EpiCARE Research Council

The Global Innovation Fund (GIF) is currently inviting applications for its Grants program to support breakthrough solutions from for-profit firms, non-profit organisations, researchers, and government agencies to maximise their impact and catalyse meaningful change.

Deadline – Ongoing

The Global Innovation Fund invests in the development, rigorous testing, and scaling up of new products, services, business process, or policy reforms. Through its grants, GIF supports these breakthrough solutions from for-profit firms, non-profit organisations, researchers, and government agencies to maximise their impact and catalyse meaningful change.

If you are a non-profit and your innovation does not involve generating revenues from users or customers, a grant is likely to be most appropriate.

Stages of Funding

GIF has a staged funding approach, whereby the amount of funding available is tiered according to the level of maturity of your innovation and the activities proposed. The three tiers are:

Pilot – the innovation is at an early stage but you have a credible plan for how it can be developed and tested in a real-world setting. Funding of up to USD 230,000 is available to test core assumptions around operational, social, and financial viability.

Test and transition – the innovation has already shown promise of success at a small scale, and you have some information on your operational, social, and financial viability which you want to solidify before you scale. Funding of up to USD 2.3 million is available to support further growth and generate additional evidence on whether the innovation can achieve social impact and market viability, for commercial innovations.

Scale – the innovation has a strong evidence base and logistically credible plan for scaling to reach millions of people. Funding of up to USD 15 million is available to expand the reach of innovations with a view to reaching millions of people in the long term if successful.

What they Fund?

At GIF, they believe that innovation, by which they mean any solution that has potential to address an important development problem more effectively than existing approaches, can come from anyone, anywhere.

This means that they accept applications working in any sector in any developing country.

Any type of organisation may apply. This includes social enterprises, for-profit companies, non-profit organisations, government agencies, international organisations, and research institutions in any country. It is recommended that individual innovators, entrepreneurs, or researchers apply through an affiliated organisation.

Eligibility Criteria

Any type of organisation may apply. This includes social enterprises, for-profit companies, non-profit organisations, government agencies, international organisations, and research institutions in any country. It is recommended that individual innovators, entrepreneurs or researchers apply through an affiliated organisation.

Ineligible

GIF is open to innovations which meet their criteria in any sector or country. However, there are some activities they do not fund. These include:

• Theoretical research, or purely lab-based activities that are not linked to implementation of a specific proposed real-world pilot or demonstration project.
• Approaches that are only applicable in a single country (unless the innovation is expected to scale to a large proportion of one of the world’s most populous developing countries).

More information

Deadline: 22 May 2024 17:00

Budget: €95 000 000

Link

Actions under this topic must contribute to all the following expected outcomes:

• Access for healthcare professionals to novel, robust and fit for purpose biomarkers¹with linked technologies enabling their use in clinical setting and progress towards validation. Biomarkers and linked technologies may be for diagnosis, monitoring disease progression, selecting the optimal therapeutic treatments, or assessing treatment response.
• Availability for researchers of robust and fit-for-purpose biomarkers with linked technologies enabling their clinical use for diagnosing disease, disease monitoring, or monitoring treatment response. This will enable researchers to develop safer and more effective personalised treatments tailored to the individual’s characteristics and the stage of their disease. Alternatively, availability for researchers of key technology (e.g. companion diagnostics) that could be essential for the safe and appropriate use and selection of a corresponding drug or biological product or its development.
• Availability for regulators of robust evidence on the suitability of selected biomarkers and their linked technologies to enable regulatory acceptance for a specific use.

Different healthcare actors (e.g. academics, clinicians, patients, health technology developers and regulators) may have different definitions and expectations on the utilities of biomarkers, and there is a need for an aligned methodological framework for scaling up the clinical validation of candidate biomarkers.

This topic aims:

• to progress candidate biomarkers towards clinical validation and, when relevant, to regulatory acceptance;

and/or

• to progress towards clinical validation innovative technologies necessary for making biomarker(s) accessible for clinical use. In proposals focusing uniquely on these technologies, applicants should justify how such progress will enable the validation of the biomarker(s) for use in a clinical context.

Projects funded under this topic should:

• Assemble a cross-sectoral public-private partnership to align and develop a methodological framework and roadmap for progressing selected candidate biomarker(s) and/or linked technologies enabling the clinical use of the biomarker(s) (or a combination thereof) to rigorous clinical validation
• Provide a justification and clearly demonstrate why the proposal area responds to an unmet public health need.
• Progress biomarker(s) and/or technologies towards clinical and analytical validation in one or more of these areas: diagnosing disease, early treatment path selection, monitoring disease progression, or treatment response assessment:
  • All types of biomarkers including digital, combinations of biomarkers and multimodal biomarkers are in scope. Proposals addressing biomarker(s) intended for specific populations such as the elderly or children are very welcome.
  • The candidate biomarkers can be combined with existing biomarkers for more personalised decision making.
  • All types of technologies for progressing biomarkers to a stage closer to clinical validation, including innovative and novel approaches, are in scope. Some examples could be technologies for the effective collection, preparation, measurement and analysis of samples and biomarkers, or diagnostic equipment, methods, or systems.
  • In their proposal, applicants must clearly identify the candidate biomarker(s) and/or linked technology(ies) and the proposed application in research and development (R&D) and/or clinical practice.
  • Applicants should provide in their proposal sufficient preliminary evidence, including relevant methodology(ies) and high-quality data to demonstrate that the biomarker(s) and/or technology(ies) can be progressed towards clinical validation and, when relevant, to regulatory acceptance.
  • As relevant, applicants must ensure effective collection, preparation, measurement, and analysis of biomarker samples to allow validation in the clinical setting.
• Build on existing solutions to develop a collaborative platform to integrate, analyse and share data (historical or generated de novo) gathered for the validation of biomarker(s) and/or linked technologies during the project, as well as to support future biomarker validation beyond the project duration. Applicants should plan to ensure the future scalability and sustainability of the platform and future data sharing and ensure adherence to FAIR (findable, accessible, interoperable, reusable) principles.
• Develop a regulatory strategy and interaction plan for evidence generation to support the regulatory qualification of the biomarker/s and/or technologies and engage with regulators in a timely manner (e.g. national competent authorities, European Medicines Agency (EMA) Innovation Task Force, qualification advice). Applicants should reserve resources to support these interactions.
• Elaborate a plan for interacting with all the relevant actors in the learning healthcare system (for example clinicians, academic researchers, healthcare professionals, health technology developers, regulators, policy makers, and others as relevant) to align on utilities of the candidate biomarker(s) and/or technologies for clinical use and guide the roadmap.
• Disseminate the results of the project to ensure uptake by relevant stakeholders, including healthcare systems and technology developers.
• Applicants should also reserve resources to synergise with other relevant initiatives, including other projects funded under this topic and those funded under IHI Call 3 topic 1 as relevant.

Deadline model: single-stage

Planned opening date: 29 May 2024

Deadline date: 27 November 2024 17:00:00 Brussels time

Budget: €451 153 000

Link

Expected Outcome:

Project results are expected to contribute to the following outcomes:

For supported doctoral candidates

• New research and transferable skills and competences, leading to improved employability and career prospects within and outside academia;
• New knowledge allowing the conversion of ideas into products and services, where relevant;
• Enhanced networking and communication capacities with scientific peers, as well as with the general public that will increase and broaden the research and innovation impact.

For participating organisations

• Improved quality, relevance and sustainability of doctoral training programmes and supervision arrangements;
• Enhanced cooperation and transfer of knowledge between sectors and disciplines;
• Increased integration of training and research activities between participating organisations;
• Boosted R&I capacity;
• Increased internationalisation and attractiveness;
• Regular feedback of research results into teaching and education at participating organisations.

Scope:

MSCA Doctoral Networks will implement doctoral programmes, by partnerships of universities, research institutions and research infrastructures, businesses including SMEs, and other socio-economic actors from different countries across Europe and beyond. MSCA Doctoral Networks are indeed open to the participation of organisations from third countries, in view of fostering strategic international partnerships for the training and exchange of researchers.

These doctoral programmes will respond to well-identified needs in various R&I areas, expose the researchers to the academic and non-academic sectors, and offer training in research-related, as well as transferable skills^[1] and competences relevant for innovation and long-term employability (e.g. entrepreneurship, commercialisation of results, Intellectual Property Rights, communication). Proposals for doctoral networks can reflect existing or planned research partnerships among the participating organisations.

The selection procedure for doctoral candidates must be open, transparent and merit-based, in line with the Code of Conduct for the Recruitment of Researchers. The vacancy notice (to be widely advertised internationally, including on the EURAXESS^[2] website) must mention if the published rates include all employer and employee’s taxes and contributions. If possible, the gross salary (net salary + employee’s taxes and contributions) should be published.

MSCA Doctoral Networks are encouraged to lead to Industrial or Joint Doctorates.

Training activities

MSCA Doctoral Networks should exploit complementarities between participating organisations and foster sharing of knowledge and networking activities for example through the organisation of workshops and conferences. Proposed training activities should respond to well identified needs in various R&I areas, with appropriate references to inter- and multidisciplinary fields and follow the EU Principles for Innovative Doctoral Training^[4]. They should be primarily focused on developing new scientific knowledge through original research on personalised projects.

Opening date: 29 May 2024

Deadline: 29/08/2024

Budget: up to € 2.5 million for a period of 5 years. (pro rata for projects of shorter duration). However, an additional € 1 million can be made available to cover eligible “start-up” costs for researchers moving from a third country to the EU or an associated country and/or the purchase of major equipment and/or access to large facilities and/or other major experimental and field work costs.

Link

Applicants for the ERC Advanced Grants – called Principal Investigators (PI) – are expected to be active researchers who have a track-record of significant research achievements.

The Principal Investigators should be exceptional leaders in terms of originality and significance of their research contributions. No specific eligibility criteria with respect to the academic requirements are foreseen.

Applications can be made in any field of research.

Deadline: 23 October 2024 at 12.00 (noon) CEST.

Budget: An estimated €125,000 is made available for a COST Action in its first year and an average of €150,000 per year for the other 3 years.

Link

The funding a COST Action receives covers the expenses of networking activities rather than research. As such is used to organise and fund events, Short-term Scientific Missions, Training Schools, communication activities, and virtual networking tools.  

Examples of COST Action networking activities:

Who can participate?

COST Actions attract researchers and innovators from universities, as well as from public and private institutions, NGOs, industry and SMEs – all institutions are welcome. Participants can apply at any stage of their career.

COST Actions are based on the principle of inclusivity and actively promote the participation of researchers and innovators based in less-research-intensive COST Member countries.

How to apply?

COST Actions are bottom-up and can be on any topic, however they must fulfill certain criteria in order to be approved, such as including researchers from at least seven COST Member countries, half of whom come from our Inclusiveness Target Countries (ITC).

Following a thorough evaluation and selection process, the decision for funding a proposal is taken by the COST Committee of Senior Officials (CSO) within eight months from the collection date. Successful proposals are approved to become COST Actions and can expect to kick-off within three months after approval.

Deadline model: single-stage

Planned opening date: 10 October 2024

Deadline date: 05 March 2025 17:00:00 Brussels time

Budget: 81 226 000

Link

ExpectedOutcome:

Project results are expected to contribute to the following outcomes:

For staff members

Increased set of research and transferable skills and competences, leading to improved employability and career prospects within and outside academia;

More knowledge and innovative ideas converted into products, processes and services;

More entrepreneurial mind-sets, testing new and innovative ideas;

Increased international exposure leading to extended networks and opportunities;

Enhanced networking and communication capacities with scientific peers, as well as with the general public that will increase and broaden the research and innovation impact.

For participating organisations

Innovative ways of cooperation and transfer of knowledge between sectors and disciplines;

Strengthened and broader international, inter-sectoral and interdisciplinary collaborative networks;

Boosted R&I capacity.

Scope:

MSCA Staff Exchanges involve organisations from the academic and non-academic sectors (including SMEs) from across the globe.

Support is provided for international, inter-sectoral and interdisciplinary mobility of R&I staff leading to knowledge transfer between participating organisations.

Two programs :

1. HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-Cofund-D HORIZON TMA MSCA Cofund Doctoral programme
2. HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-Cofund-P HORIZON TMA MSCA Cofund Postdoctoral programme

Deadline model: single-stage

Planned opening date: 08 October 2024

Deadline date: 06 February 2025 17:00:00 Brussels time

Budget: €99 276 000

Link

Expected Outcome:

Projects results are expected to contribute to the following outcomes:

For supported doctoral candidates or postdoctoral researchers

Deeper and more diverse set of research-related and transferable skills and competences;

Improved employability and career prospects both within academia and beyond;

New mind-sets and approaches to R&I work forged through international, inter-sectoral and interdisciplinary experience;

Enhanced networking and communication capacities with scientific peers, as well as with the general public that will increase and broaden the research and innovation impact.

For participating organisations

Enhanced quality and sustainability of research training;

Increased global attractiveness, visibility and reputation of the participating organisation(s);

Stronger R&I capacity and output among participating organisations;

Increased contribution of the participating organisations to the local, regional and/or national socio-economic ecosystems;

Regular feedback of research results into teaching and education at participating organisations.

Scope:

Applicants submit proposals for new or existing doctoral or postdoctoral programmes with an impact on the enhancement of human resources in R&I at regional, national or international level. These programmes will be co-funded by MSCA COFUND.

Proposed programmes can cover any research disciplines (“bottom-up”), but exceptionally can also focus on specific disciplines, notably when they are based on national or regional Research and Innovation Strategies for Smart Specialisation (RIS3 strategies). In this case, the range of covered disciplines should allow reasonable flexibility for the researchers to define their topic.

Funding synergies with Cohesion policy funds and the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) are strongly encouraged

A Career Development Plan must be jointly established by the supervisor and each recruited researcher upon recruitment. In addition to research objectives, this Plan comprises the researcher’s training and career needs, including training on transferable skills, teaching, planning for publications and participation in conferences and events aimed at opening science and research to citizens. The Plan must be established at the beginning of the recruitment and should be revised (and updated where needed) within 18 months.

COFUND takes the form of:

A) Doctoral programmes

Doctoral programmes offer research training activities to allow doctoral candidates to develop and broaden their skills and competences. They will lead to the award of a doctoral degree in at least one EU Member State or Horizon Europe Associated Country.

Substantial training modules, including digital ones, addressing key transferable skills and competences common to all fields, fostering good scientific conduct such as research integrity, and fostering the culture of Open Science, innovation and entrepreneurship will be supported.

On top of compulsory international mobility, applicants are encouraged to include elements of cross-sectoral mobility and interdisciplinarity into their programmes. Collaboration with a wider set of associated partners, including from the non-academic sector, will be positively taken into account during the evaluation. These organisations may provide hosting or secondment opportunities or training modules in research or transferable skills.

Particular attention is paid to the quality of supervision and mentoring arrangements as well as career guidance. The selection procedure for doctoral candidates must be open, transparent and merit-based, in line with the Code of Conduct for the Recruitment of Researchers.

B) Postdoctoral Programmes

Postdoctoral Programmes fund individual advanced research training and career development fellowships for postdoctoral researchers. The programmes should offer training to develop key transferable skills and competences common to all fields, foster good scientific conduct such as research integrity, foster innovation and entrepreneurship and promote and (where appropriate) reward Open Science practices (open access to publications and to other research outputs including data, FAIR data management, societal engagement and citizen science, etc.).

Postdoctoral Programmes should have regular selection rounds following fixed deadlines or regular cut-off dates, allowing fair competition between researchers. The selection procedure for postdoctoral candidates must be open, competitive, merit-based and with a transparent international peer review, in line with the Code of Conduct for the Recruitment of Researchers.

Deadline model: single-stage

Planned opening date: 14 May 2024

Deadline date: 04 September 2024 17:00:00 Brussels time

Budget: 2 000 000 euros (One winner grant)

Link

Expected Outcome:

Project results are expected to contribute to the following outcomes:

Broader and more strategic promotion of international cooperation opportunities offered through MSCA;

Monitoring progress, opportunities and challenges in MSCA bilateral and bi-regional cooperation with main international partner countries and regions;

Strengthening complementarities with other relevant promotion and cooperation initiatives funded through Horizon Europe or other EU programmes.

Scope:

The objective is to foster international cooperation in MSCA in Horizon Europe, through a dedicated support action to complement and ensure coordination between existing promotion channels at local level, and ensure consistency with formal R&I policy dialogues at bilateral and regional levels. Focus should be given:

At bilateral level on countries having concluded bilateral Science and Technology Agreements with the EU (Algeria, Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Egypt, India, Japan, Jordan, Korea, Mexico, Morocco, New Zealand, South Africa, Switzerland, Tunisia, Ukraine and the United States).

At regional level, on bi-regional research and innovation policy dialogues, established notably with the African Union, ASEAN, LAC, Mediterranean partner countries, Eastern Partnership countries and Western Balkans.

Two programs :

1. HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships – European Fellowships
2. HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-GF HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships – Global Fellowships

Deadline model: single-stage

Planned opening date: 10 April 2024

Deadline date: 11 September 2024 17:00:00 Brussels time

Link

Expected Outcome:

Project results are expected to contribute to the following outcomes:

For supported postdoctoral fellows

Increased set of research and transferable skills and competences, leading to improved employability and career prospects of MSCA postdoctoral fellows within academia and beyond;

New mind-sets and approaches to R&I work forged through international, inter-sectoral and interdisciplinary experience;

Enhanced networking and communication capacities with scientific peers, as well as with the general public that will increase and broaden the research and innovation impact.

For participating organisations

Increased alignment of working conditions for researchers in accordance with the principles set out in the European Charter for Researchers and the Code of Conduct for the Recruitment of Researchers;

Enhanced quality and sustainability of research training and supervision;

Increased global attractiveness, visibility and reputation of the participating organisation(s);

Stronger R&I capacity and output among participating organisations; better transfer of knowledge;

Regular feedback of research results into teaching and education at participating organisations.

Scope:

Fellowships will be provided to excellent researchers undertaking international mobility. Applications will be made jointly by the researcher and a beneficiary in the academic or non-academic sector.

Postdoctoral Fellowships either can take place in Europe (i.e. in an EU Member State or a Horizon Europe Associated Country) or in a Third Country not associated to Horizon Europe:

European Postdoctoral Fellowships are open to researchers of any nationality who wish to engage in R&I projects by either coming to Europe from any country in the world or moving within Europe. The standard duration of these fellowships must be between 12 and 24 months.

Global Postdoctoral Fellowships are open to European nationals or long-term residents[1] who wish to engage in R&I projects with organisations outside EU Member States and Horizon Europe Associated Countries. These fellowships require an outgoing phase of minimum 12 and maximum 24 months in a non-associated Third Country, and a mandatory 12-month return phase to a host organisation based in an EU Member State or a Horizon Europe Associated Country.

Deadline model: single-stage

Planned opening date: 11 April 2024

Deadline date: 26 September 2024 17:00:00 Brussels time

Budget: 40 000 000 (1000000 to 3000000 for each contribution / Indicative number of grants: 20)

Link

Expected Outcome:

The ERA Talents action aims to boost interoperability of careers and employability of research and innovation talents across sectors, with a centre of gravity in Widening countries.

Projects are expected to contribute to the following outcomes:

Strengthened human capital base of Widening countries in R&I, with more entrepreneurial and better-trained researchers, innovators and other R&I talents;

A more balanced talent circulation, both geographical and cross-sectoral;

Boosted R&I capacity and R&I support capacity, as well as contribution to increased excellence of the research-performing organisation in Widening countries;

A more structured and impactful collaboration between academia and businesses;

Increased set of research, entrepreneurial and other transferable skills and competences;

Improved employability and sustainable career prospects of diverse talents within academia, industry and beyond.

Scope:

Cross-sectoral talent circulation and academia-business collaboration for knowledge transfer is requiring systematising and structuring efforts. Through ERA4You, as one of the ERA Policy Agenda outcomes[1], the European Commission aims to support and incentivise such transformations, towards a more balanced circulation of talents, both trans-nationally and across sectors. Within this scope, ERA Talents aims to support training and mobility of researchers, innovators, and other research and innovation talents across sectors with a particular focus on Widening countries.

Complementary to ERA Chairs, Excellence Hubs, ERA Fellowships and MSCA Staff Exchanges, the ERA Talents scheme promotes innovative inter-sectoral collaboration in research and innovation through cross-sectoral exchange of staff, with a focus on Widening countries. Grants awarded under this topic are expected to collaborate with each other and participate in mutual learning exercises.

Intersectoral mobility. Actions are invited to develop activities in view of realising one or more of the following European Commission’s objectives regarding intersectoral mobility. The European Commission aims at selecting a portfolio of complementary actions where possible.

Strengthening academia/non-academia cooperation, and reinforcing innovation ecosystems, focusing on establishment of public-private links, private sector involvement booster, activities for the transfer of researcher know-how to businesses or public and social sectors, as well as activities that foster closer involvement of business sector staff in training of academic staff. To include social innovators, consistent with the title of this bullet point and the rest of the call description.

Improving training and lifelong learning for researchers, innovators, and other research and innovation talents, characterised by opportunities for upskilling and interdisciplinary skill development. In particular, (i) training for specific in-demand skills by industry or other non-academic sectors in specific thematic areas, such as Missions and Partnerships, greening of society, to improve employability and interoperability, and (ii) training to build R&I support capacity (‘other research and innovation talents’), such as knowledge brokers, data stewards, research managers, research infrastructure operators, knowledge valorisation officers, etc;

Boosting researcher entrepreneurship, focused on development of entrepreneurial skills (e.g., business economics, business creation, knowledge valorisation, intellectual property rights and other relevant legal framework) for researchers and commercialisation or other valorisation training and support for researchers, through preparatory activities for entrepreneurship and support for researcher start-up creation.

Participating organisations. ERA Talents actions must involve organisations from the academic and non-academic sectors. The consortium partners contribute directly to the implementation of a joint training and mobility methodology by seconding and/or hosting eligible staff members. The collaborative approach of ERA Talents should exploit complementary competences of the participating organisations and create synergies between them.

Deadline: Tuesday, June 11, 2024

Full Application Invitations       Friday, July 26, 2024

Full Application Deadline          Wednesday, August 28, 2024

Budget: $250,000 paid over 2 years

Link

The CURE Epilepsy Catalyst Award (2 years / $250,000) supports nimble development of data necessary to advance ideas toward larger commercialization funding opportunities and is not intended to replace those opportunities.

We identify and fund cutting-edge research that may lead to new approaches for curing epilepsy, challenging scientists worldwide to collaborate and innovate in pursuit of this goal.

Our commitment is unrelenting.

We encourage applications from groups identified as nationally underrepresented in the biomedical sciences. These groups include individuals with disabilities, veterans, persons from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups and gender-diverse groups, women in biomedical-related disciplines, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law.

Researchers outside the U.S. are encouraged to apply. U.S. citizenship is not required.

Priority areas include:

• Innovative approaches to prevent, modify and/or arrest the development of acquired epilepsy.
• Development of novel approaches to prevent the onset or halt the progression of severe.

pediatric epilepsies.

• New, effective treatments for the >30% of the epilepsy population who are pharmaco-resistant.
• Translational or clinical approaches aimed at normalizing sleep disturbances or circadian rhythms

to treat seizures.

• New approaches, biomarkers, or therapies to predict and/or prevent SUDEP

Eligibility

This award is available to independent researchers at or above the level of Assistant Professor (or equivalent) at universities and non-academic research institutions, including small biotechnology companies, that seek to develop new interventions for epilepsy. International applicants are welcome to apply. Postdoctoral fellows may not apply for this award. All materials must be submitted in English.

Deadline: Friday, August 23, 2024

Budget: Grants are awarded for $500,000 over 3 years (beginning January 1 of each year). Indirect costs must be included within the $500,00 budget and are not to exceed 10% of the total award.

Link

Transformational Science Grant Awards are the largest grants awarded by DSF. Transformational Science Grants are intended for established, experienced, independent investigators affiliated with a research or academic institution whose proposed projects investigate hypotheses directly related to Dravet syndrome. Transformational Science Grants should have substantial preliminary data to support the stated hypothesis and strong potential to significantly impact the research field or move the needle on clinical care. Proposals are scored according to NIH guidelines based on the quality of preliminary data, research design, feasibility, investigator’s qualifications, and overall impact.

2024 Basic and Translational Priority Areas include:

• Understanding the mechanisms of epileptogenesis in Dravet syndrome.
• Development of enhanced models to study Dravet syndrome.
• Understanding of the cellular, molecular, and genetic mechanisms that contribute to the pathogenesis of Dravet syndrome.
• Revealing causes and interventions for seizures and comorbidities in Dravet syndrome.
• Understanding causes and developing interventions for SUDEP.
• Development of novel treatments and interventions that will prevent the onset or halt the progression of Dravet syndrome; this includes research that may overcome the current size and delivery hurdles for gene-therapy approaches.

2024 Clinical Priority Areas include:

• Research that helps better characterize the natural history of Dravet syndrome across the patient lifetime, including identifying patient trends, characteristics, epidemiology, or other clinical aspects of Dravet syndrome and/or its comorbidities.
• Research that develops or refines outcome measurements that can fully reflect meaningful improvements in patient symptoms and quality of life.
• Research that helps to understand, predict, and prevent SUDEP.
• Research that will encourage the development of novel therapies to prevent onset or halt the progression of the Dravet syndrome.

The FamilieSCN2A Hodgkin-Huxley Grant program was created to honor the achievements of Dr. Alan Hodgkin and Dr. Andrew Huxley and their innovative modeling of action potentials, as well as their contributions which laid the groundwork for neuroscience research on the molecular, cellular, and circuit levels.

Unsolicited, year-round LOIs accepted. Full application invitations on a rolling basis as long as funds are available.

Link

Deadline: June 13, 2024

Budget: The total budget of a Pilot Award is $300,000 or less, including 20 percent indirect costs, over a period of up to two (2) years. Projects proposing research in human subjects may request a budget up to $500,000, including 20 percent indirect costs, over a period of up to two (2) years.

Link

The goal of the Pilot Award is to provide early support for exploratory ideas, particularly those with novel hypotheses. Appropriate projects for this mechanism include those considered higher risk but with the potential for transformative results, including work in human subjects. Projects that represent continuations of ongoing work (whether funded by SFARI or other funders) are not appropriate for this mechanism.

This funding mechanism is particularly suitable for investigators who are new to the autism field, though we encourage those new to the field to consult with experts in autism research to ensure their projects are relevant to the human condition.

In particular, we encourage applications that propose research to link genetic or other ASD risk factors to molecular, cellular, circuit or behavioral mechanisms and set the stage for development of novel interventions. Please read more about SFARI’s scientific perspectives. We also strongly advise applicants to familiarize themselves with the currently funded projects and resources that SFARI supports and to think about how their proposals might complement existing efforts.

As with other Pilot projects, proposals in human subjects should be relevant, novel, exploratory, high-risk and with the potential for transformative results. They may test new mechanisms, employ new technology or analytics, or take innovative approaches to phenotyping or stratification that stand to move the field forward in transformative ways. Given the heterogeneity and multifactorial causes of ASD, SFARI places a premium on the use of well-characterized and sufficiently powered cohorts. To facilitate recruitment of cohorts with well-characterized ASD and associated neurodevelopmental disabilities, SFARI has developed the Research Match program, which helps investigators recruit participants from Simons collections, including SPARK and Simons Searchlight. RFA applicants are strongly encouraged, but not required, to use Research Match as part of their participation recruitment strategy. Recognizing that sufficiently-powered work in humans can be costly, projects employing human subjects will have the option for a separate (higher) budget track

Eligibility

All applicants and key collaborators must hold a Ph.D., M.D. or equivalent degree and have a faculty position or the equivalent at a college, university, medical school or other research facility.

Applications may be submitted by domestic and foreign nonprofit organizations; public and private institutions, such as colleges, universities, hospitals, laboratories, and units of state and local government; and eligible agencies of the federal government. There are no citizenship or country requirements.

Link

These research grant awards are intended for established, experienced, independent investigators affiliated with a research or academic institution whose proposed projects seek to investigate hypotheses directly related to hypothalamic hamartoma syndrome. Proposals are scored based on the quality of preliminary data, research design, feasibility, investigator’s qualifications, and overall impact.

Investigators applying for a research grant should ensure their proposed project addresses the needs of the hypothalamic hamartoma syndrome community and Hope for HH’s mission to support research toward better understanding, improved treatments and ultimately a cure for hypothalamic hamartoma syndrome.

Eligibility:

Applicants should be affiliated with a research or academic institution (excluding for-profit companies), may be US or foreign based, established in their field, and in good standing with their institution.

Our research priority areas include:

• Research that helps identify patient trends, characteristics, epidemiology, or other clinical aspects of hypothalamic hamartoma syndrome and/or its comorbidities.
• Research that will encourage the development of novel therapies to eliminate or prevent seizure progression or halt the progression of other comorbidities associated with hypothalamic hamartoma syndrome.
• Research that helps to understand, predict, and prevent SUDEP

Deadline: September 1^st

Link

The world’s largest brain research prize is Danish and is awarded by the Lundbeck Foundation. Each year, we award 10 million DKK (approx. 1,3 million€) to one or more brain researchers who have had a ground-breaking impact on brain research.

The Prize may be awarded to one or more scientists who have distinguished themselves through outstanding contributions to any field of neuroscience, from fundamental studies to research related to understanding and treatment of diseases of the brain and other parts of the nervous system.