RNA Salon Application

RNA Salon Application 2023/24
(October 1^st, 2023 – September 31^st, 2024 or 2025)

Completed applications must be submitted by midnight (EST) October 20, 2023, to be considered for support.

Fields with an asterisk indicate required information.

General Information

RNA Salon Name*

Location (region/city)*

Country*

Host Institution*

Associated Institution (if applicable)

Another Associated Institution (if applicable)

Main applicant*

(RNA Society Member, Principal Investigator)

Name

Email

RNA Society Membership Number:

Co-applicant 2

(PI, Postdoc or graduate student, if applicable)

Name

Email

RNA Society Membership Number:

Co-applicant 3

(PI, Postdoc or graduate student, if applicable)

Name

Email

RNA Society Membership Number:

Co-applicant 4

(PI, Postdoc or graduate student, if applicable)

Name

Email

RNA Society Membership Number:

Co-applicant 5

(PI, Postdoc or graduate student, if applicable)

Name

Email

RNA Society Membership Number:

Co-applicant 6

(PI, Postdoc or graduate student, if applicable)

Name

Email

RNA Society Membership Number:

Co-applicant 7

(PI, Postdoc or graduate student, if applicable)

Name

Email

RNA Society Membership Number:

RNA Salon Information

1. Detailed description of recurring year-long activities (including speakers, if applicable) and how these activities will be organized and promoted. This description must include a justification whether events are planned to be virtually or in-person and how interaction will be promoted. If invited speakers are proposed, please explain efforts to ensure diversity is achieved. (max 500 words)* (max 500 words)*

2. Clear statement that addresses how the proposed RNA Salon activities align with RNA SOCIETY objectives for this program and how funding will benefit participants in the short- and long-term. (max 200 words)*

3. Description of the anticipated RNA Salon participants, including a plan for ensuring/increasing diversity in researchers involved (i.e., number of participants; stage of training [i.e., student/post-doc, PIs, etc]; affiliation of participants, inclusion of under-represented scientists, etc.). The RNA Society expects that all RNA Salon events offer a welcoming and inclusive environment for all and strategies towards this goal should be explained in the application. (max 200 words)*

4. Evidence for organizational and leadership experience of the applicant(s) and how co-applicants/junior researchers will be involved in RNA Salon organization. (max 200 words)*

5. Information on any website and/or Social Media sites where RNA Salon activities are promoted – please provide URL and X usernames:

Website
X Username

Lexogen Support

Each successful RNA Salon is eligible to receive up to $1,500.00 USD per year to support their events (per year, $1,000.00 USD from the RNA SOCIETY and $500.00 USD, respectively, provided through Lexogen, the exclusive industry sponsor of the 2023/2024 RNA Salon series). To qualify for the full amount, RNA Salon applicants must, at the time of application, agree to the ‘Terms of Sponsorship’ which include terms provided by Lexogen that are outlined below. If applicants wish not to engage in this relationship with Lexogen, they can choose to ‘opt-out’ and their application would, therefore, be eligible only for up to $1,000.00 USD per year of support from the RNA SOCIETY.

RNA Salon proposals will be reviewed solely by the RNA SOCIETY. Successful applications that also agree (i.e., ‘opt-in’) to Lexogen co-sponsorship will then, and only then, be made available to Lexogen.
Successful RNA Salons will receive a single payment per year from the RNA SOCIETY in the amount up to $1,500.00 (or up to $1,000.00 USD if applicants ‘opt-out’ of the Lexogen co-sponsorship).
For those applicants that agree to the full Terms of Sponsorship (including those outlined by Lexogen; i.e. ‘opt-in’), RNA Salon organizers agree to:
1. display the Lexogen corporate logo alongside the RNA Society’s logo on the Salon’s website, other online and print material, and all advertising of RNA Salon events.
2. mention @lexogen alongside @RNASociety in any RNA Salon social media posting such as on X, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram.
3. display a 20-min video by Lexogen at a minimum of one event (real life or virtual) per academic year. Such video will provide educational content related to Lexogen’s products as well as a disclaimer that the RNA SOCIETY does NOT promote Lexogen’s products. Lexogen will provide a range of videos on different transcriptome-analysis related topics to select from.
4. allow a representative from Lexogen to contact, via e-mail, the RNA Salon organizer three times during the academic year to discuss opportunities for Lexogen either to present a promotional seminar at an RNA Salon event or to organize (and pay for) an academic speaker to present at an RNA Salon event. These seminars and presentations can also have a virtual format. RNA Salon organizers retain the right to refuse a suggested topic or speaker, and agreement to these opportunities is not required to receive the supplemental funding provided by Lexogen. In addition, any arrangement will be based on mutual agreement between Lexogen and the RNA Salon organizer will in no way involve the RNA SOCIETY.
5. share product literature provided by Lexogen at two RNA Salon events. Material will be mailed at the expense of Lexogen or shared online. RNA Salon organizers agree to provide to Lexogen a shipping address and an approximate number of Salon participants to facilitate this process. Alternatively, Lexogen can also provide product literature digitally, in form of a PDF document, which is then forwarded by the RNA Salon organizer to the RNA Salon participants at two times during the Salon season.
6. agree to announce and share (at a minimum of one event) entry forms for a prize drawing for Lexogen products (e.g. RNA sequencing products and services). Also here, a digital format can be chosen by Lexogen. In this case, a short description of the prize draw and a link to the respective entry form will be e-mailed to the RNA Salon organizers to be forwarded to the RNA Salon participants. Participation (i.e. completion of the entry form) by Salon participants is completely voluntary. RNA Salon organizers agree to send two reminders to RNA Salon participants to fill out the prize draw.
7. Two-year RNA Salons must fulfill the requirements for Lexogen funding in both year 1 and year 2 in return for receiving $ 500.00 each year from Lexogen.

To be eligible for Lexogen-sponsored funding ($500.00 USD), sign below to indicate that you consent (‘OPT-IN’) to the terms of Lexogen sponsorship described above, including to be contacted by Lexogen via e-mail.

Signature:

If you do NOT agree to the above terms involving Lexogen sponsorship and wish to ‘OPT-OUT’ of any agreement with Lexogen, please sign below. Note that by opting-out, your RNA Salon application will be eligible for a maximum of $1,000 USD from the RNA SOCIETY.

Signature:

Budget

Proposed budget (in USD) for the use of RNA Society and Lexogen Funding.

The maximal new funding for the 2023/2024 RNA Salon series is $1,500.00 USD (or $1,000.00 USD for those that opt-out of receiving Lexogen-sponsored funds).

For existing RNA Salons sponsored by the RNA Salon, you can also request funding for two years, i.e. you can request to receive up to $1,500.00 USD in 2023/24 and again up to $1,500.00 USD in 2024. To request two-year funding, please provide a budget for each year.

If you were supported previously, you must provide information about RNA Salons funds remaining from 2022/2023. These funds can be used in the up-coming year and must be included in the budget. For example, if 500 USD were not spent in the last year, you can propose expenditures up to 2,000 USD.

	USD for 2023/2024	USD for 2024/2025
Student Awards
Catering
Promotional Material
Invited Speakers (max 40%)
Other (please detail)
TOTAL Expenses
Funds remaining from previous year
New funding requested (total expenses minus funds remaining)

Other sources of funding for RNA Salon events, including institutional, private, and/or corporate (including amount, if applicable)

Budget justification outlining how RNA Salon funds will be utilized.
Note that the proposed budget will be evaluated independently of the merit of the application taking into consideration the nature of the proposed events and the remaining funding from 2022/2023 if applicable. Based on this budget evaluation, the offered funding might be adjusted and differ from the requested amount.
(max 250 words)*

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