Applications will be submitted through UFunds. The UFunds portal for Innovation Awards will be open and available to receive applications by August 1, 2024.
The purpose of the Zimmerman Innovation Awards in Brain Science is to launch innovative projects that have great potential to advance science and benefit society in enduring ways. Projects that are too risky and early stage to be appropriate for NIH or similar funding mechanisms are strongly favored. The Zimmerman Innovation Awards in Brain Science are not intended to merely allow collection of preliminary data for a subsequent grant proposal, but to catalyze progress on a project with a clear long-term intellectual arc to substantial and lasting impact. The Carney Institute will invest up to $100,000 per project for one year, renewable for a second year on a competitive basis. Supplements for junior investigator-led projects are available (see below). These awards are funded through multiple philanthropic gifts to the Carney Institute.
All areas of brain science research will be considered. In addition, a pool of funds is available to specifically support projects addressing Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD). ADRD proposals are reviewed as a separate pool of applications.
The Zimmerman Innovation Awards in Brain Science are open to all Brown faculty members conducting brain science research at Brown University or its affiliated hospitals. A Principal Investigator (P.I.) must hold a faculty appointment (assistant, associate, or full professor rank) by the anticipated start date of the award. Any basic or translational research project that is within the Carney Institute mission is eligible for consideration. Collaborative interdisciplinary projects with more than one P.I. are encouraged but not required. Applications may include up to three Principal Investigators; one PI must be indicated as the lead. A faculty member can serve as a P.I. on only one application and may participate as a Collaborating Investigator on additional applications (see application instructions for details). Existing award recipients may apply for a second year of funding or may apply for a new Innovation Award in Brain Science if the existing award will conclude prior to the start of the new award.
Projects involving one or more junior investigators (pre-tenure or, for non-tenure-track faculty, holding a faculty appointment for less than seven years at the time of submission) as a P.I. may request a $32,000 supplement. Only a single $32,000 supplement may be requested per proposal, regardless of the number of junior investigator P.I.s involved. The supplement is intended to provide the junior investigator(s) with additional personnel effort on the project, however other uses may be requested.
Questions about the Zimmerman Innovation Awards in Brain Science program should be directed to John Davenport, Director for Research Strategy in the Carney Institute.
Below are links to the full text of the call for applications and reviewer instructions. The application deadline is September 16, 2024, with an anticipated start date of March 1, 2025. Applications should be submitted through UFunds as a single document in pdf format. The UFunds portal for Innovation Awards will be open and available to receive applications by August 1, 2024.
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