This is the home page for the ASTS-CareDx Enhancing Organ Donation and Transplantation Grant.  Please visit the Grants Home Page to apply for a different grant. 

Please review these eligibility, submission and other requirements carefully before submitting your application.   

The ASTS considers it a high priority to provide research grant funding that encourages transplant surgeons to actively pursue translational research and to enable their transition from mentored research under a senior investigator to an independent investigator. In 2016, the ASTS established the Enhancing Organ Donation and Transplantation Award to facilitate innovative research in transplantation. This grant is aimed at increasing efforts to expand organ donation and successfully transplant more patients.  The objective of this award is to assist ASTS members and their programs to embark upon single or multi-center studies in the areas of organ donation and/or transplantation (e.g., ECD, DCD and/or living donor organs) that will have a clear impact on improving the outcomes of transplant patients.  Furthermore, this award seeks to aid in the development of early career investigators so that they may compete for funding independent from federal funding agencies (e.g., National Institutes of Health (NIH)).

The ASTS will seek proposals aimed at increasing the number of recovered organs used for transplant by increasing recoveries or decreasing discards. Particular attention will be given to supporting underserved ethnic groups or in patients from socioeconomically disadvantaged or rural areas, broadly defined. The studies could involve but are not limited to investigations into increasing donation efforts, enhancing efficiency in organ transport, improving patient or donor selection, upgrading risk adjustment models, or facilitating access to transplantation. 

Amount: $50,000 per year for 2 years

Funds Support:  part of the applicant's salary, data coordinator, direct research supplies and fees, database development and implementation costs. No support for travel. No support for indirect costs.

Eligibility

• ASTS Member (Regular or Candidate Member).
• Faculty member at a UNOS approved transplant center
• Applicant must reside in the United States.
• Awardee must disclose any current funding being received for similar research directly to the review committee.  Support received from governmental (e.g. NIH, HRSA) or national societies (e.g. ASTS, AST, ACS, SUS) for similar research does not exclude eligibility of review, but the review committee will determine if ASTS support is appropriate on a case by case basis

Submission Requirements

• A brief synopsis of your research (250 words maximum)
• Narrative: 3 page maximum plus 1 page of graphics permitted. State the reason for applying for the grant, specific objectives for the duration of the grant, and future plans and goals. Reference must be included and do NOT count towards the 3 page maximum.
• Budget: 1 page maximum
• Autobiography: 1 page maximum explaining your educational background, choice of career, and interest in transplantation and research
• Department Chair Nomination Letter assuring the protected time independent of the award and availability of resources and facilities necessary to complete the proposed study.
• Member Sponsor Letter
• CV

Other Requirements

• The Awardee must attend the ASTS Grant Ceremony at the American Transplant Congress (ATC) to formally accept the grant.
• An abstract must be submitted for presentation at an ATC or ASTS Winter Symposium during the grant period or within 6 months of completion.
• A mid-report to the ASTS National Office must be submitted in the spring of the first year.
• A final report to the ASTS National Office must be submitted in the spring of the last year of funding.

Other

• Funded by CareDx
• 1 grant is available in 2020.
• By submitting an application, you confirm that you understand any funding received may be subjected to any relevant Sunshine Act reporting. 

Once you have read the requirements and have determined you are eligible, please Click Here to Submit your Application.