MIND Prize
Forecasted
MIND Prize supports early-to-mid-career investigators pursuing bold neuroscience research to deepen understanding of the brain and advance prediction, prevention, and treatment of neurodegenerative diseases.
Funder: Pershing Square Philanthropies
Due Dates (Anticipated): September 2027 (LOI deadline)
Funding Amounts: $750,000 over three years ($250,000 annually); generally at least six prizes annually
Summary: Supports bold, hypothesis-driven neuroscience research advancing understanding of the brain and the prediction, prevention, and treatment of neurodegenerative diseases.
Key Information: Lead investigators must have one to eight years of independent research experience by the award start.
Description
The MIND (Maximizing Innovation in Neuroscience Discovery) Prize is part of The Pershing Square Foundation’s brain initiative. It supports early-to-mid-career investigators pursuing high-risk, high-reward basic and translational research with transformative potential for understanding brain biology, cognition, and neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. Investigators with or without core neuroscience backgrounds are encouraged to apply.
The prize promotes interdisciplinary approaches and collaboration across departments and institutions. Research may include neurobiology, brain imaging and mapping, machine learning, drug delivery, and synthetic biology, ranging from novel research tools to approaches with extraordinary therapeutic potential. Tool development must test a clearly defined biological hypothesis. Screening cannot be the sole focus, and clinical trial or medical device-focused projects are outside the program’s scope.
