TAA Young Investigator Award

Eligibility

• The award is open to post-doctoral fellows, and independent clinical/research faculty members within 5 years of their first independent faculty appointment at the time of pre-proposal application submission.
• Investigators are required to have an advanced degree such as a Ph.D., M.D., or equivalent.
• Investigators outside the U.S. are welcome to apply.
• Investigators cannot have received previous early career funding support from the Tourette Association.
• Applications must include a career development component as well as an independent research project.

Funding Level

The Young Investigator Award provides up to $75,000 per year for a total of 2 years ($150,000 total).

Applications are Evaluated on the Basis of the Following Information

Career Development Components:

• Candidate’s background and qualifications
• Candidate’s career development plan and objectives
• Description of how this award, specifically, will contribute to the Candidate’s career development plan and objectives
• Letter of recommendation from mentor, discussing mentor’s (and mentorship team’s) role in, and commitment to, the Candidate’s career development plan and objectives.

Research Project Evaluation:

• Significance/relevance to the TS field
• Methodology
• Candidate’s experience relevant to the project
• Percentage of time to be devoted to project
• Adequacy and availability of research facilities and other project support
• Ability to complete project in stated time-frame

Budget

The Tourette Association will consider reasonable requests for:

• Salaries (for US institutions, NIH salary caps apply)
• Laboratory supplies and other research-related expenses
• Travel expenses for investigators (up to $1,500 per year)
• Research equipment up to $5,000 (excluding equipment for personal or office use [e.g. computers])
• Indirect costs of up to 10% may be included, but the total value of the grant may not exceed the levels stated above

Clinical Studies

Applicants for research grants involving clinical treatment are urged to read the following two documents:
• Considerations for Writing Clinical Treatment Studies Proposals
• Guidelines for Clinical Studies in Tourette syndrome

How to Apply

For preliminary screening, a pre-proposal briefly describing the scientific basis and relevance of the proposed project is required. Pre-proposal application forms can be submitted via the TAA website starting in November of each year.

Applicants invited to submit a full research grant proposal will be provided with application instructions.

Inquiries

Please email [email protected].

Information for Funded Grantees:

Expected Project Start Date: October 2024

Each award extends for 12 (or 24) calendar months. Contracts are expected to be fully executed within 3 months of acceptance notification. The first payment will be made only after all required documentation has been received.

Payment Schedule

1 Year Awards: 75% will be paid upon receipt of all documentation. The remaining 25% will be paid only after receipt of a financial report, invoice and an approved satisfactory final report, written by the grantee.

2 Year Awards: 50% will be paid upon receipt of all documentation. The 2nd payment (25% of the award) will be made 12 months after the commencement of the grant, after receipt of a financial report, invoice and an approved satisfactory progress report, written by the grantee. The final payment (25% of the award) will be made 24 months after the commencement of the grant, only after receipt of a financial report, invoice and an approved satisfactory final report, written by the grantee.

Progress & Financial Reports

A progress and financial report is due after the first payment of a grant and before a second and/or final payment is made.  The progress report should be approximately 3 pages in length and must explain the progress made with the grant funds from the time of inception of the project. The financial report should show how the grant funding was used from the time of inception of the project.  Please email all progress and financial reports to [email protected] as an MS Word or Adobe PDF™ attachment.

Final & Financial Reports

A final and financial report is due at the end of the span of a project.  The final report should be approximately 5 pages in length. The final report must state the findings of the project, particularly with reference to the original research objectives outlined in the grant application. Was your project’s hypothesis or objective(s) proven?  If not, why?  If so, how? Relevant data in the form of tables, figures, graphs, etc. must be included in the report.  The financial report should show how the remaining amount of funding was used.  Please email all final and financial reports to [email protected] as an MS Word or Adobe PDF^TM attachment.

No Cost Extension

Grantees may request up to two 6-month no-cost extensions. In exceptional circumstances a request for a third no-cost extension will be considered. A brief (2-3 page) progress report must accompany each request. Requests for a no cost extension should be sent as an email attachment to [email protected].