CHDI FOUNDATIONCHDI

Accelerating Therapeutic Development for Huntington's Disease

Policy for Reimbursement of Publication Costs

Policies for CHDI Collaborators

CHDI adopts policies that further our mission to develop therapeutics for Huntington’s disease as quickly as possible and ensure that our support is provided in a transparent and consistent basis. These policies are summarized below.

If you have any questions about any of our policies, please email us at

Data, Reagent, and Biomaterial Sharing Policy

CHDI Foundation believes its mission is best served by expanding the precompetitive space in Huntington’s disease (HD) drug development; this entails the sharing of ideas, data, information, expertise, reagents, and biomaterials to the widest extent possible, and ensuring such exchanges are simple and straightforward. Put simply, to expedite drug development CHDI favors making any insights into HD biology freely available.

Our approach, embodied in our research agreement terms, reflects our attempt to strike a balance between the free exchange of information, researchers’ publication interests, and the creation of appropriate intellectual property. For reagents, models, and other tools developed using CHDI funding, typically the Foundation chooses not to assert intellectual property claims. Instead, CHDI requires a license in perpetuity that allows any party to use any such materials or technology for HD research purposes. CHDI’s policy is that exclusive intellectual property rights should only be asserted when appropriate to incentivize the further development of candidate therapeutics.

Publication Policy

CHDI Foundation recognizes that scientific publication is central to the scientific endeavor and respects the freedom of scientific investigators to pursue their research interests, including independent unrestricted publication of their findings.

  • Researchers supported (financially or with data or biomaterials) by CHDI are expected to:
    • Promptly publish or otherwise disseminate all valid data, conclusions, outcomes, and other results derived using financial support, data or biological materials provided by CHDI;
    • Acknowledge the role played by all individuals contributing to a publication, as authors or otherwise; and
    • Recognize the financial support and the generation of any data and/or biological materials provided by CHDI with the phrase “This work was funded by CHDI Foundation, Inc., a nonprofit biomedical research organization exclusively dedicated to developing therapeutics that will substantially improve the lives of HD-affected individuals”. Any other entity providing funding for the scientific work or the generation of data or biological materials upon which the publication is based should also be acknowledged as appropriate.

 

  • Publication Committee
    • If one or more individuals propose to base a scientific publication on the analysis of data or biological materials funded by or obtained from CHDI, it is recommended that a publication committee be formed to address publication issues (including authorship) relating to the publication. A publication committee should consist of all persons who qualify as an author or who would do so were they offered a role in manuscript preparation (see ICMJE criteria above).
  • Open Access
    • Scientific publications resulting from the financial support, data, or biological materials provided by CHDI should be disseminated as widely as possible. Authors are encouraged to submit publications to fully open-access journals; publications in such journals may qualify for publication cost reimbursement from CHDI (see Policy for Reimbursement of Publication Costs).

 

Policy for Reimbursement of Publication Costs

CHDI is committed to ensuring the wide dissemination of the data and findings resulting from the research that it funds. CHDI will give full consideration on a case-by-case basis to covering publication costs of researchers who want to publish their CHDI-funded data and findings in fully open-access journals; if publication is sought in a paid-subscription journal, CHDI will consider covering the incremental open-access fee that is additional to the paid-subscription access costs. Reimbursement of publication costs will be handled outside of any Research Agreement and should not be included in budget proposals. All open-access reimbursement requests should be forwarded prior to submission to the Director, Scientific Communications at . Discussion is encouraged at an early stage to ensure that eligible publication costs will be considered for reimbursement.

This policy revised and effective August 28, 2018

 

Financial Support for Conferences, Meetings, or Workshops

CHDI prefers to support research rather than meetings at which research results are reported. When we do consider a topic that requires discussion to further Huntington’s disease (HD) research, we may organize a workshop or working group meeting.

Additionally, CHDI will consider supporting an independent meeting if:

  • The meeting proposal demonstrates how HD researchers will benefit from the experiences and activities of those working in different fields
  • CHDI has input into the format and the planning of the meeting
  • A written request for support is submitted at least three months prior to the meeting

 

Academic Institution Overhead

Preclinical Research – CHDI research agreements with academic institutions provide an allowance for overhead and indirect costs equal to 15% of budgeted personnel and laboratory consumables costs incurred in connection with laboratory research projects. Costs associated with custom-made reagents, animals purchased from third parties, equipment, travel, and per diem expenses are not considered personnel or laboratory consumables costs for purposes of this overhead and indirect costs allowance.

Clinical Research – CHDI provides clinical study sites with an allowance for the funding of overhead and indirect costs equal to 15% of allowable site costs incurred (i.e., specified study procedures, activities/services, or consumables). For the avoidance of doubt, the 15% allowance for the funding of overhead and indirect costs is provided only for personnel and consumables costs incurred in connection with conducting the activities described in the contract. The 15% allowance for the funding of overhead and indirect costs is not provided for reimbursable participant or site staff travel costs, participant stipends, facility costs (e.g., imaging scan time, etc.) and regulatory costs (e.g., IRB review/approval fees).

 

Academic Institution Salary Limits

CHDI research agreements limit the amount of total compensation (i.e., salary plus fringe benefits calculated on an annualized basis) the Foundation will provide for individuals at academic research organizations to 202.5% of the Salary Limitation for Grants and Cooperative Agreements imposed by the United States National Institutes of Health from time to time.

Leave of Absence Policy for CHDI Foundation Agreements

CHDI agreements provide funding for personnel costs (and indirect costs thereon) while people are actually working on a CHDI project. CHDI agreements do not cover paid leave of absence. Other funding agencies may have different policies.

CHDI policies do not prevent personnel funded directly or via sub-contract from applying for benefits provided by their institutions under applicable leave policies such as vacation, medical, parental, etc. In those circumstances, CHDI does allow the institution to (i) submit an amendment to extend the period of the agreement at no additional cost, (ii) replace the person on leave (except the PI) under the terms of a personnel change letter at the same or lower cost, or (iii) allocate the effort of the person on leave across existing personnel with no change to the budget. Any leave of absence for a PI/co-PI must be approved in advance in writing by CHDI.

Eligible Academic Institution Personnel

CHDI research agreements with academic institutions are intended to support the work of faculty members, post-doctoral fellows and associated technical staff. In exceptional circumstances CHDI will consider providing support for graduate students. However, these circumstances must be discussed before a project commences and will be assessed on a case-by-case basis.