Submit your proposal: 2024 AETA Dr. Brad Stroud Memorial Research Award

The Board of Directors of the American Embryo Transfer Association (AETA) is pleased to provide an opportunity for funding to support practitioner-initiated research projects that focus on advancing the knowledge and efficiency of applied assisted reproductive technologies (ARTs) in livestock species. The goal of the association is to provide some financial support and access to statisticians that will ensure that the data generated by AETA-funded projects will be robust under critical evaluation and will benefit the AETA membership at large. Projects can be funded up to $10,000 per project, with additional funding possible for exceptional proposals.

Please disseminate this request for proposals to be considered for 2024 (project start dates between January 1, 2025–December 31, 2025). The request for proposals submission deadline is June 30, 2024. 

Eligibility

·         The project leader must be a member of AETA in good standing

·         The project must address a contemporary problem in the embryo transfer industry

·         The experimental design must be sufficiently robust to withstand critical review. Assistance with experimental design and statistical analysis is available at no cost through various land-grant institutions. Proposals with evidence of statistician evaluation will be reviewed more favorably. For additional information, please contact the AETA office

·         Results must be reported to the AETA in an acceptable format (poster presentation, newsletter, etc.)

·         It is strongly encouraged that project leaders include student members of AETA on their research teams; proposals that include student members will be given preference

Proposal Guidelines

The text of the proposal should be single spaced, set in 11 pt. font, and no longer than 4 pages in length. The proposal text should include the following:

·         Title of the proposal

·         Names and addresses of project leader and other key personnel

·         Problem statement and the impact on the embryo transfer industry

·         If available, preliminary data is encouraged

·         Objectives

·         Materials and Methods (including locations of research)

·         Conclusion and intended means of dissemination (i.e., publication, presentation, etc.)

A budget sheet should be included with the proposal (not included in the text). Please consider the following: 

·         The AETA does not pay for any indirect costs (ICR, F&A, etc.)

·         Funds from the AETA cannot be used to make capital purchases

·         Funds from the AETA cannot be used to fund internships or externships and must only be used for hours spent on the proposed project (i.e., consumables, supplies, or consulting fees)

For projects that require cooperation from external entities (i.e., livestock businesses or operations that own the animals in which the work will be conducted), letters of support from those entities should also be included in the proposal packet (not in the proposal text).

Proposals can be submitted to the AETA via email at aeta@assochq.org or by mail to

American Embryo Transfer Association

1800 South Oak St., Suite 100

Champaign, IL 61820-6974

 

Proposals received by the AETA will be forwarded to the cochairs of the Research Committee. The Research Committee will then evaluate the proposals and determine whether a project should be funded. Each proposal will be reviewed by at least three reviewers, and may involve reviewers external to the American Embryo Transfer Association. The Research Committee will have 60 days from the date of submission to conduct a review and communicate funding recommendations to the AETA Board of Directors. Funding status announcements will be made at the 2024 Annual Conference in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.