FUNDING MEMO

Title: 2025 AHA Predoctoral Fellowship

Funding Agency: American Heart Association & Collaborators

External Deadline(s):

09/04/2024 01:00 PM PDT (Full Proposal)

Cognizant Office: Office of Sponsored Research/Office of Foundation Relations

Description:

The American Heart Association (AHA) Predoctoral Fellowship is designed to enhance the integrated research and clinical training of promising students who are matriculated in pre-doctoral or clinical health professional degree training programs and who intend careers as scientists, physician-scientists or other clinician-scientists, or related careers aimed at improving global health and wellbeing.

Within this award, additional collaboration money has been designated through the AHA/CHF Congenital Heart Defect Research Awards, Autism Speaks, and by the Barth Syndrome Foundation and California Walnut Commission.

Frequency: Typically annual

Total Award: $34,774 to $69,548

• Annual Stipend: Matches the NIH scale for predoctoral fellows as of July 1, 2024.
  • $28,224 per year, plus $4,550 per year for health insurance.
  • Note: Stipend may be used to further supplement health insurance, however, the health insurance allowance may not be used for any other purpose.
• Project Support: $2,000 per year, in addition to the stipend.
  • No limit on any line item (travel, computer, equipment, etc.).
  • International travel is permitted.

Indirect Costs: Not Allowed

• Caltech’s minimum overhead rate is based on the award’s annual gross funding. Please refer to the FY24 Annual Rate Memo for applicable minimum overhead requirements. Applicants must work within their division to account for the required overhead via an approved MORA form.

Duration: 1-2 years

Discipline(s): Biology and Biological Engineering; Chemistry and Chemical Engineering; Engineering and Applied Science

Eligibility: Grad Student

• Each applicant must be an AHA Professional Member.
• At the time of application, the applicant must be:
  • Enrolled in a post-baccalaureate PhD, MD, DO, DVM, PharmD, DDS, DrPH, or PhD in nursing or equivalent clinical health science doctoral degree program, who seeks research training with a sponsor prior to embarking upon a research career.
  • A full-time student working towards his/her degree.
• At the time of award activation, the candidate must have completed initial coursework and be at the stage of the program where he/she can devote full-time effort to research or activities related to the development into an independent researcher or a related career aimed at improving global cardiovascular health.
• An applicant may submit only one AHA Predoctoral Fellowship application per deadline.
• An AHA Predoctoral Fellowship student may hold only one AHA award at a time.
• This award is not for individuals of faculty/staff rank.
• An AHA Predoctoral Fellowship awardee may not hold another AHA award concurrently. However, the student may apply for an AHA Postdoctoral Fellowship in the last year of the AHA Predoctoral Fellowship.
• An applicant who receives AHA funding, but has an ongoing training grant from another source, may defer the start of the AHA award up to six months to complete the existing fellowship. Prior AHA approval is required.
• AHA allows supplementation from other sources to meet the sponsoring institution’s stipend and benefit levels, however, the awardee may not hold a comparable award (such as another fellowship) as a source of supplementation.
• The mentor/sponsor may supervise no more than four AHA-funded fellows (pre-doctoral and/or postdoctoral) at the same time. This restriction does not apply to co-mentors/co-sponsors. Fellows who are part of an AHA Strategically Focused Research Network are excluded.
• Submission of an application to the AHA with identical or significantly similar content as a submission by another investigator is prohibited. Also, the submission of an application to the AHA with identical or significantly similar content from a mentor to a grant program and his/her fellow to fellowship program is prohibited. In such cases, both applications may be removed from funding consideration. If a grant application is submitted by the mentor of a fellowship application, both applications may be funded if there is no duplication of aims.
• AHA permits the use of a large language model (LLM – e.g., ChatGPT) or an artificial intelligence tool to generate and/or edit content in research proposals submitted for funding. This information must be disclosed at the time of submission. Disclosure of this information does not impact peer review. Should this information not be disclosed accurately, and use of these tools is identified, the proposal may be administratively withdrawn.
• Please note AHA's policies regarding intellectual property. If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to OTTCP.

Research Areas of Interest:

• Basic, clinical, behavioral, translational and population research, bioengineering/biotechnology and public heath problems broadly related to fulfilling the AHA's mission to be a relentless force for a world of longer, healthier lives.
• Co-funded research opportunities:
  • Autism Speaks: Cardiovascular and cerebrovascular health needs of people with autism.
  • Barth Syndrome Foundation: Innovative basic, clinical, or translational research relevant to the etiology, pathophysiology, diagnosis, treatment, epidemiology, and/or prevention of Barth Syndrome.
  • California Walnut Commission: Observational or clinical research trials that will improve understanding and expand knowledge promoting healthy dietary patterns (for example Mediterranean-style diets, plant-forward or food modeling) that include walnut consumption.

Post-Award Obligations:

• Annual reporting is required.

Recent Caltech Recipients:

• Shashank Gandi (Bronner Lab, 2018)

Guidelines & Other Information:

General Information and Deadlines (All Grants): https://professional.heart.org/en/research-programs/aha-funding-opportunities

Guidelines: https://professional.heart.org/en/research-programs/aha-funding-opportunities/predoctoral-fellowship

Co-funded Opportunities Details: https://professional.heart.org/en/research-programs/aha-funded-research/co-funded-research

Application Instructions: https://professional.heart.org/-/media/PHD-Files/Research/Application-Resources-Media-Folder/Application-Instructions/AHA_Research_Funding_Application_Instructions_AC.pdf

AHA Research Grant Policies: https://professional.heart.org/en/research-programs/awardee-resources/policies-governing-all-research-awards

*Note: Applications must be submitted by a grants officer (your Office of Sponsored Research Analyst). Please allow sufficient time for grant officer review and approval.

Submissions and awards for this grant program will be processed through the Office of Sponsored Research (OSR). However, please notify the Office of Foundation Relations (OFR) if you anticipate making a submission, have any questions, or would like a content review of your proposal. OFR is available to help ensure that Caltech’s proposals are competitive and can assist with proposal development and advise you on the routing of your paperwork. Interested researchers should work with their division grant manager to prepare the budget, the MORA form, and the Division Approval Form (DAF).

Opportunity ID: 1940