing, it will be listed on the screen. (You cannot submit your proposal unless all required information has been included.)

13. Print Signature Page and Attachments (not required)

1. If a hardcopy is desired for your records, you may print signature pages; or signature pages and PDF attachments. (This will not include HTML information, i.e. Budget. For a copy of the HTML pages, please go to each page, then print.)

14. Submit

1. Click on the “Submit” link. You will receive a confirmation message on the screen and a confirmation email will be sent to the applicant.

Proposal Format

• Proposal must not exceed the specified number of pages for each section, inclusive of all information.
• Must be submitted on 8.5 x 11” paper
• Margins 0.75”
• 10 point Arial font

Proposal Submission

Proposal Review

Proposals will be reviewed by the Epilepsy Therapy Project’s Scientific and Business Advisory Boards: http://www.epilepsy.com/etp/who_we_are [Investigators are discouraged from contacting the reviewers.]

After combining both sets of scores, proposals will be considered by the Epilepsy Research Foundation in order of score ranking. Principal Investigators/Contact people will be notified of the results (timetable will depend on when committees can meet). If any additional information is needed, it will be requested by the Epilepsy Therapy Project staff. All submissions are considered confidential. Reviewers with a conflict of interest are excused from reviewing that proposal.