1. Do I need an AASLD member mentor to apply? 

Unless otherwise noted in the RFA, all applicants and their mentor (or co-mentor, if applicable) must be members of AASLD at the time of application and maintain their membership for the duration of the award.

If the applicant and/or mentor (or co-mentor) is not an active member, they will be contacted by staff to apply for membership prior to their application being submitted for consideration. Failure to meet the membership requirement will result in your application being withdrawn.

Learn more about AASLD membership.

2. Can my mentor be located at a different institution?

Applicants are strongly encouraged to identify a primary mentor located at their institution. In the event that an applicant has a primary mentor located at a different institution, their application must explicitly describe how regular collaboration will be arranged.

3. Are co-mentors allowed?

Yes, multiple mentors are permitted. One mentor should be identified as your primary mentor who will be the main contact on the award and will be responsible for submitting the mentor letter of recommendation. Biosketches for all mentors/co-mentors should be included in the application.

1. Is funding awarded to me or to my institution?

Grants are made to the PI but are paid to the sponsoring institution to administer. Funding cannot be transferred to another person to complete the project if the original PI is unable to continue.

2. Are Foundation awards fixed-price grants?

No. At the end of the award term all free or unobligated funds must be returned to AASLD Foundation.

3. What costs does AASLD Foundation allow?

In general, allowable costs for research project-based awards include PI salary support, technical support, and laboratory supplies/equipment (excluding capital and general-purpose equipment). Salary for mentors or other senior personnel is not permitted. See below for special restrictions/exemptions:   

Special PI Salary Restrictions:

• Bridge Award: Maximum allowable cost for PI salary is $20,000
• Gupta Family Pilot Award in PSC Research: Maximum of $10,000 allowed ONLY if PI is at postdoctoral level. No salary support provided for PIs with a faculty appointment.

Capital Equipment Exemption:

• Pilot Research Award in Liver Diseases: Equipment acquisition of $5,000 or greater may be allowed with prior written approval from AASLD Foundation.

Foundation funding may not be used for any indirect costs (e.g., facilities management and utilities; general-purpose or capital equipment; travel; memberships and dues; subscriptions/books/periodicals; etc.).

Applicants should review the relevant RFA with their mentor and fiscal officer to ensure they understand eligible costs.

Recipients of travel-based awards should refer to AASLD Foundation’s Travel Expense guidelines for allowable costs.

4. Is there a limit to how much of the funding can be used for PI salary vs research costs?

Unless a salary maximum is stated in the RFA, there are no restrictions on how much of the funding is used for each cost category. This is left up to the sponsoring institution.

Special PI Salary Restrictions:

• Bridge Award: Maximum allowable cost for PI salary is $20,000
• Gupta Family Pilot Award in PSC Research: Maximum of $10,000 allowed ONLY if PI is at postdoctoral level. No salary support provided for PIs with a faculty appointment.

5. For awards with a salary cap, does the cap include fringe?

Yes, if an award has a stated salary cap, this cap applies to total direct salary and wages costs including fringe

6. Do I need to submit a project budget?

Most AASLD Foundation RFAs do not request a project budget; budget proposals submitted to by PIs to their institution’s sponsored projects office should not be considered to be approved by AASLD Foundation.

The following awards do require project budgets as part of the application. Please refer to the RFA for specific instructions:

• Bridge Award
• Pilot Research Award
• Gupta Family Pilot Award in PSC Research

7. Does AASLD Foundation allow pre-award spending?

No, all funds must be expended during the award term listed in the signed grant agreement.

1. Do I need to submit a Letter of Intent before applying?

AASLD Foundation does not require or request letters of intent (LOIs) for any funding programs. The Foundation does not review grant topics or aims prior to application submission.

2. How should I format my application?

Candidates should review the “Application Formatting Instructions” section of the relevant RFA before submitting. All applications must:

1. Include the cover pages and other required forms (e.g., project abstract form, IRB/IACUC form, etc.) provided in the program RFA.
2. Adhere to stated page limits and include only the items listed in the program RFA’s “Required Documents” section.
3. Be assembled in the order listed in the RFA’s “Required Documents” section and submitted as a single PDF.
4. Page Layouts:
   • Margins: half-inch minimum
   • Main Text Font: 10-point minimum
   • Spacing: single-spaced
   • Headers: Include a header in the upper right corner of each page with the applicant’s name (last name, first name) and award name.

Candidates should ensure that all figures and legends are legible, as this can influence their proposal’s evaluation.

3. How do I submit my application?

All applications must be submitted online via www.liverresearchawards.org following the instructions and format provided in the relevant RFA, which are posted on each award’s page.

Applications must be submitted by the posted deadline to be considered. 

All applications will be reviewed based on the written materials submitted; it is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure that all materials are complete and adhere strictly to the instructions given in the relevant RFA.

All submissions will be reviewed by Foundation staff prior to peer review to confirm candidates are eligible and all required documents are included. Applicants may be contacted for additional information. If clarification or additional documentation is requested, it must be submitted by the given deadline to be considered. All decisions are final.

4. My mentor is also my department chair:

• Do they need to submit a separate Chair letter and Mentor letter?

If the mentor is also the department chair, the mentor can opt to submit separate letters for the letter of departmental support and letter of mentor support or submit one combined letter (2 page maximum) that clearly indicates dual role and addresses points requested for both these required documents.

• If they submit one combined letter, can I submit an additional letter from someone else in place of my mentor letter?

No. If the mentor is also the department chair and they submit a combined letter, this does not mean the candidate can supplement their application with an additional recommendation letter beyond what is requested in the required documents.

5. How can I submit new supplemental data/documentation after the award deadline?

AASLD Foundation does not request Just-In-Time (JIT) information; the application submitted should be considered complete and final.

If new critical information relevant to the application arises after the submission deadline, applicants can request its inclusion by emailing the updated information and justification for why it should be considered to awards@aasld.org. All requests will be reviewed by the relevant committee leadership; there is no guarantee that additional documentation will be accepted.

6. How do I withdraw a submitted application?

If an applicant’s eligibility changes during the peer review process, or an applicant wishes to withdraw their application for any reason, requests should be sent to awards@aasld.org.

7. When should I apply for IRB/IACUC Approval?

Most applications require IRB/IACUC protocols to be submitted at the time of application. If this is not feasible, applicants must include justification for why protocols have not been submitted at the time of application. Applicants are responsible for assuring compliance with their institution’s IRB/IAUCUC policies and procedures.

1. How does AASLD Foundation choose which applications are funded?

Applications undergo rigorous peer-review modeled after the NIH grant review process and are evaluated a selected group of academic and clinical specialists, physicians, and associate practitioners in the fields of hepatology and transplant hepatology.

Following a preliminary evaluation by 2-3 reviewers, applications deemed meritorious are considered by the full reviewing body and assigned final scores. Funding recommendations are based on scientific merit as demonstrated by final scores; recommendations provided to the Foundation Board of Trustees include only proposed score ranges that should be funded for each category and do not include any identifiable applicant or proposal information.

The AASLD Foundation Board of Trustees approves final funding levels based on score order and available funding for each program.

2. What is pay line for the program I plan to apply to?

Annual grant spending varies based on available funds and the number of highly meritorious applications received that cycle. As such, the Foundation uses a score-order funding approach rather than established pay lines.

3. Who exactly reviews my application?

All reviewers are members of AASLD and volunteer their time to the program; they receive no compensation for their participation.

Reviewing Bodies:

• Research Awards Committee (Research Awards and Advanced/Transplant Hepatology Award)
• Hepatology Associates Committee (Emerging Liver Advanced Practice Provider Program)
• Membership & Mentorship Committee (Emerging Liver Scholars Program)
• Scientific Program Committee (Abstract Awards).

In addition to the groups listed above, other AASLD member experts may be asked to participate as ad hoc application reviewers based on application volume or if additional reviewers are needed with expertise in a specific area.  

All review committee discussions are confidential and may not be shared outside of the committee. Committee members should not be contacted regarding reviewed applications under any circumstance.

4. How does AASLD Foundation mitigate potential conflicts of interest?

Reviewers are recused from the review or discussion of applications with which they have potential conflicts of interest. AASLD Foundation considers the following circumstances as a conflict:

• Same institution as the applicant and/or mentor;
• The following within 3 years immediately preceding the application review:
  • Mentoring the applicant for another award
  • Previous professional relationship (e.g. previous trainee, preceptorship) or collaboration with either the mentor or applicant in which a true, substantial relationship exists and/or a real or perceived benefit to the reviewer exists based on review outcome.

The following are NOT considered automatic conflicts. Reviewers are asked to determine if their level of collaboration with the mentor or applicant in these circumstances creates a conflict of interest which would preclude them from unbiased review of an application:

• Participation in a writing group with the mentor and/or applicant
• Participation in a consortium with the mentor and/or applicant
• Non-research collaborations

The Chairs and Vice-Chair of the review committees vet circumstances where the reviewer is unsure of their level of conflict.

 Research on the same topic would NOT represent a conflict.

5. Will I receive feedback on my proposal?

Following review, research award applicants will receive de-identified reviewer comments to help strengthen their proposals for future submission to AASLD Foundation or other grantmaking organizations.

Reviewer comments are not provided for funding mechanisms that are not research project-based.