The Eye, Ear, Nose and Throat Foundation

Competitive New Orleans Biomedical Research Grant Program

APPLICATION GUIDELINES and GENERAL RULES

as of March 2022

The EENT Foundation's competitive biomedical research grant program is intended to foster scientific, translational, and clinical advances in preventing and treating diseases and disorders of the eye, ear, nose, and throat, including related issues involving the head, neck, jaw, and brain. Grants are available under this program to colleges and universities and non-profit healthcare organizations headquartered in Orleans, Jefferson, or St. Tammany Parishes for use by such institutions and their researchers, clinicians, and students.

EENT grants are awarded in five categories:

• General Research Grants
• Fellowship Research Grants
• Undergraduate Research Grants
• Student Project Grants
• Capital Equipment Grants

Research Grants - Research Grants are awarded to an institution for use by individual investigators employed by or enrolled in that institution. General Research, Fellowship Research, and Undergraduate Research Grants are awarded to accredited research universities and non-profit healthcare organizations in Orleans, Jefferson, or St. Tammany Parishes. Research grant applications are reviewed and scored by independent expert panels and the final funding decision is made by the EENT Foundation. Investigators in the following categories are eligible to submit Research Grant applications:

• Independent Investigators - Holders of an M.D. or an allopathic or osteopathic equivalent, a Ph.D. in science, engineering, medicine, public health, or epidemiology, a Pharm.D., a D.D.S. or D.M.D., a D.L.T., or a D.V.M., who qualify to serve as a Principal Investigator under their employer's guidelines are eligible to apply for General Research Awards. The grant award criteria include priority weighting for PIs who qualify as Early Stage Investigators or New Investigators under the NIH's Early-Investigator Policy.


• Research Fellows - Holders of a B.S. or M.S. degree in science or engineering who are currently enrolled in a full-time master's or doctorate program in science, engineering, medicine, pharmacy, public health, or epidemiology and holders of doctoral degrees who have not yet obtained a faculty position may apply for Fellowship Research Awards. Research Fellows will be under the guidance of a mentor who is an Independent Investigator.


• Student Investigators - Undergraduate Research Awards are available for full-time students pursuing a B.S. degree in a four-year science or engineering curriculum at a local university and whose research is sponsored or mentored by an Independent Investigator.

Student Project Grants - These grants typically support work done by third-year or fourth-year students, either individually or in small groups, to complete a science or engineering project required by or sponsored by the college or university during a school year.

Capital Equipment Grants - Through their institutions, researchers and clinicians at local research universities and non-profit healthcare organizations may apply for grants to purchase capital equipment that either (1) will be primarily used for EENT-related laboratory research or (2) will foster or support a significant advance in EENT-related clinical capabilities in the New Orleans area.

Scientific Review - EENT will convene expert review panels or, at its discretion, otherwise objectively evaluate research grant requests based on the quality and potential impact of the underlying science and the potential for success of the proposed study. The reviews and evaluations will provide guidance to the trustees of the Eye, Ear, Nose & Throat Foundation, who will be solely responsible for all award decisions. Please note that EENT would welcome local researchers who would like to participate in EENT peer review panels.

Submission Deadlines - The current due dates for submitting applications for each of the categories of grants are posted here on the EENT website.

Notice of Award - Notices of award are typically issued two months after the full proposal due dates, and the period of performance will begin upon delivery of the notice of award. Notices of award may be issued sooner to Student Investigators.

EENT Focus Only - All grant applications should clearly define the relationship of the proposed study to EENT topics of interest. Investigators who are unsure as to whether their proposed study is appropriate should request clarification from the EENT Foundation prior to preparing their grant applications. Requests for clarification should be addressed to grants@eentno.org and should include a concise description of the planned study and its specific aims.

Amounts and Terms of Awards - Allowable expenditures for General and Fellowship Research Grants include direct salaries and benefits, materials and supplies, services, animal studies, human studies, travel, publications, and ordinary laboratory equipment costing up to $5,000. Overhead is limited to 15% on non-equipment expenses and tuition remission is not allowed. The EENT salary cap is the same as the NIH salary cap. Other expenditure limitations apply to Undergraduate Research Grants.

Budget Limitations

• General Research Awards: Without prior approval, the maximum award is a total of $125,000 per year, which includes ordinary laboratory equipment costs and limited overhead charges. Award duration is usually one to three years.
  
• Fellowship Research Awards: The maximum total award is $125,000, which includes ordinary laboratory equipment costs and limited overhead charges, and no budget year shall exceed $62,500. Award duration is one to three years.
  
• Undergraduate Research Awards: $25,000, which includes ordinary laboratory equipment costs, any animal studies, and limited overhead charges.
  
• Student Project Awards: $2,500 per project.
  
• Capital Equipment Awards: Up to $250,000 or more for laboratory equipment and qualifying clinical equipment.

The number and sizes of grants awarded each year will depend upon the EENT Foundation's available funds, which will vary from time to time. EENT has earmarked $1,000,000 per year for this program, though that figure may be higher in some years.

Terms and Conditions - All proposals and any pre-proposals must be submitted through the host institution’s office of sponsored projects or its equivalent. By accepting an award, a grantee agrees to comply with all U.S. Government and Louisiana State requirements for protection of human subjects, animal welfare, invention reporting, financial conflict of interest, and research misconduct. Acceptance of an award from EENT requires the grantee institution and its designated principal investigator to execute a grant agreement setting forth the definitive terms and conditions of the award.

Grant Application Forms - EENT's research grant application forms are based on the U.S. DHHS PHS 398 forms used by the National Institutes of Health and other government institutions for non-electronic submissions. Links to downloadable copies of the EENT forms for each EENT grant category can be found on the Applications Information page of the EENT website. Completed applications are transmitted to EENT via an email link on the EENT website.

Invoicing, Payment, and Reporting - Research grant budgets will be approved by year for each year of the project. EENT will make payments monthly by check to the institution's grants administration office upon receipt of the institution's standard monthly invoice. For approved purchases of equipment costing $5,000 or more EENT will reimburse the institution upon receipt of documentation showing that the equipment has been purchased, and, if applicable, installed. For multi-year awards, progress reports must be submitted two months prior to the end of each budget year. Student Project Grants will be funded in full as of the commencement of the grant period. Invoices and financial reports submitted to EENT are subject to review by EENT's auditors.

Closeout Requirements - Research grant closeout requirements include the submission of a final financial report, a final project progress report, and a final invention statement and certification. For Student Project Grants, a copy of the awardee's final project report is required.

Intellectual Property - Inventions arising from work done under EENT-funded research grants will be the property of the grantee institution. In some cases EENT will receive a five percent (5%) interest in any net royalty or other income ultimately realized by the awardee institution. See the instructions for each specific grant application for further information.

Additional Information - Other information pertaining to EENT grants can be found on the EENT website at www.EENTNewOrleans.org.