Terms of the Grant
- Funds
These funds are to be used for direct project support to the investigators, (i.e., technical assistance and supplies). Publication costs, purchase of reprints, books, subscriptions, manuscript preparation, expenses and travel are not authorized from these funds. Equipment, such as hand calculators, typewriters, computers, and cameras are not allowable expenditures. Indirect costs are not provided to the situation, and grant funds may not be used for this purpose. The funds may not be used for salary support.
- Duration
The period of the grant is one year. No-cost extensions are limited to one year only.Requests for additional awards by the same individual will be judged each year on the basis of a competitive continuation application.
- Research Environment
Prior to application, each applicant must arrange for acceptance at an institution engaged in health care and/or research. Evidence of adequate facilities to carry out the proposed project must be submitted. Applications involving human or animal subjects must be reviewed and approved by an appropriate institutional committee. If this approval cannot be submitted with the application, it must be received at the CPF National Office by April 1, or the application will not be considered. In studies with human subjects, approved patient consent forms should also be submitted with the application.
- Relationship to Nominating Institution
The award will be made to eligible institutions on behalf of the recipient. Each investigator is directly responsible to the institution for proper management of funds and project performance.
- Eligibility
Applicants must have attained a professional and/or scientific degree (MD, DDS, PhD,DVM) or equivalent. The candidate should have completed an accredited training program related to a discipline recognized by the American Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Association (ACPA) and must be a member of ACPA when the award is made.The Junior Investigator Research Grant is offered to new investigators: those enrolled in accredited graduate training programs related to the disciplines recognized by the American Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Association; those holding the academic rank of assistant professor or below; or investigators who are no more than 5 years past their PhD or specialty professional training.
- Alteration of Research Plan
The research plan submitted must be independent and original research and not part of an ongoing project of the institution or its faculty. Deviation from the investigator’s accepted plan of study and research may be permitted if the deviation is judged not to be a major departure from the original plan. Such a deviation must be approved by the sponsoring institution and in writing by the CPF Research Grants Committee.
- Termination of Grant
Circumstances may arise under which the grantee or the institution may wish to terminate the grant before its completion. Termination should be disclosed and may be arranged at any time by an agreement between the institution and CPF. Summary reports for the experimental portion performed should be submitted, then all unexpended funds will be returned to CPF, and the unpaid balance of the account will be canceled.
Other Conditions
- Application Forms
Applications for the Research Grant must be submitted on an official grant application form, which may be printed from the web page. Type must be standard size (10 to 12 points). Applications may be submitted to only one CPF grant category per year. Please include eleven copies of the application with the original.
- Timing of Application Process
Applications, including the original and eleven copies, must be postmarked on or before February 15 (if February 15 is a Sunday, the deadline becomes February 16). Notification of the award will be made at the ACPA Annual Meeting the following April, with funding effective as of July 1 of that year. Funds are awarded to the supporting institution and not to the individual.
- Review of Applications
All grant proposals will be evaluated and reviewed by the CPF Research Grants Committee, with the assistance of special consultants, when needed. The final decision will be made by the CPF Research Grants Committee. All applications will be judged on the basis of the criteria outlined in Criteria for Judging Applications.
- Progress Reports
Investigators must submit, within three months of completion of the project, a statement summarizing the findings and results (no more than 500 words) to the CPFResearch Grants Committee. A financial report from the supporting institution on the use of the grant funds must also be filed with CPF within three months of completion of the project.
- Publication and Publicity
Investigators are committed to submit for publication the results of their work. The Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Journal shall have first rights of refusal on all potential publications. However, if the research is supported in part by another agency with a larger grant, the applicant may choose to publish results in another journal after obtaining permission from the CPF Research Grants Committee. For all submissions, investigators must acknowledge CPF’s support by attaching the following footnote:
“This investigation was supported in part by a Cleft Palate Foundation Research Support Grant.”
Three reprints of each publication should be forwarded to the CPF National Office, and three to the CPF Research Grants Committee at the same address.