73:I[245983,["$2","$3","$1a","$1b","$1c","$1d","$1e","$1f","$9","$20","$21","$22","$23","$a","$24","$25","$26","$27","$28","$29","$49","$4a","$4b","$4c","$4d","$4e","$4f","$50","$51","$52","$53","$54"],"default"] 74:T488,The Brainstorm Neuroscience Pitch Competition, run by the Mind Science Foundation, funds original pilot research intended to advance understanding of consciousness and/or improve human health and well-being. It supports early-career researchers working with senior principal investigators, helping build a pipeline into consciousness research and positioning pilot studies for further research funding. Alongside its scientific goals, the competition emphasizes scientists’ ability to explain complex work clearly to general audiences through public-facing research pitches. The program spans basic and translational neuroscience, cognitive science, psychology, and experiential and subjective studies. Research topics may include consciousness, sleep and dreaming, neurodevelopment and related disorders, aging, neurodegeneration, dementia, Parkinson’s disease and other movement disorders, psychedelics, artificial intelligence, creativity, education, and cognitive performance. Its priorities combine scientific quality, originality, and relevance with clear communication to lay audiences, giving scientific merit and pitch effectiveness equal weight.75:T1f2a,

[Mind Science Foundation](https://mindscience.org/)

May 2027 (Proposal) | August 2027 (Semi-finalist video) | September 2027 (Finalist video)

$30,000 each for three finalists, plus a $10,000 Audience Choice Award; 24-month awards

Supports early-career researchers conducting original research that advances consciousness science and/or improves human health and well-being.

Finalists must attend the awards ceremony in San Antonio and participate in media outreach; travel, meals, and accommodations are provided.

--- ## Description The Mind Science Foundation’s BrainStorm Neuroscience Pitch Competition supports early-career researchers teamed with senior principal investigators on pilot studies intended to position them for further research funding. The competition combines written research proposals with public-facing pitch videos, strengthening both the pipeline into consciousness research and scientists’ ability to communicate complex work to general audiences. Research may address consciousness, sleep and dreaming, neurodevelopment and neurodevelopmental disorders, aging, neurodegeneration, dementia, Parkinson’s disease and other movement disorders, psychedelics, artificial intelligence, creativity, education, or cognitive performance. Eligible work may involve basic or translational neuroscience, cognitive science, psychology, or experiential and subjective studies. The program seeks original research with potential to advance understanding of consciousness and/or improve human health and well-being. --- ## Due Dates - May 2027: Proposal submission deadline (anticipated). - August 2027: Semi-finalist video submission deadline (anticipated). - September 2027: Finalist video submission deadline (anticipated). *All dates are projected based on the annual cycle; check the program page for updates.* --- ## Funding Amount The foundation provides $100,000 annually through three guaranteed finalist awards of $30,000 and one additional $10,000 Audience Choice Award. The Audience Choice winner receives $40,000 total. Awards run for 24 months, beginning on the first day of the month following the award. Applicants must budget for $30,000 and explain how an additional $10,000 would strengthen the project. Research funding is restricted to actual costs, with indirect costs capped at 5%. Permitted uses include lab supplies and reagents, core facilities, and other costs directly supporting the proposed research. Salary supplements are permitted in the absence of guaranteed funding, not to augment existing salaries. Principal investigator salary supplements may be approved upon request under special circumstances related to research goals. --- ## Eligibility Eligible applicants must: - Be early-career researchers no more than six years beyond completion of their terminal degree. - Hold eligible roles: M.S./Ph.D. graduate student, postdoctoral fellow, or research scientist. - Be affiliated with an accredited higher-education institution anywhere in the world. - Conduct the funded research at their affiliated college or university. - Propose research advancing consciousness science and/or human health and well-being. - Submit the proposal and create/present pitch videos as the primary early-career applicant. Additional requirements: - Each early-career researcher may submit once per cycle; previous BrainStorm award recipients are ineligible. - A laboratory or PI cannot receive multiple awards per cycle or awards in consecutive years. - Multiple proposals from one lab or PI must have distinct, independent scopes. - Applicants must confirm eligibility and adherence to submission policies during application. All projects must receive applicable institutional review board approvals and operate under appropriate institutional oversight. For human or animal experiments, finalists must provide IRB or equivalent institutional approval before funds are disbursed. If not submitted with the proposal, approval must be supplied within 60 days of finalist notification. Pitch presentations may not have commercial, political, or religious agendas. Research may lead to a product, but product pitches are not allowed. --- ## Application Process - **Submission:** Apply electronically through [Good Grants](https://brainstormnpc.grantplatform.com/); email submissions are not accepted, and deadlines are firm. - **Stages:** Written proposal, semi-finalist video and peer review, then three finalists with optional coaching/video revision. - **Required documents:** Submit the following proposal components in order: - Project title, investigators, institution, and credentials (one page), including affiliations and contact information. - Lay summary (half-page), explaining significance at a high-school reading level. - Research strategy (six pages): aims, significance/background, approach, risks/limitations, and timeline. - References (no page limit). - Budget and justification (one page), including other significant funding and the $40,000 scenario. - Deliverable-product statement (one paragraph), such as an article, public resource, or pilot data. - CV for each investigator (no page limit), ordered as listed on the cover page. - **Video:** Semi-finalists submit a 5–7-minute ECR-led presentation, with up to seven on-screen slides. - **Evaluation:** Scientific merit and video effectiveness receive equal weight in finalist selection. - **Questions:** Contact Ben Rein before the submission deadline about eligibility, submission limits, or other requirements. The Scientific Advisory Committee initially reviews scientific merit and fit with funding priorities. Advancing proposals undergo formal peer review, followed by committee selection of finalists. Evaluation considers quality, originality, relevance, and clear communication to lay audiences—not video production value. Public voting determines the Audience Choice Award, with online and in-person audiences participating. --- ## Additional Information Finalists must attend the awards ceremony in San Antonio and participate in media outreach during their stay. Travel, meals, and accommodations are provided. The event includes a panel discussion with finalists and the previous year’s winners, followed by announcement of the Audience Choice Award. Finalists are asked for a one-paragraph credentials summary with links to biographical websites, social profiles, awards, and previous talks. Lay summaries are used in foundation communications. Semi-finalist and finalist videos may appear on the foundation’s website, social media, and YouTube channel; applicants should consider proprietary information before sharing it. Finalists may also be asked to participate in interviews and presentations about their research. The competition launched in 2018 and has supported more than half a million dollars in research. Past projects include memory control, lucid dreaming, and cognitive resilience in children raised in poverty. --- ## External Links - [Program and application information](https://mindscience.org/brainstorm/apply/) - [Detailed RFP and proposal requirements](https://mindscience.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/2026-RFP.pdf) - [Good Grants application portal](https://brainstormnpc.grantplatform.com/) - [Competition overview](https://mindscience.org/brainstorm/) - [Past award recipients](https://mindscience.org/brainstorm-winner/) --- ## Contact Information | Contact | Email | Phone | Webpage | |---|---|---|---| | Ben Rein, PhD, Chief Science Officer | brein@mindscience.org | | [Program page](https://mindscience.org/brainstorm/apply/) | | Mind Science Foundation | info@mindscience.org | (210) 821-6094 | [Contact page](https://mindscience.org/contact/) |76:T76a,## Grant Eligibility Requirements ### Organization Type - Applicants must be affiliated with an accredited higher-education institution. ### Career Stage - Must be an early-career researcher (ECR): an individual within six (6) years of completing their terminal degree (e.g., Ph.D.). - Eligible titles/roles are limited to M.S. or Ph.D. graduate student, postdoctoral fellow, or research scientist — and only if no more than six years have elapsed since the terminal degree was completed. ### Geographic/Institutional - The funded research must be conducted at the applicant's affiliated college or university (not at another site). ### Prior Funding / Proposal Limits - Each ECR is limited to one submission per grant cycle. - ECRs who have previously received a BrainStorm award are not eligible to apply. - No more than one BrainStorm grant will be awarded to any laboratory or PI in a given funding cycle, and none in consecutive years. - If a lab or PI submits multiple applications, their scopes must be distinct and independent; overlapping applications may be rejected. ### Other Eligibility Requirements - The proposal must include the participation of an early-career researcher, and the ECR must serve as the primary applicant — submitting the proposal and creating/presenting the pitch video(s). - Pitch presentations may not have a commercial, political, or religious agenda. The research may lead to a product, but product pitches are not allowed. - Applicants must confirm their eligibility and adherence to the submission policy during the application process. - Projects involving human or animal subjects require IRB or equivalent institutional approval (and must operate under appropriate institutional oversight); research funds will not be disbursed without it, and if not submitted with the proposal, approval must be supplied within 60 days of finalist notification.77:T109d,Funder: Mind Science Foundation Due Dates (Anticipated): May 2027 (Proposal) | August 2027 (Semi-finalist video) | September 2027 (Finalist video) Funding Amounts: $30,000 each for three finalists, plus a $10,000 Audience Choice Award; 24-month awards Summary: Supports early-career researchers conducting original research that advances consciousness science and/or improves human health and well-being. Key Information: Finalists must attend the awards ceremony in San Antonio and participate in media outreach; travel, meals, and accommodations are provided. --- ## Description The Mind Science Foundation’s BrainStorm Neuroscience Pitch Competition supports early-career researchers teamed with senior principal investigators on pilot studies intended to position them for further research funding. The competition combines written research proposals with public-facing pitch videos, strengthening both the pipeline into consciousness research and scientists’ ability to communicate complex work to general audiences. Research may address consciousness, sleep and dreaming, neurodevelopment and neurodevelopmental disorders, aging, neurodegeneration, dementia, Parkinson’s disease and other movement disorders, psychedelics, artificial intelligence, creativity, education, or cognitive performance. Eligible work may involve basic or translational neuroscience, cognitive science, psychology, or experiential and subjective studies. The program seeks original research with potential to advance understanding of consciousness and/or improve human health and well-being. --- --- ## Funding Amount The foundation provides $100,000 annually through three guaranteed finalist awards of $30,000 and one additional $10,000 Audience Choice Award. The Audience Choice winner receives $40,000 total. Awards run for 24 months, beginning on the first day of the month following the award. Applicants must budget for $30,000 and explain how an additional $10,000 would strengthen the project. Research funding is restricted to actual costs, with indirect costs capped at 5%. Permitted uses include lab supplies and reagents, core facilities, and other costs directly supporting the proposed research. Salary supplements are permitted in the absence of guaranteed funding, not to augment existing salaries. Principal investigator salary supplements may be approved upon request under special circumstances related to research goals. --- ## Eligibility Eligible applicants must: - Be early-career researchers no more than six years beyond completion of their terminal degree. - Hold eligible roles: M.S./Ph.D. graduate student, postdoctoral fellow, or research scientist. - Conduct the funded research at their affiliated college or university. - Propose research advancing consciousness science and/or human health and well-being. - Submit the proposal and create/present pitch videos as the primary early-career applicant. Additional requirements: - Each early-career researcher may submit once per cycle; previous BrainStorm award recipients are ineligible. - A laboratory or PI cannot receive multiple awards per cycle or awards in consecutive years. - Multiple proposals from one lab or PI must have distinct, independent scopes. - Applicants must confirm eligibility and adherence to submission policies during application. All projects must receive applicable institutional review board approvals and operate under appropriate institutional oversight. For human or animal experiments, finalists must provide IRB or equivalent institutional approval before funds are disbursed. If not submitted with the proposal, approval must be supplied within 60 days of finalist notification. --- ## Application Process - Evaluation: Scientific merit and video effectiveness receive equal weight in finalist selection. The Scientific Advisory Committee initially reviews scientific merit and fit with funding priorities. Advancing proposals undergo formal peer review, followed by committee selection of finalists. Evaluation considers quality, originality, relevance, and clear communication to lay audiences—not video production value. Public voting determines the Audience Choice Award, with online and in-person audiences participating.78:T4b6,The Mind Science Foundation is a San Antonio, Texas nonprofit founded in 1958 by inventor and philanthropist Tom Slick to apply the scientific method to what he called the vast potential of the human mind. It has funded research on the neuroscience of consciousness since 2004 and also runs public science-education programming, including the MIND MATTERS conversation series, a podcast and video library, and Neuro News. Its current funding model is delivered through the BrainStorm Neuroscience Pitch Competition, launched in 2018, which targets early-career researchers teamed with senior principal investigators who are running pilot studies intended to position them for larger grants. Finalists are guaranteed $30,000 in research funding, with an additional $10,000 Audience Choice award decided by public online voting on the applicants' pitch videos — a deliberate incentive for scientists to build skill in communicating complex neuroscience to a general audience. The Foundation's stated goal is to strengthen the pipeline of researchers entering consciousness science, and it publicizes its awardees and their projects each year alongside an in-development Consciousness Researcher Database.45:[null,["$","$L73",null,{"grant":{"id":"fdb43bb5-5603-4b43-a385-b9b33df190b8","created_at":"2026-10-06T09:29:51.574+00:00","updated_at":"2026-10-06T09:31:08.544383+00:00","title":"Brainstorm Neuroscience Pitch Competition","description":"$74","summary":"Brainstorm Neuroscience Pitch Competition supports early-career researchers’ original pilot studies to advance consciousness science and improve human health and well-being.","funder_id":"6e5a96a6-59e6-4087-8a0a-0a26f81386eb","url":"https://mindscience.org/brainstorm/apply/","slug":"mind-science-foundation-brainstorm-neuroscience-pitch-competition","legacy_opportunity_id":null,"primary_sources_id":"edcdc5b2-2f74-4fa1-9563-f8907c5958e6","questions":["Am I eligible as an early-career researcher, and must my project be affiliated with an accredited higher-education institution?","What are the 2026 application and video deadlines, and when must finalists attend the San Antonio awards ceremony?","How much funding can finalists receive, how many awards are available, and what is the award period?","What proposal materials must I submit through the Good Grants portal, and what are the submission requirements?","Does my research align with BrainStorm’s priorities in consciousness, neuroscience, or improving human health and well-being?"],"opportunity_number":null,"grants3_pages":[{"id":"eae0278f-59a9-4a22-abc0-1460726aded9","markdown":"$75","created_at":"2026-10-06T09:30:41.335542+00:00","grants3_id":"fdb43bb5-5603-4b43-a385-b9b33df190b8","updated_at":"2026-10-06T09:31:00.405219+00:00","eligibility":"$76","fit_summary":"$77","update_summary":null}],"funders":{"id":"6e5a96a6-59e6-4087-8a0a-0a26f81386eb","fts":"'foundat':3 'mind':1,4 'scienc':2,5","name":"Mind Science Foundation","slug":"mind-science-foundation","address":"117 West El Prado Drive, San Antonio, TX 78212","country":"United States","group_id":null,"home_url":"https://mindscience.org/","name_code":"Mind Science","created_at":"2026-10-06T01:28:24.355728+00:00","other_urls":["https://mindscience.org/brainstorm/","https://mindscience.org/the-foundation/","https://mindscience.org/brainstorm-winner/","https://mindscience.org/news/"],"updated_at":"2026-10-06T01:28:24.355728+00:00","contact_url":"https://mindscience.org/contact/","description":"$78","funder_type":"foundation","grants_urls":null,"scraper_name":"direct-grant","contact_email":"info@mindscience.org","contact_phone":"(210) 821-6094","long_description":null,"internal_process_route":null},"grants3_filters":{"archived":false,"cancelled":false,"due_dates":[{"date":"2027-05-01","description":"Submission deadline (projected)"},{"date":"2027-08-12","description":"Semi-finalist video submission deadline (projected)"},{"date":"2027-09-18","description":"Finalist video submission deadline (projected)"}],"categories":["Neuroscience","Consciousness","Cognitive Science","Psychology"],"created_at":"2026-10-06T09:30:12.260032+00:00","forecasted":true,"grants3_id":"fdb43bb5-5603-4b43-a385-b9b33df190b8","updated_at":"2026-10-06T09:30:12.260032+00:00","award_amount":40000,"funding_type":"Grant","internal_only":false,"next_due_date":"2027-05-01","clinical_trial":false,"show_in_search":true,"eligible_states":null,"eligible_citizens":null,"eligible_countries":null,"limited_submission":false,"eligible_applicants":["Academic Institution","Grad student","Individual","PostDoc","Researcher"]},"grants3_sources":[{"id":"bcfb6aba-68e9-4836-b026-ff12f967aa71","sources":{"id":"25669238-9442-49ed-a5f3-5782a13f8593","url":"https://mindscience.org/brainstorm/","icon":"https://t1.gstatic.com/faviconV2?client=SOCIAL&type=FAVICON&fallback_opts=TYPE,SIZE,URL&url=https://mindscience.org/brainstorm/&size=32","title":"What is BrainStorm? | Neuroscience Pitch Competition | Mind Science Foundation","description":"Overview of BrainStorm, a neuroscience pitch competition funding early-career researchers, with details on its goals, recent winners, and past participants’ impact."},"created_at":"2026-10-06T09:29:51.675558+00:00","grants3_id":"fdb43bb5-5603-4b43-a385-b9b33df190b8","sources_id":"25669238-9442-49ed-a5f3-5782a13f8593"},{"id":"bfee4b2b-a9a4-4f4b-81b1-f630f4e6b3f0","sources":{"id":"aa4655b7-ff48-45cc-9a2a-03733af04b00","url":"https://mindscience.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/2026-RFP.pdf","icon":"https://t1.gstatic.com/faviconV2?client=SOCIAL&type=FAVICON&fallback_opts=TYPE,SIZE,URL&url=https://mindscience.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/2026-RFP.pdf&size=32","title":"2026 RFP | BrainStorm Neuroscience Pitch Competition Funding Opportunity | Mind Science Foundation (PDF)","description":"Request for proposals offering up to $40,000 for early-career researchers studying consciousness or improving health and well-being. 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Brainstorm Neuroscience Pitch Competition

Brainstorm Neuroscience Pitch Competition

MIND Neuroscience Prize

MIND Prize

MIND Prize Initiative

2027 MIND Prize

Seed Grants

MIND Neuroscience Prize

MIND Prize

MIND Prize Initiative

2027 MIND Prize

Seed Grants