2024 CV Section/CNS Foundation Young Investigator Research Grant

APPLICATION GUIDELINES, INSTRUCTIONS & FAQs

As a premier funder of neurosurgical studies, the Congress of Neurological Surgeons Foundation (CNSF) is pleased to offer the Cerebrovascular Section/CNS Foundation Research Grant.

Please read this document in its entirety prior to completing the online application. After reviewing the application and the information below, please do not hesitate to contact the CNSF via email at foundation@cns.org if you still have questions.

• Objective: The objective of the grant is to provide sustained research startup funding for early-stage academic neurosurgeon-scientists in the field of cerebrovascular disease.
• Eligibility Criteria:
  • Board-eligible cerebrovascular and/or endovascular fellowship-trained neurosurgeon, in the first three (3) years of full-time faculty position at the start of the funding period. Applicant must be an active member in good standing of the Cerebrovascular Section (“CV Section”). Fellows may apply in the final year of fellowship, as long as a faculty position is confirmed prior to the start of the funding period. Faculty position must be at a teaching institution in North America.
• Deadline for Application: 11:59pm, March 31, 2024. Awardees will be notified in July 2024.
• Period of Grant: Three years, beginning August 1, 2024 through July 31, 2027.
• Amount of Grant: $50,000 per year for three (3) years; total $150,000 of direct costs. Grants may be awarded in lesser amounts depending on available support. No indirect costs are provided.
• Items Required:
  • Application – A completed, current version of the online application (with signatures) and items listed below must be submitted via the CNSF Online Grant Portal by the deadline.
  • Biosketch(es) – The applicant and all key personnel must submit a current NIH-format (non-fellowship) biosketch.
  • Letters of Support – Letters of support from the Department Chair, Key Personnel (if applicable) and Fellowship director (if applicant is currently in fellowship) are required.
  • Budget and Budget Justification – a three-year budget and justification must be included.
  • Human Subjects/Vertebrate Animals – Information about human subjects and/or vertebrate animal protocols must be included, if applicable.
  • IRS Non-Profit Status Determination Letter – Please contact CNSF with questions about the eligibility of the host institution. Only non-profit, charitable entities may apply. A for-profit entity is not eligible unless affiliated with a non-profit entity.
  • ACGME, CAST or ABNS RFP Accreditation – The applicant must submit a certificate of accreditation for cerebrovascular and/or endovascular fellowship. In the event an Applicant has not yet received individual accreditation, please submit the applicant’s fellowship training program’s accreditation.

• Submission Instructions
  • Visit the CNSF Online Grant Portal.
  • To apply for an CNSF grant, you will need to create an account.
• Funding Overlap/Duplicate Funding: Funding for this grant awarded by the CNSF cannot directly overlap with any other outside funding source. If the recipient receives funding from another source, the CNSF must be notified by email to foundation@cns.org
• Notification of Award: The CNS Foundation expects to notify each applicant by letter prior to the Joint Cerebrovascular Section/Society for Neurointerventional Surgery meeting (typically annually in July); however, public announcement will be contingent upon receipt of written confirmation from applicants. The CNS Foundation reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to extend the date for it to provide notification of awards. The successful applicant is expected to attend the Joint Cerebrovascular Section/Society of Neurointerventional Surgery meeting in person to receive recognition for the award.
• Fiscal Policies and Reports:
  • Grant payments will be made on August 1 of each year of the funding period:
    • 33% ($50,000 or less at the discretion of the funding agency) at the start of the grant period
    • 33% ($50,000 or less at the discretion of the funding agency) by August 1 of the second year of the grant period
    • Remaining balance by August 1 of the final year of the grant period
  • A one-page progress report (including accounting of funds) must be submitted annually by July 1 of each of the first two years of the funding period.
  • A final summary report must be submitted within six (6) months of the conclusion of the grant period (by February 1of the calendar year after the final year of the grant period) along with a final accounting of funds.
  • Grant funds for each year will be withheld until reports referenced above are received.
  • At the conclusion of the three-year funding period, any unexpended balance of $100 or more must be refunded within forty-five (45) days together with the report of expenditures and accompanying documentation.
  • All reports must be submitted electronically to foundation@cns.org.
  • Separate accounting of the grant funds should be maintained at the receiving institution. These accounts, with appropriate and related invoices and payroll information, must be available at all times to funding agency representatives.
  • The grantee may terminate a grant prior to the planned expiration date by notifying the CNSF in writing and stating the reasons for termination. Unexpended funds must be returned to the CNSF within sixty (60) days, together with a final report of expenditures. The CNSF reserves the right to terminate grants at any time if the grantee violates the terms and conditions of the grant.
• Policy on Delinquent Financial/Research Reports: The Foundation reserves the right to deny additional grants to any institution where, after proper notification, a grantee has not submitted his/her progress or final reports, and/or the financial officer has not submitted the final report of expenses, as required by CNSF. Further, the CNSF will not issue final payments to institutions until reports are received.
• Publication: The funding agency encourages publication of research findings by the grantee, but requires that the CV Section and CNS Foundation is cited as a source of support on the first page of the text. When a grantee presents a paper at a professional scientific meeting concerning research findings made during the course of the grant, the CV Section and CNS Foundation must be cited prior to the beginning of the presentation.
  • The citation should appear in the funding section of all publications as follows:

This work is supported by the Joint Cerebrovascular Section/CNS Foundation Young Investigator Research Grant.

• The CNSF, CV Section and CNS Foundation should be sent reprints of all papers and publications, including any electronic papers or publications, resulting from work done during the course of a fellowship, even those that appear after the fellowship has concluded.
• Grantees are designated “CV Section Scholars” for the period of grant funding.

Frequently-Asked Questions

1. Who can apply?
   • Applicants must be ABNS board-certified or ABNS board-eligible neurosurgeons who are full-time faculty in North American teaching institutions and in the early years of their careers, no more than three years from the end of clinical training (residency or clinical fellowship, whichever is later).
   • Applicants may apply in the final year of fellowship, as long as the full-time faculty position is confirmed prior to the start of the funding period.
2. Does the applicant need to be a United States citizen?
   • S. Citizenship is not required to apply.
3. Who should I ask to provide a letter of support?
   • A letter of support from the applicant’s department chair is required. This letter should be from the chair of the department at which the applicant is appointed full-time faculty. If the applicant is currently a fellow, a letter of support from the chair of the department at which the applicant will be appointed as full-time faculty by the beginning of the funding period is required.
   • If the applicant is currently a fellow, an additional letter of support from the applicant’s current fellowship director is required.
   • The above letters of support should describe the applicant’s abilities and potential, the proposed project’s impact, and the applicant’s research environment.
   • Additional letters of support from key personnel (if applicable) describing their role in the applicant’s proposal are also required, if support for key personnel is requested.
4. How many awardees per institution are allowed?
   • Usually, no more than one award per year will be given to any one institution. However, the final decision is at the discretion of the CV Section Research Committee.
5. What is the award amount?
   • Typically, each grant is $50,000 per year over three years (total $150,000), but the amount may be adjusted depending on available funding.
6. What is the grant period?
   • A three-year period starting August 1st.
7. Can funding be accepted from other sources?
   • The CV Section recognizes that research often requires multiple funding sources. If a grant is obtained from another source for the same project, it must not directly overlap with the components funded by this application. It is the applicant’s responsibility to notify the CV Section if additional funding is obtained.
8. What is the time commitment?
   • At least 10% of the applicant’s efforts must be devoted to the proposed project. However, no salary support for the PI is permitted.
9. How are applications submitted?
   • Applications are only available through the CNSF Online Grant Portal.
10. What is the application deadline?
    • The completed application must be submitted by 11:59pm (Central Time) March 31st.
11. Will I be notified that my application was received?
    • An administrative review will take place after March 31st and applicants will receive notification via email that their application was received. Applicants will be contacted only if there are questions regarding their application.
12. When will awardees be notified?
    • Notification of awards will be made by July 15th, though dates may be extended if necessary at the discretion of the CV Section. All applicants will be notified whether or not they receive an award.
13. What is the policy for extension requests?
    • Requests for a No Cost Extension will be considered, but are subject to approval from the Chair of the CV Section Research Committee. Send requests to foundation@cns.org.
14. What are the reporting requirements?
    • A one-page progress report (including accounting of funds) must be submitted annually by July 1 of each of the first two years of the funding period.
    • A final summary report must be submitted within six (6) months of the conclusion of the grant period (by February 1 of the calendar year after the final grant period) along with a final accounting of funds.
15. What should be included in the reports?
    • Progress Report Outline – The report should be limited to one page, and address the following questions:
      • Are you on track to complete the project within the proposed budget?
      • Have you encountered any unexpected challenges?
      • What publications, presentations, abstracts or other materials have been supported by this award?
      • Are there aspects of your efforts to date that merit publicity?
    • Final Report and Accounting of Funds – The report has no page limit, and should address the following questions:
      • Were the outcomes that you detailed in your proposal achieved?
      • Were there any unexpected challenges encountered?
      • Have the grant funds been utilized as proposed?
      • Do you have plans to pursue additional funding from other sources to continue your research?
      • Please describe any impact this project will have on the future of your research.
      • What publications, presentations, abstracts or other materials have been supported by this award?
      • Are there aspects of your efforts to date that merit publicity?

16. What are the budget requirements?
    • A comprehensive budget must be prepared by the applicant indicating how the award will be used. Funds may not be used for salary support for the PI, but may be used to support the salary of other members of the research team.
    • This award funds only direct costs, and must not be used to acquire or cover indirect/F&A costs, fringe benefits, publication costs, or travel expenses.
17. Who is the payee?
    • Awards will be made payable to the applicant’s institution. To expedite the proper disbursement of awards, please be sure to include the correct payee information within your application.
18. What is the policy for unused funds?
    • Any funds that are not used at the end of the engagement period must be returned to the sponsor.
19. How is the grant administered?
    • The CV Section is the official administrator of the grant program, including processing and organizing the review of applications. The CNSF administers the online receipt of applications.
    • Applications are subject to an NIH-style review process, first by selected subject-matter expert members of the CV Section Research Committee, followed by a review of the most competitive applications by the entire committee in “study section” format.
    • The CV Section manages the financial aspects of the fellowships and the distribution of funds to the institution.

For additional information, visit CNSF Awards and Scholarships online or contact CNSF at 847.240.2500 or via email at foundation@cns.org.