New! ESID Reseach Grants (ERG)

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Application guidelines for the ESID Research Grants (ERG)

 

Scope

In 2022, ESID made funding available for two research grants specifically to support PhD students or postdoctoral researchers who are/will be engaged in research projects in the field of primary immunodeficiency diseases (PIDs). The goal of the ERG program aligns with the ESID mission and aims at increasing knowledge of the pathophysiological bases of PIDs and investigating new therapeutic avenues for these diseases.

Applicant requirements

Eligible for funding are PhD candidates or Postdoctoral fellows who, at the time of submission:

-       are ESID Regular or Junior members.
-       are eligible for enrolment in/accepted by the selected PhD program (if applicable).
-       or are Postdoctoral fellows at their first postdoctoral experience or have less than 5 years of working experience and will change hosting institution (unless mobility is recognized to be impossible).
-       have secured a host laboratory in a European country (see ESID constitution for definitions, https://esid.org/About-ESID/ESID-Constitution) to which the funds will be disbursed.
-       have identified a supervisor who is an ESID member.
-       have defined a research project in the field of PIDs. 

Funding scheme

The duration of project funding is up to 24 months.
The project must initiate within the year 2021.
Expenses covered include:

  • Salary.
  • Costs of reagents that cannot be otherwise obtained.
  • Costs of travel that is essential for the project.

Applicants may request up to € 100,000 for a period of 24 months. Funds are not to exceed € 50,000 per year for each project.

Evaluation procedure

Documents incomplete and/or not submitted within the deadline will not be considered.
Approved applications will be evaluated by the ERG Review Committee, composed by experts selected by the ESID Board and chaired by the ESID Chair of the Education Committee.

The following aspects will be evaluated:

-       the applicant's qualifications
-       the applicant's potential to pursue an academic career
-       the scientific value of the project
-       the project's original and innovative qualities

Priority will be given to projects that:

-       focus on a single PID or a well-defined group of PIDs
-       show clear potential to reveal new mechanistic insights on disease pathophysiology
-       opens the way to new therapeutic approaches

The final decision is made by the ESID Board based on the recommendations of the ERG Review Committee.

Application procedure

Application must be written in English and are submitted by email to . At least one reference letter submitted directly to  should accompany the application. The reference letter(s) should comment on the applicant's qualifications and the planned project. The submission deadline for reference letter(s) is the same as for the grant application. If the reference letter is not received by the deadline, the relative application will be considered incomplete and will not be evaluated.

Applicants will receive acknowledgment of receipt of their application by the ESID administration, as well as a final confirmation of acceptance of the application after validation of the requirements the ESID administration and receipt of the reference letter(s).

Application documents

Applicants are requested to send the following documents as PDF files to :

-       CV and publication list.
-       Documentation of eligibility to the selected PhD program (if applicable).
-       Confirmation letter by the future supervisor in the host institute.

The letter should confirm that your project will be carried out in the host institute and that the equipment and space needed to carry out your project will be available to you.

-       Research proposal.

The document should not exceed 10 pages (minimum font size 11, single spacing, and 2-cm margins) including figures and tables, but excluding the references. The documents should be structured as follows:

1.  Background (state of the art of the research area and key publications).
2.  Hypothesis and objectives.
3.  Experimental plan (methods, expected results, drawback and contingency plans, general timetable, possible collaborations with other institutions).
4.  Available resources (infrastructure, personnel, funding).
5.  Significance of expected results.
6.  Approval of relevant Ethics committee (if applicable)*.
7.  Approval of relevant Animal care and use committee (if applicable)*.

*Approvals can be obtained after the grant is awarded, however, funding will begin only after all necessary approvals have been received by

8.  Budget request including:

  • Salary.
  • Consumables.
  • Services.
  • Travel.

Please note: Neither laboratory instruments, nor computer hardware can be financed with ERG funds.

 

TIME SCHEDULE

DATE

Application deadline

May 31, 2021

Evaluation by ERG Review Committee

June-July, 2021

Discussion by ESID Board

July 20, 2021

Decision communicated to Applicants

End of July 2021

Disbursement of funds

From August 2021