Continuing to make progress in understanding and treating FSHD Grant awards for August 2015 and Ad hoc 2015 cycles

Since 1998, the FSH Society has transformed FSHD research by providing grants for vital start -up funding for investigators in FSHD and research projects on FSHD. The FSH Society has two rounds of grant applications each year, with deadlines in February and August. Grant applications are thoroughly analyzed and vetted by the SAB. An initial letter of intent is submitted, which is reviewed by Professor David Housman, Chair of the SAB. If a letter of intent is accepted, the applicant submits a full application. The main section where researchers describe the proposed work and workflow is around 12 pages long. Upon receipt of all full grant applications for a particular round, Professor Housman assigns teams of two or more members of the SAB to critique each proposal. Any potential conflicts of interests are noted, and SAB members who may have a conflict are not assigned to review, and do not vote on, the particular proposal. The two reviewers review the application in depth and provide a detailed written description and recommendation to the other members. Initial critiques are due within three weeks of the assignment and a full meeting of the SAB is held around two weeks thereafter. Grant applications are reviewed and voted upon by the entire SAB, with discussion led by the two primary reviewers. SAB recommendations for approved applications are then sent to the Society’s Board of Directors for a vote. When the SAB disapproves an application, it provides the applicant with a detailed description of the reasons for disapproval, and the applicant may resubmit the application for consideration in a later round. SAB members and the chair serve without pay. Upon acceptance by the Society’s board, the grantee receives a letter of acceptance and a grants policies and procedures document. The grantee is then asked for written confirmation indicating their intention of accepting or declining the fellowship knowing that the grant is administered in accordance with the FSH Society’s policies document. It is understood that the funds awarded have not been provided for any other purpose than research on FSHD. The grantee is asked to reply within two weeks where upon a check is issued in advance for the first six months with equal installments to follow at subsequent six month intervals based on review of requested progress reports. The milestones and insights gained are significant. The fellow ship program allows innovative and entrepreneurial research to develop, prove successful, and ultimately to attract funding from large funding sources such as the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) and large private sources. We are very pleased to list the grantees funded in the August 2015 cycle.