Background

There is a great social, medical and economic challenge of historic proportion due to the dramatic increase in life expectancy. This welcome increase in survivorship brings with it a higher probability that multiple and interactive health problems, both chronic and acute will occur. Significant breakthroughs in understanding the basic biological processes that underlie aging-related diseases and disorders are the most promising approach to achieving genuine prevention or improvement of age-related debilitation and disease and it is now believed that such breakthroughs in understanding these processes are not only possible, but in fact are the likely consequence of the application of modern biological research techniques.

To pursue this new knowledge, talented investigators must be attracted to aging research. However, given the current funding climate, concerns about an adequate funding base for post-doctoral fellows exist and can be potentially detrimental to the quality of research in the area. We need to continue to nurture the research base that will be necessary to ensure the health of millions of older people. Serious gaps in biomedical and clinical research are placing the healthy aging and independence of older people at risk.

The Program

The Ellison Medical Foundation, in partnership with the American Federation for Aging Research (AFAR), created the Ellison/AFAR Postdoctoral Fellows in Aging Research Program to encourage and further the careers of postdoctoral fellows with outstanding promise in the basic biological and biomedical sciences relevant to understanding aging processes and age-related diseases and disabilities. The award is intended to provide significant support to permit these postdoctoral fellows to become established in the field of aging. Projects concerned with understanding the basic mechanisms of aging will be considered. Projects investigating age-related diseases are also supported, if approached from the point of view of how basic aging processes may lead to these outcomes. Projects concerning mechanisms underlying common geriatric functional disorders are also considered. Projects that deal strictly with clinical problems such as the diagnosis and treatment of disease, health outcomes, or the social context of aging are not eligible.

It is anticipated that up to 15 one-year grants will be awarded in 2009, ranging from $44,850 for a first-year fellow to up to $58,850 for a fellow with more than 7 years of training. Of the award, up to $7,850 may be requested for expenses such as research supplies, equipment, health insurance and travel to scientific meetings.

Recipients of this award are expected to attend the AFAR Grantee Conference. The purpose of the meeting is to promote scientific and personal exchanges among recent AFAR grantees and experts in aging research.

Eligibility Criteria

• The applicant must be a postdoctoral fellow (MD and/or PhD degree) at the start date of the award (July 1, 2009.) The proposed research must be conducted at any type of not-for-profit setting in the United States. Applicants who are employees in the NIH Intramural program are not eligible.
• Fellows may not hold any concurrent foundation or not-for-profit funding.

Any former Ellison/AFAR postdoctoral award recipient may apply for this award if the criteria above are met.

The deadline for receipt of applications and all supporting materials is December 16, 2008. Applications are reviewed through a two-tier review system. The initial screening takes place in mid-April, after which candidates are advised of the status of their applications. A final decision about grant awards is made in early June. The following criteria are used to determine the merit of an application:

• Qualifications of the applicant
• Quality of the proposed research
• Excellence of the research environment
• Likelihood that the project will advance the applicant's career in aging research
• Mentor's strength and qualifications to guide the applicant's research and career planning
• Proposed training opportunities

If you are using animals in your research, please review Principles of Animal Use for Gerontological Research.

Application Procedures

All candidates must submit applications endorsed by their institutions. The deadline for receipt of all applications and supporting materials is December 16, 2008 at 5:00 p.m. EST. Please refer to the Ellison/AFAR instruction sheet and application for complete application procedures. Incomplete applications cannot be considered.

Those applicants who are selected for the second level of review will be contacted by mail by mid-April. AFAR can provide critiques only for those applications that are reviewed at the second stage by their Review Committee.

For an application, click here.

Reporting Requirements

Investigators will be required to submit brief narrative reports on the progress of their research semi-annually. Final narrative and financial reports are required within three months following the end date of the award.

The Ellison Medical Foundation, established and supported by Lawrence J. Ellison, fosters creativity in biomedical research by supporting basic biomedical research on aging relevant to understanding aging processes and age-related diseases and disabilities. The Foundation particularly wishes to stimulate new, creative, research that might not be funded by traditional sources or that is often under-funded in the U.S. The Ellison Medical Foundation fosters research by means of grants-in-aid to investigators at universities and laboratories within the United States using a variety of award mechanisms.

Complete listing of all AFAR Selection Committees.

Listing of all AFAR Award Recipients

Back to the List of Grants and Applications