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Bander Business Ethics in Medical Research Funding Program

Description of the Program

The intent of the Bander Business Ethics in Medical Research Program is to promote innovative research that examines an ethical issue arising from the business of financial dimension of medical research, especially insofar as this dimension affects the quality of research or the well-being of patients enrolled in clinical trials.

Awards are expected to range from $10,000 to $20,000 for 1 year. Applicants should request no more than $20,000. One or 2 proposals will be funded in 2008.

Eligibility:

All Principal Investigators applying for this funding must be members of the ICTS. Member eligibility information and registration are available at www.icts.wustl.edu.

Objectives:

Possible research topics considered responsive to this RFA include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • How prevalent are financial conflicts of interest in medical research? What impact do conflicts of interest have upon the quality of research or patient well-being?
  • What pressures do investigators experience to meet enrollment goals in industry-sponsored and government-sponsored clinical trials?
  • What constitutes a reasonable fee per patient for enrolling a patient in a clinical trial? What kinds of expenses should be allowable, and how should IRBs or COI committees evaluate the reasonableness of fees?
  • What impact do post-marketing clinical trials have on prescribing behavior in an institution?
  • How do financial considerations influence research agendas or which research gets funded? Are there feasible ways of increasing the weight given to patient needs in determing agendas?
  • What would be the estimated annual cost to cover medical expenses incurred due to serious adverse events directly related to participation in a clinical trial? Who currently covers these costs?

Mechanisms:

Letter of Intent Due: January 12, 2009
Application Due: February 20, 2009
Proposal Peer Review: February, 2009
Award Decision: March, 2009
Award Start Date: April 1, 2009
(see links to forms in the sidebar)