Competition objectives

The Zenith Fellows award was initiated in 1991 to provide a vehicle for research support for donors with a substantial personal commitment to the advancement of Alzheimer’s disease research. The awards are made possible by the generosity of a group of individuals and organizations (Zenith Fellows) that have each committed $1 million to the Alzheimer’s Association for support of the program.

The objective of the 2009 Zenith Fellows Awards competition is to provide major support for investigators who have:
1) contributed significantly to the field of Alzheimer’s disease research or
2) made significant contributions to other areas of science and are now beginning to focus more directly on problems related to Alzheimer’s disease and 3) are likely to make substantial contributions in the future.

The proposed research must be “on the cutting edge” of basic science or biomedical research and thus may not conform to current conventional scientific wisdom or may challenge the prevailing orthodoxy. The proposed research should address fundamental problems related to early detection, etiology, pathogenesis, treatment, and prevention of Alzheimer’s disease. 

The Alzheimer's Association recognizes the need to increase the number of scientists from underrepresented groups in the research enterprise. Researchers from these groups are encouraged to apply.

Funding and award period: We anticipate funding five awards under this competition. Each award is limited to $450,000 (direct and indirect costs) for three years. Requests in any given year may not exceed $250,000 (direct and indirect costs). Indirect costs are capped at 10 percent (rent for laboratory/office space is expected to be covered by indirect costs paid to the institution).  

Eligibility: Only established independent investigators are eligible as evidenced by:
1) academic appointment;
2) major, peer-reviewed, external multi-year grant support on which the applicant is the principal investigator (PI);
3) independent laboratory operation;
4) quality and independence of publication record.

Only applicants who have already contributed significantly to the field of Alzheimer’s disease research or have the clear likelihood of making significant contributions will be seriously considered. Previous recipients of Zenith Awards, Medical and Scientific Advisory Council members and members of the National Board of the Alzheimer’s Association are ineligible to apply.

Deadlines and award dates: Letters of intent must be received by 5:00 p.m. EASTERN STANDARD TIME, December 1, 2008.  Letters of intent will not be accepted after the receipt date. No exceptions will be made.

Applications must be received by 5:00 p.m. EASTERN STANDARD TIME, January 8, 2009. Scientific and technical review will be conducted from February through May 2009. The second-level review by the Medical and Scientific Advisory Council will be conducted in June 2009. Funding will be awarded by July 2009.

Mechanism of award, reporting requirements and allowable costs: The mechanism of award is the regular research grant. The maximum duration of award is three years — there is no program for competing continuation applications (3-year) funding as was the case in the early years of the Zenith program. Annual progress and financial reports are required. Continuation of the grant over the awarded duration is contingent upon receipt of scientific progress and financial status reports.

Budget:  A “budget summary” for the proposed research project is required and must be submitted with the application and within the allowable page limits. However, if the application is to be awarded, a more detailed budget will be required and must be approved prior to the disbursement of funds. Your budget must not exceed the maximum amount of the award ($450,000 for Zenith).

Allowable costs under this award:

• It is required that most of the funds awarded under this program be used for direct research support.

Other allowable costs include:

• Purchase and care of laboratory animals
• Small pieces of laboratory equipment and laboratory supplies
• Computer software if used strictly for data collection
• Salary for the principal investigator, scientific (including postdoctoral fellows) and technical staff (including laboratory technicians and modest secretarial support)
• Support for travel to scientific and professional meetings, not to exceed $1,000 per year

Costs not allowed under this award include:

• Computer hardware or standard software (e.g., Microsoft Office)
• Construction or renovation costs
• Tuition
• Rent for laboratory/office space

For more information: E-mail grantsapp@alz.org or call 1.312.335.5747