European Foundation for the Study of Diabetes (EFSD)
and
GlaxoSmithKline

Programme in Immunomodulation and/or Modulation of the Incretin Pathway in Diabetes and its Complications

Request for Applications

EFSD and GlaxoSmithKline announce funding of Research Grants for a total of up to €500,000 in 2009

Deadline: 15 October 2009

   Background

The European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) was founded in Montecatini, Italy, in 1965. In 1999, the Association created the European Foundation for the Study of Diabetes (EFSD). The aims of EFSD are to encourage and support research in the field of diabetes, to rapidly diffuse acquired knowledge and to facilitate its application.

Headquartered in the UK, and with operations based in the US, GlaxoSmithKline are one of the industry leaders, with an estimated seven per cent of the world's pharmaceutical market. Their mission is to improve the quality of human life by enabling people to do more, feel better and live longer.

   Programme

EFSD and GlaxoSmithKline have renewed their partnership to encourage new projects aimed at advancing current knowledge in immunomodulation and/or modulation of the incretin pathway in diabetes and its complications. The Programme invites applications from non-profit organisations.

To achieve the goals and objectives of this programme, EFSD and GlaxoSmithKline invite applications by issuing this "Request for Applications" (RFA), which indicates joint funding as well as areas of research emphasis.

The EFSD/GlaxoSmithKline Grant Programme seeks to promote research that will broaden our understanding of the impact of modulating the immune system in autoimmune type 1 diabetes as well as in inflammation of type 2 diabetes. It also seeks to accelerate research into the role of the incretin pathway in diabetes and its complications and possible interaction between this pathway and the immune system. The EFSD/GlaxoSmithKline Grant Programme is intended to stimulate and accelerate European research aimed at all aspects of the above areas of research, with particular focus on immunomodulation and/or modulation of the incretin pathway in:

1. islet cell function and survival;
2. endothelial and myocardial cell function and survival;
3. microvascular complications, cardiovascular disease and heart failure

   Funding

In 2009 a total of up to Euro 500,000 will be made available for grant awards, each of up to Euro 100,000.

   Mechanism of Support and Review

Research will be supported through the award of grants of up to Euro 100,000. The duration of each award may be one year or longer, depending upon the needs of the project and as justified in the application, so long as the total budget does not exceed Euro 100,000. The Programme Board, on advisement from the Review Committee, may on occasion and at its discretion recommend an award in a lesser amount than requested and considered more appropriate for the proposed studies.

Applications for an EFSD/GlaxoSmithKline grant are invited from single non-profit institutions or groups of such institutions from Europe and associated countries. The principal investigator and any co-investigators must be employed full-time at a non-profit institution and the study must be performed at such a place of work.

Applications will be subject to scientific review by a specialised and fully independent ad hoc committee. Funding will require approval by a joint EFSD and GlaxoSmithKline Board convened for this purpose. It is anticipated that applications will be received, reviewed and approved for funding by December 2009.

   Research Grant Applications 

Applications for research grants may be subjected to pre-review (or triage) procedures. In this event, any application rejected at pre-review will not be subject to a complete scientific review. The deadline for receipt of research grant applications for funding this year is 15 October 2009.

Research grants for the purposes of this Programme are limited to Euro 100,000. All budgets are to be prepared in Euro. For countries in which the Euro is not yet the common currency, the exchange rate (between the Euro and the local currency in the country where the work is to be performed) used for calculating the Euro budget must be mentioned under "Budget Justification". EFSD and GSK reserve the right to increase or decrease approved funding in Euro amounts to compensate for any significant change in the exchange rate.

Application forms may be requested from: Foundation@easd.org

All applications must be prepared on the official forms and completed in strict accordance with the detailed instructions to be found on these forms. In particular, applicants are reminded that any pages in addition to the maximum of 10 allowed for the scientific section of the application will be deleted prior to review. Similarly, no applications using a font or line-spacing smaller than that defined in the instructions will be considered for review. Additional material (in the form of an appendix, attachment, reprints, etc.) is not receivable and will not be sent to reviewers.

Applications should be submitted by post no later than 15 October 2009 (date of receipt) to:

European Foundation for the Study of Diabetes
Rheindorfer Weg 3
40591 Düsseldorf, Germany

   Review Considerations

Completed applications will be evaluated in accordance with the criteria stated below for scientific/technical merit by an appropriate scientific committee convened by EFSD and GlaxoSmithKline.

Review criteria are as follows:

• Significance: Does the study address an important problem in keeping with the goals and focus areas of this EFSD/GlaxoSmithKline Programme? If the aims of the application are achieved, how will scientific knowledge be advanced? What will be the effect of the proposed studies on the concepts or methods that drive this field?
• Approach: Are the conceptual framework, design, methods and analyses adequately developed, well integrated, and appropriate to the aims of the project? Does the applicant acknowledge potential problem areas and consider alternative tactics?
• Innovation: Does the project employ novel concepts, approaches or methods? Are the aims original and innovative? Does the project challenge existing paradigms or develop new methodologies or technologies?
• Investigator: Is the investigator appropriately trained and well suited to carry out this work? Is the work proposed appropriate to the experience level of the principal investigator and other researchers, if any?
• Environment: Does the scientific environment in which the work will be done contribute to the probability of success? Do the proposed experiments take advantage of unique features of the scientific environment or employ useful collaborative arrangements? Is there evidence of institutional support?
• Budget: Is the requested budget appropriate for the proposed studies?

   Reporting Requirements

All investigators funded by this Programme are required to submit a scientific report at the end of the funding period. Investigators must provide EFSD with copies of papers accepted for publication, and must acknowledge the support of the Programme in all written material by use of the phrase: "supported by an EFSD/GlaxoSmithKline research grant".

   Schedule