Strategic Research Grants

Strategic Research Grants

Overview: Designed to fund major projects that advance therapeutic development toward clinical trial readiness for childhood-onset SPG4.

Funder: The Lilly and Blair Foundation (VA, US)

Geographic Scope: International eligible (academic or nonprofit research institutions, research hospitals, and international institutions)

Funding Duration: 1–2 year projects

Contact: info@lillyandblair.org

Research Priorities

Highest Priority: Therapeutic Development

AAV9 gene therapy

ASO development

Drug repurposing with clear clinical pathways

Combination therapies

Preclinical safety and efficacy studies

High Priority: Clinical Trial Enablers

Biomarker development (e.g., NULISA)

Natural history expansion

Outcome measure validation

Patient-derived models for drug screening

Tools accelerating therapeutic development

Foundational Research (When Translationally Relevant)

Mechanism studies tied to therapeutic development

Identification of druggable targets

Work informing gene therapy or ASO design

Studies supporting regulatory readiness

Eligibility and Requirements

Who Can Apply:

Principal Investigators at academic or nonprofit research institutions

Research hospitals and international institutions

For-profit entities (if research is non-proprietary and publishable)

Requirements:

Each PI may submit only one proposal per program per cycle

Previous awardees are eligible to apply for continuation funding

Postdoctoral researchers may be included as key personnel but cannot serve as Principal Investigators

Research must address SPG4

No overlap with existing funding

Institutional approval required

All prior reporting obligations must be complete

Budget Guidelines

• Grant funds support direct research costs
• Indirect costs may be included only if required by submitting institution, capped at 10% of total direct costs
• Equipment purchases over $5,000 require prior approval

Review Timeline

• Deadline: May 1 (Annual)
• Review Process: Reviewed by Grant Review Board; evaluated on translational potential, scientific merit, and strategic alignment
• Decisions: Late June
• Project Start: August