McKnight Endowment Fund for Neuroscience: Neurobiology of Brain Disorders Award Grant

The McKnight Endowment Fund for Neuroscience offers the Neurobiology of Brain Disorders Award to support innovative research aimed at understanding and treating brain disorders. It provides up to four awards of $100,000 each year for three years, encouraging proposals that explore biological mechanisms and environmental contributions to neurological disorders. The program emphasizes inclusivity and collaboration among researchers to advance the field and improve therapeutic interventions for conditions such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease.

Program Goal: Bring science closer to the day when diseases of the brain and behavior can be accurately diagnosed, prevented, and treated.
The McKnight Endowment Fund for Neuroscience is an independent charitable organization, established by the McKnight Foundation, that supports innovative research through two competitive annual awards that seek out investigators whose research shows promise in bringing society closer to preventing, treating, and curing many devastating diseases. Research supported by the Endowment Fund has furthered understanding of such impairments as Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, spinal cord injuries, and many others.
The McKnight Neurobiology of Brain Disorders Award (NBD Award) assists scientists working to apply the knowledge achieved through basic research to human brain disorders, and who demonstrate a commitment to equitable and inclusive lab environments.
Each year, up to four awards are given. Awards provide $100,000 per year for three years. Funds may be used toward a variety of research activities.
Intellectual Property rights resulting from the research—including patents, copyrights, processes, or formulae—will be the rights of the sponsoring institution to the extent required by such policies. The information derived from the research will be published in a form that is available to the interested public and made available to the public on a nondiscriminatory basis.
Use of Award Funds
We are interested in proposals that address the biological mechanisms of neurological and psychiatric disorders. This includes proposals that provide mechanistic insights into neurological functions at the synaptic, cellular, molecular, genetic or behavioral level across different species, including humans and vertebrate and invertebrate model organisms. A new additional area of interest is the contribution of the environment to brain disorders. We are particularly interested in proposals that incorporate new approaches and in those that provide potential paths for therapeutic interventions. Collaborative and cross-disciplinary applications are encouraged.
Environmental Contributions to Brain Disorders
Early-life environmental stress is a powerful disposing factor for later neurological and psychiatric disorders. Studies show communities of color are at higher risk for these stressors, which range from environmental (e.g. climate, nutrition, exposure to chemicals, pollution) to social (e.g. family, education, housing, poverty). From a clinical perspective, understanding how environmental factors contribute to brain disease is essential for developing effective therapies.

Eligibility

A candidate for a McKnight Neurobiology of Brain Disorders Award must work as an independent investigator at a not-for-profit research institution in the United States, and must hold a faculty position at the rank of Assistant Professor or higher.If the host institution does not use professorial titles, a letter from a senior institutional official (e.g., Dean or Director of Research) must confirm that the applicant has his/her own dedicated institutional resources, laboratory space, and/or facilities.A candidate may submit separate applications to both Scholar Awards and Neurobiology of Brain Disorders Awards during the same cycle. If the applicant receives a Scholar Award and becomes a finalist for NBD, their application to NBD would be rescinded as they cannot hold two awards simultaneously.There is no limit to the number of times that a candidate may apply for a Neurobiology of Brain Disorders Award.

Ineligibility

Funds may not be used for the recipient’s salary.Those holding other titles such as Research Professor, Adjunct Professor, Professor Research Track, Visiting Professor or Instructor are not eligible.