2016  Pilot  and  Research  Awards  -­  Request  for   Applications  (RFA)     SFARI  mission     The  mission  of  the  Simons  Foundation  Autism  Research  Initiative  (SFARI)  is  to  improve  the   understanding,  diagnosis  and  treatment  of  autism  spectrum  disorders  (ASD)  by  funding   innovative  research  of  the  highest  quality  and  relevance.   To  this  end,  we  solicit  applications  for  SFARI  Awards  from  individuals  who  will  conduct  bold,   imaginative,  rigorous  and  relevant  research.   Objective  of  the  SFARI  Awards   We  seek  applications  from  independent  investigators  who  can  devote  a  substantial  portion  of   time  to  this  effort.  While  we  will  not  require  a  minimum  Principal  Investigator  (PI)  effort,  we   expect  the  PI  to  commit  to  a  level  of  effort  that  reflects  a  leading  role  in  the  project.  We   encourage  applications  from  researchers  who  are  not  currently  working  on  autism,  but  who   have  expertise  that  could  be  brought  to  bear  on  this  complex  disorder.  We  will  also  accept   collaborative  grants  involving  multiple  investigators.   We  strongly  advise  applicants  to  familiarize  themselves  with  the  work  that  SFARI  currently   supports  and  to  think  about  how  their  proposals  might  complement  existing  grants.     Considering  SFARI’s  significant  efforts  targeted  at  understanding  the  genetics  of  ASD,  we   encourage  applications  that  propose  research  to  link  genetic  or  other  ASD  risk  factors  to  a   molecular,  cellular,  circuit  and  behavioral  level  understanding  of  ASD.  See  also  the  Directors’   Column,  SFARI  2016  grants  cycle:  choices,  challenges,  and  priorities,  where  we  discuss  our   funding  priorities  in  further  detail  and  other  considerations  for  successful  proposals.   We  expect  SFARI  Investigators  to  share  renewable  reagents  and  data  developed  using   Simons  Foundation  funds  with  other  qualified  investigators.  The  quality  of  the  data  sharing   plan  will  factor  into  the  review  and  affect  funding  decisions.   Access  to  the  Simons  Simplex  Collection  (SSC)  and  the  Simons  Variation  in  Individuals   Project  (Simons  VIP)  —  resources  of  rigorously  characterized  phenotypic  data,  genetic  data   and  biospecimens  —  will  be  available  to  all  approved  scientists  through  SFARI  Base.  We   encourage  applicants  to  use  these  resources.  Policies  regarding  data  requests  and  the   acquisition  of  biospecimens  are  available  online.   In  addition  to  the  SFARI  Pilot  and  Research  Awards  described  below,  the  SFARI  Explorer   Award  program  accepts  applications  at  any  time  for  rapid  review  and  support  through  a  rolling   award  program.  The  SFARI  Explorer  Award  program  provides  timely  resources  on  a  one-­time   basis,  not  to  exceed  $70,000,  including  indirect  costs,  to  support  focused  experiments  highly   relevant  to  our  mission.  Further  information  about  this  program  is  available  online.   Types  of  applications   The  following  applications  will  be  considered:  

SFARI  Pilot  Award   Application  type  for  innovative,  high-­impact,  proposals  requesting  support  for  small-­scale   projects  or  early-­stage  experiments  that  will  build  on  preliminary  data  or  a  prior  track  record   and  lead  to  competitive  applications  for  funding  by  SFARI  or  other  organizations.  Investigators   new  to  the  field  of  autism  are  encouraged  to  apply  for  Pilot  Awards.  The  maximum  budget  is   $150,000,  including  indirect  costs,  per  year  for  up  to  two  (2)  years.  Please  note  that  SSC  and   Simons  VIP  biospecimen  costs  are  not  included  in  the  maximum  budget.         SFARI  Research  Award   Application  type  for  competitive  proposals  from  investigators  with  demonstrated  expertise   requesting  support  for  compelling,  high-­impact  research  on  experimental  hypotheses  for   which,  in  most  cases,  preliminary  data  have  already  been  gathered.  The  foundation  will  also   consider  projects  focusing  on  a  central  hypothesis  where  success  depends  on  close   collaboration  between  two  or  more  labs.  We  expect  to  fund  proposals  for  a  maximum  of   $275,000,  including  indirect  costs,  per  year  for  up  to  three  (3)  years,  but  under  exceptional   circumstances  will  consider  proposals  at  higher  levels.  We  realize  that  clinical  studies  can  be   costly  and  will  consider  clinical  and  translational  proposals  with  budgets  of  up  to  $350,000  per   year  if  justified  in  the  budget.  (This  grant  mechanism  is  not  intended  to  support  large,   randomized  clinical  trials  of  medications.)  We  strongly  encourage  PIs  considering  such   studies  to  discuss  their  proposal  and  budget  with  SFARI  science  staff  before  submission   (please  contact  [email protected]).  Proposals  with  unusually  high  budgets   are  subject  to  heightened  scrutiny.  Please  note  that  SSC  and  Simons  VIP  biospecimen  costs   are  not  included  in  the  maximum  budget.    

SFARI  Financial  Policy  Summary   There  is  no  salary  cap  for  principal  investigators  (PIs)  or  other  faculty  on  a  Simons  Foundation   grant;;  however,  the  compensation  is  prorated  according  to  the  individual’s  percent  effort  on   the  grant.  There  is  no  minimum  percent  effort  required  for  PIs  or  other  personnel  on  any   SFARI  award  type,  but  it  is  expected  that  the  PI  will  commit  sufficient  effort  to  this  project  to   provide  a  leading  intellectual  and  guiding  role  on  the  project.  Additionally,  the  PI  will  be   expected  to  join  the  collaborative  community  of  SFARI  Investigators  through  participation  in   conferences,  workshops  and  symposia  organized  by  the  foundation.  PIs  committing  less  than   15  percent  effort  to  their  project  should  justify  their  effort  level  in  detail.       SFARI  funds  may  be  used  only  for  personnel  considered  employees  of  the  grantee  institution   who  are  eligible  for  benefits.  Funds  may  not  be  used  for  stipend  or  benefit  supplementation   unless  specifically  authorized  under  the  terms  of  the  program  from  which  funds  are  derived.   The  Simons  Foundation  reserves  the  right  to  modify  budgets  when  an  application  has  been   selected  for  an  award  (see  SFARI  policies).    

Indirect  costs  for  all  SFARI  grant  types  are  limited  to  20  percent  of  the  modified  total  direct   costs  (see  SFARI  policies).     Note  for  investigators  applying  for  renewal  of  three  (3)-­year  Research  Awards   SFARI  will  prioritize  the  funding  of  high-­risk  and  novel  experiments,  seeking  to  critically  enable   studies  that  have  potentially  high  mission  impact.  With  this  in  mind,  we  will  prioritize  new  grant   applications  and  provide  only  limited  funding  for  renewal  of  three  (3)-­year  Research  Awards.   After  three  (3)  years  of  support,  grantees  are  encouraged  to  seek  continued  funding  from  the   NIH  and  other  agencies.  SFARI  will  work  with  its  more  senior  investigators  to  identify  other   funding  sources  for  autism-­relevant  projects;;  will  continue  to  welcome  their  attendance  at   SFARI-­sponsored  meetings,  workshops  and  other  activities;;  and  will  consider  limited   transitional  funding  when  justified  by  exceptional  progress.  SFARI  does  encourage  recipients   of  SFARI  Pilot  or  Explorer  Awards  who  have  achieved  success  in  their  initial  studies  to  apply   for  three  (3)-­year  Research  Awards.  

 

Eligibility   All  applicants  and  key  collaborators  must  hold  a  Ph.D.,  M.D.  or  equivalent  degree  and  have  a   faculty  position  or  the  equivalent  at  a  college,  university,  medical  school  or  other  research   facility.  Applications  may  be  submitted  by  domestic  and  foreign  nonprofit  organizations;;  public   and  private  institutions,  such  as  colleges,  universities,  hospitals,  laboratories,  units  of  state   and  local  government;;  and  eligible  agencies  of  the  federal  government.  There  are  no   citizenship  or  country  requirements.    

Instructions  for  submission   Applications  must  be  completed  electronically  and  submitted  using  forms  provided  at   proposalCENTRAL.  Please  log  in  as  an  applicant,  go  to  the  GRANT  OPPORTUNITIES  tab,  scroll   to  SIMONS  FOUNDATION  and  click  APPLY  NOW  for  the  SFARI  PILOT  AWARD  or  the  SFARI   RESEARCH  AWARD  program.  For  assistance,  please  call  800-­875-­2562  or  email   [email protected].    

Deadline  and  notification  schedule      

Application     Available  

LOI     Deadline  

August  31,     2015  

October  9,     2015  

LOI     Full  Proposal     Award     Notification   Deadline   Notification   January  8,     2016  

February  12,     2016  

Early  June,     2016  

Award     Start  Date   July  1,  August  1,   September  1,     2016  

   

Letter  of  intent   Prospective  applicants  must  submit  a  letter  of  intent  (LOI)  using  the  LOI  template  via   proposalCENTRAL.  The  deadline  for  LOI  submission  is  9  October  2015,  5  PM  Eastern  Time.   No  extensions  will  be  given.  If  you  have  any  difficulties,  please  contact   [email protected].      

LOIs  should  include  the  following  (for  more  details,  see  the  Instructions  document,  available   for  download  in  the  DOWNLOAD  TEMPLATES  &  INSTRUCTIONS  section  of  proposalCENTRAL):    

 

•   The  LOI  should  be  no  more  than  three  (3)  pages  long  (including  references,  tables  and   figures)  and  should  include:   o   Concise  research  project  description,  including  specific  aims,  significance,   preliminary  data  (as  applicable),  experimental  approach,  potential  impact  on   autism  research  and  brief  timeline.   •   Biosketch  of  Principal  Investigator(s)  

Applicants  are  strongly  encouraged  not  to  devote  too  much  space  to  the  introduction;;  there  is   no  need  to  provide  a  scholarly  review  of  autism.    

Please  note  that  LOIs  exceeding  the  three  (3)-­page  limit,  including  references  and   figures,  will  not  be  reviewed.    

Successful  LOI  applicants  will  be  notified  by  8  January  2016,  and  will  be  invited  to  submit  a   full  proposal.  Only  then  will  applicants  have  access  to  the  full  application  on   proposalCENTRAL.    

       

Full  proposal   The  deadline  for  full  proposal  submission  is  12  February  2016,  5  PM  Eastern  Time.  No   extensions  will  be  given.  If  you  have  any  difficulties,  please  contact   [email protected].    

Full  proposals  should  include  the  following  (for  more  details,  see  the  Instructions  document   available  for  download  in  the  PROPOSAL  ATTACHMENTS  section  of  proposalCENTRAL):    

 

•   Narrative:  not  exceeding  six  (6)  pages  for  SFARI  Pilot  Awards  and  SFARI  Research   Awards,  describing  relevant  background  to  the  application,  significance  of  the   proposed  studies,  preliminary  results,  experimental  design,  specific  aims,  pitfalls  and   alternative  strategies,  novelty,  relevance  to  autism,  timeline  and  milestones.     o   The  page  limit  excludes  references  and  figures.  Additional  pages  may  be   added  to  accommodate  those  items.   •   Progress  report:  Investigators  currently  receiving  SFARI  funding  should  include  a   progress  report  in  two  (2)  pages  or  fewer.     •   Biosketch  of  Principal  Investigator(s)  and  key  personnel     •   Current  and  pending  support  for  Principal  Investigator(s)  and  key  personnel,  including   abstracts  and  specific  aims.     •   Budget  justification   •   Research  environment  and  resources   •   Renewable  reagents  and  data-­sharing  plan   •   Applications  with  multiple  PIs  from  different  institutions  that  would  like  to  be  paid   separately  must  submit  a  signed  signature  page  and  budget  for  each  PI.   •   Applications  with  subcontracts  must  submit  a  subcontract  budget  for  each  subcontract.  

Please  note  that  SFARI  Pilot  Award  and  SFARI  Research  Award  proposals  exceeding   the  six  (6)-­page  limit  (excluding  references  and  figures)  will  not  be  reviewed.    

Review  of  applications   Each  LOI  is  evaluated  by  at  least  two  members  of  the  SFARI  science  team,  with  additional   advice  from  outside  advisers  as  needed.  A  committee  of  peers  will  review  applications  at  the   full  proposal  stage  and  make  recommendations  to  the  SFARI  science  team.  A  list  of  SFARI   reviewers  from  previous  years  can  be  found  online.  Applications  will  be  judged  on  the   excellence  of  science,  relevance  to  autism  and  appropriateness  of  budget.  The  SFARI   science  team  makes  final  funding  decisions,  taking  into  account  the  peer-­reviewer  evaluations   outlined  above  as  well  as  programmatic  and  budgetary  considerations.    

Proposals  selected  for  SFARI  Awards  will  be  announced  in  early  June  2016,  and  funding  will   begin  on  1  July  2016,  1  August  2016  or  1  September  2016.    

Contacts: Administrative inquiries: [email protected] Scientific inquiries: [email protected] proposalCENTRAL: [email protected]  

646-654-0066 646-654-0066 800-875-2562