CLINICAL RESEARCH GRANT: MENTORED

The ASHFoundation’s Clinical Research Grants are intended to encourage research that will impact the delivery of services to people with communication disorders, who are striving to communicate and connect. Research should directly advance knowledge of treatment efficacy and assessment practices in audiology and speech-language pathology, or investigate the implementation of evidence into practice.

For Clinical Research Grants, priority is given to proposals that:

• Investigate bold, forward-thinking solutions that could improve the everyday functioning of people with, or at risk for, communication and related impairments.
• Promote new directions for the discipline and likely would progress to future large-scale studies with the potential to compete for additional external funding. The grants are not intended to provide the investigator with additional or extended support for an existing study already supported through extramural funds. However, proposals will be considered if a new investigator is proposing to join an established research team to develop a treatment-efficacy, implementation, or service-delivery study that holds promise for subsequent funding of the investigator.

Note for 2021: In preparation for the grant submission and review processes, the ASHFoundation requests that potential investigators complete an Intent to Submit Form by March 1 to provide information regarding their proposed studies. When investigators log in to the online submission system, they will be prompted to complete the Intent to Submit Form. This step must be completed before proceeding to the proposal submission process.

Mentored Research Studies (one- or two-year studies)

-Clinical Research Grants for mentored research studies are similar to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) F32 award; investigators need to identify mentors with histories of conducting efficacy research and securing successful funding who agree to be actively involved in mentoring throughout the study. New investigators, especially post-docs, are good candidates for this grant mechanism.

• Proposals must include a description of a research study that can be completed within two years. A mentoring plan is also required to demonstrate the mentor's involvement from the review of the plan through implementation, dissemination, and preparation of an external grant proposal to support continued research on the proposed problem.
• Proposals that document matching funds or other support via university or extramural funding will be given priority. The budget justification should explain how ASHFoundation funds will be used in the context of other available support. (For example, if the investigator is working in an active treatment efficacy lab in a post-doctoral fellowship role, the majority of the funds could support the investigator's salary. If the investigator is a new investigator in a faculty position, the majority of the funds might be expected to fund the research activities directly.)
• If the mentor is working with the investigator at a different institution, funds for travel and consultation should be included in the maximum budget of $50,000.

Investigators must meet the following criteria to be eligible for the Clinical Research Grant.

• The investigator must have received a PhD or equivalent research doctorate within the discipline of communication sciences and disorders or a related field.

Note: Proposals will be accepted from individuals in the final stages of completing their dissertation. However, no awards will be given to individuals who have not received a PhD by September 1, 2021.

• The investigator must demonstrate the potential for, and commitment to, conducting independent research with a clear plan for applying for extramural research support.
• The research must have significance and direct application to the development and evaluation of audiology or speech-language pathology intervention or assessment practices.
• Candidates for a mentored study must identify a mentor willing to provide a firm commitment for at least one year. Proposals that document matching funds via a university or the mentor's extramural funding will be given priority.
• Proposals submitted to the 2021 Clinical Research Grant competition cannot be submitted to other 2021 ASHFoundation grant competitions. However, the investigator remains eligible to submit to other ASHFoundation grant competitions in the same year, if proposing to investigate a different topic.