Parents Against Childhood Epilepsy, Inc.

A Research and Education Fund

PACE RESEARCH GRANTS

PACE, Inc. is a New York non profit corporation formed in 1996 to battle and cure pediatric epilepsy. It was founded by a group of parents in response to their experiences in caring for the physical, social, educational, developmental and emotional needs of their children who suffer from severe seizure disorders. PACE recognizes the need to raise capital to provide more private funds for research into seizure disorders. Scientists and researchers are often hampered in their progress by difficulty obtaining suitable financial support for their research. PACE offers grants in the hope of alleviating this problem and pressing the medical community forward to find the cure.

The purpose of PACE's grant program is to support research in the area of pediatric epilepsy, including preventative, diagnostic, and therapeutic studies aimed at furthering medical knowledge to either cure children with seizure disorders or to give them a better quality of life. Investigation can involve inquiry into the causes, effects, and non-drug therapy treatments of childhood epilepsy. Although other topics of study will be considered areas of prime interest for the current grant year include innovative pediatric models of epilepsy, electrophysiologic recording on live human tissue from epilepsy surgery, evaluation of neocortical epilepsies, the role of immune or inflammatory mediators in epilepsy, neuro-immunological effects of inflammatory molecules with the emphasis on dietary pathogens, mitochondrial disorders as they relate to epilepsy and other innovative and unique proposals that fall outside the above areas that address pediatric epilepsy, will be considered. Proposals involving AED (Anti Epileptic Drug) interventions will not be considered.

Eligibility

PACE will award grants to individuals at research institutions including colleges, universities and medical centers, and other qualified charitable organizations. Applications will be considered from individuals who have either completed fellowship training or have extensive research experience in the areas of pediatric neurology, immunology, genetics, neuro-sciences or closely related fields prior to the grant's inception.

PACE grants are intended to support research primarily by individuals holding M.D., Ph.D., or D.O. degrees.

Deadline and Review Process

Applications and all supporting documents for PACE's Research Grant Program must be received at the address listed at the end of this application, no later than Monday, March 8, 2008. Applications received after this date will not be considered. Submission to the human subjects review board, if applicable, is required at the time of the application.

The PACE Medical Advisory Board and the PACE Board of Directors will review applications, using outside consultants as necessary. Successful applicants will be notified on or about the first week of June and funds will be made available about that time. Because of limited resources, PACE will not be able to provide individual critiques of applications.

The Board of Directors' final selection of grant recipients will be based on the following:

1. Merits of proposal
2. Credentials of applicant
3. Relationship of proposal to PACE's charitable activities or areas of concern
4. The proposal's priority in relation to other demands on PACE's funds.

Terms of Support

Grants will be awarded for a one-year period unless otherwise deemed reasonable and necessary by the Board of Directors. It is expected that grants will range in amount from approximately $10,000.00 to $100,000.00, depending on the nature and scope of the project, the financial needs of the recipient, and PACE's resources. However, most grants in previous years have been in the $50,000 - $70,000 range.

Funds may be used only for investigator/technician salary, equipment, supplies, animals, clinical research costs or other expenses directly related to the conduct of the proposed research. Grant monies may not be used for any of the following:

1. Constructing or renovating facilities
2. Furniture or office equipment
3. Honoraria of membership dues
4. Entertainment
5. Textbooks or periodicals
6. Repair or service contract costs of institutional equipment
7. Indirect costs (PACE restricts the amount and nature of indirect costs associated with the grant.)

A second year of funding will be considered only with the submission of a new grant application in the ensuing funding year. If a research proposal is expected to take longer than the period specified in the application, a written request for an extension must by made to PACE at least 45 days prior to the expiration of such period.

Reporting Requirements and Investigations

Recipients of grants shall submit to PACE an annual written report for a lay audience showing:

1. Use of funds granted, detailing all expenditures made from the grant
2. Progress made by the recipient toward achieving the purposes for which the grant was awarded

Such reports shall be due 45 days before the end of PACE's fiscal year. (Due November 15, 2008). . In addition, a final report shall be due upon completion of the project. If the project for which the grant was received involves the creation of a written product or document, a copy of such written work must be submitted upon its completion, even if published after termination of the grant. All publications must bear a statement that the work was supported by the Parents Against Childhood Epilepsy, Inc. Research Grant Program. The Grant recipient may be contacted after the completion of this award for periodic updates on various aspects of his or her research directly related to the grant.

If the reports as stated above indicate that the recipient did not fulfill the requirements of the grant, PACE will conduct an investigation and take appropriate action.

The Application

Each application shall include the following information:

1. Personal Information
   1. Name
   2. DOB
   3. Citizenship
   4. Social Security Number
   5. Office address, phone, & fax
   6. Home address, phone, & fax
   7. Email address
   8. College
   9. Graduate education
   10. Post graduate education
   11. Internship
   12. Residency
   13. Fellowship
   14. Honors
   15. Publication

   A Curriculum Vita that includes all of the forgoing information will be sufficient to satisfy this item.
   

2. Research Proposal (limit 15 pages, double-spaced)

   Please provide a Research Proposal describing the study planned, limited to fifteen (15) double-spaced pages (exclusive of references). The Research Proposal should include:

   Title Page:

   1. Title of research project
   2. Name, office or laboratory address, telephone and fax numbers of applicant
   3. Summary of research project (500 word limit)
   4. Duration of research project
3. Amount of funding requested

   Research Plan:

   1. Specific Aims (to include a statement of hypothesis)
   2. Background of study
   3. Preliminary studies (investigator and others)
   4. Research Design and Methods (as appropriate to the study, with separate headings/sections for study design, sources of patients, samples or data, inclusion/exclusion criteria if to involve patients, time frame of the study, statistical analysis with power calculation, etc.)
   5. Significance
   6. Potential strengths and limitations of the study
   
   
4. Resources (limit 2 pages, double-spaced)

   Please discuss institutional resources available to investigator for proposed study. Also detail any prior experience of the investigator and any major collaborator relevant to proposed study.
   

5. Funding Information (limit 2 pages)

   Please provide an estimate of financial needs for the proposed study in the following format:

   blankblankblankblankblankblankblankblankblank	Requested Dollar Amount
   Personnel (including fringe benefits)	____________________
   Equipment	____________________
   Supplies	____________________
   Travel	____________________
   Other Expenses	____________________
   TOTAL COSTS	____________________

   Funding Justification
   Discuss breakdown of personnel costs and any other large ($1,000 or greater) or unusual expense in any category.

   Other Support
   List other support available to the investigator for this or other research projects. For each item give the name of the agency, the title of the project and the dollar amount available to the investigator. Describe any overlap of research goals or specific aims with your Research Proposal.
   

6. Letters of Recommendation (limit 1 page each)

   Three letters of recommendation should be submitted by unrelated persons qualified to comment on applicant's professional competence, one of which shall be from the Chairperson of the facility. (Kindly include letters of recommendation, sealed, with the Application.)

Guidelines of Application

The page limits for parts B-E are the maximum acceptable. Conciseness of description is desirable and fewer pages than the maximum allowable is usually sufficient. Appendices may be used for presenting data tabulation, figures, graphs, and other appropriate data, however they must be included in the counting of total pages submitted. Appendices may not contain further descriptive materials.

1. 12-point proportional font is the smallest print permitted
2. One-inch margins are the smallest margins permitted
3. There is a 30 line per page maximum; double-spacing all text is required
4. Data presented in tabular format may be single-spaced