Award Policies

All research award applicants must abide by the following policies to remain eligible for an AGA award.

Number of award applicants per institution

There is no limit to the number of applicants per institution.

Number of submissions per applicant

Applicants are limited to one submission per award mechanism (i.e., Research Scholar Award, Pilot Research Award, Abstract/Travel Award) per year. When a mechanism has multiple awards available (e.g., topically restricted and unrestricted pilot awards), an applicant’s single submission will receive consideration for all awards to which their research is relevant.

If eligible, applicants may apply to more than one award mechanism per year.

Application resubmission

Applicants not initially selected for funding may resubmit the same proposal to AGA at a future date, provided award eligibility criteria are still met. Resubmissions should include a resubmission report (limited to one page) noting the year and name of the award that the proposal was first considered for and clearly note areas where the original proposal was revised.

Past recipients

Applications from past recipients of AGA research awards are allowed with conditions. In addition to meeting the standard eligibility requirements described in the award description, past recipients:

• Of an active award, must maintain the current award in accordance with all award policies and conditions.
• Of closed awards, must have closed out the previous award to include satisfactorily complying with all award conditions and submitting close out progress reporting.

Award overlap

Applicants unsure of award overlap, are encouraged to contact AGA at awards@gastro.org at least one month prior to the application deadline. 

Research Scholar Awards: At the time of application submission, applicants may not hold or have held an NIH K01, K08, K23, K99, R00, R01, R21, R29, Veterans Affairs career development award or any award with similar objectives from non-federal sources (such as the American Liver Foundation, Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation).

Applicants who have held a K12 or KL2 in the past are eligible to apply. Applicants with an active K12 or KL2 may apply in the final year of their K12 or KL2 provided it will end before the Research Scholar Award term begins. 

Applicants granted the Research Scholar Award and notified of a comparable award (find a comparable award definition under the Simultaneous and/or subsequent funding header in the Post-award acceptance policies section below) from another organization prior to the first Research Scholar Award payment must select one of the two awards (i.e., the recipient may not retain both awards). If a recipient is notified of a comparable award after the first payment of the Research Scholar Award, the recipient may retain 50 percent of the remaining balance on the AGA award. AGA must receive notification of the comparable award by email (awards@gastro.org) within two weeks of the recipient receiving the new notice of award.

Pilot and specialty research awards: At the time of application submission, applicants may not hold awards directly related to the proposed research from other organizations (i.e., government agency, foundation, academic institution, professional society, etc.). Applicants granted an AGA award and notified of a comparable award from another organization prior to the first AGA payment, must select one of the two awards (i.e., the recipient may not retain both awards).

Travel Awards: Applicants granted an AGA abstract award and who receive notification of a comparable travel award for the same abstract from another organization — including Digestive Disease Week® — must select one of the two awards (i.e., the recipient may not retain both awards).

Minimum percent effort

Research Scholar Awards: Applicants must dedicate 50% effort to the proposed project.

Fellowship-to-faculty transition awards: Applicants must dedicate 50% effort to the proposed project.
Other awards: There is no minimum percent effort required for other award mechanisms offered by AGA.

All research award recipients must abide by the following policies to retain and/or modify an AGA Research Foundation award.

Progress and financial reports

AGA Research Foundation award* recipients are required to submit scientific and financial reporting documentation. Specific requirements are outlined in addenda attached to all notices of award. Reports are submitted online using AGA’s grants management system.

Financial reports are completed by the institution’s accounting and/or grants management office and must indicate how the funds were utilized. Acceptable formats include a standard institutional budget, expenditure form or a written table indicating amounts expended in general categories and the award amount remaining.

*Recipients of travel awards are exempt from post-award reporting requirements.

Acknowledgment of AGA support

We anticipate and encourage awardees to present their AGA-funded research at conferences and in manuscripts submitted to journals. Publications, abstracts and/or presentations arising from work funded by an AGA-award must acknowledge support of the AGA Research Foundation.

Guidelines for acknowledging AGA support

• The “Funded by the AGA Research Foundation” seal is available for primarily visual displays, including slides, signs and posters.
• For communications that are primarily text, such as manuscripts, journal articles, letters, etc., awardees are encouraged to use the statement “Funded by the AGA Research Foundation’s {insert full award name and year as listed in the AGA notice of award}”.
• As a courtesy to AGA, please send notice of new abstracts, publications, or other works resulting from the AGA-funded project to awards@gastro.org.

Grant equipment

Research award recipients are encouraged to reserve the right to retain laboratory supplies and equipment purchased with AGA award funds in the event of transfer to a new institution. However, it is the prerogative of the original institution to determine whether equipment purchased with AGA award funds will remain at the original institution.

Forfeiture

Forfeitures are possible for award recipients who receives subsequent extramural funding and are unable to devote the required research effort to the AGA award, for those awards where a transfer request was denied, or for personal reasons.

Guidelines for forfeiting an award

• To initiate a forfeiture, provide a brief letter reporting the status of the research project and the reason for the forfeiture to AGA by email to awards@gastro.org.
• AGA will respond with a forfeiture letter within 15 working days. Forfeitures may result in the return of all unexpended or unobligated grant funds; the forfeiture letter will describe the requirements.
• Within 60 days following the awardee’s receipt of the AGA Research Foundation’s forfeiture letter, the awardee shall provide a financial report from the institution’s grants office detailing expenditures to date and remaining funds, and a final scientific progress report. Combine the reports into one PDF file and submit to awards@gastro.org.
• When applicable, awardee institutions should send a check to the AGA Research Foundation for all unexpended and unobligated funds within 60 days of the award termination.

Budget revisions

Budget revisions are allowed when the awardee is no longer able to execute the research aims under the approved budget. Reallocations are allowable for all project expenditure, including salary support, equipment, and supplies.

AGA staff will review and approve minor budget revisions moving funds totaling less than 25% of the annual award payment across categories.

Major budget revisions, such as a change in percent effort dedicated to the research funded by the AGA award or reallocation of 25% or more of the annual award payment, are reviewed and approved by the chair(s) of the AGA Institute Research Awards Panel. Additionally, the annual financial progress report should acknowledge and highlight changes to the budget (see Progress and financial reports).

Revisions may not include costs restricted in the award agreement (e.g., indirect costs, mentor salary, or travel costs beyond the $1,500 annual allotment).

Guidelines for requesting a budget revision

• Provide a letter of request to awards@gastro.org on institutional letterhead listing the full name and year of the award and the rationale for the proposed revisions.
  • Include an adjusted budget that reflects and highlights the requested alterations.
• Awardees will receive a determination letter by email within 15 working days.
• If approved, the revised budget and approval memo will serve as an addendum to the award contract.
• The award recipient and an authorized institutional official are required to sign and return a statement of acknowledgement.
• AGA reserves the right to decline the request.

Simultaneous and/or subsequent funding

Many AGA Research Foundation award recipients receive simultaneous and/or subsequent funding. Recipients are required to notify AGA (via awards@gastro.org) of all current supplemental funding before accepting an AGA award and notify AGA of noncomparable subsequent funding in award progress reports.

Awardees are required to notify AGA of comparable awards from other organizations (e.g., government agency, foundation, academic institution, professional society, etc.) within one business week.

Comparable awards are defined as those:

• Funding all or part of the research aims outlined in the AGA-funded award.
• For Research Scholar Awards: awards with similar objectives (i.e., other career development award), for example, K-series awards from NIH.

Guidelines for determining comparable funding

• Notify AGA of the potentially comparable award. Send a letter to awards@gastro.org on institutional letterhead confirming receipt of the comparable award, noting the organization funding it, the title of the project, and the funding period. Additionally, include:
  • The specific aims page for the comparable award.
  • If an NIH award, a copy of the Notice of Award.
• AGA staff and/or the AGA Institute Research Awards Panel chair(s) will review the materials against AGA’s subsequent funding policy and determine the disposition.
• Awardees will receive a determination letter by email within 15 working days.
  • If AGA determines there is no significant overlap of research aims or award objectives, the recipient may keep both awards.
  • If AGA determines there is significant overlap of the research aims or award objectives prior to the first payment of the AGA award, the recipient must select one of the two awards (i.e., the recipient may not retain both awards).
  • If AGA determines there is significant overlap of the research aims or award objectives, and this overlap is identified after the first payment of a multi-payment award (e.g., Research Scholar Award), recipients may retain 50% of the remaining balance on the award.
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Award hiatus

Awardees* may request a hiatus of up to 12 months for family leave, medical leave, or if the award recipient has an unusual or unexpected situation in which they temporarily cannot work on the research funded by the AGA award.

*This policy does not apply to abstract/travel award recipients.

Guidelines for requesting a hiatus

• Send the following materials to AGA at awards@gastro.org as a combined PDF file:
  • A brief letter on institutional letterhead reporting the status of the research project and explaining the reason a hiatus is necessary. Include the start and end dates of the hiatus.
  • A financial report from the institution’s finance or grants office detailing expenditures to date and remaining funds.
• Awardees will receive a determination letter by email within 15 working days.
• The award recipient and an authorized institutional official are required to sign and return a statement of acknowledgement.
• AGA reserves the right to decline the request.

Transfers

Award recipients may change institutions during their award terms and should notify AGA of transfers as soon as possible. Awardees may request an institutional transfer of award funds. An award recipient moving from an institution within North America (the U.S., Canada or Mexico) to outside of North America may request an award transfer; however, if the recipient fails to meet any other AGA award eligibility criteria with the institutional transfer, they may need to forfeit the award (see Forfeiture).

Guidelines for requesting a transfer

• To request a transfer, awardees should send the following materials to AGA at awards@gastro.org as a combined PDF file:
  • A request letter on institutional letterhead indicating the new institution, the start date, and contact information for a grants or sponsored projects office person at the new institution familiar with the awardees position.
  • A memo describing the research facilities including office, laboratory, support staff, and clinical facilities of the new institution.
  • A letter from the new division chief or department head confirming support of the AGA funded project and the availability of adequate facilities.
  • A letter of confirmation from the awardee’s mentor/sponsor (if applicable) supporting the transfer and noting that appropriate space, equipment, and other resources are available and that they are prepared to devote the necessary time and effort to the project.
  • An abstract describing any changes to the research project, technical approach and anticipated results, if different from the abstract submitted with the original application.
• Awardees will receive a determination letter by email within 15 working days.
  • If the transfer is not approved, the awardee must forfeit the award as detailed in the section labeled Forfeiture.
  • If the transfer is approved, the awardee must provide award payment information for the new institution.
• If the transfer is approved, the first institution must provide AGA with a final financial report detailing grant expenditures to date and return any remaining funds to AGA. AGA will disburse the remaining funds to the new institution.
• The new institution must provide a financial report at the end of the grant period, detailing expenditures during the time of fund stewardship.

No-cost extension

A no-cost extension provides the award recipient an extended award term, typically 12 months, in which to complete their research project. No-cost extensions are allowed when an awardee does not anticipate completing their AGA-funded research during the grant period, or the awardee does not anticipate expending their award funding during the original grant period.

Terms and conditions for determining a no-cost extension:

• Requests up to $5,000 or 20% of the grant value are reviewed and determined by AGA staff.
• Requests exceeding $5,000 or 20% of the grant value, or citing highly unusual circumstances, are forwarded to the AGA Institute Research Awards Panel chair(s) for a determination.
• If the no-cost extension is approved, scientific and financial progress reports are due at the end of the extension period. Institutions are required to return any unexpended funds, including interest earned, to the AGA Research Foundation within 60 days of the extended award term end date.
• An award recipient moving from an institution within the U.S., Canada, or Mexico to outside North America may still request a no-cost extension. However, AGA reserves the right to decline the request.

Guidelines for requesting a no-cost extension:

• To request a no-cost extension, awardees should send the following materials to AGA at awards@gastro.org as a combined PDF file:
  • A letter of request submitted on institutional letterhead, documenting the full name and year of the award, the duration of the no-cost extension in 3-month intervals up to 12-months, and the rationale for the no-cost extension.
    • If requesting to expend unused funds, the letter must indicate the reason residual funds remain.
    • If requesting to extend the grant period to complete research aims, the letter must indicate why there is a discrepancy from the original timeline.
  • Scientific and financial reports: The financial report should indicate expended funds to date and any carry-forward balance, while the scientific progress report should provide a brief overview of research accomplishments to date and a brief plan for completing the project by the extension end date.
• Awardees will receive a determination letter by email within 15 working days. 
• The award recipient and an authorized institutional official are required to sign and return a statement of acknowledgement.
• AGA reserves the right to decline the request.