Eligibility 
 
To be eligible for the Rita Allen Foundation Award for Chronic Pain Research, the applicant must:

• Have received committed start-up funds and independent laboratory space from their institution. (This information must be clearly indicated in the Department Chair/Division Chief letter of support for the candidate.)
• Be within three years of the start date of a tenure track position or equivalent (senior postdocs and associate professors are not eligible.)*
• Conduct their research and be appointed at an institution in the United States or Canada.
• Demonstrate a commitment to the field of pain research.

*We are accepting applications from individuals up to four years from the start of their faculty position, if there are extenuating circumstances that slowed their normal trajectory (e.g., home schooling children during the COVID19 pandemic). Please include a brief explanation of the request for an exemption from this requirement.
 
For further information and instructions on how to apply, please visit http://ritaallen.org/pain-scholars.
 

Key Dates and Deadlines 

Applications will be open from October 15 - December 15, 2022. Completed applications must be submitted by 11:59 PM EASTERN TIME on December 15, 2022. Grant awards will be announced in summer 2023. Grant funds will be awarded upon satisfactory execution of a grant agreement between the Rita Allen Foundation and the grant recipient’s institution.

Application Requirements

 The application requires the following documents written in English: 

1. A signature page that must be signed by the Applicant/PI and the Institutional Official responsible for submitting applications for extramural support.
2. An abstract (no more than 3,000 characters/300 words).
3. An impact statement (no more than 3,000 characters/300 words) summarizing the candidate's past contributions and future potential as a leader in the field of pain research, as broadly interpreted across multiple domains, including enhancing discovery, fostering outreach, or increasing diversity 
4. NIH Biosketch (no more than 5 pages, see template).
5. Research proposal that is no more than 6 pages, with no less than 11-point Arial font, and 0.5-inch margins. A 7th page will also be included for references. The proposal should include specific aims and a research strategy for a project with a three-year scope.
6. Three letters of support:
1. One letter from the candidate’s Department Chair or Division Chief that demonstrates strong support for the candidate’s proposed research and career development (start-up funds, lab space, and a tenure-track position). This letter of support will be appended to your attached application document.
2. Two letters of support should come from the candidate’s post-doctoral advisor or influential advisor or mentor who has impacted the candidate’s research). 
3. Note: When completing the application, candidates will provide email contact information for the individuals requested to submit letters of support. These two individuals will be contacted by the online system requesting that their letters be submitted to the application system.
7. List of current and pending research support from all sources, as well as clarification as to whether there is any overlap between projects funded/submitted elsewhere and the current proposal (overlap should be avoided).

Review Criteria

Reviewers will assess the candidate’s past contributions and their future potential as a leader in the field of pain research, based on the research proposal, biosketch, letters of support, and impact statement.

Other 

Applications are reviewed by a selection committee that includes past Rita Allan Foundation Award in Pain recipients, as well as other leading pain basic researchers, who will provide limited feedback on all applications. 

For information about additional programs for early-career researchers from the Rita Allen Foundation, please see the Scholars page of the Rita Allen Foundation’s website. For questions about eligibility or other program-related information, please contact the Rita Allen Foundation at [email protected] or 609-683-8010. 

 
Completing The Application Process: Step-By-Step Guide

USASP Login/Sign-Up
If you are already a USASP member, then you may log into the site using your USASP member credentials. If you are not a USASP member, please follow the new user prompt to gain prospective membership status to log into the site.

Applicant/PI Profile Information
If you were already a USASP member, the majority of this section is populated from the USASP database. If there are fields that contain incorrect or missing information, the applicant should complete the requested information. All non-members will have to fill out each question accordingly (completion of this section will then save your credentials for the possibility of purchasing full membership access at a later time). Please note that items marked with a red asterisk are required fields.

Application Submission Details
Please make sure that the "Rita Allen Foundation Award In Pain Grant Application" option is selected. Then proceed to name your submission title following the example given: "John Doe - RAF 2021". Next, you will be prompted to write down the title of your intended research project. Finally, you will be asked to answer questions regarding your eligibility for the RAF Pain Award. Please note that items marked with a red asterisk are required fields.

Lead Institution
The applicant should complete the requested information regarding their primary/lead institution. These details will involve the lead institution's name, address, phone number, and fax number. Please note that items marked with a red asterisk are required fields.

Organization Assurances
The applicant should complete the requested information regarding their proposed research project. These details will involve the type of research your project involves and/or approval status. Please note that items marked with a red asterisk are required fields.

Letters of Support
Completed applications will require three letters of support. These must include one letter from the candidate’s Department Chair/Division Chief that demonstrates strong support for the candidate’s proposed research and career development. The other two letters should come from the candidate’s Ph.D./fellowship advisor, influential advisor, or mentor who has impacted the candidate’s research. In this section, the applicant will provide contact information pertaining to each of the letter providers. Upon submission, the system will automatically request the needed information from the candidate’s two Ph.D./fellowship advisors, influential advisors, or mentors and append the returned letters to your application.

Attachments
The Applicant will upload all required documents as a single PDF in the following order: 1) Signed Signature pages, 2) Abstract, 3) Leadership/vision statement, 4) NIH Biosketch, 5) Research proposal narrative, 6) letter of support from the Department Chair/Division Chief, and 7) Summary of Current and Pending Funding.

1. Signed Signature Pages
   All applications must be signed by the Applicant/PI and the Institutional Official responsible for submitting applications for extramural support. The signature page may either be printed out, signed and scanned, or electronic signatures may be used on the PDF.
2. Abstract
   The abstract should be limited to 300 words or up to 3,000 characters. Applicants are advised to check spelling, word, and character count before pasting their abstract within this section.
3. Leadership in Pain Research
   The applicant will provide a personal statement detailing his/her vision for a career in pain research and provide information and/or examples of leadership in pain-related activities. The statement should be limited to 300 words or up to 3,000 characters.
4. NIH Biosketch
   The applicant will provide an NIH Biosketch that should be no more than 5 pages long (see template)
5. Research Proposal Narrative
   The applicant will append a research proposal narrative that is limited to six pages in 11-point Arial font and 0.5-inch margins. A 7th page may be included for references.
6. Letter of Support From a Department Chair/Division Chief
   Completed applications will require one letter from the candidate’s Department Chair/Division Chief that demonstrates strong support for the candidate’s proposed research and career development.
7. Research Support
   The applicant will provide information about all current and pending research support. The research plan should not include a project already funded or for consideration for funding elsewhere. If the applicant has received or has pending research support, the applicant should explain how the Rita Allen Foundation award will enhance the applicant’s pain research and how the project submitted for the Rita Allen Foundation award differs from other funded or pending projects.

Summary
It is necessary for Applicants to review their completed application in this section. The summary function is a way to ensure that all of the required application fields are completed and accurate. Please review all questions and inputs before submitting.

Submit
The Applicant/PI can submit their completed application in this section.

Applications with missing sections, which do not meet eligibility requirements, or which do not adhere to these application instructions, including required formats (font size and page lengths) and use of signature pages, are considered ineligible.

Assistance with Applications

For technical support (including questions about trouble logging in and technical issues in completing an application) or questions regarding eligibility: Please contact [email protected] (the office is open Monday-Friday from 9:00 am ET-5:00 pm ET).  Emails received after hours and on weekends will be responded to on the next business day.

For questions about other program-related questions: Please contact the Rita Allen Foundation at [email protected] or call 1-609-683-8010.