Who is funding the ASCENT Consortium?
The ASCENT Consortium is supported by NIH Research Grant 1U54 AG093230-01 funded by: The National Institute on Aging (NIA), the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) and the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), the National Cancer Institute (NCI), the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) and the National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR).

Which institutions are involved in the ASCENT Consortium?
The ASCENT Consortium includes principal investigators from:

• University of Colorado School of Medicine
• New York University Rory Meyers College of Nursing
• Duke University School of Medicine
• Icahn School of Medicine at Mt. Sinai
• Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania

The ASCENT Consortium also involves 40 key personnel from over 20 institutions.

Who is leading the ASCENT Consortium?
The multiple Principal Investigators are:

• Dr. Jean Kutner
• Dr. Melissa Aldridge
• Dr. Ab Brody
• Dr. Chris Feudtner
• Dr. Kimberly Johnson

What do we mean by ‘lifespan’?
The ASCENT Consortium is committed to advancing the science of palliative care across the lifespan, meaning patients with serious illness and those who care for them, from the youngest age to the oldest age. No individual project needs to address the entire lifespan. Rather, we welcome projects focusing on the population that makes the most scientific sense for the question being posed.

Can I apply to multiple ASCENT Consortium funding opportunities in the same grant cycle?
No. Applicants cannot simultaneously apply for both an ASCENT Pilot and Exploratory Studies Award and Research Scholar Award in the same grant cycle.

Can I apply as a PI for both a Research Scholar Award and a Pilot and Exploratory Studies Award?
No. As PI, you can only submit one application (either one Research Scholar Award or one Pilot and Exploratory Studies Award).

Can a person be a PI on one application and a Co-I on another application?
Yes. You can be a PI on one submitted application, and a Co-I on multiple applications, as appropriate for your time and capacity.

Is an MPI submission allowed?
Yes. Keep in mind that budgets are small, and applicants can only be a PI on one submission per cycle.

Can existing ASCENT Consortium key personnel (i.e., investigators who are ASCENT Cores members) be key personnel on my application?
Yes. We follow NIH conflict of interest rules in the application review process.

Is DO degree eligible?
Yes.

Are researchers with a JD who study health law and policy eligible to apply?
Yes.

Are VA employees who don’t hold academic appointments eligible?
Yes, as long as you have PI status at your institution.

Can applications come from non-US institutions?
No, per NIH requirements, institutions must be US-based.

What if I am unsure about my eligibility?
Applicants are strongly encouraged to contact the ASCENT Research Education Core via ASCENTadmin@cuanschutz.edu before preparing an application to confirm eligibility.

Who is eligible to apply for the Research Scholar Award?
Applicants must hold a clinical, research, or health-professional doctorate (e.g., MD, PhD, DO, DSW, DPH, PharmD, ND or equivalent) and have a full-time faculty or equivalent research position at a U.S.-based institution with Principal Investigator status by the award start date. U.S. citizenship or permanent residency is also required. Applicants must be within 10 years of completing post-doctoral or post-graduate fellowship training. Exceptions may be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Can I apply for the Research Scholar Award if I have received prior NIH funding?
You are eligible if you’ve held R03, R21, R33, R15, R34/U34, R36, SBIR/STTR, K38, or institutional K awards (K12, KL2) or equivalent. You are not eligible if you have served as PI or Project Lead on major NIH awards such as R01, P01, P50, or individual career development awards like K01, K23, K99/R00, or equivalent.

I previously received a foundation career development award/research training grant. Am I eligible to apply for the Research Scholar Award?
No. Investigators who have or have had career development awards from foundations or other entities external to their institution are not eligible for ASCENT Research Scholar Awards.

I previously received a Kornfeld award from the National Palliative Care Research Center. Am I eligible to apply for the Research Scholar Award?
No. The Kornfeld award is considered a foundation-supported mentored scholar award.  Prior recipients are not eligible.

Are there any exceptions to the Research Scholar Award's <10-year post-fellowship eligibility criteria? How are exemptions requested?
ASCENT is following the NIH Early-Stage Investigator (ESI) criteria. As such, ASCENT will consider requests for extension of the 10-year timeframe for events that occur within the initial 10 years from receipt of a terminal research degree or end of post-graduate clinical training, whichever date is later, following the NIH ESI criteria: Early Stage Investigator Extensions | Grants & Funding. For requests for extension of the 10-year timeframe, please email a detailed explanation of your specific situation to ASCENTAdmin@cuanschutz.edu and add ESI Extension Request [PI: Last Name] in the subject line.

Am I eligible for the Research Scholar Award if I am currently a T32 postdoc but transitioning to a faculty position?
You are eligible to apply as long as you have a confirmed full-time faculty position or equivalent at a U.S.-based institution with PI status that will commence by the time of the award start date. This should be documented in the letter of support from your Department Chair in the full application.

Am I eligible for the Research Scholar Award if I’m an instructor?
Yes, if your institution considers an instructor a faculty position. This should be documented in the letter of support from your Department Chair in the full application.

Do I need a mentor to apply for the Research Scholar Award?
You must identify a mentor or co-mentors with relevant expertise. ASCENT will also assign an additional Consortium mentor to support your development.

What are the expectations for mentorship?
Mentors should provide scientific guidance, support career development, and connect scholars with the broader palliative care research community. Scholars will meet with ASCENT mentors quarterly and at the ASCENT Annual Scientific and Business Meeting.

Could you clarify how important it is to identify a mentor at the Letter of Intent (LOI) stage? Is prior collaboration with the proposed mentor expected before submitting the LOI, or is it sufficient to finalize mentorship arrangements at the full application stage?
For Research Scholar Award applicants, you must identify your primary mentor at the time of LOI submission. If invited for a full application, characteristics and strength of the mentorship relationship will be evaluated at that time.

Does a mentor need to be at the same institution as the PI?
No.

What if I do not have a mentor?
The ASCENT Consortium can help in connecting you with potential mentors. Contact ASCENTadmin@cuanschutz.edu to discuss.

Who is eligible to apply for the Pilot and Exploratory Studies Award?
Applicants must hold a clinical, research, or health-professional doctorate (e.g., MD, PhD, DO, DSW, DPH, PharmD, ND) and have a full-time faculty or equivalent research position at a U.S.-based institution with Principal Investigator status by the award start date. U.S. citizenship or permanent residency is also required.

Is the Pilot and Exploratory Studies Award open to all career stages?
Yes, but funding priority is given to early-career investigators pursuing their first independent research grant (e.g., K to R transition) and mid-career researchers seeking a second large grant or exploring new research directions.

Are Research Scientists (e.g., hold a PhD and have served as PI on grants) eligible to apply as PI for the Pilot and Exploratory Studies Award?
Yes. As long as you hold a faculty position at a US-based institution with PI status, you can apply.

Is there an FTE percentage expectation for the Pilot and Exploratory Studies Award?
There is no explicit expectation for FTE devoted to Pilot and Exploratory Studies Awards. Effort on the project should reflect the proposed work.

How do I apply for an ASCENT award?
Applications must be submitted electronically via the ASCENT application portal by 5:00 PM PT on the specified deadline. If the deadline falls on a weekend or holiday, submissions are accepted the next business day. The process includes two steps:

1. Submit a Letter of Intent (LOI) and NIH-format biosketch through the ASCENT application portal.
2. If invited, submit a full proposal. Applicants will have access to the ASCENT Lab, our Consultation Program, which will include office hours and guidance to help you prepare.

How will the LOI review process work?
LOIs are evaluated at an administrative level rather than a scientific level. Specifically, they will be assessed for PI eligibility, project in the scope of ASCENT priority areas, and existence of a qualified mentor for Research Scholar Awards. Invited full applications will undergo a robust external scientific peer review.

Which NIH institute will be reviewing applications?
The ASCENT Consortium will convene a scientific review panel which will follow NIH procedures for conflicts and review. All awards will require NIH sponsor approval.

Am I able to get consultation prior to the LOI submission?
No, we are not offering consultation prior LOI submission on this application round. It is important to note the LOI review process is administrative only to assess compliance with the basic award eligibility requirements. The consultation process will be operational once LOIs are accepted.

Is it important for LOIs to address multiple priority areas, or is it sufficient to root the LOI in a single priority area?
The proposed project should be aligned with at least one of the priority areas. The LOI does not need to address multiple priority areas.

Would the dissemination of a new cognitive screening tool currently under development be considered as improving physical concerns under one of the priorities?
We are not evaluating alignment with ASCENT priority areas prior to submission of LOIs. It is incumbent on the PI to make the case for the project’s alignment with ASCENT priorities, impact, and significance.

Is the ASCENT Consortium primarily interested in proposals that focus on the patient and caregiver, or is it okay to focus only on patients?
It is acceptable to focus only on patients, caregivers, or both, as relevant to the scientific question.

Is it recommended to include how we might use the consortium cores in an LOI?
Yes, as relevant to the application.

Are institutions limited to a certain number of LOI submissions? (i.e., only 1 allowed for each type of award per institution)
No. There are no limitations to the number of LOI submissions per institution.

How many awards will be funded in this cycle?
We will award 10 Research Scholar grants. We anticipate awarding 8-10 Pilot and Exploratory Studies grants depending on the budgets of the selected grant applications.

Are grants more likely to be funded if they fall under the disease groups of the contributing ICs?
Applications will be evaluated based on the strength of the science.

Are global projects that take place outside the U.S. allowed (e.g., UNC Project-Malawi)?
No.

Can proposed projects involve education and collaborative work in the community?
Yes, as long as it is a research project (i.e., research question/hypothesis).

Can I propose a clinical trial for a Research Scholar Award or Pilot and Exploratory Studies Award?
Yes. Of note, clinical trials must be able to feasibly complete their work within the time period, which is two years for a Research Scholar Award, and 1-2 years for a Pilot and Exploratory Studies Award. Applicants proposing a clinical trial are strongly advised to consult the ASCENT Consultation Program, which will include office hours and guidance to help you prepare, once your LOI has been administratively reviewed. Consultation is available for those applicants who are invited to submit a full proposal.

For Pilot and Exploratory Studies Awards, how important is it for the proposed work to be connected to prior research vs. diving into a new area?
In general, having some evidence that the study team has sufficient expertise to do rigorous science is important. This evidence is often in the form of high-quality, published prior work and demonstrating that the investigator team has the necessary expertise to carry out the proposed investigation.

For Pilot and Exploratory Studies Awards, are pre-implementation and/or implementation studies appropriate?
Implementation studies are important and valued. Most likely, for a Pilot and Exploratory Studies Award, the funding and timeline would make a pre-implementation study more feasible than a full implementation study.

For Pilot and Exploratory Studies Awards, are subawards allowed?
There is no restriction on subcontracts for Pilot and Exploratory Studies Awards, as long as the scope of work fits within your proposed timeline. In following NIH guidelines, subcontract costs are direct costs, and only the first $25,000 of each subaward is included in the modified total direct cost base for calculating indirect costs. Please work with your grant administrator to appropriately budget for any subcontracts included in your application.

For Pilot and Exploratory Studies Awards, would it be appropriate to only request part of the $250,000 per year budget?
Yes. There is no required min/max budget. Please tailor the budget to your scope of work.

For Pilot and Exploratory Studies Awards, what is covered for facilities and administrative costs?
If applicable, applicants are required to use their federally negotiated rate agreement as stated in NIHGPS7.4: Reimbursement of Facilities and Administrative Costs. If your organization does not have a federally negotiated rate, you may use a de minimis rate of 10%.

What formatting rules apply to the full proposal?
Follow NIH R21 guidelines:

• Font size ≥11 pt
  
• Single spacing
  
• ≤15 characters per inch
  
• ≤6 lines per inch
  
• ≥½ inch margins
  
• Include your name and page number on each page 

Can I include appendices or supplemental materials?
No, unless specifically requested by ASCENT administration. 

What must be included if my research involves human subjects?
You must include a dedicated section addressing: 

• Risks to human subjects, including population characteristics, sampling plans, and rationale for vulnerable populations. 
• Sources of materials and data management, including privacy protections and access to identifiable information. 
• Potential risks and mitigation strategies, including medical intervention plans and handling of incidental findings. 
• Recruitment and informed consent procedures, including documentation, capacity assessments, and waivers if applicable. 
• Justification of risks in relation to benefits and knowledge to be gained. 

Do I need an IRB plan?
Yes. All studies must include a single IRB (sIRB) plan consistent with ASCENT policy. Applicants must confirm whether their institution will serve as the sIRB or cede to the University of Colorado’s sIRB. A letter from the IRB/OHRPP is required. 

Are you expecting this program to continue next year?
Yes. We plan to fund Research Scholar and Pilot and Exploratory awards for each of the next 5 years (including this year) of the parent U54 award funding ASCENT.

What time of year do you expect that LOIs might be due in future years?
In the future, the call for LOIs will likely take place in the spring. We will provide updates on the ASCENT website and through our LinkedIn page as we finalize timelines.

Can I resubmit if my application isn’t funded?
Yes, but only once. Resubmissions must include an introduction outlining revisions and responses to prior reviewer feedback. They will be reviewed alongside new applications.

If I have GEMSSTAR and receive an ASCENT Research Scholar Award, what happens to the GEMSSTAR?
You may simultaneously hold a GEMSSTAR and an ASCENT Research Scholar Award as long as you maintain 50% FTE on the ASCENT Research Scholar Award and meet all training and carer development requirements.

What happens if I receive another career development award during the ASCENT grant period?
You must relinquish ASCENT salary and research support but may continue to access ASCENT resources and attend the ASCENT Annual Scientific and Business Meeting.

Regarding the expectation for required attendance at the in-person meeting, is the date for that known?
The ASCENT Annual Scientific and Business Meeting is scheduled for June 29-30, 2026, in Bethesda, Maryland.