AACN offers financial support through the Research Grant Funding Program (RGFP) to members who have a strong interest in developing sound and clinically impactful research. This program is open to proposals concerning a wide range of research topics within the broad field of clinical neuropsychology (e.g., health disparities, cross-cultural comparisons, training program evaluation, qualitative research, test development, community engaged research, forensic research, neurobehavioral syndromes, clinical trials) that do not fall within the scope of the AACNF Outcome Studies Grant Program. At the first level, priority will be given to small-scale (e.g., pilot) projects that are likely, with further research, to make a meaningful contribution to the neuropsychological literature. Completion of these small-scale projects must be feasible within two years. Additionally, every other year, AACN will fund a more mature and larger-scale research project that requires more substantial development and investment.
The AACN Research Support Committee (RSC) administers the RGFP through review of applications, selection of projects for funding and evaluation of progress reports. As part of its regular charter, this committee can also provide AACN members with guidance regarding critical steps of a research process, including conceptualization, scientific writing, IRB approval, research design, statistics, and/or publication. Grant recipients will be strongly encouraged to present their results at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Clinical Neuropsychology and to submit their research for publication in The Clinical Neuropsychologist.
Eligibility: The RGFP is open to any AACN full member; i.e., persons who have completed the ABCN board certification process and who are actively engaged in the practice and/or science of clinical neuropsychology. Those who are early (< 10 years) in their career as well as those who do not have strong institutional (e.g., academic research center) support are especially encouraged to apply. However, all proposals will be evaluated on the basis of their own merit. Members who are currently serving as executive officers of AACN or as members of the RSC are not eligible for this program. Members can only submit one proposal per application cycle.
Funding: Anywhere from 2 to 3 small-scale grants will be awarded each year for a total funding allocation of $50,000 each year (divided across the funded studies). The maximum for any one small-scale grant request is $25,000. In addition, AACN will offer every two years a single award of up to $100,000 for a more maturely developed large-scale research project. The latter will have an option of additional financial support (up to $75,000) in the subsequent year if ample justification can be provided by the investigators. The RGFP committee will review any no-cost extension or additional funding requests and make recommendations accordingly.
IRB Approval: IRB approval is preferred but not required at the time of application for small-scale grants. However, funds disbursement is contingent upon IRB approval within 3 months of the projected start date. Members without access to an institutional IRB should include a collaborator who does have institutional access or indicate the independent IRB that they plan to use for project oversight in their application. IRB approval must be in place at the time of application for large-scale grants.
Financial Considerations: Only direct costs will be covered (no indirect costs allowed). Costs for independent IRB project oversight as well as conference travel may be included in the proposed budget, but each of these requests must be limited to 10% of the total budget. Grants may be awarded to institutions or to individuals, depending on the awardee’s setting, with the expectation that individual awardees will have an account for research funds separate from their personal funds. Applicants should consult with their employer’s research administration to determine how grant funds would be handled. Individual awardees should be aware that this award could have tax implications.
Reporting Requirements: Awardees must submit annual progress reports outlining project milestones achieved, budget expenditures, any challenges faced, and any adjustments needed. The RSC retains the right to terminate funding and/or request a return of unused funds if a project does not comply with RSC policies and procedures.
Application Details:
Interested applicants should submit the following materials:
- Application form. The Application Form for small-scale projects can be found here.
- Letter of support. This can be from a department chair (e.g., that they will provide space for the project) or a community organization (e.g., that they will allow on-site recruitment).
- Curriculum vitae. This should be provided for all investigators involved with the project.
- For larger-scale projects: (i.e., with funding up to $100,000 for the first year): More detailed account on the Application Form that describes (a) the principal investigator’s track record with regard to the subject matter at hand and (b) their vision of how the new research will impact the field of clinical neuropsychology.
Application Timeline: The regular grant submission deadline is January 31 of the award year, with awards to be announced at the annual AACN meeting in following June. Requests for expedited review that may require a decision prior to June (but after March) can be considered on an exceptional basis for time-sensitive projects that already have IRB approval.
Application Review Process: At least 3 RSC members will review all applications. If relevant expertise is not represented on the RSC, an external ad-hoc reviewer will be recruited for the review. Each proposal will be ranked on the basis of the following criteria:
- Relevance. Is the proposed research consistent with the mission of the AACN RGSP to support and advance in an evidence-based manner the understanding of brain-behavior relationships and/or the profession of clinical neuropsychology? Will the project move the field forward or influence it in a compelling way? Does it address an important problem and/or any critical knowledge gaps?
- Scientific. Is the research methodology sound? This may include variables such a participant selection criteria, sample size and representativeness, statistical analyses, theoretical interpretability and clinical applicability. Are the overall strategy and methods well-reasoned and appropriate to accomplish the specific aims of the project? Are potential pitfalls or alternative approaches considered?
- Originality. What novel concept, assessment or intervention does the project address? Does it challenge and/or seek to shift current research or clinical practice paradigms? What new insights might it generate?
- Investigator Skills: Does the PI have a sufficient background in the subject matter of interest? Evidence of statistical and methodological skills from previous publications? Track-record of research collaboration?
- Feasibility. Does the PI have sufficient institutional or other environmental support to conduct the research. Is the proposed time-frame for completion of the project realistic? How likely is it that that participant population can actually be recruited? Is the project doable with the requested funds? How likely is the project to become self-sustaining or lead to future independent funding?
Questions about this program may be directed to the RSC chair, Dr. Jacobus Donders, at jacobus.donders@maryfreebed.com.