About the ACT for FOP Grant Program

The IFOPA offers the ACT (Accelerating Cures and Treatments) for FOP Grant Program to help enable the research and development of safe and transformative therapies for fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva (FOP). The research grant program provides, through a competitive application process, funding to scientists conducting research on FOP. Since 2015, the ACT for FOP Grant Program has awarded 22 grants totaling more than $1.2 million.

Research Focus

ACT for FOP research grant proposals should focus on the discovery and advancement of therapeutic approaches to FOP, including:

• Potential new therapies that either provide a novel approach to treating FOP or have convincing animal data to warrant further research;
• Preclinical research that investigates a drug’s effectiveness on post-resection of heterotopic bone;
• Research that assesses novel imaging techniques that have the near-term potential to be used as a biomarker or endpoint in clinical trials;
• Research that further elucidates the mechanisms for FOP muscle regeneration as well as tendon and ligament repair.

Proposals involving meaningful collaboration among investigators with complementary capabilities are encouraged. Awards can be split among the investigators’ institutions as needed. ACT for FOP grant funds cannot be used for indirect or overhead costs.

Grant requests to test either combination treatments or repurposed drugs should be directed to the IFOPA’s Preclinical Drug Testing Program.

The IFOPA also offers grant funding through the Million Dollar Bike Ride Pilot Grant Program. Research that seeks to identify biomarkers, including novel imaging techniques, capable of measuring and predicting early FOP disease progression and/or treatment response or research that investigates and further elucidates the immunologic mechanism in FOP are eligible for application to the Million Dollar Bike Ride Program.

For further information on the IFOPA Preclinical Drug Testing Program, the Million Dollar Bike Ride Pilot Grant Program or to discuss your grant submission to the ACT for FOP Grant Program, please contact us at [email protected].

Mechanism of Support

The ACT for FOP Grant Program awards one-year research grants to selected recipients. The IFOPA anticipates awarding multiple grants for the 2021 ACT for FOP Grant Program. Researchers may be considered for a second year of funding based on their progress and milestones achieved in the first year and the availability of continued funding.

For more information about the ACT for FOP Grant Program, including information on the evaluation process and criteria, please see the Grant Program Application Guidelines.

Eligibility

FOP researchers with a doctoral degree (MD, PhD or equivalent) at any stage of their career in any country are eligible to apply. Applications must be in English.

Proposal Evaluation Process

All grant applications are blinded with respect to investigator and institution identity for review by the Scientific Advisory Board. The Scientific Advisory Board then rates proposals according to the defined criteria for evaluation and assesses the overall likelihood for the project to make a significant advancement towards for FOP. Once proposals have been fully evaluated on all metrics except for investigator capabilities, the identity of the applicants is unblinded to allow for discussion of investigator and institutional capabilities. The Scientific Advisory Board then develops a recommendation to the IFOPA for funding recipients and amounts.

The IFOPA Research Committee is convened to review the recommendations of the Scientific Advisory Board and to develop a proposal for approval by the IFOPA's Board of Directors.

Applications that are scored favorably, but not funded during the initial awards cycle, may be funded as additional money becomes available.

The Scientific Advisory Board does not provide a written evaluation back to the applicants.

Confidentiality

The submission of proposals and the identity of applicants is sensitive information that is treated by the IFOPA and the Scientific Advisory Board as confidential. Winning applications will be announced publicly, but other applications will remain confidential.

 
2021 Application Schedule

April 5, 2021	Announcement of 2021 program
June 4, 2021	Deadline for proposals
September 1, 2021	Grant applicants notified
November 1, 2021	Funding available

How to Apply

Please consult and follow these application materials and instructions:

Grant Program Application Guidelines

Complete applications should be submitted in a single PDF file to [email protected].

Scientific Advisory Board

Applications are reviewed by a Scientific Advisory Board that is free of conflict of interest and has relevant and appropriate expertise related to FOP to evaluate proposals.

The IFOPA Scientific Advisory Board includes:

Vicki Rosen, PhD, Chair
Department of Developmental Biology
Harvard School of Dental Medicine
Learn more about Dr. Rosen

Marie Demay, MD
Endocrine Division
Mass General Research Institute
Learn more about Dr. Demay

Karen Lyons, PhD
Department of Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology
UCLA/ Orthopaedic Hospital Department of Orthopaedic Surgery
Learn more about Dr. Lyons

Michael Whyte, MD
Division of Bone & Mineral Diseases
Washington University School of Medicine
Learn more about Dr. Whyte

Michael Zasloff, MD, PhD
Department of Surgery
Georgetown University Medical Center
Learn more about Dr. Zasloff

Funding

The ACT for FOP Grant Program was launched in 2015 by friends and family of Sona Brinkman. Today, others who are passionate about curing FOP have joined them in funding the ACT for FOP Grant Program with lead gifts from: Joshua’s Future of Promises, FOP Australia, FOP Friends, FOP Italia, Canadian FOP Network, friends and family of Sona Brinkman, and Terri Hendley. In 2020, funds raised from the In Pursuit of a Cure Campaign also helped fund the ACT for FOP Grant Program.