PFF Research Fund: Grants
In 2011, the Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation (PFF) added four new awards to its PFF Research Fund, a fund created to support research that will ultimately lead to successful therapies for pulmonary fibrosis (PF). These awards, two Young Investigator and two Established Investigator, support projects that offer a high likelihood of improving the understanding of pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) in the following areas: basic science, translational research, clinical medicine/research, and social science/quality of life.
In October of 2012, the awards were renamed after our co-founders to become the I.M. Rosenzweig Young Investigator Awards and the Albert Rose Established Investigator Awards.
Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a progressive and ultimately fatal lung disease that affects approximately 200,000 individuals in the United States (US) and 138,000 individuals in the European Union (EU). The annual mortality is estimated to be 40,000 in the US alone, with an average survival of 2–3 years following diagnosis. There is no cure for IPF. There is no FDA-approved treatment for IPF in the US and limited therapeutic options available for individuals with mild-to-moderate IPF in the EU, Canada, and Asia.
About the Awards:
- I.M. Young Investigator Awards – Two awarded per grant cycle in the amount of $50,000 to be given over two years. This award category was established to encourage young investigators (researchers within 5 years of completion of their formal training) to maintain and enhance their interest in PF research during the early stages of their academic career.
- Albert Rose Established Investigator Awards – Two awarded per grant cycle in the amount of $50,000 to be given over two years for established investigators to explore preliminary innovative areas of research that may not yet be eligible for an NIH grant.
Central to the success of the PFF Research Fund is the understanding that grant approval decisions are peer-reviewed by a committee of experts in the field. The primary objective of the peer-review process is to ensure that the most appropriate grants, based on originality and scientific merit, are selected for awards. Applications will be scored by the based on their scientific merit, novelty, and responsiveness to the specific purpose of each award category.
The Foundation’s Research Advisory Committee, comprised of a wide-ranging group of international experts, administers the peer-review process. The chairman of the Research Advisory Committee is Jesse Roman, MD, Chairman of the Department of Medicine at the University of Louisville (Louisville, KY).
The application cycle for the 2013 awards is now closed. Letters of intent were reviewed and final applicants who were chosen to submit full proposals must do so by February 28, 2013. For further information about the Young Investigator and Established Investigator Awards please visit https://proposalcentral.altum.com.
