Application Instructions

How to Apply: Letter of Intent (LOI)

APPLICATION INFORMATION FOR THE 2024-2025 INTERNATIONAL NETWORKS OF EXCELLENCE PROGRAM

Applicants are advised to read the International Networks of Excellence Program Description for important information about the application process and Leducq Foundation policies.  Detailed instructions about the application submission are available on the Fluxx website and should be consulted in preparing the application.

Applicants to the International Networks Program must submit a Letter of Intent (LOI) through the online application service managed by Fluxx, which will be accessible beginning on June 14, 2024. A link to the website is provided here.  The application should be assembled as outlined below, and uploaded as one single word of pdf file, not to exceed 10Mb.  (Disclosure forms and CVs are uploaded separately.)  Letters of Intent must be submitted before the end of the day, 11:59 p.m. Central European Time (5:59 pm US Eastern Time) on Wednesday, September 11, 2024.

The Applicant designated to submit the application through Fluxx should be one of the two coordinators who lead each Leducq network. He or she can grant access to other network members to view the application. The final submission must come from the coordinator  who is registered on the Fluxx site.

Click here to see items required for submission of the LOI:

LOI Instructions and Components of LOI

Full names, institutional affiliations, postal and email addresses, telephone numbers for the two coordinators and proposed members. List the two coordinators at the top. (This information is requested on the Fluxx website in the “Key Personnel” section but should also be included in a separate page as a part of the application document.)

The research program title.

 A description of the proposed research, not to exceed 1500 words, which should cover:

  • The purpose and objectives of the work.
  • The background and scientific importance of the research. Cite relevant publications in the text where applicable (see below).
  • The proposed research plan and the organization of the network to meet the stated objectives. Be as specific as possible about the research program, and the experiments planned to meet your objectives.
  • The added value of the collaborative network for achieving scientific objectives. Discuss the impact of the collaborative program with reference to what together you can achieve that working individually you could not.
  • The qualifications of the applicants to carry out the research, including experience in field, and prior collaborative work.
  • Word count

Applicants may include a one-page figure (optional) with the application.

 A bibliography. Please list here the references cited in the program description outlined above. Include (and highlight in some way, e.g. bold typeface) at least 5 recent publications from among the members of the proposed network.

 A 250 word abstract. Include 3 KEYWORDS for the project on the bottom line.

An abbreviated CV of 1-2 pages in biosketch format for the coordinators and all proposed network members. A template of the biosketch is available here (pdf version). Upload all the CVs together as a single pdf file

TO BE UPLOADED SEPARATELY AS ONE PDF FILE:  A completed and signed disclosure form for each coordinator and proposed member. Applicants should refer to the Fondation Leducq conflict of interest policy for applicants before completing the disclosure form.

For the text of the submission, please use 12-point type, and either Times New Roman or Arial as the font. One page of supplementary figures may be added (words on this page will not count towards the 1500 limit in the project description). Letters of Intent found not to be in compliance with the format guidelines risk disqualification. The submission of supplementary materials, including introductory letters, is discouraged; they will not be considered, nor will they be returned.

To start the application process, the first step is click on the “Create an account Now” button and provide information on your organization. You will not be able to edit your profile after submission, so please ensure you have entered accurate information (including your email address) when completing the registration form. You will then receive an email notification from the foundation with login information, which will give you access to the portal and application forms.

For purposes of the Leducq Foundation application, only, “Institution Information” is required. There is no need to add a biosketch at this point. Rather, the biosketches for all network members will be uploaded in a single application PDF file as described below. When creating a new institution, you need only include the required information indicated by the red asterisk, although you can enter additional information if you choose. Once you have entered the required information, and the foundation has registered your institution, you can proceed to the “Apply for Funding” tab on the upper left menu and create a new proposal.

At this point, you will be able to download the complete instructions for the Leducq Foundation application.  Please follow the guidelines in the instructions and on the Fluxx website to prepare and submit the application.

Full applications

The Leducq Foundation will notify applicants about the status of their applications following the fall meeting of the Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC), which will take place at the end of October. At that meeting, the SAC will select 8-14 network applicants to submit a full application, information about which will be provided at the time of notification. It is the express intention of the members of the SAC to limit requests for full applications to those proposals with a significant chance of success in the final round. Full applications are due in the foundation office in February 2025 and the final recommendation of the SAC, to select up to four networks for support, will be made at a meeting in May 2025. The Leducq Foundation Board of Directors will consider the SAC’s recommendation in early June 2025.

Please note that it is the policy of the Scientific Advisory Committee not to provide comments or feedback about unsuccessful LOI  applications.

Questions about the electronic submission process, application, or Leducq Foundation policy should be directed to the Leducq Foundation office at contact@flcq.org or viewed on our website at: www.flcq.org.

Eligibility

Participants in a Leducq Foundation International Network of Excellence Program (INEP) must have expertise in cardiovascular or neurovascular disease, or a related field, and must be affiliated with an academic research center. The two Network Coordinators must be from different continents. In the consideration of continent boundaries, conventional geographic definitions will obtain. The INEP is open to investigators worldwide, with the exception of the coordinator role, as described above. Participation in a Leducq International Network is contingent upon the commitment of the participant’s affiliated academic institution to abide by the financial and intellectual property provisions. Participants sign a customary research agreement which outlines the conditions of support, the powers of the coordinators to modify the program, and the responsibilities and accountability of network members.

Click here to see rules for participation in the International Networks Program in multiple networks:

Network coordinators cannot participate concurrently in any other Leducq network, in any capacity.  Following the conclusion of the program of which they were the coordinators, they are ineligible to apply again to the International Networks of Excellence Program as a network coordinator, although they are eligible to participate as a member of another network.  An exception is made for network members who, for whatever reason, have taken up the responsibility of network coordinator during the term of the network grant; they may apply to the foundation as the coordinator of a new network.

Network members may not participate in more than two Leducq International Networks concurrently. (This rule applies only to the 5-year term of the grant, and not to the no-cost extension period that networks may wish to pursue.)

Investigators may not  submit more applications in an application cycle than the number in which they are allowed to participate if all applications were successful.  Practically, this means that in any given year:

  • Applicants for the role of coordinator cannot have their name on any other application submitted to the foundation, and cannot be participating in a current network unless participation will end before the proposed network will begin.
  • A member of a current Leducq network, which is expected to continue the following year, can be included on only one application (as a member) to the International Networks Program.
  • An investigator not currently participating in a Leducq network can submit a maximum of either one application where his/her role will be that of coordinator, or two applications for that of member.
  • An investigator who is a member of two Leducq networks can participate in a network application only when one of the networks of which he or she is a member comes to the end of its five-year term.

Participation in an extended term, a one year no cost extension granted to Leducq Foundation networks, does not count as participation in a network for purposes of determining eligibility.

International Network grants are not renewable. Members of concluding networks who wish to reapply with a team that consists of largely of the same participants, and with a theme similar to that of the existing network, are urged to present a new and original direction for research.  All applications are considered on a de novo basis.