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Watch this space!
In September, 2010 we will post our RFA for pre doctoral and post doctoral mentor-based fellowships. Scroll down to read last year's RFA, although there will be some changes in the 2010 application process.

ASF'S "IMFAR STAKEHOLDER TRAVEL AWARDS" ANNOUNCED

(April 2, 2010) We’re pleased to announce that the Autism Science Foundation has awarded IMFAR stakeholder travel awards to the following individuals to support their attendance at this year’s International Meeting for Autism Research. Our thanks to everyone who applied. We hope to expand this program next year to better match the level of interest.

Recipients will each receive up to $1000 in expense reimbursement to support attendance at IMFAR.

2010 Recipients:
Christie Buchovecky    PhD Candidate, Baylor College of Medicine
Louise Capps              Parent
Kate & John Fox           Parents
Stephanie Millman      Sibling/Undergraduate, Columbia University
Judy Omidvaran          Parent
James S                       Parent
Jessica Yablow          Special Education Teacher

Autism Science Foundation Offering Scholarships to IMFAR

(Februry 11, 2010---New York, NY) The Autism Science Foundation today announced that is offering a limited number of grants to parents of children with autism and other stakeholders to support attendance at the International Meeting for Autism Research (IMFAR), to be held in Philadelphia, May 20-22, 2010. Awards of up to $1000 can be used to cover registration, travel, accommodations, meals and other directly related expenses, including childcare. After the conference, grant recipients will be expected to share what they've learned with families in their local communities and/or online.

IMFAR is an annual scientific meeting, convened each spring, to promote, exchange and disseminate the latest scientific findings in autism research and to stimulate research progress in understanding the nature, causes, and treatments for autism spectrum disorders. IMFAR is the annual meeting of the International Society for Autism Research (INSAR).

"We are thrilled to be able to give back directly to the autism community in a research-focused way," said Alison Singer, president of the Autism Science Foundation. "The award recipients will bring critical new research information to their communities, increasing the speed with which the latest data are shared with the broader autism community."

"These scholarships are a wonderful opportunity to bring more stakeholders to the IMFAR and improve dissemination of the latest research findings presented at the conference," said Dr. David Amaral, president of INSAR and director of research at the University of California at Davis M.I.N.D. Institute.

To apply, send a letter to grants@autismsciencefoundation.org describing why you want to attend IMFAR and, most importantly, explaining how you would share what you learn there with the broader autism community. Letters should be sent as Microsoft Word attachments (use suffix .doc, NOT .docx) of no more than 2 pages, 12-point type, "Arial" font, with standard margins. In the subject line please write: IMFAR Grant. Letters must be received by March 15, 2010. Recipients will be announced in April.

AUTISM SCIENCE FOUNDATION ANNOUNCES
2010 DOCTORAL TRAINING AWARD RECIPIENTS

(February 8, 2010—New York, NY)--The Autism Science Foundation, a not-for-profit organization founded in April 2009 and dedicated to supporting and funding autism research, announced today that it had awarded doctoral training fellowships to six pre-doctoral students committed to pursuing careers in basic and clinical scientific research relevant to autism spectrum disorders. In all, $180,000 in grants will be distributed to student/mentor teams conducting research in autism treatment, biomarkers, animal models, and epidemiology.

“We are thrilled to be funding grants after only ten months of fundraising and operations,” said Autism Science Foundation co-founder Karen London. “Outstanding research is the greatest gift we can offer our families. We are so grateful to all our donors and volunteers who have come together to support autism research.”

“Too much time has been spent looking backwards at the now debunked theory that vaccines caused autism,” said Alison Singer, president of the Autism Science Foundation. “We need to regroup; we need to look forward and invest in discovering biomarkers that can lead to earlier diagnosis, in animal models that can illuminate biological pathways, and in treatments that target the most debilitating aspects of autism. This round of grants is aimed in that direction.”

Grant applications were reviewed by members of the Autism Science Foundation’s Scientific Advisory Board (SAB) as well as by outside scientific experts in specific subject areas. Grants were also reviewed by ASF’s Stakeholder Review Committee, comprised of parents, individuals with autism, a special education teacher and other stakeholders.

The following projects were selected for funding (student/mentor):

Sarita Austin/Dr. Rhea Paul; Yale Child Study Center:
Enhancing Understanding and Use of Conversational Rules in School-Aged Speakers with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Karen Burner/Dr. Sara Jane Webb; University of Washington, Seattle:
Observational and Electrophysiological Assessments of Temperament in Infants at Risk for Autism Spectrum Disorders

Rhonda Charles/Dr. Joseph Buxbaum; Mount Sinai School of Medicine:
A Preclinical Model for Determining the Role of AVPR1A in Autism Spectrum Disorders

Sarah Hannigen/Dr. Mark Strauss; University of Pittsburgh:
Defining High and Low Risk Expression of Emotion in Infants at Risk for Autism

Matthew Maenner/Dr. Maureen Durkin; University of Wisconsin, Madison:
Phenotypic Heterogeneity and Early Identification of ASD in the United States

Michael Sidorov/Dr. Mark Bear; MIT:
Investigation of Postnatal Drug Intervention’s Potential in Rescuing the Symptoms of Fragile X Syndrome in Adult Mice

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2010 Doctoral Training Awards
Application Deadline: November 16, 2009
Decisions Announced: February 8, 2010

Introduction
The Autism Science Foundation invites applications for its Doctoral Training Award from graduate and medical students interested in pursuing careers in basic and clinical scientific research relevant to autism spectrum disorders.

The proposed training must be scientifically linked to autism and may be broadened to include training in a closely related area of scientific research. Autism Science Foundation will consider for training purposes all areas of related basic and clinical research including but not limited to: human behavior across the lifespan (language, learning, communication, social function, epilepsy, sleep, repetitive disorders), neurobiology (anatomy, development, neuro-imaging), pharmacology, neuropathology, human genetics/genomics, immunology, molecular and cellular mechanisms, and studies employing model organisms and systems.

Awards
Autism Science Foundation will make a number of Doctoral Training Awards determined by its available financial resources. The term of the award will be a period of one year and will include a maximum $25,000 stipend, and a maximum $4000 allowance to support registration and travel for the doctoral candidate and mentor to attend the International Meeting for Autism Research to participate in the annual luncheon and scientific symposium of ASF Awardees (original travel receipts must be provided). Attendance and participation by both the awardee and mentor are required. An additional $1000 will be provided to support research materials and supplies. Tuition reimbursement is not allowed. Indirect costs are not covered.

Eligibility
The applicant must be an enrolled student in good standing in a program in the United States leading to a research doctorate such as a Ph.D. or Sc.D., a combined degree such as an M.D./Ph.D., in an academic department at an accredited university or health/medical institution, or an M.D. at an accredited university medical school. The selected awardee must spend 80% of his/her professional time engaged exclusively in autism research activities stipulated in the application for the duration of the award, and cannot simultaneously hold another named fellowship award during the support period.

The proposed mentor must hold a tenured or tenure-track faculty appointment (or equivalent) at an accredited institution of higher education or health/medical/research institution in the United States, and must be an established and active investigator in some aspect of autism research. Each mentor is limited to a single Doctoral Training Awardee per year and must show current grant support to fund the proposed graduate training studies.

Proposals Using Post Mortem Tissue
Proposals using post mortem tissue for research must provide documentation that the necessary tissue is or will be available at the research site at the time of the award. Proposals without proper documentation will be returned without review.

Proposal Preparation
Proposals should be written in 11 point Arial font and should have margins of 0.5 inch or greater. Use of smaller or difficult to read fonts may result in the proposal being returned without review.

A proposal must include the following sections:

Proposal Abstract: (maximum 500 words)
The abstract must be intelligible to a knowledgeable lay person or non-expert. It should indicate the proposed research and training goals and means, the training environment, and the scientific relevance of the research to individuals with autism and their families.

Research Plan: (maximum 5 pages)
The plan should describe the specific autism research project, including hypotheses to be tested, specific aims, background/preliminary studies, methods, expected results and timeline for completion.

Bibliography:
Include complete literature citations including titles and all author

Training Plan and Environment: (maximum 3 pages):
The mentor should provide description of a training program that includes a clear plan of professional development for a future career in autism research for the applicant. Provide a comprehensive summary of the mentor’s autism research, including significant results to date, areas of active investigation, and specific research opportunities available to the Doctoral Training Awardee. Describe available facilities, and necessary on-site and off-site resources that will contribute to the research and training environment. Describe the intellectual and research environment of the host laboratory, department and sponsoring institution (including opportunities for multidisciplinary research and training) that will contribute to the professional development of the Doctoral Training Awardee as an autism researcher

Budget:
Not required; an estimated stipend level may be requested, but the actual stipend level will be determined at the time of an award and will not exceed $25,000.

Biographical Sketch or Curriculum Vita of the Doctoral Training Award applicant (should not exceed 3 pages)

Biographical Sketch of proposed mentor in NIH format (not to exceed 4 pages)
Include a list of previously trained graduate students and postdoctoral fellows for last 5-10 years including dates of training and current position if known.

Current and Pending Support:
Mentors should indicate funding source(s), total award amounts, award durations (inclusive dates), and project titles; clearly explain the extent to which currently funded research projects will overlap, complement and/or contribute to the training of the Awardee.

Human Subjects and Animal Welfare Certifications:
These must be documented with a copy of an official letter of approval (or equivalent for non-US applicants), which identifies the Principal Investigator, project title and date of approval, and is signed by the Review Committee Chair or equivalent responsible institutional/government official. Prior certification for another project CANNOT be substituted, but can be officially amended to include the proposed project. IRB and IACUC certifications are NOT required to submit an application, but are required if necessary before an award will be made.

Letter of Commitment:
The proposed mentor must provide a letter stating his/her commitment that a fellowship recipient will spend 80% of his/her professional time engaged exclusively in the autism research described in the application for the duration of the award.

Letters of Recommendation for the Doctoral Training Award applicant:
Two letters of recommendation are required for the applicant. One letter of recommendation should be provided by the proposed mentor and another by an individual who is familiar with the applicant’s education, research training and experience, and professional career goals. Letters of recommendation should address the applicant’s relevant education, research training and experience, and professional career goals. Letters should be sent separately from the application, directly by the recommenders, to the submission address below.

Appendices:
An applicant may submit a maximum of 3 peer reviewed research publications (including manuscripts under review or accepted for publication) on which they are an author. No other items may be appended. Manuscripts not yet accepted for review, review articles, book chapters, popular press articles and meeting abstracts will NOT be accepted. Note: Appendix publications are provided as a courtesy to the reviewers who are under no obligation to read or consult them in evaluating a proposal.

Submission of Proposals
Proposals should be submitted as Microsoft Word documents or PDF, by email to grants@autismsciencefoundation.org. A successful electronic submission will be confirmed by email notification to the applicant. Letters of recommendation should be sent separately, and should come directly from the recommenders.

Proposals are due on or before November 16, 2009.

Proposals will not be accepted after the due date unless prior permission is obtained, and only for exceptional circumstances. It is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure that the proposal complies with the conditions prescribed in the RFA. Autism Science Foundation reserves the right to return without review any proposal found not to be in compliance with the conditions prescribed on the RFA, or any proposal that is not responsive to its research goals or exceeds its funding limits or available resources, at any time during the application and review process.

Proposal review, funding selections and award notifications will be made in December 2009. Awards must be started no later than July 1, 2010. Travel stipend for this round will cover participation at IMFAR in Philadelphia in May 2010.

Payment of Awards
Awards will be paid annually and will be contingent upon acceptance by an official authorized to act for the institution receiving the award of the Autism Science Foundation award terms and conditions (provided at the time of the award) including receipt of all required certifications. An award cannot be transferred to another investigator, laboratory or sponsoring institution without prior written approval from Autism Science Foundation, even if the new investigator is working with the same mentor. Similarly, awardees cannot change mentors without prior written approve from Autism Science Foundation.

A one-time, six-month no-cost extension from the termination date of the award in order to complete necessary work (including data analysis and preparation/submission of dissertation and/or manuscripts for publication) will automatically be granted upon request.

Awardees must submit a written report to the Autism Science Foundation at the conclusion of the award, documenting the status of the research funded. A template will be provided by the Autism Science Foundation for this purpose.

Review Process and Evaluation Criteria
Proposals will be reviewed by members of Autism Science Foundation Scientific Advisory Board as well as active and experienced investigators recruited from the scientific community for their expertise in the research areas of the proposals. Proposals will also be reviewed by a panel of experienced laypersons (parents, individuals with autism, other advocates) who will provide input to the Scientific Advisory Board. Since the purpose of these awards is to train committed young scientists in an environment conducive to beginning a career in autism research, the following criteria will be used to evaluate how well a proposal will provide a research experience and environment suitable to training a future autism investigator:

Significance of the Research: The quality of the proposed research project in terms of providing meaningful information for individuals with autism and their families and caregivers, as well as its potential to advance the scientific understanding of autism.
Mentor Qualifications: Mentor’s expertise and experience in autism research; quality and productivity of current autism research program; experience training graduate students and postdoctoral fellows.
Training Plan: The quality of the proposed training plan including the proposed fellowship research project, its link to autism research and potential for development of a dedicated career path in autism research.
Resources and Facilities: Evidence of sufficient research support and adequate facilities and resources to provide an appropriate training environment; institutional research programs and/or clinical assets that enhance training in the multidisciplinary complexity of autism spectrum disorders.

Questions about proposal submission, proposal content and review, or applicant eligibility should be addressed to Alison Singer, President, Autism Science Foundation. (asinger@autismsciencefoundation.org)

Sarita Austin/Dr. Rhea Paul; Yale Child Study Center:
Enhancing Understanding and Use of Conversational Rules in School-Aged Speakers with Autism Spectrum Disorders
Karen Burner/Dr. Sara Jane Webb; University of Washington, Seattle:
Observational and Electrophysiological Assessments of Temperament in Infants at Risk for Autism Spectrum Disorders
Rhonda Charles/Dr. Joseph Buxbaum; Mount Sinai School of Medicine:
A Preclinical Model for Determining the Role of AVPR1A in Autism Spectrum Disorders
Sarah Hannigen/Dr. Mark Strauss; University of Pittsburgh:
Defining High and Low Risk Expression of Emotion in Infants at Risk for Autism
Matthew Maenner/Dr. Maureen Durkin; University of Wisconsin, Madison:
Phenotypic Heterogeneity and Early Identification of ASD in the United States.
Michael Sidorov/Dr. Mark Bear; MIT:
Investigation of Postnatal Drug Intervention’s Potential in Rescuing the Symptoms of Fragile X Syndrome in Adult Mice