ROI Research Award Policies

Application Policies

Eligible Applications

The ROI only accepts applications for research grant funding and awards from eligible persons or organizations in response to the requests for proposals (RFPs) or calls for nominations it issues. How to apply for each type of award and eligibility requirements are outlined in the specific program guidelines. All applications must be submitted through ProposalCentral.

Number of Award Applicants Per Institution

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

Number of Applications Per Individual

An individual may:

• Apply for more than one ROI award opportunity per year.
• Submit only one application per funding cycle for the ROI Innovation Awards or other research grant opportunities.
• Be nominated for a maximum of two articles each year for the ROI Publication Excellence Awards.  
• Win a maximum of one award per award opportunity.
• Not serve as Principal Investigator of more than one active ROI research grant simultaneously.

Review

All letters of intent (LOIs) and proposals are evaluated by the ROI’s Research Committee, whose recommendations are reviewed by the ROI Board of Trustees for final approval. Each LOI and proposal is scored by at least two qualified reviewers. Funding of awards is based on the priority score awarded to each application and the recommendations of the Research Committee.

Sponsoring Institutions

The Sponsoring Institution will receive and manage the grant funds on behalf of the Principal Investigator. If eligible for an award opportunity, Sponsoring Institutions located outside of the United States must provide documentation that they are the equivalent of a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, such as a letter of determination from the U.S. IRS and/or a W-8BEN-E form. Documentation certifying that all funds will be used in compliance with all applicable anti-terrorism financing and asset control laws, statutes and executive orders as well as U.S. export control laws and regulations is also required. Any research award is contingent upon the ROI’s ability to transfer grant funds to the Sponsoring Institution and support the proposed research project in compliance with all applicable legal requirements.

Cost Policies

ROI research grants can only be used for direct costs, which includes the expenses that are required to conduct the project and can be directly attributed to the specific activities with a high degree of accuracy. ROI does not pay indirect costs, which are expenses that are not readily assignable to the specific project and therefore not allowed.

Conflict of Interest Policies

Reviewers

No individual who is designated as the mentor of an applicant or who submits an application may score applications for that award opportunity. Members of the ROI Research Committee, a subcommittee or a work group may not score LOIs or proposals of applicants from the same institution or organization and must recuse themselves from any discussion of the application. ROI Trustees from the same institution as an applicant must recuse themselves from any discussion and funding decisions related to that application.

ROI Volunteers

Members of the ROI Board of Trustees and Committees are permitted to apply for ROI award opportunities or serve as a mentor of an applicant. The ROI volunteer is automatically recused from all duties related to the review for that award opportunity.

Letters of Support

The ROI welcomes letters of support for applicants from all associated parties, including ASTRO members and ROI volunteers. The author/signatory of any letter of support may not score the associated LOI or proposal and must recuse themselves from any discussion of the application.

Award Acceptance Policies

Each Sponsoring Institution must execute a separate research award agreement with the ROI in order to receive an ROI grant. The policies below reflect the terms and conditions of accepting an ROI research award and should be reviewed by all applicants and authorized officials from their institution. However, this is not the complete research award agreement, and the ROI reserves the right to modify any of the terms and conditions as needed in each research award agreement.

Scientific Progress and Financial Reports

All ROI research award recipients are required to submit regular reports that are reviewed by the ROI Research Committee as a condition of accepting ROI funding. The schedule for submitting the written reports is specified in each research award agreement.

The Principal Investigator is responsible for submitting the Research Progress Report(s) and the Final Report. The reports require the Principal Investigator to submit updates on project developments, publications, and any outcomes to date. The ROI uses this information to monitor progress, measure research outcomes, and manage the research portfolio to ensure responsible stewardship of the foundation’s resources.

The Financial Report must be completed by an authorized official in the Sponsoring Institution’s research administration or accounting office. The Financial Report must detail how the research award funds were expended during the reporting period as well as the cumulative totals and include a comparison of actual vs. budgeted expenditures. Any unused funds must be returned to the ROI at the end of the grant period.

Research Products and Acknowledgement of ROI Support

The Principal Investigator must submit an abstract of the project’s results to the ASTRO Annual Meeting either before or after completion of the research. Manuscripts should be submitted to journals with a large U.S. audience.

All ROI research award recipients are required to acknowledge the support of the ROI in any promotion, publication or presentation of the work funded by the ROI. The use of the ROI logo on posters or presentation slides is encouraged and can be requested by sending an email to [email protected].

Research award recipients are expected to participate in promotional/publicity activities in cooperation with the ROI, such as newsletter articles, fundraising materials, events and social media. The ROI reserves the right to include information relating to the award in any of its communications or those of its affiliates as well as publicly accessible databases of research grants.

No Cost Extensions

Requests for an extension of time with no additional funding due (no-cost extension) must be made in writing at least 30 days prior to the end date of the award period specified in the research award agreement. No-cost extensions are granted on a case-by-case basis, and the ROI may request additional reporting during the extension period.

The Principal Investigator must submit the no-cost extension request by email to [email protected] that includes the following items:

• A letter on institutional letterhead that provides the grant name and number, a project status update, the reason(s) why a no-cost extension is necessary, a description of the remaining work, and how remaining funds will be used to complete the work needed.
• A Research Progress Report and a Financial Report that indicates the expended funds to date.

The no-cost extension request will be reviewed by the Research Committee leadership and executive leadership of the Board of Trustees. A determination letter will be sent within 15 business days and will specify the end date of the extended award period and any reporting requirements if the no-cost extension is granted.

Budget Modifications

If the research award recipient is no longer able to achieve the research aims as outlined in the proposal under the approved budget, a reallocation can be requested.

A written request must be submitted by email to [email protected] and include:

• A letter on institutional letterhead that provides the grant name and number and the rationale for the proposed budget revisions.
• A copy of the original budget.
• A revised budget that clearly highlights the requested changes.

Minor budget changes, such as reclassifying funds to similar budget categories, can be approved by ROI staff. Major budget revisions and the reallocation of more than 25% or more of the annual grant payment requires approval by the Research Committee leadership. A determination letter will be sent within 15 business days.

Changes in Key Grant Personnel

ROI research awards are project driven and changes in key grant personnel can be requested if the Principal Investigator is leaving the Sponsoring Institution. Any change in key personnel must be reported to the ROI within ten business days.

A written request to change the key grant personnel must be submitted by email to [email protected] and include:

• A letter on institutional letterhead that provides the grant name and number, the reason for the change in key grant personnel and the plan to achieve the aims of the project as outlined in the proposal under the new grant personnel.
• Biosketches of all new key grant personnel.

Changes in key grant personnel are reviewed by the Research Committee leadership and a determination letter will be sent within 15 days.

Changes in Project Scope

The ROI makes research awards to fulfill the purpose detailed in the proposal, and any changes to the purpose and/or research design of the project require written approval by the ROI.

A written request to change the scope of the project must be submitted by email to [email protected] and include:

• A letter on institutional letterhead that is signed by an institutional official and provides the grant name and number, the reason and rationale for the change in scope, and any budgetary impact to the grant.
• The revised research aims and study plan, a new timeline, an updated budget, and any supporting documentation to justify the change in scope.

The request to change the scope of the project will be reviewed by the ROI Research Committee to determine if the revised aims and methodology remain aligned with the goals of the ROI’s research program. The proposed change in scope will be reviewed at the next scheduled meeting of the Research Committee following the submission of the request, and a determination letter will be sent within 15 business days after the meeting.

Responsible Conduct of Research

All ROI research award recipients are required to meet the expectations for the responsible conduct of research by reporting their work honestly, accurately, efficiently, and objectively. The ROI has the right to request a refund of unspent funds if the research award recipient is found to commit misconduct including:

• The falsification, fabrication, or plagiarism of data or results relating to the research award.
• The omission of material data or results that occurs during the application process for performance of or reporting on the research award.
• Any other fraudulent or unlawful act relating in any way to the research award.

Grant Closeout

A Final Report prepared by the Principal Investigator and a Financial Report prepared by the responsible financial officer for the Sponsoring Institution must be submitted within 60 days of the termination of the research award, whether it is the scheduled end date specified in the research award agreement or for any other reason.

The Sponsoring Institution shall return all unspent funds following the termination of the research award agreement for any reason.

Post Award Reporting Obligation

The award recipient is expected to respond to the ROI’s requests for information on their career progress following the award period. This obligation survives the award period as the information provided helps the ROI to evaluate its research program and communicate outcomes to donors and the larger radiation oncology community.