Natural Orifice Surgery Consortium for Assessment and Research (NOSCAR) ™ Request for Research Proposals Submission

DEADLINE TO SUBMIT APPLICATION AND SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS IN A SINGLE PDF: May 1, 2008 at 5:00 PM CST.

Contact Information for NOSCAR Research Submissions:


1520 Kensington Road
Suite 202
Oak Brook, IL 60523
Phone: 630-570-5608
NOSCAR Grant

KARL STORZ ENDOSCOPY RESEARCH FUND

Submission

The NOSCAR® Research Subcommittee requires electronic submission. Applications are due at 5:00pm CT May 1, 2008. Grants must be submitted electronically at http://www.asge.org/apps/research/new/noscar.aspx .

Special Note

Those applications not selected for the Karl Storz Research Fund will be considered for the Olympus Medical Systems Research Fund.  It is not necessary to submit duplicate applications.

Check List

Two separate attachments must be submitted with your grant request:

I) All of the items below must be put into a single pdf document:

  1. Completed application form
  2. Signatures
  3. Cover letter
  4. Research plan
  5. References
  6. NIH Biosketch
  7. IRB or IACUC statement (as applicable)
  8. Budget
  9. Letters of commitment (co-investigators, etc.)

II) In addition, a one-page abstract must be submitted as a separate document.

Description

These awards are offered to physicians for research projects in the areas of NOTES®.

Objective

The NOTES® development grant is directed at funding research in translumenal gastrointestinal endoscopic surgery, diagnostics, procedural facilitation, health outcomes research, modeling, and development of training models.

Eligibility

  1. Must have a multidisciplinary team, such that the team possesses the advanced therapeutic endoscopic skills and advanced laparoscopic skills as required for successful completion of the project.
  2. At least one PI must be either an ASGE or SAGES member.
  3. Must have appropriate animal laboratory, clinical facilities, or research laboratory to execute the research plan.
  4. Must agree to share research results with other NOSCAR members at semi-annual group meetings.
  5. Must agree that any and all human procedures be performed only after obtaining Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval and that animal studies must have IACUC approval.
  6. Must submit all human cases to an outcomes registry that will be maintained by the sponsoring societies.

Awards and Requirements

1. Grants may be used for up to two years of study.  Requests for funding "seed" projects that will lead to further NOTES® research as well as larger requests that eventually lead to hypothesis-driven definitive animal studies or clinical trials of NOTES® will be considered.

In order to maximize the funds available for research, money for travel to meeting(s) will not be provided, nor will funding be provided for indirect costs. These funds cannot be used for development of corporate devices. Funds for research that incidentally uses devices developed by individuals for NOTES® applications are acceptable. These funds are not intended for the development of intellectual property (IP), rather they are meant to foster collaboration and development of basic research areas within NOTES.

2. The budget request should be detailed and all items should be clearly related to the research proposal. Budgets will be carefully scrutinized by the NOSCAR Research subcommittee and will be considered in the scoring of the grant. Joint budgets with two Co-PI’s can be submitted. Inappropriate or poorly justified budgets will jeopardize the likelihood of the application receiving an award. Budgets that enable productive and collaborative research will be viewed favorably. Additionally, the committee retains the right to adjust the award to an amount it feels appropriate for the project.

3. Funding requests may include:

a. Personnel (research assistant and/or faculty salary support -- percentage of time for study should be specified and appropriately justified). Overlapping funding will not be permitted.
b. Study supplies
c. Equipment essential for study

4. Funding will not be provided for:

a. Salary support for trainees
b. Computer purchases (unless a unique application is proposed)
c. Standard equipment and supplies needed for appropriate care (for example, endoscopes)
d. Travel to meetings
e. Indirect costs

5. Duration of funding: Up to two years. The second year of continued funding is contingent on satisfactory progress determined by the Co-Chairs of the Research Subcommittee based on mandatory annual progress reports.

6. Studies which include more than one center should provide institutional review board approval from each center and letters of collaboration from sites other than that of the applicants. The participating institutions and investigators should be specified in the application.

7. Progress reports must be submitted to the Co-Chairs of the NOSCAR Research Subcommittee via the NOSCAR Administrative Offices annually for the duration of the project. Progress reports must include a financial statement from the institutional grants or accounting office. Failure to submit a progress report by the stated deadline will affect future funding.

8. Requests for extensions must be submitted in writing to the Co-Chairs of the NOSCAR Research Subcommittee via the NOSCAR administrative office.

Each application must have page numbers and contain:

  1. A testable hypothesis and specific aims involving endoscopic/surgical questions related to NOTES.
  2. A clearly presented rationale
  3. A methodology appropriate to the hypothesis
  4. Analysis of data
  5. Preliminary data strongly recommended
  6. A budget specific and appropriate for the proposed research

Upon completion of the award, NOSCAR requires that a final scientific and financial report from the grants or account office be submitted. All publications and abstracts must acknowledge support from NOSCAR. Budget must be included in application and requested in US dollars.

Review Process

The final selection of awards is made by the committee comprised of the NOSCAR Research Subcommittee.

Deadline

Electronic applications must be received at the NOSCAR administrative offices by May 1, 2008 at 5:00pm CST for the award to begin in August 2008.

Electronic Submission Grant Proposal Outline

All proposals should be written using Arial 10 pt font and must adhere to the stated page limitations in order to be considered for funding.

1. Abstract - Include names of PI or Co-PI’s, institution, project title, and a one- to two-paragraph summary of the proposal including hypothesis and goals. Limit: one page.

2. Curriculum Vitae - Provide NIH format biosketch for the principal members of the joint investigative team. Limit: three pages each.

3. Research funding - Include all current and pending funding for PI(s) in detail. Limit: one page.

4. Grant Proposal - Prepare according to NIH-form PHS 398 guidelines: title, hypothesis and specific aims, background and clinical significance, preliminary results (if applicable), methods. The length of this portion of the application is limited to five pages. If you exceed this page limit, the proposal will not be considered.

  1. Introduction - Should include the background and significance of the problem.
  2. Preliminary Data - A brief paragraph outlining the investigative team’s previous research relating to the problem.
  3. Hypothesis and Specific Aims - This should be a clear statement of the problem to be solved, what the question is to be answered. Provide a concise explanation in a few sentences.
  4. Methods - Outline prior studies or your pilot work already completed in this area. Be as specific as possible; describe the methods of collection and analysis of the data. A statistical data analysis plan, including sample size calculations, is required.  A potential limitations and solutions section should be included.
  5. Conflict of Interest - A statement regarding conflict of interest and/or financial ownership, patent rights, etc. of technique/devices being studied in the grant proposal must be included in each grant application.

5. References - Include all titles. Limit: two pages.

6. Budget - Please justify all items. All budgets must be stated in US Dollars. Budgets will be carefully scrutinized by the NOSCAR Research Subcommittee and will be considered in the scoring of the grant. Inappropriate or poorly justified budgets will jeopardize the likelihood of the application receiving an award. Additionally, the committee retains the right to adjust the award to an amount it feels appropriate for the project. Limit: one page.

  1. The budget request should be detailed and all items should be clearly related to the research proposal. Funding will not be provided for indirect costs.
  2. Funding requests (see "Awards and Requirements" section numbers 3 and 4).
  3. Submitted projects for additional funding should include a copy of the previous year's budget and Progress Report Form.
  4. Budget(s) should be included in application.

7. Resources and Environment - List facilities, equipment, and personnel already available which are required to complete this project. Letters of collaborations should be included, if applicable. Limit statement and collaborator letters to one page each.

8. Institutional Review Board (IRB) – Proof of IRB approval or application is required. Funds will not be dispelled until IRB or IACUC approval is received at the NOSCAR administrative offices. Limit one per page.

 

Trademark Information

NOTES, NOSCAR, Natural Orifice Translumenal Endoscopic Surgery and Natural Orifice Surgery Consortium for Assessment and Research are registered trademarks of ASGE and SAGES.  We encourage the use of the names and acronyms; the trademark symbol (™) should be applied with any of these iterations.  Thank you!


About NOSCAR

  • For more information about NOSCAR, contact either ASGE
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or SAGES
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