Seed Grants
Limited submission
Seed Grants support junior faculty pursuing innovative neuroscience pilot projects that generate data for future NIH or other external funding, helping researchers launch new research directions.
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Funder: Brain Research Foundation
Due Dates: November 3, 2026, 4:00 p.m. CST (LOI) | March 4, 2027, 4:00 p.m. CST (Invited application)
Funding Amounts: Up to $100,000 in direct costs over two years (2027 guidelines)
Summary: Start-up funding for innovative neuroscience pilot projects that can lead to NIH or other external funding.
Key Information: Institutions must receive a direct BRF email invitation and nominate only one full-time assistant or associate professor.
Description
Brain Research Foundation’s Seed Grant Program, established in 1981, supports new and innovative neuroscience research, especially junior faculty pursuing new research directions. The program provides start-up support for pilot projects likely to generate data for successful applications to the National Institutes of Health or other public and private funders. Awards are not intended to supplement existing grants or provide bridge funding.
The program covers studies of brain function across molecular and clinical neuroscience, including neural, sensory, motor, cognitive, behavioral, and emotional functioning in health and disease. Its interests encompass cognition, neurodegeneration, learning and development, and brain diseases. Assistant professors developing new projects that could lead to an R01 or comparable external award receive first priority; associate professors must demonstrate that their proposed work represents a new research direction.
