ESVCN Waltham Research Grant 2012

Applications are now being solicited for research proposals concerning companion animal nutrition. The proposed project should have application to companion animals such as dogs and cats, although other species may be considered. The studies must conform to ethical principles of Waltham (see below). Also, informed owner consent must be obtained from any participants in clinical trials.

Only ESVCN members are eligible to apply. The amount of the grant is not set but will be considered on merit. Grants of up to €16,000 will be considered though the review board may choose to fund smaller grants of €7000 or less. No faculty stipends, indirect costs or travel will be paid by the ESVCN. Funds will be available from July 1st 2012.

Submissions must be received by e-mail by March 1st 2012 (please send your submission to [email protected] ). The proposal should be accompanied by a cover e-mail that details the eligibility of the applicant to receive this grant.

Grants are generally 2-year but no cost extensions of up to 6 months can be granted. A report must be submitted to the secretary of the ESVCN after one year and also at the end of the term of the grant and the ESVCN must be informed of any publications that arise from the research. We would also encourage presentation of an abstract at the annual ESVCN meeting.

The grant proposal must be prepared as a word document (12 pt. Times New Roman, letter-sized pages, double-spaced with 1 inch margins all around) and must not be longer than 6 document pages (plus references, 2 pages of CV for each investigator, and submitted or approved animal care and use consent form).

The grants should be structured as follows: title, principal investigator and address, co-investigators and addresses, total grant amount, background, objective/hypothesis, materials and methods, clinical implication of the project, ethics statement, budget and justification. Statistical justification for the number of animals intended for study and establishment of the validity of any novel assays are both essential.

Grant proposals that do not adhere to these guidelines will not be reviewed.

Ethical considerations: Research must not result in pain, suffering, or euthanasia of any animals involved. The husbandry and care of animals should meet the minimum guidance as described in the following reports for dogs and cats, respectively:

1) Dogs: the BVAAWF/FRAME/RSPCA/UFAW report on Refining Dog Husbandry and Care  (Laboratory Animals 2004 Vol. 38; Suppl. 1), which can be found at this web site - www.lal.org.uk/pdffiles/Dogworkingparty.pdf

2) Cats: the guidelines for cats adopted by the European Community (European Convention for the Protection of Vertebrate Animals used for Experimental and other Scientific Purposes (ETS No. 123 Appendix A), which can be found at this web site - http://conventions.coe.int/Treaty/EN/Treaties/PDF/123-Arev.pdf .

Review board: This will consist of 3 or more volunteers from the society who have not submitted research grants to this competition, in the event a lack of reviewers additional reviewers may be drawn from the AAVN.

Please send any questions to [email protected]