Grant Details and Eligibility Criteria

The National Eczema Association’s (NEA) Grant Research Program offers five types of grants every year: NEA Engagement Grant, NEA Catalyst Grant, NEA Champion Grant and the Childhood Eczema Challenge Grant. Each grant type has its own eligibility criteria, including the goal of the research as well as who can apply for funding. You can find details for each grant type below.

Purpose

This award is intended to fuel early-stage ideas by supporting emerging investigators in testing new concepts, piloting experiments, or exploring novel data analyses. 

Engagement Research Grants provide small amounts of funding to undertake self-contained research projects that may yield interesting insights and potentially lead to a new line of research. Data from Engagement awards can then be used as the premise to support a larger proposal in the future from NEA or other funding institutions.

Proposals should address at least one of the following research priorities:

• Cutting Edge Basic & Translational Science
• Eczema Heterogeneity: Novel Insights
• Innovations in Clinical Practice & Care
• Understanding & Alleviating Disease Burden
• Eczema Prevention

Number of Awards

This is a 1-year non-renewable grant. Awards are contingent on the receipt of sufficiently meritorious applications. Number of awards annually is at NEA’s discretion

Eligibility

Assistant Professors (or equivalent) without current or previous NIH R funding as a Senior or Co-PI, Post-doctoral fellows, Medical Residents or Fellows, Research Associates, Nurse Practitioners/Physician Assistants, Medical and Pre-Doctoral students/fellows are eligible to apply.

Previous recipients of NEA research grants still meeting these eligibility criteria may apply.

The applicant must be personally and actively responsible for the conduct of the proposed research. The applicant need not be a United States citizen and the research need not take place in the United States.

Budget

Applicants may request up to $5,000 (USD; direct costs only). Indirect costs are not allowed on NEA research awards. Grant funds may not be used for salary, training experiences, equipment over $1,000 (including computer hardware or software), or travel/conference-related expenses.

---

 

Purpose

This award is intended to accelerate the careers of early-career scientists through hypothesis-driven research that lays the foundation for future breakthroughs, as they seek to become an independent research investigator with a commitment to this field.

Catalyst Research Grants provide promising early investigators with seed grants to help establish a novel and promising line of eczema research, and gather a preliminary, yet meaningful body of data to carry this area of study forward. Data from Catalyst awards can then be used to seek additional, larger-scale funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) or other funding entities to conduct additional investigations.

Proposals should address at least one of the following research priorities:

• Cutting Edge Basic & Translational Science
• Eczema Heterogeneity: Novel Insights
• Innovations in Clinical Practice & Care
• Understanding & Alleviating Disease Burden
• Eczema Prevention

Number of Awards

This is a 1-year non-renewable grant. Awards are contingent on the receipt of sufficiently meritorious applications. Number of awards annually is at NEA’s discretion

Eligibility

Assistant Professors (or equivalent) without current or previous NIH R funding as a Senior or Co-PI, Post-doctoral fellows, Medical Residents or Fellows, Research Associates, and Nurse Practitioners are eligible to apply.

Previous recipients of NEA research grants still meeting these eligibility criteria may apply.

The applicant must be personally and actively responsible for the conduct of the proposed research. The applicant need not be a United States citizen and the research need not take place in the United States.

Budget

Applicants may request up to $50,000 (USD; direct costs only). Indirect costs are not allowed on NEA research awards. 

Salary/fringe benefit support for Assistant Professors (or equivalent) should be commensurate with the percent effort dedicated to the project, using the current allowable NIH salary cap. For all other applicants, a maximal 50% effort with associated salary/fringe is allowable for the PI role. Additional research staff support should also be commensurate with project percent effort.

---

 

Purpose

This award provides funding support for experienced researchers with recognized productivity – either within or outside the eczema field – to conduct highly innovative, cutting-edge investigations related to eczema. Data from this award can then be used to seek additional, larger-scale funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) or other funding entities to build on these discoveries.

Champion Research Grants facilitate trail-blazing research by established investigators who have built a life-long career in eczema research, as well as thought leaders from other areas of study that can bring additional new perspectives to the research forefront.

This award also serves as a bridge for previous successful NEA Research Award recipients by providing a funding mechanism to stay in the eczema research field and strengthen their research program and commitment to advancing our understanding of this serious disease.

Proposals should address at least one of the following research priorities:

• Cutting Edge Basic & Translational Science*
• Eczema Heterogeneity: Novel Insights
• Innovations in Clinical Practice & Care
• Understanding & Alleviating Disease Burden
• Eczema Prevention

Number of Awards

This is a 1-year grant with the option to undergo a competitive renewal for a second year of funding. Awards are contingent on the receipt of sufficiently meritorious applications. Number of awards annually is at NEA’s discretion

Eligibility

Associate Professors and above that have or have had national-level funding as a principal investigator (or Co-PI) within the past 5 years on an R01 grant or its equivalent (e.g. VA Merit Award, NSF grant, NIH program project or cooperative grant).

Previous recipients of NEA Research Grants are also eligible to apply provided the following criteria are met:

• The NEA research grant has been completed and final scientific and financial reports have been received by NEA.
• At least one (1) peer-reviewed publication has been published or accepted for publication from the NEA-supported research.

The principal investigator must be personally and actively responsible for the conduct of the proposed research and eligible to apply for research grants under the guidelines of the applicant’s host institution. The principal investigator need not be a United States citizen and the research need not take place in the United States.

Budget

Applicants may request up to $100,000 (USD; direct costs only). Indirect costs are not allowed on NEA research awards.Salary/fringe benefit support should be commensurate with the percent effort dedicated to the project, using the current allowable NIH salary cap. Additional research staff support should also be commensurate with project percent effort and is unrestricted, with the exception of research fellows which is limited to 50% effort.

---

 

Overview

Nearly 10 million U.S children under the age of 18 are affected by eczema, with one‐third affected by moderate‐to‐severe disease. Despite recent therapeutic advances, the burdens on these patients, and their families, can be significant and many important research questions remain unanswered.  

To address this need, the National Eczema Association (NEA) and the Pediatric Dermatology Research Alliance (PeDRA) are collaborating to support targeted clinical research investigations focused on pediatric eczema with the Childhood Eczema Challenge Grant. Through this grant NEA and PeDRA intend to accelerate research that improves the health and quality of life of pediatric eczema patients and their families.  

Focus

This Challenge Grant is intended to stimulate early and mid-career scientists as they seek to build and sustain careers as research investigators and future thought leaders within this critical field of study.  Research proposals should address at least one of the following priorities related to pediatric eczema:

• Eczema Heterogeneity: Novel Insights
  Projects aimed at advancing understanding of the underlying factors contributing to the diversity of pediatric eczema clinical presentation, treatment response and comorbidities.

• Innovations in Clinical Practice & Care
  Studies addressing approaches to facilitate optimal identification and treatment of pediatric eczema and associated comorbidities in all health care settings to enhance patient/caregiver-reported and patient/caregiver-centric outcomes.  

• Understanding & Alleviating Disease Burden
  Insightful proposals that identify, quantify, or aim to reduce aspects of pediatric eczema burden that negatively affect patient or family/caregiver quality of life (including lifestyle, academic, occupational, or economic impacts) based on patient population, treatment approach, etc.
• Eczema Prevention
  Novel investigations into the potential risk factors and strategies of primary eczema prevention in the pediatric population.

Priority will be given to proposals that focus on clinical or translational research, are broadly applicable, and include a patient-centered or comparative effectiveness framework. Applications that support NEA’s and PeDRA’s commitment to advancing equity, diversity, and inclusion across all facets of their organizations and research are encouraged.  Proposals that include basic research will be accepted, however, they should be combined with a significant clinical or translational component. Proposals related to the development or enhancement of mobile apps will not be accepted. 

Number of Awards

This is a 1-year non-renewable grant. Awards are contingent on the receipt of sufficiently meritorious applications. Number of awards annually is at NEA and PeDRA’s discretion

Eligibility

Early and mid‐career investigators (Associate Professor level or below and within 15 years of finishing training) are eligible to apply. Applicants need not be trained in pediatric dermatology but must hold the degree of MD and/or PhD (or equivalent) and be eligible to apply for grants under the guidelines of their host institution. Applications may be submitted by either a single investigator or multiple investigators at multiple institutions. Applicants need not be United States citizens and the research need not be conducted in the United States. Applicants may not hold current R‐level funding from NIH (or equivalent) as PI or Co‐PI, however recipients of past or current NEA and/or PeDRA grants are eligible to apply. 

Budget

Applicants may request up to $50,000 (USD; direct costs only). Indirect costs are not allowed.  Salary and fringe benefit support is allowed. Staff salary support should be commensurate with the percent effort dedicated to the project and explained in budget justification. PI salary support must adhere to the current allowable NIH salary cap.

---

 

How to Apply

For detailed timing and grant application instructions, visit the Apply for a Grant webpage. Grant applications typically open each spring and close in the summer. Decisions are typically sent out the following winter.