Funding and Grant Opportunities

The proposals should be written in Arial 11-12 font, with >0.5-inch margins and follow this format:

• Title Page
• Project Summary/Abstract (500 words or less)
• Specific Aims (1 page maximum)
• Research Strategy (3 pages maximum)
• Background and Significance
• Innovation and Potential Impact
• Research Plan (methodology and statistical analysis plan must be clearly described)
• Expected outcomes
• Articulate clearly how results from this project will increase competitiveness for larger extramural funding
• Timeline in Gantt chart format
• References/citations (required but do not count toward the total number of pages for the application)
• NIH-style Biosketch (see template)
• Budget plan

• The SSR will fund early-stage investigators (within 10 years of receiving terminal degree and having not received significant [>$100,000 USD] total direct cost) funding as an independent investigator. The award committee will take into account any legitimate career disruption incurred by the candidate.
• Investigators should have a doctoral degree (MD, MD/PhD, PhD, DO, ScD or equivalent), be working to establish an independent research program, and have sufficient expertise, commitment of effort, organizational structure, and operational effectiveness to successfully implement the plan for the proposed research.
• Scientists who have received the terminal degree but are working as a trainee (e.g., clinical and research students, residents, fellows, and postdoctoral trainees) are not eligible as the PI.
• Applicants must be SSR Regular Members at the time of application. Grantees must maintain an active membership for three years, and the results must be presented at the SSR annual meeting within three years of the award date.
• The proposed project must align with the SSR Mission (Advance the Science of Reproduction, Fertility, and Development for the Benefit of Humans and Animals) and Vision (“A Sustainable World Through the Science of Reproduction, Fertility, and Development”).

• Funds will be paid to the applicant’s institution.
• Funds awarded are final, do not include overheads, and are not subject to appeal.
• Funds are only awarded for direct costs and cannot be used to cover salaries.
• Eligible applicants may apply as PI for one grant per year (limit of 3 cycles with the same proposal), and a recipient will not be eligible if they have previously received this grant.

The SSR Membership Committee will review proposals and determine grant awards. The Emerging Investigator Grants will be given to scientists from diverse areas of interest, widespread regions of the world, and studying various species of interest. Applications will be judged based on the following criteria:

• Quality of the proposed project based on clarity of the identified gap in knowledge, hypothesis, and research design.
• Scientific and clinical/practical relevance of the proposed project to SSR themes.
• Feasibility of the project to be completed within one year using available resources, personnel, and expertise.
• Additional considerations may be given to rare/niche research topics, etc.
• The main criteria will be the quality of the application; however, in an effort to align with the SSR strategic plan, the selection committee will also consider areas of interest, regions of the world, and species of interest in their selection.

To avoid a potential conflict of interest, members of the SSR Grant Committee will recuse themselves from review of any proposal that involves their institutions of employment or has a conflict of interest. (See the NIH conflict of interest rules here).

Grant award recipients must:

• Provide the SSR with a final summary report and conciliation of funds within 60 days of end-of-funding deadline.
• Present research findings (talk or poster) at an SSR Annual Meeting within 3 years of receiving the grant.
• Provide acknowledgement of support by the SSR in all publications, abstracts, manuscripts, and/or presentations at scientific conferences or meetings resulting from the funded research.

• SSR will provide support for regional and local reproductive and developmental sciences meetings only.
  Support through this program will not be provided for national or international meetings. Attendees, other than keynote speakers, must be from the host institution and surrounding region.
• The host organization or institution is eligible for one award per year.
• The meeting organizers and registrants must include regular members of the SSR.
• International or non-U.S./Canadian applicants are eligible to apply.
• The meeting must anticipate more than 40 registered attendees (e.g., based on prior years or current registrations).
• Regularly scheduled institutional or departmental meetings are not eligible for support (i.e., grand rounds, regular divisional or departmental seminar series, etc.)
• Applications must be submitted by May 31 and December 1. Applications should be submitted by email to the Treasurer

• The amount of support will not exceed $750.
• Recipients will be required to acknowledge SSR support for the meeting in all promotional materials. The
  SSR Business Office will provide SSR slides to use in meeting acknowledgements, a promotional flyer for
  distribution to the membership in hardcopy or email, and the SSR logo to be used on printed program
  materials.
• After the meeting, the organizers will be required to provide the final program, the number of attendees,
  and, where feasible, names and contact information of attendees.

• The application must include the following sections:
  1. Meeting information, including: Title, Meeting Dates, Sponsoring Institution/Organization, Name and Affiliation of Program/Organizing Chair(s).
  2. An overview of the general focus or theme of the meeting.
  3. Describe the expected geographic representation of attendees as well as the professional makeup of the target audience (i.e., faculty, staff, trainees, graduate students).
  4. Describe what the award will be used for and how SSR’s support for the meeting will be acknowledged. Examples of how SSR’s support is acknowledged include flyers/advertisements, slides in introductory or concluding remarks, posters, printed brochures, etc.
• The application will be no more than 1 page in length (1 inch margins, 12 pt Arial font).
• Include the meeting flyer/advertisement and itinerary as attachments with the application.