1. On July 25, 2007, the applicant must have a doctoral level degree (e.g., M.D. [minimum PGY-IV], Ph.D., Psy.D., etc.) and already be employed in research training, or be in a faculty or independent research position. This award is intended to support post-doctoral fellows and assistant professors (or equivalent). Predoctoral students are not eligible for this award. Investigators who hold the rank of associate professor or equivalent are not eligible;



2. Applicant must have an on-site mentor or senior collaborator who is an established investigator in areas relevant to schizophrenia, affective disorders or other serious mental illness. The mentor/sponsor role is usually extensive for fellowship extension (mentor), and more senior colleague/advisor (sponsor) for an applicant well prepared to initiate independent science;



3. Applications must be submitted by July 25, 2007, no later than midnight EST. (Do not submit before June 1, 2007);



4. Funding is for one or two years and is up to $30,000 per year. NARSAD does not pay institutional overhead on the Young Investigator Award;



5. NARSAD allows considerable flexibility in the use of funds: equipment, stipends, etc., are all acceptable as long as the support is in the service of the NARSAD research project;



6. Young Investigators are eligible for a maximum of two NARSAD Young Investigator Awards. Previous awardees at the post doctoral or assistant professor level are encouraged to apply for a second award. However, awards cannot overlap in time, nor can an applicant submit more than one application per cycle. There may be only one principal investigator (P.I.) per application;



7. Notification of awards will be mailed on March 15, 2008. It is NARSAD'S policy to provide no feedback on applications, other than funding notification. Earliest award start date is July 1, 2008.

Applications must be submitted electronically via the NARSAD website as one electronic document, be brief, typed in a font size no smaller than 11 pt., and include in the following order (please label each section accordingly and include applicant’s name in the upper right corner, unless otherwise noted, and include a separate page for each):

1. Institutional Assurance - which includes the applicant’s institutional signature (i.e., Grants & Contracts/Sponsored Research Office), thereby signifying the institution’s acceptance of these guidelines and acknowledgement of the application. A scanned document depicting a signature should be submitted electronically;



2. Mentor/Sponsor Letter - a letter from an on-site mentor/sponsor stating how the award will enhance the applicant's training or facilitate the transition to an independent investigator of relevance to NARSAD'S mission and describing the mentor's/sponsor's commitment to facilitate the specific research proposal. A second letter from an additional mentor/sponsor may be included if the mentor provides an area of expertise not otherwise available. If a second mentor letter must be included, it must explain the second mentor’s unique role in the project and not simply be a letter of reference/support. A scanned document depicting a signature should be submitted electronically. This item has a one page limitation;



3. Proposal - a letter from the applicant outlining training and/or project goals that will be accomplished within the award period. One representative project should be described in sufficient detail to elucidate hypothesis, significance, and central methodology. An absolute maximum of two pages standard type, with no appendices, is required (figures, tables, diagrams, et.al., must be included within this page limit);



4. References – a separate page listing up to ten bibliographical references may be included (optional);



5. Research Training/Career Plans - a brief description of present or just completed research training, and the applicant's future career plans. This award is intended for fellowship extension or early faculty support. A one-half page limit is required;



6. Budget - a budget description specifying the amount requested with a brief justification, and indicating whether the applicant is applying for a one year award or a two year award. Requests must not exceed $30,000 per year. The budget statement should define the unique contribution of this award to the applicant's research activities and note the impact of this award on other institutional support available to the applicant. Specific assurance that receipt of this award will not result in duplication of funding or in reduction of support from the host institution is required. The applicant's research funding must be listed, and should include any support pending, as well. This item has a one page limitation;



7. Abstract -- a less than 500 word description of the research on a separate page written in terms understandable to lay people. This portion of the application will be directly uploaded into the electronic application. If the proposal is funded, this material may be used in NARSAD announcements;



8. Collaborator Letter -- letters of commitment from essential project collaborators (not letters of reference), addressed to the applicant briefly explaining the specific contribution and confirming a willingness to collaborate. The scanned document/s depicting a signature should be submitted electronically;



9. CV – NIH-style biosketch or biography portion of the CV only (including grant support);



10. NIH-style biosketch or biography portion of the CV only for the mentor(s)/sponsor(s);



11. Current grant support of the mentor(s)/sponsor(s) – this must be included. If necessary, a maximum of two pages (in addition to the biosketch) may be used to list support. If an applicant has two mentors, biosketches and grant support must be included for both mentors.

** IRB approval for human and animal subjects must be verified at time of award (do not include with application), as well as institutional acceptance of the NARSAD Terms of Award.

** Supplemental material and material exceeding the specified length will not be considered in the review process.

Applications should be submitted as an electronic application through the NARSAD website.

E-mailed or faxed applications will not be accepted. If the Institutional Approval and/or mentor letter/s cannot be scanned with signature, send to:

NARSAD, Research Grants
60 Cutter Mill Road, Suite 404
Great Neck, NY 11021
OR
Fax: (516) 487-6930

PLEASE NOTE: Notices of receipt of application are sent approximately six weeks after the deadline of July 25, 2007, via e-mail. If an e-mail verification is not received, it is the responsibility of the applicant to contact NARSAD to ensure receipt.

e-mail: grants@narsad.org (e-mail answered daily)

website: www.narsad.org (electronic application, guidelines available)