The application deadline is 11:59 pm Pacific Standard Time on December 1, 2024. A limited number of grants are awarded each funding cycle, and the number of grants varies each funding cycle. To submit an application, visit www.myast.org/research-grants. If you have any questions regarding your eligibility or other grant details, please email research@myast.org.
The purpose of AST Research Network Early Faculty Development Research Grants is to promote the careers of early career investigators within five (5) years of their first faculty appointment and whose research relates to the field of solid organ transplantation (and/or immunology relating to solid organ transplant). This grant allows the investigator to expand on preliminary research findings that will become the basis for individual research or career development awards from the NIH, VA, or equivalent agencies. The Early Faculty Development Research Grant seeks to:
1. Foster training of early career investigators who have the potential to contribute to our understanding of transplant science/immunobiology and/or treatment of transplant recipients.
2. Foster research that is of high merit.
3. Encourage the continued commitment of high-quality applicants to careers in academic transplantation.
A. General Information: Early Faculty Development Research Grant
Grants are generally awarded in the amount of $75,000 per year for one year. The AST Research Network strives to support an Early Faculty Development grant in each research category, provided funds are available. Research must commence on July 1, 2025 and cannot be deferred for any reason. Only grants supporting research directly related to solid organ transplantation will be considered.
Two career development (Fellowship and Early Faculty Development) grants from the same group or from the same institution with significant scientific overlap will not be funded regardless of score. The discretion as to which grant will be funded will be made by the AST Research Network Scientific Review Committee (SRC) at the time of review.
B. Research Categories Applications are submitted in one of three categories: basic, translational, or clinical science. We accept applications on any research topic related to solid organ transplant. Visit www.myast.org/past-research for a list of prior funded projects.
Basic Science is defined as anything in discovery science from molecules to cells to animal models. Examples of basic science projects include but are not limited to:
• Develop and validate biomarkers of graft dysfunction and immune activation
• Validate animal modeling as relevant to current clinical challenges (graft injury, autoimmunuity, infectious disease, immunological memory) that validate specific mechanisms or therapies
• Identify and study novel immune modifiers (i.e. cellular transplants including stem cells, regulatory cells, new drugs and biologics)
• Pursue systems biology approaches to study the impact of therapeutics on molecular pathways that reveal new mechanistic insights (note: purely descriptive profiling and mapping of molecular pathways by any set of technologies is not responsive to this area)
• Develop regenerative medicine approaches for generating transplantable tissues

Translational Science is defined as anything from animal models designed specifically to translate basic research to clinical application, to work with clinical human samples with clear translational impact. Examples of translational science projects include, but are not limited to:
• Studies to identify and validate surrogate markers for long-term outcomes including interventional studies designed to demonstrate the value of biomarkers in clinical transplantation
• Studies to determine the effects of cell therapies on protective immunity (e.g. does infusion of Tregs or MSC alter patient defense against microbial pathogens or cancer?)
• Studies to define predictors and/or mechanisms of disease after transplant (i.e. cardiovascular disease, recurrent GN, de novo HLA antibodies or chronic rejection)
• Identify specific molecules and/or molecular mechanisms that explain the roles of the microbiome in immunity and transplant outcomes (note: purely descriptive profiling of microbiomic changes is not responsive to this area)
• The role of epigenetics in determining transplant outcomes
• Develop new tools to study and/or visualize the human alloimmune response
Clinical Science is defined as research involving human patients, from data generation and mining to testing new protocols and therapies. Clinical science includes the following two types of research:
Clinical Trials: designed to answer specific question(s) about new therapies or new ways of using known treatments. Preference will be given to prospective studies.
Clinical Outcomes or Observational Studies: designed to better define the causes and/or consequences of pathological or biological processes in transplantation. Retrospective studies may be appropriate. However, proposals that analyze registry data (e.g. data collected by the United Network for Organ Sharing) are expected to test unique hypotheses or employ new data or methodologies.
Examples of clinical science projects include but are not limited to:
• Reducing post-transplant complications
• Optimizing organ utilization (appropriate allocation and improving organ viability by interventions in the pre-transplant period including ex vivo conditioning)
• Preventing or attenuating late graft failure – cellular and humoral chronic rejection, recurrent and de novo
• Improving the patient experience and addressing the challenges of therapy adherence
• Research on transplant outcomes that test the value of transplantation for patients, transplant centers, payers and/or health care policy and costs at the State and Federal levels.
• Research on racial disparities in access to and outcomes of solid organ transplantation.
C. Application and Review Process
1. Applications must be complete and submitted online using the AST Research Network submission website.
2. The Society remains committed to a diverse and inclusive culture. The membership is encouraged to apply with an emphasis on diversity in age, gender, ethnicity, race, and other underrepresented minorities as defined by the AAMC.
3. All complete applications received by the submission deadline are reviewed and scored by the AST Research Network Scientific Review Committee (SRC).
4. The review criteria include the quality of the applicant, scientific project, and environment, with an emphasis on preparing the applicant for developing an independent research program in a field of solid organ transplantation by allowing them to expand on preliminary research findings that will become the basis for individual research or career development awards from the NIH, VA, or equivalent agencies.
5. All applicants will receive comments on the strengths and weaknesses of their grant application.
6. All applicants will be notified of the status of their application in March 2025.
7. Those awarded a grant will be notified with the amount and will be asked to accept or decline the grant via email. Upon acceptance, the recipient’s institution will complete an official letter of agreement.

8. Grant recipients will be recognized during the 2025 World Transplant Congress August 2-6, 2025 in San Francisco, CA. Recipients are expected to register for and attend WTC. Registration is not included as part of the AST grant.

E. Specific Application Requirements
1. Title
2. Abstract of the proposed research plan: This document should concisely summarize the project in 400 words or less. The abstract should introduce the project and note its relevance to transplantation. It should describe the long-term objectives and specific aims, research design, and methods for achieving these goals.
3. Applicant’s NIH-type bio-sketch: This document may not exceed five (5) pages.
4. Statement of career goals (no more than one page): explaining the applicant’s short- and long-term career goals and how the grant will enhance these plans.
5. Complete proposed research plan: This document cannot exceed six (6) pages; the page limit does not include references. Font should be at least 10 pt and margins should be no smaller than .5”. It should summarize the proposed research project as well as any simultaneous training that will be obtained during the period of grant support. The following sections must be included:
a. Aims: Include the key questions posed or hypotheses to be tested
b. Introduction: provide the rationale for the research
c. Preliminary Results: show preliminary results supporting the research plan
d. Research Plan: explain how the questions or hypothesis will be studied, with emphasis on experimental design over the details of the specific methods to be used. Include a description of the statistical methods. Anticipated results and potential pitfalls and alternative approaches should be briefly discussed. Specific research (and if applicable, training) goals to be reached at the end of the grant should also be provided.
e. Timeline: explain the feasibility of accomplishing the stated goals within the time frame of the proposal.
f. For resubmissions only: provide a concise one-page summary of how the project has been modified in response to prior reviewer feedback. This summary is an additional page and is not counted toward the six-page limit.
6. Letter from the Department Chair/administrative supervisor addressing the following:
a. The month/year of the first faculty appointment
b. That the institutional commitment to the faculty member is sufficient to conduct the research and allow for the applicant’s long-term success
c. Protected research time
d. Note: If the applicant is still in training at the time of the application but has accepted a faculty position to begin on or before initiation of the grant, the letter must be from the Department Chair of the applicant’s future department confirming the future appointment and providing the same details outlined above in this section.
7. Overall project budget
a. The grant is intended to support the recipient’s salary, salary of personnel directly working on the project, and/or research costs. The following expenses are not permitted: institution overhead, capital equipment, or travel costs.
8. Two (2) letters of recommendation from two senior scientists who are familiar with the applicant’s potential as an investigator: on institutional letterhead with original signature. Referees must submit their letters directly to the application; applicants cannot submit the letters.

9. Additional letters of support that describe collaborations required for the project (if applicable).
Overall, the applications should be written in a focused manner that addresses one or two questions. The work proposed should be feasible for the period of the grant award. In a similar vein, the budget requested should be appropriate to perform all of the work proposed.
DISCLAIMER: The AST will not assume responsibility for any clinical study funded by the AST. Such proposals must be IRB-approved prior to the release of funding. Any responsibility will be assumed by the PI and the funded institution.
F. Funding Guidelines and Terms of Agreement: Early Faculty Development Research Grant
Review these guidelines and terms prior to completing your application. If you are awarded a grant, you and your institution’s grant office will sign a formal letter of agreement (LOA) agreeing to these funding guidelines and terms.
1. The grant is intended to support the recipient’s salary, salary of personnel directly working on the project, and/or research costs. The following expenses are not permitted: institution overhead, capital equipment, or travel costs.
2. Funding will not be released until IRB approval and visa status (if applicable) is confirmed.
3. Research must begin on July 1, 2025; the research start date cannot be deferred.
4. The grant is paid in annual installments to the recipient’s institution.
5. The recipient must continue to meet all above stated eligibility criteria and perform the research as outlined in the original application.
6. Pursuant to regulations of the federal Physician Payment Sunshine Act (included in the Affordable Care Act), NPI numbers will be collected from grant recipients (if applicable) and tax ID numbers collected from the recipients’ institutions (if applicable). All payments will be reported to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Open Payments system, as payments from AST represent indirect transfers of value from the funding pharmaceutical company.
7. Grant funding is not transferable from one recipient to another. If the grantee relocates, the AST will determine if the grant can be transferred to the recipient’s new location, or if the grant must be rescinded and any remaining funds returned. If the grant is rescinded, a final report will be required; see item 9.
8. The recipient must acknowledge the grant as a funding source in all manuscripts and presentations derived from the funded research by using the following statement: “This work was supported by a grant from the American Society of Transplantation Research Network.” Copies of such publications must be submitted to the AST National Office.
9. Reports are required at the following intervals. Failure to submit reports may affect future funding.
a. Recipients must submit a status report on six-month intervals. One-year grants must submit a status report by December 31, 2025.
b. Recipients must provide a final report within 30 days of the conclusion of the grant term.
c. All grant recipients must submit a final report, even if the grant is surrendered for any reason prior to the conclusion of the grant term.
10. Recipients can apply for an NIH R01, P01, K-series, career development or any equivalent independent research award during the term of the AST grant, but may not retain AST funding if the other grant is awarded.