To be eligible for the Rita Allen Foundation Scholars Award in Pain, the applicant must:
Have received committed start-up funds and independent laboratory space from their institution. (This information must be clearly indicated in the Department Chair/Division Chief’s letter of support for the candidate.)
Be within three years of the start date of a tenure track position or equivalent (senior postdocs and associate professors are not eligible.)*
Conduct their research and be appointed at an institution in the United States or Canada.
Demonstrate a commitment to the field of pain research.
NOTE: The entire award is made available to projects specifically chosen by the recipient; university overhead (i.e., indirect costs) is not supported.
*If extenuating circumstances slowed your tenure trajectory (e.g., home-schooling children during the COVID-19 pandemic, other caregiving responsibilities, etc.) please get in touch with USASP directly about your circumstance ([email protected]). The determination of your eligibility will be at the discretion of the Rita Allen Foundation and the Award in Pain Selection Committee.
Applications will be open through December 11, 2024. Completed applications must be submitted by 11:59 PM EASTERN TIME on December 11, 2024.
Grant awards will be announced in the summer of 2025. Grant funds will be awarded upon satisfactory execution of a grant agreement between the Rita Allen Foundation and the grant recipient’s institution.
Application Requirements
The application requires the following documents written in English:
A signature page that must be signed by the Applicant/PI and the Institutional Official responsible for submitting applications for extramural support.
An abstract (no more than 3,000 characters/300 words).
An impact statement (no more than 3,000 characters/300 words) summarizing the candidate's past contributions and future potential as a leader in the field of pain research, as broadly interpreted across multiple domains, including enhancing discovery, fostering outreach, or increasing diversity
NIH Biosketch (no more than 5 pages; see template).
Research proposal that is no more than 6 pages, with no less than 11-point Arial font and 0.5-inch margins. A 7th page will also be included for references. The proposal should include specific aims and a research strategy for a project with a three-year scope.
Three letters of support:
One letter from the candidate’s Department Chair or Division Chief that demonstrates strong support for the candidate’s proposed research and career development (start-up funds, lab space, and a tenure-track position). This letter of support will be appended to your attached application.
Two additional letters of support should come from the candidate’s post-doctoral advisor or influential advisor or mentor who has impacted the candidate’s research).
Note: When completing the application, candidates will provide email contact information for the individuals requested to submit letters of support. These two individuals will be contacted directly by a representative of USASP requesting that their letters be sent by Friday, December 15.
List of current and pending research support from all sources, as well as clarification as to whether there is any overlap between projects funded/submitted elsewhere and the current proposal (overlap should be avoided).
Review Criteria Reviewers will assess the candidate’s past contributions and their future potential as a leader in the field of pain research, based on the research proposal, biosketch, letters of support, and impact statement.
Other Applications are reviewed by a Selection Committee that includes past Scholars Award in Pain recipients and other leading pain researchers. At this time, the Selection Committee is, unfortunately, unable to provide feedback on unsuccessful applications.
For information about additional programs for early-career researchers from the Rita Allen Foundation, please see the Scholars page of the Rita Allen Foundation’s website. For questions about eligibility or other program-related information, please get in touch with the Rita Allen Foundation at [email protected].
Completing The Application Process: Step-By-Step Guide
USASP Login/Sign-Up If you are already a USASP member, you may log into the site using your USASP member credentials. If you are not a USASP member, please follow the new user prompt to gain prospective membership status to log into the site.
Applicant/PI Profile Information If you are already a member of USASP, the majority of this section is populated from the USASP database. If there are fields that contain incorrect or missing information, the applicant should complete/update the requested information. All non-members will have to fill out each question accordingly (completing this section will save your credentials for the possibility of purchasing full membership access later). Please note that items marked with a red asterisk are required fields.
Application Submission Details Please select the "Rita Allen Foundation Scholars Award In Pain Grant Application" option. Then proceed to name your submission title following the example given: "John Doe - RAF 2025". Next, you will be prompted to write down the title of your intended research project. Finally, you will be asked to answer questions regarding your eligibility for the Rita Allen Foundation Scholars Award in Pain. Please note that items marked with a red asterisk are required fields.
Lead Institution The applicant should complete the requested information regarding their primary/lead institution. These details will involve the lead institution's name, address, phone number, and fax number. Please note that items marked with a red asterisk are required fields.
Organization Assurances The applicant should complete the requested information regarding their proposed research project. These details will involve the type of research your project involves and/or approval status. Please note that items marked with a red asterisk are required fields.
Letters of Support Completed applications will require three letters of support. These must include one letter from the candidate’s Department Chair/Division Chief that demonstrates strong support for the candidate’s proposed research and career development. The other two letters should come from the candidate’s Ph.D./fellowship advisor, influential advisor, or mentor who has impacted the candidate’s research. In this section, the applicant will provide contact information pertaining to each of the letter providers. Upon submission, these two individuals listed to provide letters of support will be contacted directly by a representative of USASP requesting that their letters be sent by Friday, December 13.
Attachments
The Applicant will upload all required documents as a single PDF in the following order:
1) Signed Signature pages,
2) Abstract,
3) Leadership/vision statement,
4) NIH Biosketch,
5) Research proposal narrative,
6) Letter of support from the Department Chair/Division Chief,
7) Summary of Current and Pending Funding
1. Signed Signature Pages All applications must be signed by the Applicant/PI and the Institutional Official responsible for submitting applications for extramural support. The signature page may either be printed out, signed and scanned, or electronic signatures may be used on the PDF.
2. Abstract The abstract should be limited to 300 words or up to 3,000 characters. Applicants are advised to check spelling, word, and character count before pasting their abstract within this section.
3. Leadership in Pain Research The applicant will provide a personal statement detailing his/her vision for a career in pain research and provide information and/or examples of leadership in pain-related activities. The statement should be limited to 300 words or up to 3,000 characters.
4. NIH Biosketch The applicant will provide an NIH Biosketch that should be no more than 5 pages long (see template)
5. Research Proposal Narrative The applicant will append a research proposal narrative that is limited to six pages in 11-point Arial font and 0.5-inch margins. A 7th page may be included for references.
6. Letter of Support from a Department Chair/Division Chief Completed applications will require one letter from the candidate’s Department Chair/Division Chief demonstrating strong support for the candidate’s proposed research and career development.
7. Research Support The applicant will provide information about all current and pending research support. The research plan should include something other than a project already funded or for consideration for funding elsewhere. If the applicant has received or has pending research support, the applicant should explain how the Rita Allen Foundation Scholars Award in Pain will enhance the applicant’s pain research and how the project submitted for the Rita Allen Foundation Scholars Award in Pain differs from other funded or pending projects.
Summary It is necessary for applicants to review their completed application in this section. The summary function is a way to ensure that all of the required application fields are completed and accurate. Please review all questions and inputs before submitting.
Submit The Applicant/PI can submit their completed application in this section.
Applications with missing sections, that do not meet eligibility requirements, or do not adhere to the application instructions, including required formats (font size and page lengths) and use of signature pages, are considered ineligible.
Assistance with Applications
For technical support (including questions about trouble logging in and technical issues in completing an application) or questions regarding eligibility, please contact [email protected] (the office is open Monday-Friday from 9:00 a.m. ET-5:00 p.m. ET). Emails received after hours and on weekends will be responded to on the next business day.
For questions about other program-related questions: Please contact the Rita Allen Foundation at [email protected].
Last Updated on Wednesday, October 16, 2024 11:34 AM
