INTRODUCTION

The Lipedema Foundation Award Program was established in 2015 to support research that will improve the lives of people with Lipedema. LF is the world’s largest sponsor of Lipedema research, having awarded over $11 million across more than 40 research awards covering a broad array of topics relevant to patient needs, including diagnostics.

These investigator-initiated awards are intended to solicit proposals that, if successful, will lead to significant advances in the diagnosis or treatment of Lipedema.

The Lipedema Foundation is focused on expanding the workforce of committed scientists and clinicians interested in bringing their skills to solve issues related to this condition. This call for proposals is soliciting high-impact exploratory research from teams of scientists, clinicians, and surgeons around the world, regardless of background or prior work in Lipedema. 

BACKGROUND

Lipedema is a chronic condition that occurs almost exclusively in women and manifests as symmetrical buildup of painful fat and swelling in the limbs, sparing the hands and feet.

Different from obesity, Lipedema may be associated with reduced risk of metabolic syndrome and is often resistant to dietary or exercise-based interventions. A critical issue is the poorly understood disease biology, which for diagnosed patients results in limited treatment options that, at best, ameliorate the symptoms of lipedema. Individuals who suffer from the disease are further impacted by the absence of diagnostic tools, as well as conflicting diagnostic criteria across practitioners. Lipedema is under-diagnosed owing to a lack of public and medical awareness of Lipedema itself, and the stigma associated with weight.

Its prevalence is poorly understood, and little is known about genetic or other risk factors. Lipedema is, thus, an often invisible disease. Patient experiences with Lipedema suggest that the condition interacts with their lives over many years, and in ways that may be distinct from other related conditions. The Lipedema Foundation Registry data offers a patient perspective on issues related to diagnosis, staging, genetics, and quality of life that suggest testable hypotheses to guide future research.

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Principal Investigators must be associated with a research institution and in good standing with that institution. The Investigators must be permitted by their employers to apply for this funding and manage any subsequent awards, including management of key personnel. 

Principal Investigators must hold an independent position by the time of the anticipated project start date. 

Postdoctoral students, including clinical fellows, may submit applications for research support through the Mentored Award program. Candidates should have received their doctoral degree or completed their residency within 5 years of application submission.

Other trainees including undergraduate, graduate, or postdoctoral students who do not meet the above criteria may be supported as key personnel but cannot be designated Principal Investigator.

INSTITUTION

Public, private, and government-held research laboratories, medical centers, and universities are eligible to apply.

The Lipedema Foundation will not accept applications from any Institution that is delinquent in reporting on any prior award.

citizenship and host country

This request has a global scope. There are no citizenship requirements.

administrative

Proposals must not duplicate or overlap existing funding of the Lipedema Foundation or other funding sources.

AWARD CYCLE DETAILS

CYCLE

LF 2022 Open Call for Lipedema Research Proposals

award types

Collaborative Research Award - Designed for team research that requires involvement of multiple institutions or muIti-disciplinary researchers. Applications that involve current LF grantees receive priority review.

Proof of Concept Award - Designed to support development of preliminary data for highly innovative hypotheses. Open to investigators of any career stage or background. Successful awards are eligible for streamlined award renewal.

Mentored Award - Designed to support postdoctoral research experiences for candidates in non-independent mentored research training. Intended to support PhD (or equivalent research degrees) and clinicians engaged in mentored medical research.

DEADLINES

• Application Portal Opens: June, 2022

• LOI Submission: July 20, 2022; 11:59 PM EST (New York)

• Video Presentation with Lipedema Foundation staff and Full Application Invitations: August 2022

• Full Application Submission: Early November

• Award Status Update: December, 2022 - January, 2023

• Earliest Project Start Date: March, 2023

Dates are subject to change at discretion of Lipedema Foundation. Registered applicants will be notified by email should these dates change.

SPECIFIC AREAS OF INTEREST

In the current cycle, the Foundation will continue to prioritize awards that are oriented towards improving Lipedema diagnosis.   The specific intent of this goal is to support the development of technologies that bring empirical data to clinical encounters in support of achieving more sensitive and specific diagnoses for lipedema patients in the clinic and research settings.  

The Lipedema Foundation reserves the right to consider especially compelling projects that fall outside of this scope, but asks that they be vetted by email with Foundation staff prior to submission.

Proposals to create clinically relevant animal models should clearly justify the relationship of the proposed model to current understanding of Lipedema pathology and etiology.

MAXIMUM award values and duration

• Collaborative Research Award - Up to $250,000 over two years.

• Proof of Concept Award - Up to $125,000 for one year.

• Mentored Award - Up to $80,000 for two years. During the second year, applicants may apply for a third year of funding as a renewal.

Funding is competitive. Applicants are advised to submit budget proposals only for funds needed. All requested budgets will be reviewed for appropriateness relative to project aims and will require justification.

All values are stated here in USD. Applicants may justify their budget in their local currency, but any resultant award will be distributed in USD respecting the limits stated above.

INDIRECT COSTS

The Lipedema Foundation policy is to allow indirect costs up to 10% of direct costs. The maximum award values are inclusive of both direct and indirect costs.

Clinical sample needs

Fresh, well-characterized patient biological samples are much-needed in Lipedema research.  Applicants should consider the development of local clinical-researcher teams to support the acquisition of suitable appropriate samples and controls.  Investigators requiring assistance with recruitment of patients or acquisition of biological samples should contact the Foundation at least 3 weeks prior to LOI submission to review feasibility of the request.

review process

Initial review of Letters of Intent will be performed by Lipedema Foundation staff and volunteers in order to assure alignment with Lipedema Foundation priorities. 

Letter of Intent authors considered for Full Application submission will be scheduled for a 90-minute video call. Foundation staff and advisors will use this time to discuss the Letter of Intent and provide feedback to guide development of the Full Application.

Full Applications will be reviewed by subject matter experts on the basis of the experience and training of the Principal Investigator, relevance to Lipedema, scientific merit, and rigor of the proposed work. 

Final funding decisions are at the discretion of the Lipedema Foundation.

contact

For questions regarding this RFP, please contact the Lipedema Foundation staff by email at awards@lipedema.org.

how to apply

All applications must be submitted through the Lipedema Foundation research submission portal.

Applicants who wish to submit multiple Letters of Intent in the same cycle must get prior approval from the Lipedema Foundation.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Applicants new to the Lipedema field may wish to review Lipedema Foundation archives of research publications and other resources.

Applicants may also wish to review the Lipedema Foundation’s Applicant FAQ.

A PDF summary of the Lipedema Foundation RFP can be found here.