FAQs

No. Applications must be posted on the web-based application service managed by Altum proposalCENTRAL by the published deadline.

Yes. The Fondation Leducq has established the following rules for participation in multiple networks of the Transatlantic Networks Program:

1. Network coordinators cannot participate concurrently in any other Leducq network, in any capacity.
2. Network members may not participate in more than two Leducq networks concurrently. (This rule applies only to the 5-year term of the grant, and not to the no-cost extension period that networks may choose to implement).

Investigators may not submit more applications than the number in which they could participate if all applications were successful. Practically, this means that in any given year:

1. Applicants for the role of coordinator cannot have their name on any other application submitted to the foundation.
2. A member of a current Leducq network which is expected to continue the following year, can be included in only one application to the foundation.
3. An investigator not currently participating in a Leducq network can submit a maximum of either one application where his/her role will be that of coordinator, or two applications for that of member.

For more details, please refer to the Transatlantic Networks of Excellence Program Description.

Yes. The rules would preclude your applying as a coordinator only if you were a bona fide member of a Leducq network, that is, you received funding under a Leducq Research Agreement. If you are a member of a Leducq network in that sense, then you would be ineligible to apply as a coordinator in an upcoming application cycle.

Post-doctoral fellows can receive funding under this program, and can be included as members of the network in the sense that they are allocated a budget, and can participate in management decisions. Technically, the Research Agreement signed between the Fondation Leducq and the network parties makes the institutions, and not the individual investigators, members of the network. The easiest case, therefore, would be where a post-doc fellow is working at an institution where there is another more senior member of the network. If, however, the post-doc is affiliated with an institution where there is no other senior investigator participating in the network, then the post-doc will have an independent budget. Importantly, arrangements must be made to prepare for the eventual departure of the post-doc from his or her home institution at the conclusion of the post-doc period. In short, the answer is yes, but the details would need to be worked out at the time the Research Agreement is signed.

No. There is no limit on the number of letters of intent or full applications in which an institution may participate, and there is no advantage or disadvantage in applying from an institution that is submitting multiple applications. There is no restriction on the number of grants or grantees that a single institution may have.

No. The applications process is open to researchers in North America and Europe, provided that they meet the qualifications set out in the Transatlantic Networks of Excellence Program Description. In an effort to make researchers aware of available funding opportunities, the Fondation Leducq may sometimes send out notices using particular mailing or institutional lists which may not reach every researcher. This is not meant to restrict the field of applicants.

Not directly. All Transatlantic Network Program support is provided to institutions for the benefit of named individual investigators affiliated with those institutions.  The institution would not have the option to use Leducq funding for persons other than the named investigator in the application, and in the event that that investigator were to leave the institution, the foundation’s support would follow the investigator. 

Researchers who are affiliated with an academic research center are eligible to participate in the Leducq program regardless of the for-profit or not-for-profit status of the institution with which the researcher is affiliated. In such cases, Leducq funding would flow preferentially through the academic research organization, which is likely to be not-for-profit. Other arrangements would have to be made on a case-by-case basis.

Under the terms of the Transatlantic Networks of Excellence, applications are accepted from teams of researchers, of whom there must be at least three in the network, and at least one of whom is based in Europe and one in North America. Applicants must have demonstrable expertise in research pertaining to cardiovascular or neurovascular disease and an affiliation with a major academic medical center. The network may include members from fields outside of cardiovascular and neurovascular research, such as other medical specialties, physics, engineering or information technology, where such members bring a needed expertise to the network. Members from outside of Europe and North America may be included under certain conditions (see below).

Fondation Leducq will generally allow the participation of members from institutions located outside of Europe and North America. Nevertheless, investigators from such institutions are currently not eligible to serve as network coordinators, but may be proposed as network members, without prior consideration from the Fondation Leducq, under the following conditions:

1. The institution with which the investigator is affiliated is able to agree to and abide by the financial, intellectual property, and reporting terms of the network Research Agreement.
2. The network can demonstrate a clear benefit from the participation of the proposed investigators.

In the consideration of whether a country is or is not a part of Europe or North America, conventional geographic classification will obtain.

The foundation has indicated in the description of the Transatlantic Networks of Excellence Program that conventional geographic borders will pertain in making determinations of eligibility for coordinator roles. Since part of Russia is considered to be a part of Europe, the foundation will accept Russian investigators–from anywhere in Russia–as European coordinators.

No. All applicants should be sure to demonstrate the advantages gained through collaboration. Networks that are widely dispersed geographically should address the logistical challenges of communication and meetings, and will have space to do so in detail on the full application.

No.

There is no formal policy regarding the distribution of funds between basic and clinical research. However, historically, most of the programs supported have been oriented more towards basic and/or translational science. The high cost of clinical research makes it less likely that the foundation can expect a significant impact from the financial support it offers. That said, it is conceivable that a clinical application can capture the attention of the reviewers, especially if it can be shown that an international collaborative network would allow for significant advantages in carrying out the project. Another approach would be to include both clinical and basic research–each of which informs the other–in one network program.

Fondation Leducq encourages networks to use Transatlantic Networks Program funding to support early career investigators, some of whom would benefit from exchange within the network. Foundation funds can be used to support Ph.D. students or post doctoral fellows within the network. The selection committee would likely not, however, look favorably on using the funds to support an entire training program.

Members should be selective with the publications to be inserted in their CV/Biosketch. They must be relevant to the project. If your proposal is selected for a full application, then prospective members will be able to provide more detailed information.

The grant support to include is only that relevant to the proposed project. It can be included in a separate sheet. For purposes of brevity, smaller amounts can be consolidated. All of this can be amplified in the application process at a later date if necessary.

No budget information is requested at the letter of intent stage. Should you be asked later to submit a full application, a complete budget will be requested at that time.

Electronic signatures, like those on a PDF of a scanned document, are accepted. No hard copy is requested at this stage of the process.

For more details, please refer to the Transatlantic Networks of Excellence Program Description.

 The size of the network may vary depending on the theme and on the type of research, and may not be determined fully at the outset. More important than the size of the network is the rationale for the inclusion of the members, and the case that is made for the collaborative benefit to be gained by their inclusion. At a minimum, a Leducq network should have three institutional members. As a general recommendation, the total number of institutions should not be greater than six, at which point the network becomes more difficult to manage. Applicants proposing to include more than six institutions in the network should discuss directly how the administrative and governance challenges associated with a larger network will be addressed. (For this purpose, INSERM units are considered separate institutions if they are at different universities and/or are administered by different INSERM délégations régionales.) All network applicants must elucidate, in the application, how the composition of the network advances the scientific objectives of the research program. 

Yes, there is no limit to the number of attempts to become funded. The Fondation Leducq will not systematically provide feedback on rejected LOIs, but, will attempt to provide a written critique on full proposals that have not been funded. In the event that a repeat application is being considered, we would strongly encourage you to read carefully the Program Description again.

No, disclosure forms must be signed anew by all network members. 

You do not need an institutional signatory at this time. This stage is only relevant after an application is accepted for funding. 

There is no minimal % effort for coordinators, but the SAC looks carefully at other grants of coordinators. 

Besides the presentation of your science, it is very important for you to justify why the network is utilizing the people you are proposing. What expertise is each investigator bringing to the network and how will the bringing together of these people be catalytic?

If the associated partners will be part of the budget, then by all means you should provide all of the information and details that you would for the ‘regular’ members. If they all will be part of the network, and all participate in the face-to-face meetings and in the mentoring of the early career – by what other criteria are you distinguishing them?

Using the Budget Summary template and following the budget guidelines found in ProposalCentral, you should submit individual budgets for each institution and a global budget summary totaling US$6 Million. A budget justification narrative should also be included with your budget. 

Yes. In fact, we encourage you to re-examine your budget prior to signing the research agreement. We will supply you with some important guidelines on budgetary items. 

Yes, please see our document entitled ‘Best Practices of Leducq Networks’ on our website, at: https://www.flcq.org/.

Each institution that is not a “foreign government” or “international organization” is required to complete the affidavit. Following the initial submission, each institution is required to annually provide the affidavit. If an institution falls under the category of “foreign government” or “international organization”, Leducq requires there to be written evidence provided.

Network coordinators are responsible for submitting progress reports to the Fondation Leducq on a regular basis. These reports, the contents of which are described in the Research Agreement, includes, among other items, a summary of the scientific work completed to date, a statement of expenditures for the term, plans for future work, and proposals for changes to the budget.

Fondation Leducq will:

• Formally review the progress of the scientific work and the management of the network; Monitor the finances of the network through quarterly reports;
• Consider changes to the original research design and budget in a timely fashion; o Conduct a financial audit of the network’s expenditures during the five-year term;
• Decide during the term whether to renew the support of the network based upon a satisfactory evaluation of that network’s scientific progress and finances, as described in the Research Agreement.

Foundation Leducq requests a bio sketch for all senior members. For others, such as early career, and even those not funded by the grant, we simply would like a list of their full names (First, Last, Middle Initial) and their ORCiD ID Numbers. Please also indicate in this list who is and is not funded by the grant. Additionally, the bio sketches included at the level of the proposal will include new information, so those submitted for the letter of intent/proposal should be revised. 

For your initial review report, Leducq would like to know everyone who is doing work in the network and we would also like to know who is actually being funded by the grant. So, for your review, it would be beneficial if you documented Early Career Investigators by Full Name (First, Last, Middle Initial), ORCiD ID, and a percentage of how much they are being funded by the grant (if none, please indicate as 0%). . 

Currently the Fondation Leducq operates on an annual funding cycle. Awards are announced in June, and at that time, decisions are made about the funding program for the next year. All necessary information is posted promptly on the Fondation Leducq website shortly after the June Board of Director’s meeting. At the same time, Fondation Leducq contacts the offices of sponsored research at universities in North America and Europe, as well as individual investigators on its mailing list, with information about the availability of grants for the next cycle. To receive calls for applications, please join the mailing list through the Contact Us link.