Funder: Batten Disease Support & Research Association
Due Dates: December 14, 2026, 11:59 PM PST (EOI) | June 2, 2027, 11:59 PM PDT (Invited full proposal)
Funding Amounts: Up to USD $50,000 for up to 12 months; exceptional higher requests considered
Summary: Supports worldwide research across all forms of Batten disease to advance therapies, diagnosis, care, and quality of life.
Key Information: Applicants may lead only one application per round; PhD students cannot serve as Principal Investigator.
Description
The Batten Disease Global Research Initiative (BDGRI) funds research addressing key questions and unmet needs across all forms of Batten disease, also known as Neuronal Ceroid Lipofuscinoses (NCLs). Founded in 2024, it brings together BDSRA Foundation USA, BDSRA Canada, BDSRA Australia, and the Batten Disease Family Association UK. Its goals are to accelerate therapeutic development, improve diagnosis and standards of care, and enhance quality of life and outcomes.
Research priorities span gene-targeted therapies, biomarkers, early diagnosis and newborn screening, halting or reversing progression, and effects outside the central nervous system. Other priorities include cognition and behavior, maintaining function, pain and distress, rapid translation into clinical care, lessons from similar lysosomal disorders, complementary health approaches, and optimal clinical trial designs. Projects need not be limited to these priorities.
