Overview

The Open Call for Grant Applications in Saudi Arabia is an exploratory call to attract new investigators to the field, and to support the development of early research on the Biology of Aging and Geroscience in Saudi Arabia. Grants of up to 500,000 Saudi Riyals (award total) will be issued for up to two years to researchers wishing to conduct research that will serve as the basis for longer-term efforts in the field.

The Letter of Intent deadline for this 2022 program is December 18th, 2022.

The fields of Aging Biology and Geroscience remain nascent in several geographies around the world, including the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. This call is expected to be the first of a series of related calls for grants in Saudi Arabia, to encourage Aging Biology and Geroscience research in the Kingdom and to initiate development of new local talent in the field, which could herald major advancements in Biomedicine. This grants initiative aims to attract existing medical and life-sciences research.

Examples of preferred research topics include, but are not limited to:

  • Inflammation and immunosenescence
  • Cellular senescence and senolytics
  • Geroscience
  • Biomarkers of aging and longevity-specific biobanking
  • Machine Learning, Computational Biology and Artificial intelligence applied to aging biology or geroscience
  • Tissue regeneration
  • Microbiome

We will not consider applications focused on specific diseases that affect the elderly, unless the focus of the application is specifically on the mechanisms by which Aging Biology contributes to the disease or its outcomes.

The Purpose

Funding Range

  • The Open Call for Grant Applications in Saudi Arabia will provide funding of up to 500,000 Saudi Riyals /award total, for one- or two-year projects.
  • Applicants may propose a budget to use the full award or a portion of it, over the course of one or two years as justified according to the nature of the proposed research.
  • The primary applicant must be a faculty at an academic & research institution in the KSA, with his/her own research space and research team.
  • Most lab work must be done in house in KSA labs.
  • Incorporation of a collaborative effort of 2 or more teams and a plan for integrating post-docs and other trainees is highly encouraged.

*Projects that deal strictly with clinical issues such as the diagnosis and treatment of disease are not eligible.

*Projects on the behavioral and/or social contexts of aging are not eligible.

Please direct all questions about eligibility to Grants@hevolution.com

Eligibility

Selection Criteria

The following criteria are used to determine the merit of an application:

  • Quality of the proposed research.

  • Alignment of the research topic with Hevolution’s goals and mission.

  • Qualifications and track record of quality basic research and/or applied science conducted in aging research with an emphasis on priority areas.

  • Excellence of the research environment; including all available tools and platforms.

  • Likelihood that the project will advance the applicant's career in aging research.

The Letter of Intent (LOI)/pre-proposal) must be succinct, in English, and with a strictly enforced word limit of 750 words (single-spaced). The LOI must be submitted in the attached form which should include the following elements: 

  • PI Information.
  • Title, brief background, significance, and rationale of the project.
  • Specific Aim(s).
  • Technical and scientific capabilities available.
  • Study design, including biological model, type of data to be collected, type of samples and expected samples size, analytic approach, ethics considerations, data analysis, etc. 
  • Expected deliverables and potential to reach clinical phase, including timeline.

Note: After LOIs have been reviewed, a subset of proposals will be selected to submit a full proposal, including a detailed and justified budget.

Application Requirements

Application Procedures

1. LOI (Pre-Proposal) using the attached form must be received by Hevolution Foundation at  Grants@hevolution.com between November 28th, 2022 and December 18th, 2022. Any application submitted outside these dates will not be considered. 

2. LOIs will be reviewed by Hevolution Foundation and applicants with selected ideas will receive a selection confirmation letter within a month after closing of submission period. The letter will include a request to submit a full proposal within 2 months from receiving the selection confirmation letter. 

3. Review of the full proposals will be done by international experts in aging biology and geroscience and a final selection of proposals will be conducted, and awardees will be announced on the Foundation’s website. This will be followed by a contract signing and allocation of the funds.

  • It is expected that funding decisions will be made in the 1st quarter of 2023, with funding commencing shortly afterwards. 

An application instruction Webinar will be aired on 10th November 2022.

LOI Open Call Grant Application For Aging Science In Saudi Arabia

Date October 20th,
2022		 November 10th,
2022		 November 28th,
2022		 December 18th,
2022

Phase

RFA announcement and press release

Application instruction webinar

LOI submission opening

LOI submission closing

Timeline

Reporting Requirement

An interim narrative report is required after each year of funding, and a final narrative and financial reports are required within three months following the end date of the award. Guidelines for submitting reports as well as other administrative questions will be provided after announcement of awardees.