Issue Date: September 19, 2022
Letter of Intent Due Date: October 24, 2022 by 11:59 pm ET
Invitations to Submit Full Application Notification: By January 27, 2023
Application Due Date: March 13, 2023 by 11:59 pm ET
Grant Selection Notification: By July 28, 2023
Period of Performance: Category I: 1-3 years
Category II: 1-2 years
Category III: Up to 1 year
Amount of Grant: Category I: Up to $250,000
Category II: Up to $100,000
Category III: Up to $50,000

We are no longer accepting letters of intent for the 2023 Strategic Research Grant. The 2024 letter of intent cycle will open September 2023. Please check back for additional details or subscribe to the mailing list to receive updates on AASM Foundation programs. The application overviews for the five focused RFAs offered under this grant program can be viewed at the links below for informational purposes only:

AASM Strategic Plan Goals
Central Disorders of Hypersomnolence Research
Dissemination and Implementation Research
Hypopnea Scoring Criteria
Sleep Health Disparities Research

The AASM Foundation is committed to improving patient-centered diagnosis and care for all patients with sleep disorders. To ensure that there is a continued advancement in effective diagnosis and care of patients with sleep disorders, the AASM Foundation provides research funding through the Strategic Research Grant. This grant is investigator-initiated and supports high-impact research projects aimed at addressing gaps in knowledge that impact the ability to provide optimal, patient-centered, cost-effective diagnosis and care for patients with sleep disorders.

2023 Strategic Research Grant: AASM Strategic Plan Goals

This AASM Foundation research grant is supported by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine.

This is a focused request for applications (RFA) open to topic areas related to the following American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) Strategic Plan Goals: Advocacy to Improve Patient Care, Public Awareness, Technology Innovation and Workforce Development. Topic areas that address the AASM Strategic Plan Goals must advance the field of sleep medicine and population sleep health. Details and examples for each of these specific research domains and topic areas of interest are provided below. Only applications that fit into one of these research domains will be considered.

 1. Advocacy to Improve Patient Care – Positively influence clinical practice for providers and their patients.

Research that can be shared with payers and government decision-makers to increase recognition of the value of services provided by sleep physicians and the sleep team and that can provide evidence-based support for various sleep medicine advocacy initiatives would be valuable in moving the sleep field forward. Research domains and topics that fall under the strategic goal of improving patient care include, but are not limited to:

  • Central Sleep Apnea
  • Circadian Rhythm Sleep-Wake Disorders
  • COVID-19
  • Education and Training
  • Insomnia
  • Obstructive Sleep Apnea
  • Sleep Health1
  • Special Populations
  • Translational Science

2. Public Awareness – Promote greater public recognition that sleep is essential to health.

Insufficient sleep has major health consequences across the lifespan and to public safety. Lack of sleep is associated with injuries, chronic diseases, mental illnesses, poor quality of life and well-being, increased health care costs, and lost work productivity. There is an urgent need to increase awareness of the benefits of healthy sleep and bring sleep to the forefront of public health.  Research domains and topics that fall under the strategic goal of increasing public awareness include, but are not limited to:

  • Sleep Health1
  • Special Populations

3. Technology Innovation – Positively influence the impact of technology on patients and the sleep team.

Research on emerging technologies and their impact on the sleep field and understanding how additional information from current sleep medicine procedures can be utilized to personalize patient care, would help strengthen knowledge on how best to harness new technology, and the data from it, to provide high quality patient-centered care.  Research domains and topics that fall under the strategic goal of technology innovation include, but are not limited to:

  • Circadian Rhythm Sleep-Wake Disorders
  • Insomnia
  • Obstructive Sleep Apnea
  • Sleep Health1
  • Technology and Big Data in Sleep

1 Sleep health is defined as a multidimensional pattern of sleep-wakefulness, adapted to individual, social, and environmental demands, that promotes physical and mental well-being. Good sleep health is characterized by subjective satisfaction, appropriate timing, adequate duration, high efficiency, and sustained alertness during waking hours.
Definition from: Buysse DJ. Sleep health: can we define it? Does it matter? Sleep. 2014 Jan 1;37(1):9-17.

4. Workforce Development – Expand the sleep team workforce of the future to improve access to high-quality sleep care.

A team-based approach, relying on providers from multiple disciplines, is increasingly encouraged in health care, health research, health education, and health policy. Within sleep medicine, there is a call for sleep specialists to develop comprehensive and innovative models for long-term care and management of people with sleep disorders. Research will help determine which strategies will expand the sleep workforce and best allow the sleep team to provide high quality, cost-effective, patient-centered care for adults and children with sleep disorders.  Research domains and topics that fall under the strategic goal of workforce development include, but are not limited to:

  • Education and Training
  • Insomnia

  • Individuals with the following education and training are eligible to apply:
    • Master’s level degree or higher.
  • Individuals may apply for multiple AASM Foundation grants, however, the same proposal (i.e., projects with budgetary and scientific overlap) may not be submitted for multiple requests for applications in a given cycle.
  • Individuals who are the Principal Investigator on an open or previous AASM Foundation research grant at the time of the application deadline are eligible to apply if they can demonstrate that there is no budgetary or scientific overlap between their open grant and the new project they are applying for funding. If there is budgetary and/or scientific overlap between projects, the applicant must indicate their plan to close their open grant in the event their new application is selected for funding (e.g., relinquish the current grant or complete the current grant to start the new grant).
  • International individuals who meet all the eligibility criteria are eligible to apply; however, payment of grant funds must be accepted by the institution in US dollars.
Request for Applications
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2023 Strategic Research Grant: Hypopnea Scoring Criteria

This AASM Foundation research grant is supported by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine.

This is a focused request for applications (RFA) open to projects that will retrospectively analyze data to evaluate the impact of diagnosis and treatment of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) based on the hypopnea scoring criteria utilized in adult patients. Currently, the AASM Scoring Manual includes two rules for scoring hypopneas in adults:

Recommended Rule
Score a respiratory event as a hypopnea if ALL of the following criteria are met:
a. The peak signal excursions drop by ≥30% of pre-event baseline using nasal pressure (diagnostic study), PAP device flow (titration study), or an alternative hypopnea sensor (diagnostic study).
b. The duration of the ≥30% drop in signal excursion is ≥10 seconds.
c. There is a ≥3% oxygen desaturation from pre-event baseline or the event is associated with an arousal.

Acceptable Rule*
Score a respiratory event as a hypopnea if ALL of the following criteria are met:
a. The peak signal excursions drop by ≥30% of pre-event baseline using nasal pressure (diagnostic study), PAP device flow (titration study), or an alternative hypopnea sensor (diagnostic study).
b. The duration of the ≥30% drop in signal excursion is ≥10 seconds.
c. There is a ≥4% oxygen desaturation from pre-event baseline.
*Currently, the rule required in Medicare coverage determinations.

Using different criteria for scoring hypopnea can change the determinations made about diagnosis when assessing patients suspected to have OSA. In 2018, the AASM published a position statement, titled Polysomnography for Obstructive Sleep Apnea Should Include Arousal-Based Scoring, which asserts the importance of recognizing respiratory events leading to arousal. Accounting for both oxygen desaturations and arousals, can help more definitively rule out the presence of OSA in patients with symptoms of excessive daytime sleepiness, fatigue, insomnia, or other neurocognitive symptoms. Not accounting for arousal-based scoring may lead to a lack of proper diagnosis of OSA, misclassification of OSA severity, or misidentification of another sleep disorder or medical disorder.

The AASM Hypopnea Scoring Rule Task Force held a series of meetings to help identify gaps in research that would strengthen the evidence base for how outcomes are impacted when utilizing the AASM Recommended hypopnea scoring criteria in adults compared to other hypopnea scoring criteria. It was determined that assessing the benefit of treatment in patients diagnosed with OSA based on the Recommended hypopnea scoring rule, but not diagnosed using the Acceptable hypopnea scoring rule, is important.

There are several data sets available from previous large OSA studies performed, patient registries, and large health systems that have potential to be reanalyzed to provide additional information. This request for applications is specifically for projects that will perform retrospective analysis of existing data sets to assess the impact of treatment in patients with OSA who qualify for treatment using the Recommended hypopnea scoring criteria but not the Acceptable scoring criteria. Analyses of interest in this OSA population include:

  • Studies that assess differences in outcomes of interest, including sleepiness, quality of life, daytime function, excess mortality as well as neurocognitive, metabolic, and/or cardiovascular outcomes.
  • Studies that assess and compare outcomes in subpopulations of patients (e.g., sex, age, race/ethnicity).
  • Studies that evaluate the association between untreated OSA and comorbidities (e.g., depression, hypertension).

  • Individuals with the following education and training are eligible to apply:
    • Master’s level degree or higher.
  • Individuals may apply for multiple AASM Foundation grants, however, the same proposal (i.e., projects with budgetary and scientific overlap) may not be submitted for multiple requests for applications in a given cycle.
  • Individuals who are the Principal Investigator on an open or previous AASM Foundation research grant at the time of the application deadline are eligible to apply if they can demonstrate that there is no budgetary or scientific overlap between their open grant and the new project they are applying for funding. If there is budgetary and/or scientific overlap between projects, the applicant must indicate their plan to close their open grant in the event their new application is selected for funding (e.g., relinquish the current grant or complete the current grant to start the new grant).
  • International individuals who meet all the eligibility criteria are eligible to apply; however, payment of grant funds must be accepted by the institution in US dollars.

Past applicants of the 2022 Strategic Research Grant: Hypopnea Scoring Criteria RFA, who went unfunded, are allowed a single resubmission within 12 months of receipt of the original application notification.

If resubmitting an original and unfunded application, the applicant must still meet all eligibility criteria listed under the Eligibility section of this request for applications. The resubmission must include a response to the reviewers of the original application; resubmissions that do not include this response will not be reviewed. Additionally, the applicant may bypass the LOI submission stage, however, must notify the AASM Foundation of their intent to resubmit an unfunded application by the LOI deadline.

 Note: Resubmission of an original application for one grant program across another grant program is not permitted.

Request for Applications
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2023 Strategic Research Grant: Central Disorders of Hypersomnolence Research

This AASM Foundation research grant is supported by the Hypersomnia Foundation, Wake Up Narcolepsy, and AASM Foundation general funds.

This is a focused request for applications (RFA) open to projects that address research gaps in the treatment of central disorders of hypersomnolence that were identified in the recently published systematic review titled, Treatment of central disorders of hypersomnolence: an American Academy of Sleep Medicine systematic review, meta-analysis, and GRADE assessment and basic, translational, clinical and population  research gaps identified by patient advocacy stakeholder groups. Details for each research domain and related topic areas of interest are provided below. Only applications that fit into one or more of these research domains and topic areas will be considered.

 1. Basic and Translational Studies for Understanding Central Disorders of Hypersomnolence

Studies designed to understand the biological process and pathophysiology of central disorders of hypersomnolence and the mechanism of action of certain treatments are needed. Examples of research topics that fall under basic translational studies for understanding central disorders of hypersomnolence include, but are not limited to:

a. Research to understand the mechanisms of hypersomnia and excessive daytime sleepiness in specific conditions, so that more targeted therapies can be developed.

b. Understanding the role of the innate and adaptive immune system in the development of narcolepsy and other central disorders of hypersomnolence should herald clinical trials in immune modulating treatments that could attenuate disease severity.

c. Understanding the molecular architecture of the human orexin receptor to inform development and testing of orexin specific therapies.

d. Mechanistic data for understudied conditions like Kleine-Levin syndrome, idiopathic hypersomnia, narcolepsy type 2 and hypersomnia due to specific medical and psychiatric disorders for targeted drug development and testing.

e. Research that investigates whether data and findings from published basic science sleep research are relevant to or can be applied to further the understanding, diagnosis, or treatment of central disorders of hypersomnolence.

2. Improvement of Diagnosis for Central Disorders of Hypersomnolence
Identification of central disorders of hypersomnolence currently poses a challenge, and there is a need to improve its diagnosis in sleep medicine practice and routine clinical practice. Examples of research topics that fall under the improvement of diagnosis for central disorders of hypersomnolence include, but are not limited to:

a. Development of novel diagnostic tools and methodologies.

b. Develop extended sleep studies needed for better diagnosis of idiopathic hypersomnia.

    • In-house sleep clinic protocols for extended sleep studies to enable better phenotyping of hypersomnias (long sleep type, disrupted sleep, total 24+ hour sleep time).
    • Promote home extended sleep studies, wearable EEGs/sleep monitors, etc.

c. Loading of all diagnostic tools (i.e., Pediatric Hypersomnolence Survey), to medical electronic forms.

3. Pharmacologic Treatments for Central Disorders of Hypersomnolence
There is a need for studies that directly compare different medications used to treat central disorders of hypersomnolence across the lifespan. Examples of research topics that fall under pharmacological treatments for central disorders of hypersomnolence include, but are not limited to:

a. Comparative-effectiveness studies of new medications that enter the market against standard treatments so physicians and patients can factor this information into treatment decisions. This includes studying treatment options other than stimulants for idiopathic hypersomnia since some patients cannot tolerate stimulants.

b. Well-designed studies evaluating the following:

    • Commonly used traditional stimulants for central disorders of hypersomnolence, and/or
    • Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors/serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors cataplexy treatments for people with narcolepsy type 1.

c. Prospective clinical trials for venlafaxine, a drug widely used for treating cataplexy. The low cost of this therapy is attractive, and it is already commonly used across the world.

d. Research and develop front-line treatments for narcolepsy and other central disorders of hypersomnolence.

e. High quality randomized controlled trials for pediatric patients with central nervous system hypersomnias since children and adolescents may react differently to medications for hypersomnolence than adults, and side effect profiles can vary based on patient age.

f. Studies to discover how oxybates and other hypersomnia medicines work and to help predict which particular people with central disorders of hypersomnolence will most likely benefit from each of these medicines.

4. Patient-Centered Outcome Measures for Central Disorders of Hypersomnolence 
There is a need to identify, develop and validate patient-centered outcome measures that can be used to evaluate and monitor important outcomes in people with central disorders of hypersomnolence. Examples of research topics that fall under patient-centered outcome measures for central disorders of hypersomnolence include, but are not limited to:

a. Identify validated outcome measures that most closely reflect patient priorities in order to develop and validate disease-specific patient-reported outcome measurement tools, and to delineate clinical significance thresholds to harmonize future research and facilitate future clinical guideline development.

b. Research focused on quality of life measures, both cross-sectional and longitudinal, to help the field better understand aspects of the disease most disruptive to people’s lifestyles.

c. Evaluate treatments for narcolepsy and other central disorders of hypersomnolence in regard to patient satisfaction, ability to adhere and continue treatment, and overall quality of life.

 Note: Proposals are encouraged to use standardized, validated assessments, which will permit clinicians and patients to compare clinical trial data to get an estimate of comparative effectiveness.

5. Behavioral and Psychological Treatments for Central Disorders of Hypersomnolence

Reliance on medications alone to treat central disorders of hypersomnolence is likely insufficient without broader guidance on behavioral and environmental influences on symptom management. Examples of research topics that fall under behavioral and psychological treatments for central disorders of hypersomnolence include, but are not limited to:

a. Evaluating cognitive behavioral therapy (in-person, online), sleep scheduling, naps, exercise, and specific diets for furthering medication effects and/or demonstrating independent treatment benefit.

6. Disparities and Health Access Equity Research for Central Disorders of Hypersomnolence
It is well-known that sleep disturbances and deficiencies affect disadvantaged populations, which lead to disproportionate sleep health disparities in the United States. However, little is known on how to best find, diagnose, and treat individuals with central disorders of hypersomnolence, particularly those from underrepresented communities. This is further hampered by lack of knowledge on central disorders of hypersomnolence among health care providers and the public, which can lead to delayed diagnosis, treatment, and support for people with central disorders of hypersomnolence. Examples of research topics that fall under disparities and health access equity research for central disorders of hypersomnolence include, but are not limited to:

a. Develop a sleep disorder screening tool that is inclusive of all central disorders of hypersomnolence and can be used by the public, for example, on a website, where patients can answer a list of questions and receive information on a possible diagnosis, including information on how to follow up with a sleep medicine specialist and connect with patient advocacy groups.

    • Any screening tool developed should consider whether there is a need for customization for people from diverse backgrounds.
    • Delivery of the tool may differ by group.

b. Quantify access to diagnosis and treatments for less common sleep disorders (e.g., central disorders of hypersomnolence) for people from diverse backgrounds.

c. Initiatives to accurately collect demographic fields in electronic health records to measure current diversity and health equity and lay foundation for further health equity research and improvement.

d. Increase outreach to historically underserved populations, both patients and future providers.

The AASM Foundation is working with the Hypersomnia Foundation and Wake Up Narcolepsy to support projects related to this RFA. By applying to this RFA, your project may be considered for co-funding by the AASM Foundation, Hypersomnia Foundation, and Wake up Narcolepsy.

  • Individuals with the following education and training are eligible to apply:
    • Master’s level degree or higher.
  • Individuals may apply for multiple AASM Foundation grants, however, the same proposal (i.e., projects with budgetary and scientific overlap) may not be submitted for multiple requests for applications in a given cycle.
  • Individuals who are the Principal Investigator on an open or previous AASM Foundation research grant at the time of the application deadline are eligible to apply if they can demonstrate that there is no budgetary or scientific overlap between their open grant and the new project they are applying for funding. If there is budgetary and/or scientific overlap between projects, the applicant must indicate their plan to close their open grant in the event their new application is selected for funding (e.g., relinquish the current grant or complete the current grant to start the new grant).
  • International individuals who meet all the eligibility criteria are eligible to apply; however, payment of grant funds must be accepted by the institution in US dollars.

Past applicants of the 2022 Strategic Research Grant: Treatment of Central Disorders of Hypersomnolence RFA, who went unfunded, are allowed a single resubmission within 12 months of receipt of the original application notification.

If resubmitting an original and unfunded application, the applicant must still meet all eligibility criteria listed under the Eligibility section of this request for applications. The resubmission must include a response to the reviewers of the original application; resubmissions that do not include this response will not be reviewed. Additionally, the applicant may bypass the LOI submission stage, however, must notify the AASM Foundation of their intent to resubmit an unfunded application by the LOI deadline.

 Note: Resubmission of an original application for one grant program across another grant program is not permitted.

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2023 Strategic Research Grant: Dissemination and Implementation Research

This AASM Foundation research grant is supported by AASM Foundation general funds.

This is a focused request for applications (RFA) open to dissemination and implementation sleep research projects.

 It’s well-known that there is a significant lag time for biomedical research to reach clinical practice, all while there is rapid development of therapies for sleep and circadian disorders that are not reaching the hands of patients.1 Dissemination and implementation research can help reduce this gap and increase the uptake of evidence-based research findings into real-world practice settings in order to provide optimal, patient-centered, cost-effective diagnosis and care for people with sleep disorders, which is the goal of the Strategic Research Grant.

 Dissemination and implementation are defined as:

  • Dissemination is the intentional, active process of identifying target audiences and tailoring communication strategies to increase awareness and understanding of evidence, and to motivate its use in policy, practice, and individual choices.
  • Implementation is the deliberate, iterative process of integrating evidence into policy and practice through adapting evidence to different contexts and facilitating behavior change and decision making based on evidence across individuals, communities, and healthcare systems.2

The AASM Foundation will support dissemination and implementation sleep research through the Strategic Research Grant focused on these research domains:

1. Dissemination and Implementation of AASM Practice Standards

The American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) publishes various evidence-based practice standards, such as clinical practice guidelines, clinical guidance statements, position statements, and consensus statements and papers. Research must focus on strategies that increase the accessibility, usefulness, and uptake of the AASM’s evidence and recommendations among targeted end-users, such as clinicians, patients, caregivers, decision makers and healthcare stakeholders.

2. Dissemination and Implementation of Research Findings from Funded AASM Foundation Research Projects

The AASM Foundation is committed to moving evidence generated from AASM Foundation-funded projects into practice to improve the diagnosis and care for people with sleep disorders. Research must focus on strategies that facilitate the uptake of AASM Foundation-funded research project findings in real-world practice settings and targeted populations. The proposal can be submitted by the original AASM Foundation-funded research project investigator or by an individual investigator with support from the original investigator whose findings are being disseminated or implemented in the project proposal.

1 Parthasarathy, S., Carskadon, M. A., Jean-Louis, G., Owens, J., Bramoweth, A., Combs, D., Hale, L., Harrison, E., Hart, C. N., Hasler, B. P., Honaker, S. M., Hertenstein, E., Kuna, S., Kushida, C., Levenson, J. C., Murray, C., Pack, A. I., Pillai, V., Pruiksma, K., Seixas, A., … Buysse, D. (2016). Implementation of Sleep and Circadian Science: Recommendations from the Sleep Research Society and National Institutes of Health Workshop. Sleep, 39(12), 2061–2075. https://doi.org/10.5665/sleep.6300
2 PCORI Dissemination & Implementation Mathematica Framework. http://www.mathematicampr.com/~/media/publications/pdfs/health/pcori%20di%20framework%20draft.pdf

  • Individuals with the following education and training are eligible to apply:
    • Master’s level degree or higher.
  • Individuals may apply for multiple AASM Foundation grants, however, the same proposal (i.e., projects with budgetary and scientific overlap) may not be submitted for multiple requests for applications in a given cycle.
  • Individuals who are the Principal Investigator on an open or previous AASM Foundation research grant at the time of the application deadline are eligible to apply if they can demonstrate that there is no budgetary or scientific overlap between their open grant and the new project they are applying for funding. If there is budgetary and/or scientific overlap between projects, the applicant must indicate their plan to close their open grant in the event their new application is selected for funding (e.g., relinquish the current grant or complete the current grant to start the new grant).
  • International individuals who meet all the eligibility criteria are eligible to apply; however, payment of grant funds must be accepted by the institution in US dollars.
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2023 Strategic Research Grant: Sleep Health Disparities Research

This AASM Foundation research grant is supported by AASM Foundation general funds.

This is a focused request for applications (RFA) open to sleep health disparities research projects among disadvantaged populations in the United States (US).

It is known that sleep disturbances and deficiencies contribute to poor health and are linked to multiple chronic health problems, mental wellbeing, safety, and work productivity. Additionally, sleep disturbances and deficiencies affect disadvantaged populations, which lead to disproportionate sleep health disparities in the United States (US) among Blacks/African Americans, Hispanics/Latinos, American Indians/Alaska Natives, Asians, Native Hawaiians, and Other Pacific Islanders, socioeconomically disadvantaged populations, underserved rural populations, and sexual and gender minority populations.1 In an effort to dismantle, reduce or eliminate sleep health disparities in the US and equitably provide optimal, patient-centered, cost-effective diagnosis and care for disadvantaged populations with sleep disorders, the AASM Foundation will support sleep health disparities sleep research through the Strategic Research Grant focused on these research domains:

1. Causes and Consequences of Sleep Health Disparities

There is a need to understand the role of sociocultural and environmental determinants of sleep health disparities as contributors to sleep health.  Research topics that fall under the causes and consequences of sleep health disparities include, but are not limited to:

  • Investigate racism and other forms of discrimination as a major contributor to cumulative chronic stress and driver for sleep health disparities.
  • Leverage multilevel and multifactorial study designs to examine causal pathways for sleep health disparities.
  • Investigate potential protective/resiliency factors for healthy sleep.
  • Investigate sleep as a potential contributor to disparities in health outcomes.
  • Investigate the influence of sleep on a broader range of health outcomes in a defined population study.
  • Investigate the influence of sleep health disparities on daily function, quality of life, and social consequences.
  • Investigate the interconnected and bidirectional nature of sleep with multimorbidity of chronic conditions
  • Research on sociocultural resilience factors for sleep health in historically marginalized populations and/or the ways in which sleep may be protective for health.
  • Quantify whether people from diverse backgrounds are not getting diagnosed and treated to the same degree as majority groups, especially for the less common sleep disorders.

2. Interventions to Address Sleep Health Disparities

There is a need to develop interventions that are relevant, culturally acceptable, sustainable, and scalable to targeted groups. Research topics that fall under interventions to address sleep health diparities include, but are not limited to:

  • Individual-level interventions to address sleep health disparities: More express focus on multi-domain and multi-level interventions principles to address root causes of sleep health disparities.
  • Design interventions aimed to improve sleep health awareness in health disparity populations.
  • Develop population-level interventions focused on policies and practices to promote healthy sleep.
  • Promote multilevel interventions that incorporate social and environmental determinants of health to address sleep health disparities.
  • Adapt and develop evidence-based, culturally appropriate interventions across the life course for specific health disparity populations.
  • Develop approaches to promote early detection of poor sleep and sleep disorders among health disparity populations in various settings.
  • Determine whether sleep mediates or modifies interventions addressing health outcomes with observed disparities.
  • Develop and test multilevel, culturally tailored interventions to address sleep health disparities.
  • Preventive sleep medicine interventions that target individuals early in the life course.
  • Research that determines tradeoffs of precision medicine versus precision public health approaches for sleep medicine.
  • Research into the socio-economic context, as well as systems of discrimination.

1 Jackson, C.L., Walker, J.R., Brown, M.K, Das, R., Jones, N.L. (2020). A workshop report on the causes and consequences of sleep health disparities. Sleep, 43(8). https://doi.org/10.1093/sleep/zsaa037

  • Individuals with the following education and training are eligible to apply:
    • Master’s level degree or higher.
  • Individuals may apply for multiple AASM Foundation grants, however, the same proposal (i.e., projects with budgetary and scientific overlap) may not be submitted for multiple requests for applications in a given cycle.
  • Individuals who are the Principal Investigator on an open or previous AASM Foundation research grant at the time of the application deadline are eligible to apply if they can demonstrate that there is no budgetary or scientific overlap between their open grant and the new project they are applying for funding. If there is budgetary and/or scientific overlap between projects, the applicant must indicate their plan to close their open grant in the event their new application is selected for funding (e.g., relinquish the current grant or complete the current grant to start the new grant).
  • International individuals who meet all the eligibility criteria are eligible to apply; however, payment of grant funds must be accepted by the institution in US dollars and research must focus on US populations of interest in this RFA.
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2023 Strategic Research Grant: General Information

The Strategic Research Grant program is organized into three categories to allow flexibility and a range of funding opportunities to potential applicants:

  • Category I is for those applicants seeking funding for projects up to $250,000 and covers a project period of up to three years.
  • Category II is for those applicants seeking funding for projects up to $100,000 and covers a project period of up to two years.
  • Category III is for those applicants seeking funding for projects up to $50,000 and covers a project period of up to one year.

The funds can be used for research expenses such as salary support (commensurate with current stipends or salaries), supplies, participant costs and institutional overhead. There are no restrictions on the distribution of expenses, however, indirect costs are capped at 8%. The grant is executed as a contract between the AASM Foundation and the grantee’s institution.

The following individuals are not eligible to apply:

  • Individuals who have a financial conflict of interest or have the potential to incur significant financial benefit from the proposed work and beyond the work itself are not eligible to apply.
  • Individuals who are seeking funding from AASM Foundation research grants to support ongoing projects that are currently funded by another granting body or supplement ongoing work (e.g., enrolling additional subjects into an ongoing trial) are not eligible to apply.

Note: The principal investigator will be required to make a statement to this effect prior to execution of the contract.

This grant is a two-stage application process, in which a letter of intent (LOI) is required prior to submission of a full application. Applicants will then be notified whether they will be invited to submit a full application.  If the LOI is not approved, the applicant may not apply for the grant.

Please note that the information submitted in the LOI (e.g., grant category, key personnel, research domain) is final and those invited to submit a full application will be bound by the content of their approved LOI unless a modification was specifically requested or approved by the AASM Foundation.

For an overview on how to write an effective LOI and Application for the AASM Foundation Strategic Research Grant, please view the following resources:

Strategic Research Grant Letter of Intent Guide

Strategic Research Grant: How to Submit a Competitive Letter of Intent and Application Webinar

For applicants who voluntarily submit a LOI, the AASM Foundation Executive Committee will review all submitted LOIs. The following criteria will be considered in determining whether the applicant will be invited to submit a full application for consideration:

  1. Responsiveness: Responsiveness to the one of the topic areas being requested as part of this RFA.
  2. Significance: Potential significance of the planned research in addressing important problems or critical barriers needed to progress the sleep medicine field.
  3. Strategic Goal Alignment: Alignment with the AASM Foundation’s strategic goal of improving patient-centered care through high impact research.

Once LOIs are reviewed, invitations will be sent out to applicants who have a favorably reviewed LOI so a full application may be submitted. For invited applicants who submit a full application, a grant review committee, appointed by the AASM Foundation Executive Committee, will evaluate and score all submitted applications. Factors that will be taken into consideration include:

  1. Significance: Strong scientific premise of planned research in addressing important problems or critical barriers needed to progress the sleep medicine field.
  2. Investigators: Experience, training, and ongoing record of accomplishments of the principle investigator(s) and key personnel.
  3. Innovation: Use of novel theoretical concepts, approaches or methodologies, instrumentation, or interventions that challenge and seek to shift current research or clinical practice paradigms.
  4. Approach: Strategies to ensure a robust and unbiased approach, methodology, analyses, and benchmarks for success are well-reasoned and appropriate for the specific aims of the planned research.
  5. Environment: Institutional support, availability of equipment and other physical resources that contribute to the probability of success of the planned research.

Only materials submitted within the application will be used in the evaluation of applications. The AASM Foundation Executive Committee will submit funding recommendation to the AASM Foundation Board of Directors based on the Grant Review Committee scores and consideration of the AASM Foundation’s strategic priorities. The AASM Foundation Board of Directors will make the final funding decisions.

Category I Grants:

Payment #1 – Upon execution of contract 50%
Payment #2 – At project midpoint after approval of Progress Report 40%
Payment #3 – Upon receipt and approval of Final Report 10%

Category II and Category III Grants:

Payment #1 – Upon execution of contract 90%
Payment #2 – Upon receipt and approval of Final Report 10%

If unique circumstances are explained in the budget justification of the applicant’s proposal, the Board of Directors will consider requests for an alternate payment schedule, with a maximum variance of 10%.

Note: Once awarded, reallocation of funds of <10% do not require approval.

The AASM Foundation Strategic Research Grant supports high-impact research which will advance the diagnosis, treatment, and delivery of patient-centered care across the healthcare continuum for patients with sleep disorders. The AASM Foundation intends that the research funded by this award will lead to the publication of original research in peer-reviewed journals.

Applicants are expected to address the specific aims as described in the application. Major modification of the proposed aims requires AASM Foundation Board of Directors or Executive Committee approval.

The expected results and deliverables should be clearly stated in the application. The applicant must submit progress and final reports during the project period, describing project activities and results, as outlined below. Failure to meet the deliverables or submit progress or final reports may result in termination of project funding.

Progress Reports Every six months
Final Report Within 90 days of award completion

Outcomes evaluation is an essential component of this grant. All proposals must identify the goals and appropriate outcomes measures of the research. The outcomes should align with the goals and objectives stated in the applicant’s proposal for this grant.

If using human or animal subjects, the applicant will be responsible for obtaining Institutional Review Board (IRB) or Institutional Animal Care and use Committee (IACUC) approval. The IRB or IACUC letter of approval for the specified project must be on file with the AASM Foundation office prior to the execution of the contract. No funds will be released for the project without receipt of written approval by an IRB or IACUC. Failure to obtain IRB or IACUC approval will result in retraction of the grant.

We encourage potential applicants to contact us early in the application process with questions. Eligibility questions may need to be reviewed by a member of the AASM Foundation Executive Committee, so please allow for at least a 1-week response time for eligibility questions. For all other inquiries, please allow a minimum of two business days for a response. Please note that questions received within 48 hours of an application deadline may not be answered before the deadline.