Emerging Leader Award

Emerging Leader Award

Funder: Bay Area Lyme Foundation

Geographic Scope: United States

Award Amount: $100,000 per recipient

Program Description: The Emerging Leader Award is designed to recognize and support promising scientists in early to mid-career stages who have identified defined approaches to improved diagnostics or therapies for Lyme disease. The award aims to attract new scientific talent and foster innovation in addressing the scientific challenges of Lyme disease.

Eligibility

• Career Level: Postdoctoral level through Assistant Professor level, or equivalent
• Sector: Researchers in academia or private sector
• Focus: Must have identified a defined approach to improve diagnostics or therapies for Lyme disease
• Requirements:
- Demonstrated professional and scientific leadership in biomedical sciences - Strong supporting scientific rationale for the project - Viable proof-of-concept proposal with plan of completion within 12-18 months

Focus Areas

• Diagnostics: Development of accurate and reliable diagnostic tests for Lyme disease, particularly for early-stage and post-treatment Lyme disease
• Therapeutics: Novel treatment approaches and therapies for Lyme disease
• Research Areas: Biomarker identification, immune response mechanisms, novel diagnostic methodologies

Award Details

• Number of Awards: Typically 2 awards per year (as of 2015-2016 announcements)
• Project Timeline: Research efforts must generate initial proof of concept within 12-18 months
• Previous Recipients Include:
- Lisa K. Blum, PhD - Stanford University School of Medicine (2014) - Jerome F. Bouquet, PhD - University of California, San Francisco (2014) - John Branda, MD - Harvard Medical School/Massachusetts General Hospital (2015) - Nira Pollock, MD, PhD - Harvard Medical School/Boston Children's Hospital (2015) - Chase Beisel, PhD - Andrea Granados, PhD - Brandon Jutras, PhD

Mission Alignment

Bay Area Lyme Foundation is committed to "making Lyme disease easy to diagnose and simple to cure." The award reflects the foundation's recognition that:

Lyme disease research requires fresh approaches and novel thinking

Current diagnostic methods miss up to 60% of early-stage cases

NIH funding for Lyme disease research is inadequate (receives less than 1% of HIV/AIDS funding despite 6 times more diagnoses annually)

Contact Information

Email: info@bayarealyme.org
Phone: 650.530.2439
Address: 884 Portola Road, Suite A7, Portola Valley, CA 94028
Website: www.bayarealyme.org

Additional Notes

• Award announcements are typically made during the foundation's annual LymeAid fundraising event (usually in April)
• 100% of LymeAid proceeds support research funding
• The foundation also funds other research grants throughout the year beyond the Emerging Leader Award

Application Process

1. Submission Timeline:
- Applications accepted throughout the year
- Specific deadline: January 15 (as referenced for 2016 cycle)
- Award announcements made during annual LymeAid event (typically April)

2. Required Materials:
- Complete application form
- Proposal describing defined approach to improved diagnostics or therapies
- Evidence of professional and scientific leadership
- Scientific rationale for the project
- Timeline for proof-of-concept completion (12-18 months)

3. Submission Format:
- Full application materials available on foundation website
- Submit to: info@bayarealyme.org

4. Key Evaluation Criteria:
- Demonstrated professional and scientific leadership in biomedical sciences
- Strong supporting scientific rationale
- Viable proof-of-concept proposal
- Realistic timeline for 12-18 month completion
- Potential impact on Lyme disease diagnostics or treatment

5. Contact for Questions:
- Email: info@bayarealyme.org
- Phone: 650.530.2439
- Address: 884 Portola Road, Suite A7, Portola Valley, CA 94028