McKnight Clinical Translational Research Scholarship in Cognitive Aging and Age-Related Memory Loss Grant

The McKnight Clinical Translational Research Scholarship supports young investigators focusing on cognitive aging and age-related memory loss. Funded by the McKnight Brain Research Foundation, this scholarship offers $65,000 annually for two years, plus an education stipend. Eligible applicants should have completed their PhD or residency within the last five years and conduct their research in accredited U.S. institutions. The award emphasizes rigorous training and aims to foster careers in human cognitive aging research.

McKnight Clinical Translational Research Scholarship in Cognitive Aging and Age-Related Memory Loss
Funded by the McKnight Brain Research Foundation through the American Brain Foundation and the American Academy of Neurology.
This award aims to support young investigators in clinical studies relevant to age-related cognitive decline and memory loss. The award also recognizes the importance of rigorous training in clinical research and encourages young investigators to seek opportunities to establish future careers in the area of human cognitive aging.
This award will consist of a commitment of $65,000 per year for two years, plus a $10,000 per year stipend to support education and research-related costs for a total of $150,000.

Eligibility

Proposals that focus on the combined study of cognitive aging and neurodegenerative cognitive changes may be considered.Supplementation of the award with other grants is permissible, but to be eligible to apply for this award, the other grant source(s) cannot exceed $75,000 annually.The “equal or great dollar amount” restriction does not apply to money provided by your institution, only external sources.For the purpose of this scholarship, research is defined as patient-oriented research conducted with human participants, or translational research specifically designed to develop treatments or enhance identification of age-related cognitive decline and memory changes. These may include epidemiologic or behavioral studies, clinical trials, studies of disease mechanisms, the development of new technologies, and health outcomes research. Disease-related studies not directly involving humans are also encouraged if the primary goal is the development of therapies, diagnostic tests, or tools to mitigate age-related cognitive decline and memory loss.Recipient is interested in an academic career in neurological research and has completed residency or a PhD no more than 5 years prior to the beginning of this award (July 1, 2026).If you have completed both residency and a PhD, your eligibility is based on when you completed residency. If you completed a fellowship of any kind after residency, your eligibility is still based on the date you finished residency. The applicant must hold a post-baccalaureate PhD degree or equivalent, or a doctoral-level clinical degree such as MD, DO, DVM, PharmD, DDS, DrPH, or PhD in nursing, public health or other clinical health science.The proposed program of training and research must be performed entirely within an institution in the United States accredited by the relevant accrediting authority.Research studies at the intersection of age-associated cognitive changes and disease-related cognitive impairment may be considered if a strong case can be made for their relevance to cognitive aging and age-related memory loss.There are no visa requirements.You may apply for scholarships with the J-1 visa.We accept multiple applications from institutions. You may reapply the next year if you did not receive an award.Applicants must meet the required 70% protected research time.Patient care/clinical resoponsibilities is limited to 30% of your time. The funding is for direct costs only.Direct costs include salary, travel to research-related meetings, MRI/CT scans, participation costs, reimbursement for patients, equipment, fringe benefits, tuition, classes, publication costs, research-related personnel (research coordinator, data analysis staff, etc.).Multiple mentors are permitted.One primary mentor will need to be identified to handle administrative issues.You may mention multiple mentors in your research plan.

Ineligibility

Please note: the focus should NOT be on a neurodegenerative dementia. (e.g., Alzheimer’s disease)Advance Practice Providers (APPs) are not eligible to apply.Indirect costs are not covered.Indirect costs include facility and administrative costs and AAN/other neurological society membership dues.One cannot use the education/tuition component for salary support.The purpose of the award is training.