Tick-borne Pathogen Award Grant

The Tick-borne Pathogen Award, sponsored by Bay Area Lyme Foundation, offers $150,000 to support innovative research on non-Borrelia tick-borne pathogens. This grant aims to attract scientific talent to explore co-infections with Lyme disease and other related infections. Eligible candidates include researchers from academia or the private sector at the post-doctoral level or higher, with a focus on improving diagnostics and therapies for tick-borne diseases. Applications must present a viable proof-of-concept project.

About Emerging Leader Award
We are thrilled to announce that Bay Area Lyme will be awarding two $150,000 Emerging Leader Awards in 2026. The first award is the Lyme Disease Award, continuing the legacy of advancing diagnostics that we started over a decade ago. The second award, sponsored by an anonymous donor, is the Tick-borne Pathogen Award, and is for a researcher focusing on non-Borrelia tick-borne pathogens/infections that occur frequently, either in combination with Lyme disease (Borrelia burgdorferi), or as stand-alone investigations.
These grants support new and innovative projects and aim to attract aspiring new scientific talent to the field of Lyme and other tickborne pathogen research. Candidate applications must include a viable proposal for a proof-of-concept project to be funded, in part or in sum, by the grant award.
The $150,000 ELA grants will be offered to researchers in academia or the private sector who are currently at the post-doctoral level through associate professor level or equivalent. Those who have not previously worked in Lyme or tickborne disease research are encouraged to apply.
A new grant to support research on non-Borrelia tick-borne pathogens/infections occurring in the US, with preference for bacterial and parasitic pathogens. Projects may address co-infections in combination with Borrelia burgdorferi or as stand-alone investigations. Viral infections (e.g., Powassan virus, Heartland virus) are excluded from this category.

Eligibility

Who Qualifies?
Affiliated with an academic or research institution in the U.S. or corporate equivalent
Demonstrated professional and scientific leadership in biological and medical sciences
Exhibited scientific curiosity and an established pattern of creative thinking
A defined approach to improved diagnostics or therapies for Lyme disease