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June 18, 2026

Are you or your early-career mentee looking for neuroscience research funding? Applications are open now through September 10 for the 2027 Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»­ Research Program!

These grants, ranging from $150,000 to $450,000, help build a better world for people affected by neurological disease by driving progress in neuroscience. If you have an innovative idea in the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of brain and nervous system disorders, these are the opportunities for you. 

Apply today or share the news with a colleague! 

Looking for breakthroughs

Cole A. Harrington, MD, PhD, is an assistant professor of neurology at the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. Harrington received the Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»­’s Career Development Award in 2024 for research on oligodendrocyte survival and remyelination in multiple sclerosis. 

“The career pathway as a physician-scientist can be challenging because you’re going from a clinical context, so doing your residency and fellowship, then going straight back into research,” Harrington said. “The Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»­ award helped me launch this project and get my lab going.”

The award was Harrington’s first grant as an academic appointee, allowing them to protect their time in the lab, hire a necessary technician, and embark on their research. Harrington credits the Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»­ Research Program with providing the support necessary to identify a set of promising pathways for treatment—which, if proven effective, could lead to innovations in MS care and beyond.

“The award has been amazing in giving me the ability to establish this preliminary data and develop this program for the future,” Harrington said. “It’s a launchpad to keep doing what we’re doing—and we have several papers in the publication pipeline, which is very exciting.”

Improving quality of care for everyone

Altaf Saadi, MD, MSc, FÂ鶹´«Ã½Ó³»­, is an associate professor at Harvard Medical School and a general neurologist and neurohospitalist at Massachusetts General Hospital. In 2021, she received the Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»­’s Practice Research Training Scholarship to investigate disparities in care facing people with neurological illness and limited English proficiency.

“From my clinical experience, my sense was that there were differences in the quality of care people with limited English proficiency were receiving in neurology, specifically in terms of imaging, diagnostics, and other testing,” Saadi said. “I felt that clinicians sometimes used diagnostic testing as a shortcut to address communication gaps, rather than using interpreters, resulting in unnecessary tests. I was interested to test my hypothesis using a nationally representative dataset.”

limited English proficiency was associated with more lab tests but fewer CT/MRIs in the ambulatory setting, even when considering insurance status and other sociodemographic factors. Factoring in patient-provider communication decreased but didn’t eliminate these disparities. She found fewer testing disparities in the emergency department than in ambulatory settings. She also pursued that identified unique gaps in care of neurology patients across language differences, like misdiagnoses of neurological conditions and the need for dedicated interpreter training for cognitive assessments.

Like many recipients of Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»­ Research Program awards, Saadi sees the award as a pivotal point in her career. She went on to receive the NIH K23 award.

“It was the first research grant I had received, so it was both exciting and validating,” she said. “I think it served as a catalyst for my growth as a researcher and also nurtured the relationship with my mentor, who I continue to work with.”

Advice for Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»­ Research Program applicants

Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»­ Research Program awards vary in scope and eligibility requirements. Many are two-year, $150,000 awards meant for neurologists and neuroscience researchers one to five years into their careers. The three-year, $450,000 Career Development Awards, however, are designed for neurologists with six to 10 years of experience. All of the awards are meant to launch careers, advance scientific discovery, and position researchers for long-term success.

Asked about advice for future applicants, Harrington said reaching out to past awardees in your network can be helpful—and putting together a mentorship committee at your institution can be a major boost for any large project.

“Finding senior faculty members in your institution, maybe even outside of your department, and meeting with that membership committee regularly connects you with advice and perspectives outside of your main mentor,” Harrington said. “They can help you address roadblocks and make sure you’re building your program the best way possible.”

Saadi’s advice for applicants is to be persistent.

“I didn’t receive the grant the first time I applied,” she said. “My biggest advice would be to apply again, even if you weren’t successful the first or second time around. It’s a great funding mechanism, so be perseverant about receiving feedback and improving your application.”

FAQs are available online. Learn more and apply by September 10!