First Round of “Within Our Reach” Grants

The ACR Research and Education Foundation (REF) “Within Our Reach” campaign awarded approximately $6 million to 15 recipients this month.

More than 70 applications were received for the first round of research grants funded by the national, multi-year, $30-million fundraising campaign aimed at accelerating innovative research for RA. The peer-review process lasted two months, with more than 40 reviewers nationwide evaluating the applications.

The first round of grants has three categories:

• Innovative basic research: Support for exploratory research on new issues or approaches for which there is currently an insufficient theoretical or empirical basis for a competitive research project application;
• Translational research: Support for established independent physician-scientists dedicated to translational research—the two-way transfer between work at the laboratory bench and patient care; and
• Clinical practice: Support for issues focused on directly affecting patient access and quality of care in clinical rheumatology practice.

“Within Our Reach,” the largest private fundraising campaign in the REF’s history, is driven largely by major gifts from a diverse donor base. Since outreach began in March 2006, more than $17 million has been raised, including gifts from the ACR, research-minded individuals, and our industry supporters.

For more information about the “Within Our Reach” campaign, including a list of the grant recipients, visit www.rheumatology.org/ref/withinourreachcampaign.asp.