Title of the investigation (not to exceed 120 characters including spaces).

Applicant and co-applicant details: forename(s), title, post held, number of hours per week on project, address at which the work will be done.

Project summary. List only the total sums for salary and research expenses in this section; an itemized budget is requested later.

Scientific abstract. Briefly outline the proposal, including background and expected outcomes, in no more than 200 words.

Key hypotheses, aims, objectives and milestones. Please bullet-point the main hypotheses to be investigated, along with short descriptions of how this will be achieved and a brief timetable of milestones, in no more than 300 words. You can expand on this information if necessary in the main project description. Tables and diagrams will be included in the word count.

Lay summary. Describe the research proposal under the given headings, in terms understandable to a reader with no specialist scientific or medical knowledge. Use no more than 1 side of A4. It is advised to pitch the summary at a level similar to that of a medical research report in a newspaper. Do not include scientific jargon or abbreviations without further explanation. It is in your interest to take a great deal of care over this section. The lay summary will be used to inform the VR Foundation board of trustees, who make the final funding decision. If they cannot understand the importance of your research project for people affected 7by vitiligo then scientific merit is unlikely to save it.

Project description. The project description should not exceed 2500 words. All proposals should articulate a strong, central research question and place it in the context of current knowledge and the potential benefit for people affected by vitiligo. If you have pilot data that will strengthen your application, include it here. Up to 20 full references may be provided on a separate page and are not included in the word count.

We understand that research projects often do not run entirely to plan. Please highlight the problems this project is mostly likely to encounter and explain how they will be dealt with.

Indicate value of this project to the vitiligo research community and people affected by vitiligo. This last section is critically important. Projects that have a clear route to patient benefit will be viewed favorably. It is understood that research into underpinning biological mechanisms is likely to have patient benefit only in the long-term. Nevertheless, you should still provide evidence that a pathway exists to translate any positive findings towards clinical benefit.

Applicant’s CV. Insert a 1-2 page CV or biosketch detailing employment history, a publication list (abbreviated to the most significant/relevant/recent publications if necessary), any grants held, and any other information which underlines your track record in research. Include CV’s for all named investigators on the project

Other sources of funding. Give details of any other funding received or applied for on the topic of this application. In the case of funding already received, it is important to explain how this proposal differs from ongoing work and forms a discrete project. For recent funding applications it is acceptable to have submitted the same project to another funder - please inform the VR Foundation of the outcome as soon as it is known.

Approvals and licenses. Funding will not be released to successful applicants until all regulatory approvals for the project are in place. If submissions are in process please indicate the status of the application(s) and when a final decision is expected. If approvals are obtained after deadline, inform the VR Foundation immediately.

Intellectual property. The VR Foundation requires that any intellectual property generated by the project is properly identified and secured. Intellectual property shall vest with the host institution or investigator.

Budget. Budget justification need is not required during application approval process as long as you follow guidelines similar to NIH form, PHS 398. It acceptable to combine costs from different investigators on one budget. Subcontractors must be approved by the VRF on a case-by-case basis. Salaries need to be consistent with NIH guidelines.