Longer Life Foundation seeks applications for funding in 2013

The Longer Life Foundation, a joint enterprise of the School of Medicine and the Reinsurance Group of America, is seeking applications for funding in 2013. The group plans to fund Washington University faculty hoping to conduct pilot and feasibility research projects that address topics related to improving health and longevity.

Those evaluating the applications give preference to clinical research that involves new discovery, rather than the implementation of existing therapies. The Longer Life Foundation also funds studies that investigate methods to improve quality and quantity of life by preventing ailments from occurring.

In addition to pilot and feasibility studies, the group also is interested in research that represents a component of a larger established study. The grants will focus on factors that predict disease progression, as well as survival, cancer screening and tumor markers, frailty in older adults, the impact of obesity on health, and predictors of suicide risk.

Those who are eligible for grants include young investigators with at least two years of research experience who are interested in longevity research but have not yet obtained independent funding. Established investigators who are developing new directions in research on health and longevity also are encouraged to apply for funding. Postdoctoral researchers are not eligible.

The Longer Life Foundation plans to fund four or five grants in 2013. The project period will run from Oct. 1, 2013, through Sept. 30, 2014, and each grant will be eligible for $20,000 to $50,000 to cover the direct costs of the proposed project. Letters of intent are due by Feb. 18. Researchers chosen to submit formal applications will be notified April 19, and final applications will be due June 3.

More information is available at the foundation’s website: www.longerlife.org, or investigators may contact Joan M. Heins at 314- 286-1912 or jheins@wustl.edu.

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