The Robert Machemer, MD/IRRF Fellowship Award Guidelines

The Robert Machemer, MD/IRRF Fellowship Award, has been designated in honor of an individual whose innovative surgical research and teaching introduced pars plana vitrectomy, which revolutionized the treatment of retinal and vitreoretinal diseases during the last quarter of the twentieth century. This Fellowship was established to provide salary and research support in the amount of $100,000 per year in early career research development at a not-for-profit institution. The goal is to support the transition of a vitreoretinal surgeon to initiate independent research to improve knowledge of the causes and treatment of vitreoretinal diseases.

Deadline for submitting applications for The Fellowship Award is May 15, and will be reviewed by the IRRF Director of Research Funding, with final approval to come from the Board of Directors. All notifications will be provided in writing by June 15, with an July 15 funding date.

Guidelines for Robert Machemer, MD/IRRF Fellowship Award may be obtained by contacting:

Ms. Sandra Blackwood, MPA
Executive Director

By email: [email protected] or by phone 205-325-8103
All applications should be received in the IRRF office no later than May 15. It is preferred applications be submitted to Sandra Blackwood via email at [email protected]

TERMS OF FUNDING:

ELIGIBILITY:
  • Applicants must have earned an M.D., or equivalent degree and be in the final year of or in the first year following successful completion of vitreoretinal/retinal surgical training.
  • Applicants must be involved in scientific research on vitreoretinal diseases that will accelerate the discovery of the causes, treatment and cure of vitreoretinal diseases
  • Fellowships are open to United States and foreign citizens who are receiving training or are new faculty at a nonprofit research institution in the U.S., excluding the NIH.  A valid U.S. visa must be maintained at the time of application and throughout the award period for all applicants who are not United States citizens.  Permanent residents of the United States must provide a copy of their Alien Registration card.  Persons who have applied for permanent resident status but have not received their government documentation by the time of application are not eligible.  The IRRF will not handle visa or permanent residency matters for candidates.
  • Applicants must be sponsored by a faculty member currently involved in scientific research that will accelerate the applicant’s discovery of the causes, treatment and cure of retinal diseases, and who will accept the role of mentor for the duration of the funding period.  The sponsor may be an MD or PhD and is responsible for the mentoring component of the Fellowship and for providing the research environment.
  • Applications may be accompanied by two (2) letters of support, one of which should be from the faculty sponsor.
MAXIMUM ANNUAL FUNDING AMOUNT:

The Machemer/IRRF Fellowship will provide salary and research support for one year in the amount of $100,000.  One Fellowship will be approved per year.

FUNDING RESTRICTIONS:
  • The Fellowship Award is intended to foster the development of vision researchers in an individual manner. Though administered by the institution, funds are under the control of the grantee and may be used as supplemental salary support, consumable laboratory supplies, and approved travel expenses to scientific meetings.
  • The Fellowship Award is granted for salary and research “support.” In the event that the grantee institution mandates a salary and benefit amount that exceeds The Fellowship Award maximum, a commitment must be obtained from the mentor, grantee institution, or an independent source for the outstanding balance.
  • All funds must be used within 12 months of the date of receipt, and may not be renewed. A single extension of 9 months beyond the original term date, without additional funds, may be granted for a written request with sufficient justification when received 60 days prior to the end date. A preliminary version of the financial report must be submitted with the request for extension of Award. Any unused funds held by institutions when Awards expire or are terminated must be returned to the IRRF.
  • The IRRF prefers that award recipients do not move from one institution to another during the one-year training period; however, awards may be transferred upon written approval from the IRRF Board of Directors. Requests must be received at least two (2) months prior to any move. Any supplies purchased with award funds may be taken with the grantee.
ADMINISTRATIVE REQUIREMENTS:

All Awardees receiving funding through the Fellowship Award must abide by the rules and regulations mandated by the grantee institution’s research administration under their department.

PUBLICATIONS:

Award recipients are encouraged to produce publications of findings as determined by mutual agreement between the Fellowship Awardee and the mentor. Any publications resulting from research performed by any recipient of an award must acknowledge receipt of funds from the International Retinal Research Foundation as a Robert Machemer, MD/IRRF Fellow.

PATENT AND INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY POLICY:

The IRRF has established a patent and intellectual property policy that governs any and all inventions or intellectual properties that result from support, in whole or in part, of research, training grants, or awards from the IRRF.

Please refer to the IRRF Policy Statements:  Patent and Intellectual Property

 

Policy Statement

Patent and Intellectual Property

Statement:

While the IRRF is committed to discovering the cause and cure of blinding eye diseases by mobilizing financial resources to support and sustain a unified effort through vision research, it is recognized that inventions having public health, scientific, or commercial application or value may be made during the course of these studies.  Many such inventions involve equities beyond those of the inventor since the use of grantee institution facilities, the assignment of duties as a condition of employment, and the use of research funds with contractual obligations regarding patent rights give rise to questions concerning the rights and equities of all concerned.

It is in keeping with the goals and responsibilities of the IRRF that such inventions be made available for public benefit at the earliest possible time after it has been determined by all the appropriate regulatory agencies that such inventions are deemed safe for use.  The most effective vehicle for accomplishing this goal is through patenting, copyrighting, and/or licensing of such inventions.

For the purpose of this policy, “invention” is defined as any discovery, material, method, process, product, program, software or use, whether or not patented or patentable or copyrighted or copyrightable, that has an application of value such that its use, licensing, lease or sale can generate revenue.

For the purpose of this policy, “patent” is a grant made by the government to an inventor, conveying and securing to the inventor the exclusive right to make, use, and sell the invention for a term of years.

For the purpose of this policy, “license” is an agreement giving the right to make, use, and/or sell a certain product, design or process. For the purpose of this policy, “royalty” is the amount of the net sales paid to the owner of a patent.

Policy:

  1. All inventions discovered or resulting from research or training grants supported in whole or in part by the IRRF must be reported at the earliest possible time to the IRRF. The grantee institution agrees to notify IRRF immediately of the decision to apply for a letter of patent or other legal protection for intellectual property. The grantee further agrees to seriously consider, in good faith, any comments, suggestions, or objections that the IRRF may have concerning such applications. All patenting expenses or intellectual property application expenses shall be borne solely by the grantee institution.
  2. If the grantee institution has an established and applicable patent, intellectual property, or technology transfer policy and procedure for administering inventions, the IRRF will defer to that policy.
  3. Title to all inventions will reside in the grantee institution to the extent that such title is claimed by the institution under its Patent Policies and Procedures. If the grantee institution has no established and applicable patent, intellectual property, or technology transfer policy and procedure for administering inventions, the IRRF shall have the right to determine, with advice from its legal counsel, the disposition of the invention rights.
  4. If an invention is made with the joint support of the IRRF and an agency or department of the United States government, the IRRF may defer to the patent, intellectual property, or technology transfer policy of that agency or department upon receipt of a written statement by the appropriate agency or department notifying the IRRF of its policy and procedure and identifying the rights and interests of the IRRF in the invention in question.
  5. If any invention is made with the joint support of the IRRF and any other funding organization, not an agency or department of the United States government, the other funding organization, the inventor(s), the inventor’s institution, and the IRRF shall negotiate a mutually satisfactory disposition of the invention rights.
  6. Distribution of income derived from any Inventions, which might include equity disposition, shall be made in accordance with the policies of the grantee institution. Otherwise, such distribution shall be guided by the principle that the IRRF’s proportion of income shall be commensurate with the IRRF’s proportion of support for the research leading to any Inventions.
  7. No patent, patent application, or other type of protection for the Inventions shall be abandoned without prior written notification to the IRRF. At such time, the grantee institution shall give the IRRF reasonable opportunity to take title to the Invention.
  8. The International Retinal Research Foundation reserves the right to public acknowledgement for the Inventions resulting from research that has received IRRF support. However, the IRRF’s name and logo may not be used in association with any Invention without the prior written approval of the IRRF.
  9. The IRRF may have use of the Inventions without payment of royalties or license fees solely for the use by IRRF for public education purposes, but not for any of its grantee institutions.
  10. Before a funding request from any entity outside the United States can be considered for approval, a copy of the current prevailing patent policy of the grantee institution must be supplied to the IRRF for review.
  11. In cases where IRRF-supported research results in patentable discoveries or inventions, funds received from the IRRF must not be co-mingled with funds received from other funding agencies whose patent policies and guidelines are in conflict with those of the IRRF.

Policy Statement

Use of Human Subjects or Vertebrate Animals for Research:

Research projects involving human subjects and/or vertebrate animals must meet or exceed standards required for United States federal government funding.

For research involving animals, a copy of the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) protocol approval or comparable institutional approval must be submitted before grant funds can be released.  All research must be performed at an institution that has a current animal welfare assurance number on file with the U.S. Public Health Service Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare (OLAW).

If human subjects are used, a copy of the Institutional Review Board (IRB) protocol approval or comparable institutional approval must be submitted before grant funds can be released.

The Machemer/IRRF Fellowship application can be accessed HERE