+ WHAT TYPES OF RESEARCH DO YOU FUND?

Lipedema research is currently performed by a small field of researchers spread across many areas of inquiry. The Lipedema Foundation is interested in being a catalyst for maturation of the Lipedema field. The intent of the investigator initiated research programs is to inspire growth of a research ecosystem oriented toward bringing new therapeutics to market. Creation of this ecosystem will require recruitment of more researchers advancing the technologies that make future clinical trials possible. This infrastructure focus implies preference for projects that support establishing Lipedema diagnostic tools, as well as defining strong outcomes and endpoints for future clinical trials.

While we are open to any well-designed project, those that support advancement of novel biomarker and imaging strategies or similar efforts receive special attention.

Please review existing projects for examples of how funded researchers are leveraging explorations of basic and translational approaches to meet this goal.

+ AM I ELIGIBLE TO APPLY FOR A RESEARCH AWARD?

The Lipedema Foundation manages an international portfolio of research at academic, for-profit, and government research institutions.

Independent investigators of any career stage are invited to apply. Trainees, including those engaged in postdoctoral research or mentored clinical research, may apply under their mentor for the Mentored Training award.

All applicant institutions and investigators must be able to provide standard insurance and regulatory oversight of research, including human and animal welfare assurances consistent with the US IACUC/IRB or related frameworks and oversight bodies (e.g. World Medical Association Declaration of Helsinki, Nuremberg code, etc.).

+ HOW DO I GET STARTED IN LIPEDEMA RESEARCH?

The Lipedema field is small. Foundation staff welcome new investigators to an exciting and growing area of research. We would be pleased to point you in the direction of relevant literature and offer introductions to established researchers. We encourage you to review opinions found in our blog and to make use of the LEGATO Lipedema Library.

Applicants seeking assistance with patient recruitment or biospecimen provision should make arrangements to discuss their needs with Foundation staff at least 3 weeks prior to submission deadlines.

+ CAN YOU SUPPORT MY APPLICATION TO ANOTHER FUNDER?

As a small and underfunded field, we are very interested in seeing other funding organizations contribute to Lipedema research. We are happy to look at your aims, suggest experts to name as potential reviewers, or consider offering a letters of support. We cannot respond to last minute requests, so please allow appropriate time for review. Inquiries can be directed to awards@lipedema.org

+ IS THERE INFORMATION SPECIFIC TO INTERNATIONAL APPLICANTS?

The Lipedema Foundation is pleased to be able to support compelling ideas across the globe. There is no requirement for U.S. citizenship or establishment of U.S. collaborations.

U.S. Federal law prohibits US-based non-profit organizations from funding programs in some regions. Applications involving countries currently under sanction by the US government must be declined. Please consult the US Office of Foreign Asset Control (OFAC) website for guidance.

+ PREPARING THE APPLICATION

Number of Submissions

In general, only one application is accepted from any research group. In special circumstances, a single laboratory or institution may hold multiple concurrent or subsequent awards.

Preliminary Data

Given the relatively scant knowledge of Lipedema, the Foundation does not require preliminary data in proposals. Applicants are reminded that the process is competitive. Thus, projects that can document technical expertise or initial findings may be at a competitive advantage relative to the proposals that cannot.

Are there certain things you want to see in proposals?

Why, yes. Yes, there are.

• Lipedema is a complex disorder, and interpretation of the research literature is often complicated by inconsistent reporting. Therefore, the Lipedema Foundation places a high priority on understanding the diagnostic criteria and inclusion/exclusion criteria used in any proposals requiring recruitment of new patients. We would also like to know:

  • how patients are being recruited, and the representativeness of the sample.
  • who is performing the Lipedema diagnosis, and
  • under which clinical guidelines or definitions the diagnosis is being made.

• Similarly, all studies should include appropriate controls for the hypothesis being tested. For studies requiring patient participants, applicants should make an effort to assure that the control groups will reasonably match the demographics of their comparator groups.

• For any study, a clearly indicated sample size, analytic plan, and source of key research materials are valued.

• We understand that most studies will be proposed as pilot studies and and it may not be possible to calculate some statistical parameters. Where appropriate for the proposed methods, a statement considering effect size targets or power remains valuable.

• Biological phenomenon being studied as candidate biomarkers should link the candidate biomarker to a specific clinical phenotype and provide a statement for the context(s) of use for which the candidate marker is being explored.

• At present, there are no genes that are widely accepted to be associated with Lipedema, rendering most mouse model-based studies highly speculative. While the Foundation values the contributions of basic sciences, establishing new mouse model studies must, temporarily, remain a lower priority until a greater understanding of human genetics and clinicopathological correlation is available. If an applicant chooses to incorporate an animal model into their proposal, a compelling justification will be necessary.

Can I submit a proposal by email or using my own template?

No. All applications must be received through the electronic portals detailed in the RFP.

+ BUDGET

Allowable and Disallowed Costs:

Salary budgets should respect the percentage effort of the investigators; agreeing to perform a certain level of effort is part of the Sponsored Research Agreement.

Lipedema Foundation funding may be applied to reasonable personnel costs, supplies, patient recruitment, travel, publication, and non-durable equipment.

We do not provide funding for construction, additional overhead, capital equipment, or equipment service contracts, except by prior approval and only under exceptional circumstances.

Indirect Costs:

A letter stating the Foundation's indirect costs policy and other explicit provisions can be downloaded from our website.

+ FUNDING DECISIONS

Can I appeal an unfavorable decision?

No. Specific concerns may be submitted by email as described below, but all decisions are final.

Can I resubmit a declined application?

Declined proposals should not be resubmitted unless a revised proposal has been specifically requested by the Lipedema Foundation.

What happens to unsubmitted and unfunded proposals?

• Unsubmitted proposals will remain in draft status until the review cycle is complete plus one month. After this time, draft submissions are deleted and cannot be restored.

• Unfunded proposals will remain in the applicant’s portal for 1 year following completion of the review cycle, after which time they may be deleted.

+ I AM CONSIDERING A PATENT OR SIMILAR FILING. DOES THIS REPRESENT A PUBLIC DISCLOSURE?

No. All proposals, documents, and review materials are held confidentially and do not constitute a public disclosure.

If you require a Non-Disclosure Agreement, it should be submitted to the Foundation at least 2 months prior to the submission deadline.

The Foundation reserves the right to decline any proposal that cannot be evaluated due to failure to disclose sufficient information allowing for competent technical review.

+ HOW DOES THE REVIEW PROCESS WORK?

Processes may vary between award programs. Consult the RFP for award-specific details.

General Issues

• Peer Review

  The Lipedema Foundation staff are responsible for evaluating all proposals according to the review criteria for the award program.

  The Foundation values external peer-review and may recruit technical or other subject matter expertise into the review process whenever required.

  Space is provided on the Full Application for applicants to state reviewer preferences. The Lipedema Foundation will seek to identify and avoid conflicts of interest in review assignments. Given the limited availability of specialists, reviewer preferences will be considered and honored when possible but cannot be guaranteed. All reviewer preference requests will be held confidentially.

• Conflict of Interest

  All reviewers are required to abide by the Foundation's confidentiality policy and must identify proposals where a potential conflict of interest may occur. In consultation with Foundation staff, if the conflict might reasonably compromise their ability to offer an objective review, the reviewer will be recused from any review or discussion about the proposal.

  De facto conflicts of interest are avoided. These conflicts occur when a reviewer is employed at the same institution or has an ongoing collaboration with the applicant.

  Administrative Declinations:

  • The Foundation reserves the right to decline to review any proposal that fails to adhere to eligibility and submission criteria. These include but are not limited to any word or character count restrictions, adherence to deadlines, incomplete proposals, etc.

  • Any previously funded investigator who is currently delinquent on reporting requirements for the prior award may be declined.

  • The Foundation reserves the right to, additionally, decline proposals from institutions that are delinquent on prior reporting requirements.

General Review Criteria

In general, the Full Applications will be reviewed by subject matter experts on the basis of the experience and training of the Principal Investigator, relevance to Lipedema and Lipedema Foundation funding goals, and rigor of the proposed work.

Final funding decisions are at the discretion of the Lipedema Foundation.

+ AWARDS AND CONTRACTING

All awards are managed by contract between the Lipedema Foundation and the research institution, with the PI as an additional signatory.

Terms and Conditions may vary between awards dependent on complexity of the proposal.

+ I HAVE COMMENTS OR CONCERNS ABOUT THE FUNDING PROGRAM. WHERE CAN I SUBMIT THESE?

Please send an email to awards@lipedema.org. Depending on the nature of the comments, these may be shared with Foundation leadership and external advisors.