Hetzler-Foundation for Addiction Research: Call for Proposals year 2024

PILOT GRANTS FOR INNOVATIVE RESEARCH, PREVENTION AND THERAPY OF ADDICTION

The Hetzler-Foundation supports new and innovative research projects with pilot grants intended to lead to additional third-party funding. The Hetzler Foundation’s objective is to advance (i) the science of addiction including causes and disease mechanisms, (ii) prevention of addiction including non-addictive pain treatments, and (iii) therapy and rehabilitation of addiction. Pilot Grants aim to stimulate new approaches and new co-operations. Proposals must center on innovative addiction research, prevention, or therapy and have the potential to advance the field markedly. Novel multidisciplinary approaches combining conventionally segregated fields are encouraged

Eligibility:

This request for proposals is open to investigators in all scientific disciplines (basic and clinical) at all careers stages. Investigators of all nationalities (EU and non-EU) who meet standard eligibility conditions for research funding are invited to submit proposals. Applicants are required to meet national funding requirements and follow policies of their respective institutions. As the Hetzler-Foundation aims to stimulate innovative research and to foster new co-operations, continuation of already concluded or ongoing projects and established research partnerships will not be eligible for Pilot Grant funding. Investigators should provide plans to attract external funding beyond the Pilot Grant funding cycle.

Budgets may include:

– Consumables and reagents, animal costs, clinical trial costs, core facility fees, etc.

– Employment of research assistants, graduate or postdoctoral students

– Travel costs

Maximum allowable expenditures are 50.000 € in total for a minimum duration of 1 year and a maximum duration of 2 years. Funding will be available from April 1, 2024.

Evaluation Process:

All proposals will be peer-reviewed. The Scientific Advisory Committee will make the final funding decision. The Committee consists of senior academics in the fields of pharmacology and addiction research. The evaluation will consider significance, innovation, approach, and feasibility of the project, its potential to advance the field, the expertise of the project investigators, the research environment, cost-effectiveness of the budgetary plan, clear plans towards obtaining funding beyond the funding cycle of the Pilot Grant.

Requirements of Recipients:

Project timeline: All expenses and activities should be incurred within a maximum of 24 months from the date of the first expenses.

Progress reports: Six months after project begin and upon project completion, pilot grant recipients must report briefly on research progress and efforts towards obtaining further external support for the project.

Acknowledgement: Recipients are expected to acknowledge the support of the Hetzler-Foundation for Addiction Research in any publications or presentations. Publications must be reported to the Hetzler-Foundations.

Payment of the grant: The payment and post-award financial management will be administered through the Lead Applicants’ institution.

Required Documents:

– Title Page: Title, (co-)principal Investigator(s), institution(s), address(s), e-mail(s), phone number(s)

– Abstract Page: A scientific abstract (≤ 250 words), and a short lay summary (≤ 50 words).

– Research Proposal: The research proposal shall be no longer than two single-spaced pages and should include the essential background information and work program. Please use Arial 11 font. Please explain why the proposal is innovative. Please indicate if any other funds are available to you for the proposed research. If your program has multiple principal investigators, outline briefly its organizational structure. References (max. 20) should be attached and will not count towards the two page limit.

– Milestones with timeline (1/2-page limit). The description of milestones should include how applicants envision continuing their work following the completion of the Pilot Grant funding period including plans to obtain third party funding.

– Brief CV and a list of the most important publications: A brief CV (1 page) and a list of important publications (≤ 10 publications) must be submitted for each (co-)principal investigator. Optional: New and early stage investigators may provide a letter (≤ 2 pages) from their academic mentor that outlines relevant training experiences and career trajectory to complement their brief CV.

– Budget: Please provide a one-page budget in tabular form and a budget justification. – Copies of ethics approval letters for human and animal research will be required once a project is selected for funding. Funding will be delayed until these approval documents are received.

– No other supporting documentation will be considered.

Submission and Contact Information: 

With any questions regarding the application process and format, please contact: Prof. Dr. Tilo Grosser, MD; Chair, Hetzler Foundation Scientific Advisory Committee; Translational Pharmacology, Bielefeld University Medical School Bielefeld, Germany. Contact Information: tilo.grosser@uni-bielefeld.de

Proposals must be submitted via e-mail in PDF to the aforementioned contact by August 31, 2023.