ENTELLIGENCE is a program for clinical and basic science research in the field of cardiopulmonary medicine. The ENTELLIGENCE program provides opportunities for individual young investigators to promote quality medical care and enhance patients' lives by supporting research (basic science, clinical, or translational) in the area of pulmonary hypertension (PH) related to expanding our knowledge of the pathways involved in pulmonary vascular pathobiology. 

The ENTELLIGENCE Young Investigators Award Program provides promising young investigators up to $100,000 in support to conduct basic science and clinical research via a 12-month mentored grant. Grants are awarded by the ENTELLIGENCE Steering Committee and based on scientific merit, originality, feasibility, and applicability to the diagnosis and treatment of PH. A condition of the grant application and funding is supervision by an appropriate mentor.

ENTELLIGENCE is funded by an independent grant from Actelion Pharmaceuticals US, Inc. All decisions to fund protocols are solely decided by the ENTELLIGENCE Steering Committee. Receipt of a grant in no way requires the recipient, nor implies that the recipient is obligated to, recommend or prescribe any Actelion products.

The ENTELLIGENCE Young Investigators Awards Program is part of a US-based program consistent with Actelion's commitment to basic science and clinical research in the area of PH. Investigator-initiated trials for young researchers must be conducted at universities and research institutions in the United States and Canada.

With a strong commitment to research, ENTELLIGENCE provides a program for young investigators at institutions with research programs in cardiovascular medicine, pulmonology, and rheumatology to further explore PH.

Applicants will be considered for original basic or clinical investigations specifically targeting pulmonary vascular disease in the following areas:

• Pathophysiology
• Pharmacology
• Treatment
• Genetics
• Diagnosis
• Epidemiology

The main focus of the project should be to develop a better understanding of and approach to disorders of pulmonary vascular biology, particularly PH.  Bridge funding, therapeutic drug trials, and registries are not eligible.

Recent ENTELLIGENCE-funded projects include:

• Sex Hormone Abnormalities in Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension
• The Role of GATA-6 in Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension
• ET-1-Rho-kinase Interactions in the Pathogenesis of Neonatal Pulmonary Hypertension
• Gene Therapy to Drive Endogenous Biosynthesis of Prostacyclin
• dsRNA Stimulates Toll-like Receptor-3 and Increases Endothelin-1 Production by Pulmonary Artery Endothelial Cells
• Targeting the MetAP2 Pathway in Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension
• Smooth Muscle Cell Related Vascular Remodeling in Pulmonary Hypertension in Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia
• The Epidemiology and Determinants of Hospitalization for Pulmonary Hypertension in the United States
• Circulating Mesenchymal Precursors in Severe PAH and the Role of Endothelin-1 in their Recruitment and Differentiation into Fibrocytes

The projects must be achievable within the time frame (1 yar) and budget allocation ($100,000) of the ENTELLIGENCE program.  Additional funding sources are acceptable and must be clearly identified.

Initially, a Letter of Intent (LOI) is required for consideration of a proposal. If the LOI is accepted, an invitation to submit a full proposal is then requested. If your proposal is approved for funding, you and your mentor will be responsible for all aspects of your research. You will be provided with a grant application agreement, which you must sign and return within 90 days of notification of the award, along with the following documents:

• Institutional review/ethical committee approval for the submitted study (IRB)
• W-9 Form from the institution
• Study protocol
• Email and documentation sent to the site administrator documenting the commencement of your research
• Sample informed consent documents, if necessary
• Institution animal care and use form (IACUC), if necessary

Please note, no funds will be disbursed prior to complete submission of the documents listed above. Failure to submit requested documents within the given time frame may result in the withdrawal of funds. By signing and submitting the grant application agreement, the principal investigator agrees that experiments conducted with funds from the ENTELLIGENCE Young Investigators Award Program are compliant with the ethical conduct of research as expressed in the latest version of the World Medical Association Declaration of Helsinki.

For more information please click Application Guidelines.