The Office of Foundations Relations is pleased to share this open call for funding from the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative. Please forward the call to interested faculty in your divisions and departments.
UCSC Contact: Samantha Forde | forde@ucsc.edu
Funder: Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (CZI)
Program: Ben Barres Early Career Acceleration Award
Overview
Grants awarded through this RFA are intended to provide funding for early career investigators conducting bold, innovative, and rigorous research related to the biological mechanisms underpinning neurodegenerative disorders. With the view that a general understanding of cellular and circuit mechanisms of healthy brain function will be a critical foundation for understanding and ultimately solving neurodegenerative disease, this RFA will also be open to proposals addressing general challenges in neuroscience, particularly in areas where there is a strong case for relevance to neurodegenerative disease.
The aim of the Neurodegeneration Challenge Network is to bring together outstanding, innovative, forward-thinking scientists from different disciplines and ask them to think differently about how to work together to solve neurodegeneration. CZI encourages applications from investigators who are tackling underexplored topics as well as those addressing more well-developed mechanisms where there remain significant gaps in understanding. CZI is especially interested in investigators who are exploring cellular or circuit mechanisms that are broadly relevant and address these mechanisms in the context of an integrated view of human disease biology.
CZI strongly encourages applications from scientists with ideas for new tools, resources, and approaches (experimental and analytical) that can be deployed to address critical challenges in the field. Applicants with backgrounds in basic science fields such as neuroscience, cell biology, computational biology, or immunology. Experience in disciplines outside of biomedicine that would bring new technology, resources, or intellectual frameworks to the field are strongly encouraged.
Learn about previous grantees.
Funding Level
$300,000 USD total costs per year (inclusive of up to 15% indirect costs) for 4 years for a total of $1,200,000 USD total costs.
Eligibility
- All applicants must hold a Ph.D., M.D., or equivalent degree and have a faculty position
or equivalent independent investigator status at a college, university, medical school or other research facility. - Applicants should have been in their first independent position for a minimum of two
years and less than six years as of the due date for the Letter of Intent application. - Current NDCN grantees are not eligible.
The NDCN is hosting an informational webinar on April 5, 2023, from 9:00 to 10:00 AM Pacific Time to provide an overview of the NDCN and talk more about the Ben Barres Early Career Acceleration Awards. Register here.
Timeline
- April 5, 2023, 9 -10 am Informational Webinar
- April 20, 2023 LOIs due by 5 P.M. (Pacific Time)
- May 9, 2023 LOI decision announced
- June 13, 2023 Applications due by 5 P.M. (Pacific Time)
- August 15-17, 2023 Virtual interviews
- October 2023 Earliest notification of decisions
Special Instructions
Please submit a proposal intake form prior to UCSC’s internal Institutional Deadlines. Please let Foundation Relations (cfr@ucsc.edu) know if you are interested in applying. For support developing your proposal, please contact the Research Development Specialist assigned to your unit or send a request to resdev@ucsc.edu.
Call sent: March 22, 2023
The Office of Foundation Relations is a unit of University Relations. The FR team creates and maintains mutually beneficial, long-term relationships with private organizations, matching grant initiatives with educational and research programs and centers. FR supports faculty and staff to identify and approach these and other private foundations and corporations for funding, to assist in strategic positioning of the grant application, and to facilitate funder campus visits.
For a list of recent funding opportunities, please visit the FR website. FR Calls for Funding