American Society of Head & Neck Radiology
820 Jorie Blvd., Suite 300
Oak Brook, IL 60523
630-574-0661
info@ashnr.org

ASHNR CCF Seed Grant

Purpose:

To enable investigators (MD, MD-PhD, DO, DMD/DDS, PhD) to conduct research or educational projects related to imaging of the head and neck. Strong consideration will be given to applicants who are trainees or young investigators and for projects with the potential to enhance awareness and/or understanding of key head and neck imaging concepts and protocols, head and neck anatomy, and education in head and neck imaging. Preference will also be given to projects that have the potential to promote future research on the topic and/or to obtain future extramural funding, for example, if pilot data are needed to support a larger project. The scope of the project should be such that completion is feasible within a one-year funding window.

Targeted Projects:

Any topic related to the imaging of head and neck diseases, including, but not limited to:

  • Morphologic and functional imaging that addresses biological or clinical questions
  • Applications of advanced technologies and sciences
  • Development of new imaging technology or protocols
  • Outcomes analyses and comparative effectiveness
  • Quality improvement
  • Educational mechanisms and materials

Eligibility:

  • Applicant must be an ASHNR Member at the time of application. If the applicant is an ASHNR in-Training member (non-dues paying member), the scientific advisor or co-investigator must be a dues-paying member.
  • Applicant or the sponsoring member must hold a position in a department of radiology or nuclear medicine within an educational institution in the United States or Canada.
  • Applicant/co-principal investigator(s) must not be agents of any for-profit, commercial company in the radiologic sciences.
  • Acceptance of an award from another source for the same project or a component of the project in the same year is prohibited unless the source provides only salary support.
  • Applicants (or the scientific advisor or co-investigator for in-training members) must have completed advanced training and be certified by the American Board of Radiology or the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada.

Grant Amount:

Up to $20,000 USD for a 1-year project. The ASHNR Seed Grant cannot be supplemental to major funding already secured.

Following is a sample of expense items that could be covered by the Seed Grant:

  • Computer equipment and software
  • Illustrations – medical illustrator/graphic design
  • Imaging or laboratory equipment
  • Laboratory tests
  • Research scan time
  • Research coordinator’s time
  • Statistical services

Please note:

  • The recipient will receive complimentary meeting registration plus post-meeting reimbursement for up to $1,500 in travel expenses to attend the ASHNR Annual Meeting subsequent to their award year (so an award received at ASHNR 2024 will be presented at ASHNR 2025). Grant funding cannot be used for additional meeting expenses for ASHNR or for any non-ASHNR meetings.
  • Unexpended funds must be returned to the ASHNR c/o the Core Curriculum Fund at the conclusion of the funding period
  • Seed research grants will run from October 1 of the award year to September 30 of the subsequent year   
  • Funds will be paid to the department in two installments

Application Schedule:

A. The deadline for receipt of a letter of intent for a 2022 ASHNR Seed Grant is Monday, April 1, 2024. The LOI should be a one-page abstract of the research or educational proposal, submitted electronically (in .pdf or .doc format) to Theresa Espinosa (tespinosa@asnr.org). In the subject line of the e-mail submission, please indicate the following: “2024 ASHNR Seed Grant Award Letter of Intent Submission”

B. Applicants who are selected from the letter of intent stage will be notified that they are invited to submit a full proposal (see guidelines below). The deadline for receipt of full proposal submissions is Monday, July 1, 2024. Incomplete applications, applications that do not comply with the instructions, and/or those that do not have the appropriate executed signatures will not be reviewed. Full proposals should be submitted in electronic form (.pdf or .doc) to tespinosa@asnr.org. In the subject line of the e-mail submission, please indicate the following: “2024 ASHNR Core Curriculum Seed Grant Award Application Submission.”

C. Selection of award recipients will be in August 2024, with subsequent notification of the recipient and institution. All those with interests in the award, or employees of an institution that may be involved in the award, shall recuse themselves from voting on such applications.

D. Announcement of the award recipient(s) will be made at the ASHNR 58th Annual Meeting September 4-8, 2024, and will be posted on the ASHNR website.

Selection Criteria/Review Process:

The members of the ASHNR Research Committee will review and score the ASHNR Core Curriculum Seed Grant applications. The decision of the ASHNR research committee will be subject to approval by the ASHNR Executive committee.

The proposed project will be evaluated with regard to the following criteria:

  • Significance, relevance, and innovation of the proposed project to clinical care or the advancement of knowledge in the evaluation of head and neck imaging or disease processes.
  • Significance, relevance, and innovation of the proposed project to education related to head and neck imaging or disease processes.
  • For scientific studies:
  • The hypothesis should be clear and well developed, and the experiments designed to appropriately test the hypothesis.
  • The proposed statistical analysis of the data must be defined.
  • Time frame and budget should be commensurate with seed funding
  • Commitment of the institution, the department, and the advisor to the project 
  • Available research labs or imaging facilities to provide adequate support for the applicant.
  • IRB approval as appropriate.

Rules and Conditions

  1. Progress Reports 

Recipients must submit an interim report six months (180 days) after the start of the project and a final report within three months (90 days) after completion of the project. 

Interim report should include the following:

a) A summary statement of results of the work toward each aim/goal.

b) Any deviations from the original research plan and justification.

c) Expenditures to date

d) Any problems or delays encountered. 

Reports are to be submitted electronically (MS-Word or PDF). 

Final report should include “a” to “d” above, as well as:

e) Indicate if the results of the work are being prepared for publication

f) Indicate if the results of the work will be used as preliminary data to obtain additional funding

g) Comment on the role the ASHNR grant has had or is expected to have on your career

  1. Publications

Scientific and educational manuscripts resulting from ASHNR funding must first be submitted for consideration for presentation at the ASHNR Annual Meeting and for publication to the American Journal of Neuroradiology (AJNR) or Neurographics. Manuscripts that are not accepted for publication in the AJNR or Neurographics may then be submitted to journals of the author’s choosing. 

  1. Acknowledgment

All posters, publications, and oral presentations resulting from ASHNR-funded projects must contain appropriate acknowledgment of the Society’s support.

  1. Extension

Extension of the terms of the grant may be requested to extend the final budget period up to 12 months beyond the original end date. Approval of an extension does not include the awarding of additional funds. A request for an extension must be made in writing to the Chair of the ASHNR Research Committee. The request must state the reason(s) for the extension, indicate length of extension requested, and review the progress to date. Requests must be co-signed by the department chair and research advisor and submitted to the chair of the Research Committee two months (60 days) prior to the original ending date. Interim reports must be submitted every six months during the extension period.

  1. Termination of Support

The ASHNR Executive Committee reserves the right to modify or terminate the amount of any funds granted under the terms of the Research Grant program. In the unlikely event that such a modification is deemed necessary, the grant recipient will be notified in writing within 90 days prior to termination. The investigator will have the option to modify the research plan or terminate the grant.

Application:  

Section I: Title and Summary of Research or Education-Focused Proposal: Provide a succinct description of the proposed project (1 page). The abstract should state the long-term goals of the project, potential clinical significance of the project, and the methods to be used to conduct the project, as appropriate. 

Section II: Investigator(s) 

A. Applicant (Principal Investigator)

  • Contact information: address, e-mail, cell phone 
  • Institution 
  • Department 
  • Current year of training, or faculty position/rank- (If currently in a training program, include letter from Program Director confirming status and ensuring individual will be provided appropriate time to complete the project)
  • Curriculum Vitae

B. Priority Statement: Describe your area of professional/scientific interest(s) and long-term career goals. Briefly (1-2 pages) describe the significance of the proposed research or educational project. 

C. Scientific Advisor: (To be completed by Scientific Advisor

  • Name, degree(s), title/faculty rank 
  • Percentage part-time or full-time  
  • Provide description of your role as mentor for the applicant and CV 
  • Describe the extent to which the applicant was responsible for developing and writing the proposal
  • List other investigators or advisors who will participate in the project and their role in the project

Application:  

Section I: Title and Summary of Research or Education-Focused Proposal: Provide a succinct description of the proposed project (1 page). The abstract should state the long-term goals of the project, potential clinical significance of the project, and the methods to be used to conduct the project, as appropriate. 

Section II: Investigator(s) 

A. Applicant (Principal Investigator)

  • Contact information: address, e-mail, cell phone 
  • Institution 
  • Department 
  • Current year of training, or faculty position/rank- (If currently in a training program, include letter from Program Director confirming status and ensuring individual will be provided appropriate time to complete the project)
  • Curriculum Vitae

B. Priority Statement: Describe your area of professional/scientific interest(s) and long-term career goals. Briefly (1-2 pages) describe the significance of the proposed research or educational project. 

C. Scientific Advisor: (To be completed by Scientific Advisor

  • Name, degree(s), title/faculty rank 
  • Percentage part-time or full-time  
  • Provide description of your role as mentor for the applicant and CV 
  • Describe the extent to which the applicant was responsible for developing and writing the proposal
  • List other investigators or advisors who will participate in the project and their role in the project

B. Research Assurances: Will the project involve any of the following?  

  • Human subjects (Yes/No)  
  • Vertebrate animals (Yes/No)  
  • Ionizing radiation/radioactive isotopes (Yes/No)  
  • Funded applicants will be required to submit proof of IRB approval before grant funds are released. 

C. Resources and Environment: Describe major equipment, laboratory, clinical, animal, office/computer, support services, educational resources, and other facilities that will be available to facilitate the successful completion of this project. 

Educational Project

A. Project description: Not to exceed 5 pages. Additional pages for the bibliography may be added.

Specific Aims: List the objectives and goals of the project. Explain how the project will advance education in head and neck imaging.   

Background and Significance: Review existing knowledge and identify the gaps that the project is intended to fill. How do the specific aims translate to achieving the objectives? How will knowledge or clinical practice be impacted by the results of the research?  

Project Design: Describe the project design and how it will achieve the objective. Describe the applicant’s specific roles in the project. Discuss potential limitations or difficulties in achieving the stated aims.

Timeline of Events: Provide a sequence and timetable for the project.

Bibliography: As appropriate to the proposal

B. Resources and Environment: Describe any equipment, support services, educational resources, or other facilities that will be available to support the successful completion of this project. 

Section IV: Budget 

A. Budget: Provide a complete budget including information on equipment that will be purchased or rented, materials, and salary support if a laboratory assistant or other assistant will be paid by this grant. Explain how costs not covered by this grant will be paid (departmental funds, etc). The ASHNR does not pay institutional overhead or indirect costs. Travel expenses for the ASHNR Annual Meeting may not be paid from this grant. 

B. Payment Information: If the grant is awarded, please supply the payee. The institution will serve as the fiscal agent.

  • Grant checks payable to:  
  • Grant checks sent to: Include contact name, mailing address, phone number, and e-mail.

Section V: Signatures 

Enter the names and contact information for each individual that will sign the completed, printed application. Secure electronic signatures will be accepted.

  • Department Chair or equivalent 
  • Scientific Advisor  
  • Grant Administrator 
  • Grant Applicant