Acorda’s mission is to develop therapies to restore neurological function and improve the lives of people with multiple sclerosis, spinal cord injury and other disorders of the nervous system. Our company is devoted to supporting neurological research, education and patient assistance through grant and sponsorship programs. We support a broad group of organizations based on the principles of scientifically rigorous research and programs designed to improve patient education and care.

The website provides an overview of our programs and outlines the parameters by which we review and assess requests for support.

Acorda provides grants and sponsorships for academic and other medical centers, medical and professional societies and associations, and patient organizations that are involved in neurological research and education. We also provide philanthropic support to qualified 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations, particularly those focused on neurological research, education and patient support.

Grant Requests

If you are working on research that can help people with nervous system disorders or are developing programs that educate or support healthcare providers or people affected by neurological diseases, please contact medaffairs@acorda.com for more information.

To submit a grant proposal or request a sponsorship or philanthropic support from Acorda, please complete an online application at http://grants.acorda.com/.

Medical Affairs Education and Scientific Resources (MAESTRO)

MAESTRO is an integral part of Medical Affairs’ mission to support education for providers and patients, research, and health care quality improvement initiatives that can contribute to the health, well being and safety of patients associated with our corporate mission.

Educational Grants

Medical Education Grants

• Educational grants can include certified and non-certified programs
• Educational grants are only available to organizations, such as a hospital, medical professional society, patient advocacy association, conference sponsor or continuing medical education organization to foster increased understanding of scientific, clinical, or health care issues that contribute to the improvement of patient care.

Continuing Medical Education (CME) or Certified Education

• The purpose of CME is to enhance the ability of the healthcare professional to care for patients. Such programs must be independent, objective, balanced, and reflect scientific rigor in content development.

To submit an educational grant proposal please complete an online application at http://grants.acorda.com/.

Each grant request must include:

• The subject matter, objectives, proposed audience, program date, location, description of any enduring educational material development, proposed budget, and whether the program is to have multiple sponsors
• The name, address, and Federal Tax Identification Number of the Educational Grant recipient
• In the case of accredited Continuing Medical Education (“CME”) programs or enduring educational material, a budget showing how the money, if approved, will be spent and a statement of ACCME compliance (if necessary)

If you have additional questions please contact Medical Affairs via email at medaffairs@acorda.com.

Investigator Initiated Studies (IIS)

The mission of the Investigator-Initiated Studies (IIS) Program is to advance the knowledge and understanding of Acorda's approved products and therapeutic areas of interest, through investigator-initiated proposals for clinical and health outcomes research. Acorda supports the independent research of investigators by providing drug supplies and/or monetary support. The proposed research must address a legitimate medical or scientific question.

Investigator Initiated Studies:

• Clinical investigations conceived and executed by external investigators with support provided by Acorda
• All responsibility for the conduct of the study resides with the investigator and their institution that must ensure that the study is conducted under the appropriate ethical, legal, and regulatory guidelines including ICH GCP guidelines.
• If you have any questions on submitting an IIS request, you may contact an Acorda Regional Scientific Manager (RSM) or send an e-mail to medaffairs@acorda.com.
• All IIS submissions must be entered into the Acorda Grants website (http://grants.acorda.com/) by the applicant.
• For a request to be considered for review, the applicant must complete the online submission form in its entirety. Information required includes a summary of the proposed research project, the names of the researchers, amount of drug supplies required if applicable, and requested funding. In addition, you are required to upload a complete protocol and detailed budget.
• Upon receipt of all required information, the submission will be sent to Acorda’s IIS committee for review.
• Complete IIS requests will be reviewed by the IIS Committee 45-60 days following submission.
• The assessment of an IIS includes the scientific value, validity and rigor of the study, risk/benefit assessment to ensure the safety of human subjects, study design meets ethical guidelines concerning human subjects in research as applicable, intellectual property considerations, amount of funding and drug requested, experience of the investigator and the investigator’s site, as well as consistency with Acorda’s Corporate Mission Statement.
• There are three possible review outcomes. Applicants will be notified of the decision.
• Request Approved.
• Request Declined. The request will be closed.
• Request for further information. The committee may require additional information about the proposal or suggest minor changes typically related to safety concerns. We will not request a major change to the scope or research aims of the study. If such information is requested, your RSM will contact you to discuss the specific questions related to your proposal. If protocol changes are requested, you will be required to upload the revised documents to the grants webpage.

To submit an Investigator Initiated Study proposal, please complete an online application at http://grants.acorda.com/. If you have additional questions please contact Medical Affairs at medaffairs@acorda.com.

Sponsorships, Community Support and Charitable Donations

Acorda provides support to independent third-party organizations and qualified 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations, particularly those focused on education, awareness and patient support. The Company is interested in working in partnership with organizations who have clearly articulated their programs including, most importantly, the benefit to patients currently living with MS, spinal cord injuries and other related neurological disorders.

To submit a grant proposal or request a sponsorship or philanthropic support from Acorda, please complete an online application at http://grants.acorda.com/.

Each grant request must include:

• A description of the proposed program, patient advocacy or patient education effort
• A description of any enduring educational material development
• The objectives, timing, location, proposed budget, whether the event is intended as a single or multiple sponsor event
• The proposed audience for the program
• Information on what the corporate recognition and/or benefits of sponsorship would be for the event or program
• The name, address, and Federal Tax Identification Number of the Educational Grant recipient

Charitable donation requests must include a cover letter with the following information:

• Description of the requesting organization and its mission, size of annual operating budget and number of employees
• Donation amount
• What fund or program the donation will be supporting

If you have additional questions please contact Medical Affairs via email at medaffairs@acorda.com.

Compliance

Funding requests are reviewed and assessed through an online application process. Please note that in accordance with corporate policy, Acorda does not fund the following types of activities:

• Entertainment, sporting or social events
• Sponsorships of fundraisers (e.g., gala dinner, entertainment events, walk-a-thons and bike-a-thons, with the exception of the corporate I Walk Because Program)
• Company operating expenses
• Grants payable to an individual healthcare professional or physician practice
• Conference travel or meeting registration fees for healthcare professionals
• Textbooks, journal subscriptions or similar items
• Debarred institutions, groups, or faculty, including organizations or their employees on probation with the ACCME, on the OIG exclusion list, or debarred from a federal healthcare program

Under no circumstances will funding be offered or provided with the intent of, directly or indirectly, implicitly or explicitly, influencing or encouraging the funding recipient to: purchase, prescribe, refer, sell, arrange for the purchase or sale to serve as a product discount, fulfill customer business needs, or recommend formulary placement of any Acorda products.

Frequently Asked Questions

I have registered but have yet to receive my confirmation e-mail to log back in. When can I expect to receive it?
Please allow 24 hours for your registration to process and your confirmation email to be sent out. If you do not receive the confirmation email within, it may have been sent directly to your "junk mail" or spam folder. Please add http://grants.acorda.com/ to your address book to prevent our emails from being marked as SPAM. If your confirmation email was not sent to your "junk mail," please email medaffairs@acorda.com and a new confirmation email will be sent to you.

Can I complete part of the online grant request and come back to it later?
Yes. If you are unable to complete the request in one session you may save your work and continue later. At any time before the submission of a grant request, you will have the opportunity to return to the site and make changes. Once a grant is submitted, changes can no longer be made.

I have submitted an Educational Grant proposal and would like to include promotional exhibit and display space for the grant. Who do I talk to?
Exhibit tables and promotional opportunities have to be separate from Educational Grants. Educational Grants cannot be linked to commercial opportunities. Requests for the purchase exhibit tables and display space should go through Acorda’s marketing department. For more information please contact Marketing via e-mail at medaffairs@acorda.com.

I have received funding for the past few years from Acorda but received an e-mail recently informing me that the request was declined. Why was the grant not funded?
Approval of similar grant activities in previous years does not guarantee future approval. Each request is evaluated based on its individual merit and available funds.

I have submitted a grant and would like to change some fields in the application, how do I go about making the corrections?
At any time before the submission of a grant request, you will have the opportunity to return to the site and make changes to the request. Once a grant is submitted, changes can no longer be made on-line. If you require edits please contact us at medaffairs@acorda.com for assistance.

If I don’t want to register on the website can I submit a proposal via e-mail or mail?
No, grants are only accepted and tracked through the online grant management system. Applications received through mail, express delivery, fax or e-mail will not be considered.

How do I check the status of my request?
You can check the status of your application by logging into http://grants.acorda.com/ and entering your user name and password.

 

FAQs Investigator Initiated Studies

What type(s) of support does Acorda provide?
Acorda may provide financial support and/or drug supplies to support scientifically compelling and innovative research consistent with Acorda’s therapeutic and clinical interests. To be eligible for support, the request must address legitimate medical or scientific questions relating to the use of Acorda marketed products, investigational compounds, or areas of therapeutic interest.

How do I apply for IIS support?
All applications must be submitted using our online system (http://grants.acorda.com/). The application consists of a study synopsis, and also requires the submission of a complete protocol and detailed budget. If you have any questions regarding the submission process, please feel free to contact us at medaffairs@acorda.com or speak with your Acorda Regional Scientific Manager (RSM).

Who should I contact if I need information regarding the Investigator Initiated Studies program?
An Acorda Regional Scientific Manager (RSM) can answer questions related to the IIS program. If you do not know your Acorda RSM, please e-mail medaffairs@acorda.com for assistance.

Who reviews the proposal?
A Committee comprised of Acorda Scientific, Medical, Regulatory, and Legal personnel will review your application. Funding and drug supplies are provided based solely on scientific merit and consistency with Acorda’s scientific areas of interest, as outlined on the Acorda Grants Home page.

When and how will I be informed of the Committee's decision regarding my proposal?
The IIS Committee meets regularly to review and discuss proposals. For a submission to be considered, all required materials must be submitted through the website, including a complete protocol and budget. Once reviewed, you will be contacted by your RSM within 60 days following submission of your proposal. Review usually takes 45-60 days following submission of a complete proposal. If you have questions regarding the status of your proposal, you can check the status on the Grants webpage or contact your Acorda RSM. In order to ensure a complete and timely review, we ask that you please complete all fields on the application page along with uploading a detailed budget and complete protocol..

How do I submit an IIS proposal for review?
Direct your internet browser to http://grants.acorda.com/. If you are an existing user, enter your email address and password. If you are a new user, click on “Register” and provide the required information. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email. Follow the instructions in the email to confirm your account, and you can then begin the application process. If you have questions, you may contact us by email (medaffairs@acorda.com) for assistance.

What information needs to be included in the protocol?
All applicants must include a completed protocol with any submission. At minimum, the protocol should contain a synopsis, background information related to the study, research aims or objectives, patient selection criteria, study design and methods, safety monitoring, a statistical analysis plan, references, and a schedule of procedures.

What information needs to be included in the study budget?
If you are requesting financial support, please submit a complete budget for all costs associated with the conduct of the study. This includes direct costs such as subject related costs, study related personnel costs, diagnostic fees, data management expenses, IRB fees, as well as indirect costs or overhead charges.

Who do I contact if I experience difficulties accessing the website or submitting a proposal?
If you have questions regarding the website or submission process, please contact medaffairs@acorda.com for assistance.

Feedback & Questions:
If you have any questions, feedback, or suggestions regarding FAQ's, please contact us via email at medaffairs@acorda.com.