Calls for Proposals

ARSEP Foundation and AFMTELETHON are pleased to announce a “Special Call for Research Proposals”.
They will provide significant support (300 000 €) for two to three
scientific projects of high caliber for one year.

Applications will be evaluated on their international competiveness and the originality of the proposed work. Research projects from basic science to clinical research will be considered provided they have primarily focused on the understanding and treatment of demyelinating diseases using remyelination approaches.

The projects will be based on the participation of several groups including at least one French group with a major role in the project. Funding for laboratory expenses, equipment and fellowships can be requested.

APPLICATION PROCEDURE
On-line entry and validation of a form on the website: www.arsep.org - section ‘Chercheurs’ no later than SEPTEMBER 27, 2017. The application form on the website must be completed by the principal investigator (coordinator).

We invite you to read carefully (Français - English) the explanatory note.

Before your online submission, fill in the application form

Sending of a signed paper copy of the project file with the supporting documents requested to ARSEP headquarters: 14 rue Jules Vanzuppe – 94 200 IVRY SUR SEINE – France, no later than October 10, 2017.

No extensions on the deadline will be permitted and no proposals will be considered after this date. Any non-compliant or incomplete [XSS-PROTECT:file] (unsigned paper version, missing or non-conforming parts, etc.) will be considered inadmissible. Notification expected December 2017.

ELIGILIBITY
To be eligible, the Proposal must include:

• Participation of at least two research laboratories, including one in France with a major role in the project.
• Relevance to the proposed general topics.

For investigator-initiated support requests, no topic restrictions are imposed, other than the required demonstration of relevance to Multiple Sclerosis. ARSEP Foundation welcomes any basic and clinical research applications focused on Multiple Sclerosis, including for example: immunologic basis of MS, myelin biology, axonal degeneration, restoration of myelin and axonal integrity, susceptibility to MS, virology, infectious disease processes that may trigger disease activity,imaging technology, identification and use of surrogate markers, clinical research and therapeutics, and so on.
Regulations about research grants:

• Research projects taking place outside of France can be funded by ARSEP provided they are integrated into a multicenter project including at least one French team with a major role in the project.
• A principal investigator (PI) can only submit one project.
• Funding will be granted for one year, renewable after resubmission.
• Funding is for laboratory expenses, equipment, access to a technology platform... Funding for a technician can be requested, but the amount for the salary cannot exceed 1/3 of the total requested amount.
• A fixed amount will be awarded: 50 000 € maximum per project.

• ARSEP support covers salary (35 000 € for a doctoral fellowship; 57 000 € for a post-doctoral fellowship)
• The support cannot exceed 3 years
• The candidate should be less than 40 years old on March 31, 2017
• French nationality is not required
• A principal investigator (PI) can only submit one project as a coordinator for grant or for fellowship

PhD students can apply for fellowships only for their last thesis year (3rd or 4th year) and only if

1. the absence of funding for the entire thesis can be justified or due to unusual circumstances,
2. a 4th year is necessary for the completion of the thesis and is authorized by the French University.

Postdoctoral fellows if:

1. the applicants reside in France, funding can be granted for the first year and possibly renewed,
2. the applicants apply for a foreign laboratory, funding can be granted only for the first year providing that the PhD has been performed in France.

REMINDER: In respect with the French law, the duration of fixed-term contracts in public laboratories cannot exceed 6 consecutive years (for post-doctoral fellowship). Selection of the project is based on the project originality, feasibility, the pertinence and the relevance of the methodology. In 2017, a project will be put forward for its innovative character.

HOW TO APPLY ?

ARSEP proposes 3 types of research supports

1- "Application for fellowship" to fund a doctoral or post-doctoral candidate in studies related to MS.
2- "Application for research grant" to fund a project,
3- "Application for research grant + fellowship" to support a project AND a doctoral or post-doctoral fellow for working on this project. Beware! If you ask for a grant and a fellowship associated to the grant, you have to send ONLY this file.

Participation in a project must be signed by all collaborators involved in the proposed research.

• An administrative file. Please, send this file in “word” format. Information provided in this document (summaries in French for a lay audience) will be used by Arsep Foundation for its own communication needs.
• A project file. This file could be sent in “PDF” or “word” format. If your PDF document is protected, please send the summary in a separate word format. Thank you. Please, limit the size of your application. Some institution do not accept files over 4 MB.

BEWARE:
A completed application should have these 2 files.  Applications must be sent by:
1- email to Emmanuelle Plassart-Schiess at: scientific@arsep.org 
For the electronic version, we cannot accept more than 2 electronic files per grant application. The title of the email should contain the name of the candidate + "AO2017".
2- post to : ARSEP - Scientific Department - 14 rue Jules Vanzuppe - 94200 Ivry sur Seine - FRANCE

For more information : Emmanuelle Plassart-Schiess :  scientific@arsep.org

Result in July 2017. Fellowships could begin in september 2017