Research Grants- Spring Call

Research Grants- Spring Call

Status: ACTIVE
Funder: Fondation Jérôme Lejeune
Amount: €50,000 - €80,000
Last Updated: January 21, 2026

Summary

The Jerome Lejeune Foundation's Spring Call promotes research on Down syndrome and other genetic intellectual disabilities. Established in 1995, the foundation continues Jerome Lejeune's legacy by funding innovative studies aimed at understanding genetic mechanisms and developing therapies. Grants support exploratory and advanced projects over two years, with funding of up to €80,000. The initiative seeks to uncover insights that can benefit both affected individuals and the broader population, while excluding unrelated conditions like autism.

Overview

Jerome Lejeune Foundation The Jerome Lejeune foundation was founded in 1995 in order to pursue the work of Jerome Lejeune, medical doctor and researcher who dedicated his life to the care and defence of patients with intellectual disabilities. He pledged to one day find treatments to improve their quality of life, and recognised that to achieve this goal it was necessary to first understand the genetics and the disease mechanisms underlying these diseases. Hence, he pioneered, conducted and promoted medical and fundamental research that will ultimately, be the foundation for the development of drugs and treatments for patients with intellectual disabilities. We are thus committed to continue and expand Jerome Lejeune initiatives by: Identifying, funding and promoting researchBasic research that will lead to better understanding of the pathomechanisms underlying intellectual disabilities disorders and the identification of potential therapeutic targets.Innovative translational research to accelerate and improve the development of treatments for Down syndrome and other intellectual disabilities disorders.Preclinical studies to test the efficacy and safety of new treatments.Targeted research in areas of particular interest for the foundation, e.g. specific genes and cross-pathologies (co-occurring diseases).We focus primarily on Down syndrome, and we stimulate, support and strengthen project-based research aimed at uncovering the causal link between gene expression and physical and cognitive disabilities in people with Down syndrome. Importantly, research on Down syndrome contributes to the discovery of mechanisms and pathways involved in other pathologies like Alzheimer’s disease and leukaemia that affect also non-Down syndrome individuals (cross pathologies). Therefore, any new knowledge and/or potential therapy derived from the research on Down syndrome, will ultimately benefit the general population.Importantly, alongside research in Down syndrome, we also support research on other intellectual disability disorders of genetic origin.Caring for patientsAdvocate Grants Twice a year, the Jerome Lejeune Foundation launches calls to support fundamental, translational and clinical research projects that will strengthen the understanding, deepen the knowledge and/or will explore new therapeutic approaches for Down syndrome and other genetic diseases with intellectual disability. The Spring call is dedicated to research in both Down syndrome and other intellectual disabilities from genetic origin, while the Autumn call is exclusively dedicated to Down Syndrome research. Types of grants There are two types of funding schemes: Pilot or exploratory grantsFor early stage research projects built on preliminary data or small projects that complement larger primary projects.Advanced grantsFor larger breakthrough projects with substantial preliminary data. Funding Both schemes provide funding for up to 2 years: Pilot or exploratory grants50.000 € over 2 yearsAdvanced grants80.000 € over 2 years The number of funded projects will depend on the annual budget allocated by the Jerome Lejeune Foundation to the calls. Spring Call Details Is dedicated to both Down syndrome and other rare intellectual disabilities from genetic origin, such as Fragile X syndrome, Cri du chat syndrome, Rett syndrome, Williams-Beuren syndrome, Prader-Willi syndrome, Angelman syndrome, Smith-Magenis syndrome among others, and will not exceed 50% of the total amount of the annual grant budget. Autism not linked to the above diseases is excluded from this call.

Eligibility

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