All applicants are required to use the Zorgniotti Fund Application Form for the completion of their proposal. The application form can be obtained through the ISSM Executive Office. Completed application forms need to be returned to the ISSM Executive Office before the deadline. Incomplete forms and/or forms submitted after the deadline will not be accepted.

The ISSM supports operating grants for terms of one (1) or two (2) years.

The ISSM Board of Directors decides on the amount to allocate from the Zorgniotti Fund to grant applications submitted by the Affiliated Societies. Awards for Zorgniotti Grants are up to USD 10,000 for one-or two year projects. Please note that indirect costs or overhead may not be included in these awards.

All Zorgniotti Grant Applications will be reviewed by the ISSM Grants and Prizes Committee, after which they will be subject to a final review by the ISSM Executive Committee and/or Board. The Committees aim to finalize the review within six (6) weeks.

Submitters of an application form will be informed within six (6) weeks after the deadline. The Principal Applicant will be advised of the duration and amount of the grant awarded. A fully executed letter of agreement must be returned to the ISSM Executive Office in order for the funds to be released. Payment of the grant amount will be remitted as stated in the letter of agreement and Accounting Procedures.

An extension of the term of a Grant without any additional funds may be approved when requested and justified in writing. Extensions of term will be either for six (6) or twelve (12) months and may only be requested once for any given grant. A request for an extension must include:

• the amount of money to be carried into the extension period;
• a statement of why the funds were not used in the original grant period;
• a statement of how the funds will be used during the extension;
• an official up-to-date financial report.

A request for an extension must be made at least ninety (90) days before the termination date of a grant.

A research grant award may be terminated before the end of the project:

• if the Principal Applicant requests, in writing, that the award be terminated;
• if the Principal Applicant changes any aspect of the award from that which was originally approved by the ISSM, including significant changes in the specific aims of the research studies, without prior notification and approval by the ISSM;
• when agreed reports of progress are not received from the Principal Applicant;
• by action of the Board of Directors of the ISSM.

Applicants may request funds for the following categories of expenditure: Staff Posts, Equipment, Consumable Expenses and Other Costs. The grant budget cannot include indirect costs or overhead.

• Staff Posts: Budgets for multi-year projects cannot include cost-of-living or similar salary increases for staff working on the project. Requested salaries are not to be used to replace salaries or portions of salaries already assured by institutional or other funds. Grant funds may not be used for, purchasing, accounting, financial record keeping, laundry or student and tuition costs. Postdoctoral Fellows and students cannot be included on an operating grant. Salaries for technical and non-professional personnel may be requested in proportion to the time they will spend on the research directly supported by the grant.
• Equipment: The cost of installing equipment purchased with funds of the grant is only allowed when such funds were requested in the application and specifically approved in the budget of the grant awarded. Office equipment, personal computers, office supplies, books and journals may not be purchased with grant funds unless included in the application and specifically approved in the budget of the grant awarded.
• Consumable Expenses and Other Costs: Any consumable expenses and other expenditure directly related to the cost of conducting the proposed research may be requested in the application for a grant but must be properly justified. However, construction or renovation costs are not permissible expenditures under any circumstances.
• Reallocation of Funds: No transfers between and among categories of the budget approved in the grant may be made without prior approval in writing by the ISSM. Unless prior approval in writing has been obtained from the ISSM, expenditures are likely to be disallowed for items not specifically included in the budget of the grant awarded.

A project progress report is due six (6) months after the start date of a grant. In case of 2-year projects, additional progress reports are due twelve (12) and eighteen (18) months after the start date of a grant. The report(s) must include a written description of progress made, referring to the hypothesis and aims proposed in the original application. Compliance with this policy is necessary for ongoing funding of your research project.

A fully executed letter of agreement must be returned to the ISSM Executive Office for the funds to be released. 50% of the payment of the grant amount will be paid out after signing the agreement. The remaining 50% will be paid out at the end of the project after the final project report has been received, which also should include a full account of all expenses incurred over the entire lifecycle of the project.

The ISSM may from time to time, at its sole discretion and expense, retain the right to request an extra financial report to review the propriety of reported financial expenditures in the context of a particular grant. A final financial report is due within 90 days of the termination of the grant (see final project report).

A final project report is due within ninety (90) days of the termination of your grant. This report must include the following information:

• documentation of all milestones achieved during the entire cycle with reference to the initial hypothesis and aims of the project;
• a full account of all expenses incurred over the entire lifecycle of the project.

Unexpended funds remaining as of the termination date of the grant must be returned to the ISSM. Grantees agree to return to the ISSM remaining funds within six (6) months following the termination date.

In case of a research grant, ISSM strongly advises to submit the manuscript to the Journal of Sexual Medicine (JSM). The responsibility for publications lies with the Principal Applicant. As soon as a manuscript is accepted for publication in JSM, it is expected that the grantee will inform the ISSM Executive Office (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) with the title of article and expected date of publication.