Milton Safenowitz Postdoctoral Fellowship Program

Overview

_NOTE: Funder is not awarding this opportunity in 2024._**
About Us**

Established in 1985, The ALS Association (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Assn) is the only national nonprofit organization fighting ALS on every front.  By leading the way in global research, providing assistance for people with ALS, coordinating multidisciplinary care through certified clinical care centers, and fostering government partnerships, The Association builds hope and enhances quality of life while aggressively searching for new treatments and a cure.

As the preeminent ALS organization, The Association leads the way in research, care services, public education, and public policy — giving help and hope to those facing the disease.  The Association provides comprehensive patient services and support to the ALS community. The mission of The ALS Association is to discover treatments and a cure for ALS, and to serve, advocate for, and empower people affected by ALS to live their lives to the fullest.

Milton Safenowitz Postdoctoral Fellowship Program

The ALS Association believes that attracting bright, young scientists to enter and remain in ALS research is essential for making ALS a livable disease while urgently searching for a cure. That is why the Association supports the development of junior postdoctoral researchers through the Milton Safenowitz Postdoctoral Fellowship Program. Fellows receive up to $150,000 over 2 years to support research of high scientific merit and relevance to ALS.

The Safenowitz family established this award in 2004 in memory of Milton Safenowitz, who died of ALS in 1998. Safenowitz Fellows work with a senior mentor and receive extensive exposure to the ALS research community through meetings, presentations, and the Association’s Postdoctoral Fellowship Consortium. Fellows also develop high-quality papers and collect foundational data to support applications for further funding from the Association, the National Institutes of Health, and other sources.

After completing this fellowship, approximately 75% of awardees stay in ALS research. Many go on to establish their own laboratories and mentor more ALS researchers along the way. Other Safenowitz fellows have moved on to successful careers in industry, medical writing, and non-profit organizations.

Topics of Interest

We are especially interested in supporting fellowships focused on:

* New target validation, including in animal models and human cell models.
* Target or pathway biology in disease-relevant models, including defining upstream / downstream modifiers and convergence of promising target pathways.
* Factors that could ultimately reduce the risk of developing ALS, including studies of genetic risk factors; epigenetics; gene-environment interactions; lifestyle, occupational, or dietary factors; and epidemiology.
* New biomarker identification and the development and/or validation of biomarker assays.
* Managing ALS, including the development and/or validation of novel assistive technologies and the measurement of patient / caregiver / family burden.
* Analysis of -omics data from resources including, but not limited to, PRO-ACT, Project MinE, or Answer ALS to identify disease-relevant patient subtypes, new therapeutic targets, or new biomarkers

Eligibility

_You can learn more about this opportunity by visiting the funder's website._

* Eligible Individuals
* Individuals who received their terminal research degree (i.e., Ph.D.) and/or reached the end of postgraduate clinical training less than 2 years before the date letters of intent are due are eligible to apply.
* Applicants must have the skills, knowledge, and resources necessary to carry out the proposed research and have an existing postdoctoral position, including the support of their mentor.
* Eligible Organizations
* U.S. and non-U.S. public and private non-profit entities, such as universities, colleges, hospitals, laboratories, units of state and local governments, and eligible agencies of the federal government.
* U.S. and non-U.S. biotechnology / pharmaceutical companies or other publicly or privately held for-profit entities.
* If the funded research contributes to revenue generation, the Association expects to share proportionally in that revenue.
* Budgets for direct costs up to $75,000 per year (for a total of $150,000) may be requested.
* The maximum period of performance is 2 years.

Ineligibility

* Proposals with significant overlap to already funded work will likely not be considered.
* Indirect costs are not provided for postdoctoral fellowship awards.