Directions from the organisers
Read all sections of this website thoroughly before completing a Letter of Intent (LOI) or Full Proposal. It is highly likely that if you have any questions concerning the program, the answer will be found within the site. If not, contact the Program Secretariat (goap@bayer.com) for further clarification.
Clarity
Include 3–5 specific aims and state the hypothesis, where relevant, upfront. Reviewers will be asking themselves the following questions when they read each application:
Research award:
- Is the hypothesis clear?
- Are the experiments properly designed to test the hypothesis?
- Will the experiments be performed and interpreted carefully?
Fellowship award:
- Is the applicant clear about what they will be doing over the course of the year in terms of their research and clinical program?
- Is the applicant clear about how the training will improve their skills and abilities when treating patients with retinal diseases?
Openness
Acknowledge competing hypotheses, funding opportunities and time constraints. What are the pitfalls of the approaches proposed?
Attention to detail
Check your LOI and Full Proposal for errors, e.g. references not correlating with text, spelling mistakes, etc.
Timelines
Notify your institute's administrators that you are making an application in good time before the application is due. Internal institutional approval is often multi-layered and can be time consuming. Please ensure, before you commence your application, that the Awards Terms and Conditions are acceptable to your institution to save you unnecessary work.
Budget
Ask for the appropriate amount of money you need to do the work. If you overestimate the budget, the reviewers are likely to cut it by more than the overestimation.
Ensure that your application is consistent. Your budget must agree with the activities you propose. Justify everything you propose in your budget and why you need it. Do not assume that anything will be obvious to the reviewers.