REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL

The Society for Ambulatory Anesthesia (SAMBA) announces this Request for Proposal (RFP) to solicit exceptional outcomes-oriented contractual research for the purpose of elevating the quality of patient care in ambulatory anesthesiology. Additional goals of SAMBA at this time include catalyzing high-quality research in ambulatory anesthesia and increasing the quantity and quality of publications in the field of ambulatory anesthesia.

Preferred outcomes-oriented research topics for investigation are those that potentially will yield results that will be applicable to many patients, if not to the majority of patients who undergo modern ambulatory anesthesia.

Membership Requirement: The principal applicant and all anesthesiologist co-applicants must be members in good standing of the Society for Ambulatory Anesthesia.

Application Forms: Application may be downloaded from the SAMBA Web site at www.sambaqh.org.

Funds Available and Deadline Dates: SAMBA will make available the sum of $150,000 over a two-year period: $75,000 will be available for the initial research year; upon acceptance of a satisfactory first year progress report, an additional $75,000 will be made available for a second year of research.

Application submission deadline (received in SAMBA Headquarters office by): January 15, 2004
Award announcement: SAMBA 19th Annual Meeting, April 29 – May 2, 2004
First year funding date: July 1, 2004
First year progress report due: June 1, 2005
Second year funding date: July 1, 2005
Unused funds returned to SAMBA: June 30, 2006
Final report due: December 29, 2006
Special presentation of results: SAMBA 20th Annual Meeting, April 2007

Proposal Evaluation Criteria: The winning proposal will be selected based on, but not limited to, the following criteria:

1. Scientific merit.
2. Originality of the proposal.
3. Appropriateness of the research methodology.
4. Significance of the anticipated results to ambulatory anesthesia.
5. Competence of the investigator.
6. Suitability of the research environment(s).
7. Appropriateness of the submitted budget.
8. Ability to complete the project in the allotted time.
9. Other funding available for the project, if any.

Multiple Institution Studies: Outcomes research may, of necessity, require multiple sites to increase the power of the study. If multiple institutions are to be involved, at least one co-investigator must be listed from each proposed institution.

Institutional Review Board Approval: Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval from all involved institutions must be submitted, preferably along with the application prior to January 16, 2004, but in any event, must be received in the SAMBA Headquarters office by April 1, 2004, well before the award announcement date at the SAMBA 19th Annual Meeting, April 29-May 2, 2004. If IRB approval(s) from any and all involved institutions is/are not received by April 1, 2004, the otherwise winning proposal will be disqualified and the next highest ranked proposal will be granted funding in its place.

Evaluation Process: The SAMBA Committee on Research will serve as the evaluative body for all submitted applications for funding. The Committee on Research will submit prioritized and ranked proposals to the SAMBA Board of Directors for funding. The decision of the SAMBA Board of Directors is final.

Other Available Funding: The holding by the applicant of other grant awards for the same or similar topics does not necessarily preclude the awarding of SAMBA Outcomes Research funding for the project. Applicants must, however, fully disclose such overlapping funding and clarify to the greatest extent possible in the application how SAMBA funds will add to the ability to complete the project, allow the project to be extended in new directions, increase the significance of the research by allowing complementary hypotheses to be tested, or the like.

Experience of the Investigators: SAMBA aims to have the most important outcomes questions answered by the most qualified investigative team. Thus, this RFP is available to applicants of any academic rank or private clinical practice status. Beginning investigators would be well advised to have senior co-applicants or mentors elucidated in the application so that the SAMBA Committee on Research can assess the requirement for "competence of the investigators " during the proposal evaluation process.

Publication Acknowledgement: Applicants will be asked to agree in writing that all publications resulting in whole or in part from this award must acknowledge SAMBA as a source of funding support.

Completion of Project in Two (2) years: As it is SAMBA's intention to expeditiously advance clinical practice, funding is awarded with the expectation that the proposed research will be concluded within the intended two-year time frame, and likelihood of completion of the project within two years is a strong criteria of the initial evaluation for funding. All unused funds must be returned to SAMBA at that end of the two-year period. If when approaching the two-year point, the recipient believes that there is unusually compelling justification for an extension beyond two (2) years to complete the project, a written request must be submitted no later than three (3) months prior to the two-year limit. This request must state the nature of the delay, provide an additional interim progress report, and state the duration of the extension request, totaling no more than one (1) additional year. The SAMBA Committee on Research will review the request for extension. Granting of an extension requires a 2/3 affirmative vote of the members of the SAMBA Committee on Research, and confirmation by the SAMBA Board of Directors.

© SOCIETY FOR AMBULATORY ANESTHESIA
520 N. Northwest Highway Park Ridge, Illinois 60068-2573
Tel: (847) 825-5586 Fax: (847) 825-5658
E-mail: samba@asahq.org