ADDF-Harrington Scholar Program Grant

ADDF-Harrington Scholar Program Grant

Status: ACTIVE
Funder: Alzheimers Drug Discovery Foundation
Amount: Up to US $600,000
Last Updated: March 13, 2026

Summary

The ADDF-Harrington Scholar Program aims to transform academic discoveries into effective treatments for Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias. With funding of up to $600,000 annually, this program prioritizes innovative drug targets and supports research from hit-to-lead optimization to IND-enabling studies. Eligible applicants include academic investigators with a strong potential to advance meaningful therapeutics. The program emphasizes collaboration with industry experts, making it a significant opportunity for advancing dementia research.

Overview

ADDF-Harrington Scholar Program The ADDF-Harrington Scholar Program is dedicated to advancing academic discoveries into medicines for Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias. This unique award provides funding and project support by a team of pharmaceutical industry experts through a collaboration with the Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation (ADDF) and the Brain Health Medicines Centers of the Harrington Discovery Institute. This is a special funding opportunity separate from ADDF’s Therapeutic Funding Programs. Award Amount: Up to $600,000 per year over years. Funding Priorities Drug Targets The 2026 ADDF-Harrington Scholar RFP places high priority on targets related to emerging therapeutic areas for dementia, particularly: Proteostasis (including autophagy, lysosomal biogenesis, proteasomal degradation, post-translational modification associated with proteostasis, protein folding/misfolding, ER stress, extracellular clearance)Senescence (including cells that have halted division, shifted towards a secretory phenotype, altered morphology and epigenetics, and decreased apoptosis) Other novel targets are encouraged. These include, but are not limited to: EpigeneticsVascular pathologyNeuroprotectionSynaptic activity and neurotransmittersInflammationMitochondrial healthAntioxidant defenseMetabolic function and brain energyBrain insulin resistanceApoEGlymphatic clearancePostnatal neurogenesisOther aging targets Stage of Discovery The ADDF-Harrington Scholar Program supports research ranging from the hit-to-lead optimization stage through investigational new drug (IND)-enabling studies. A lead structural series must already be identified at the time of application. Applicants are asked to provide hit validation data, including dose-response curves, analog structure-activity relationship (SAR) results, and comparison data against known molecules with a similar mechanism or mode of action. When animal model data are reported, detailed study design including rationale for choice of animal model, power analysis to determine number of animals, balanced investigation of sexes or rationale for studying only one sex, and PK data supporting choice of dosing regimen should be described.

Eligibility

You can learn more about this opportunity by visiting the funder's website. Academic investigators at accredited medical centers, research institutions, and universities in the United States, Canada and United Kingdom only are eligible to apply.Lead investigator must have an MD, a PhD, or equivalent.Proposals should show potential to advance discovery into meaningful therapeutics to treat, prevent, slow, or reverse Alzheimer’s disease or related dementias (vascular dementia, frontotemporal dementia, Lewy Body dementia, LATE etc).Team should possess intellectual property (IP) or have potential for novel IP that has not yet been licensed to a for-profit entity.Researchers working on drug development programs that are relevant to but not presently focused on the Alzheimer’s field are strongly encouraged to apply.Approaches targeting tau will be considered if it is clearly demonstrated how they are distinct from those already in clinical development.

Ineligibility

The ADDF-Harrington Scholar Program does not support anti-amyloid approaches (e.g. Abeta vaccines, beta- or gamma-secretase inhibitors) or cholinesterase inhibitors. The ADDF-Harrington Scholar Program does not support target discovery, assay development, or high throughput screening campaigns.