Fondation Leducq is a private charitable foundation, based in Paris, France, dedicated to improving human health through international efforts to combat cardiovascular and neurovascular disease. In support of this mission the Fondation Leducq has created the Transatlantic Networks of Excellence in Cardiovascular and Neurovascular Research Program, which promotes internationally collaborative basic, translational, and clinical research in cardiovascular and neurovascular disease. The principal aim of this program is to foster outstanding and innovative scientific research by bringing together international teams of researchers with complementary expertise and resources to work together on a common thematic problem. The proposals should aim to generate new knowledge with the potential to advance the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of cardiovascular and neurovascular disease. Early career investigators play a vital role in these networks, which provide an excellent context for training and career development in cardiovascular and neurovascular research.
In the 2018-2019 application cycle, the Fondation Leducq will award up to five Transatlantic Network of Excellence grants, each for an amount not to exceed $6,000,000 over five years.
The Foundation looks to support original and outstanding research in the areas of the foundation’s mission, viz., cardiovascular and neurovascular disease. Applicants are encouraged to think innovatively and to propose bold new ideas. Nevertheless, while the foundation will bear the risks inherent in innovative research, submitted proposals should not be merely speculative, and all applicants should provide a clear rationale for the research plan.
Networks should strive to advance knowledge on a defined theme, which may cover a variety of interrelated topics or subjects, by capitalizing on the resources and multidisciplinary expertise available within the network. Their overarching principal aim might be, for example, to test a specific hypothesis, to seek to understand a fundamental mechanistic question, to attempt a breakthrough on a particularly difficult research problem, or to propose a big new idea in cardiovascular or neurovascular research. Network activities should be oriented towards long-term goals, not at producing pre- defined results.
Applications are evaluated in a two-stage process. Interested applicants must first submit a letter of intent describing the composition of the proposed network and the general research plan. For the 2018-2019 application cycle the Fondation Leducq will use the web-based service provided by Altum proposalCENTRAL for the submission of all applications. Instructions for applicants, and information about the application process, are posted on the foundation’s website, www.flcq.org. The Fondation Leducq Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC) will review the letters of intent, and request a full proposal from a select number of network applicants, which in previous years has averaged 14 out of the approximately 100-120 letters of intent. Full proposals are then evaluated by the SAC at the spring meeting, and up to five per application cycle are recommended to the Board of Directors for funding.
Deadlines and program schedule:
- Letter of Intent (LOI) Deadline: September 5, 2018
- Notification of Application Status: November 5, 2018
- Full Application Deadline: February 14, 2019
- Scientific Advisory Committee Review: April 5, 2019
- Leducq Board of Directors Review: May – June 2019
- Funding to Commence: January 1, 2020
Transatlantic Networks web site: https://www.fondationleducq.org/transatlantic-networks-of-excellence/overview/
Full program description: https://view.officeapps.live.com/op/view.aspx?src=https://www.fondationleducq.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/Program-Description-2018-5.8.18-LM.docx
Filed Under: Funding Opportunities