Initial Applications
Use the form below to submit your initial application to include:
- A letter from an administrative official of the applicant’s medical, hospital or research institute endorsing the Principal Investigator and proposed project
- Applicant CV and bibliography
- 3-5 Page Project Description (to be submitted online):
Format: English language, Times New Roman 12pt or Arial 11pt; all margins 0.5 inches
Guidelines for 3-5 Page Project Description:
- Succinctly describe the project, including: background, unmet need, and significance
- Specific aims, objectives, or hypothesis
- Experimental design, description of methods and analyses to be performed for basic and translational research projects. If a clinical trial is proposed, present the trial design with primary and secondary endpoints, as well as a statistical plan. If the project involves the design of a novel device or approach for treating a disease or monitoring therapeutic effectiveness, provide sufficient detail to appreciate its design and novelty.
- Expected results and expected timeframe for completing the project
- Applications may include any additional information, supportive preliminary data within the limit.
- Additional Documents (not included in page limit): Pertinent References, Estimated Budget*, and 1-page of Figures or Tables
- Complete this Submission Form and attach all required documents.
All applicants will receive an email confirming receipt of their submission.
Following review of initial applications, selected applicants will be invited to submit a NIH R01 modified application to APEX.
* As a nonprofit educational organization, APEX does not allow institutional indirect costs (e.g., overhead) to be added or subtracted to/from this research prize, similar to that by other 501(c)(3) non-profit organizations. In exceptional cases, a special request must be made to APEX outlining the circumstances. If approved, the indirect cost rate would be capped at 10%.
2025 REVIEW COMMITTEE
Initial applications will be reviewed by a panel of internationally recognized human heme biosynthesis and the porphyrias, including:
- Professor Robert J. Desnick, MD, PhD (President, APEX)
- Professor John Phillips, PhD (Vice President, APEX)
- Professor Eliane Sardh, MD, PhD (President Elect, International Porphyria Network)
These reviewers will assess the initial projects and select those for submission of full applications. Selection of the winning project will be based on the evaluation of the review committee and expanded review committee including members of the National Academy of Science, Engineering and Medicine, and ad hoc experts as needed who will assess the quality of the research as well as the potential impact of the results.
These committee members will follow a code of conduct to ensure that submissions are reviewed in a fair and equitable manner. The review committee members are bound by confidentiality rules applicable to such committees. Applications from the review committee members will not be considered and they will recuse themselves from evaluating initial applications from their institutions. The Review Committee’s decisions are final and there is no appeal mechanism.