Seed Grant Program

Brain Research Foundation (BRF) has invited Penn State to nominate one faculty member (Assistant or Associate Professor) to submit a Letter of Intent (LOI) for the BRF Seed Grant Program.

The Brain Research Foundation's (BRF) Seed Grant Program provides start-up money for new research projects and innovative programs that have the potential of becoming competitive for an NIH grant or other external funding sources. BRF's goal is to have this initial effort succeed in opening future opportunities for research, collaboration, and scientific advancement. It supports projects of junior faculty who are working in new research directions. BRF Seed Grant Awards are not intended to supplement existing grants.

Opportunity Highlights

• Penn State may submit one Letter of Intent (LOI).
• Only one PI may apply per application.
• PI must be a full-time assistant or associate professor working in the field of neuroscience, neurology, neurobiology, physiology, psychiatry, psychology, or related disciplines, proposing scientific projects with a focus on brain health and disease, including cancer.
• Funding: $80,000 direct costs for a period of two years. Funds must be utilized within the grant period.
  • The first grant payment of $40,000 will be made upon completion of the Seed Grant Acceptance Form (June 2025). The final payment of $40,000 will be made contingent upon receipt of a Preliminary Progress and Financial Report (June 2026).
• No indirect costs allowed.
• Please note that a medical school falls under its larger university and BRF will consider it a single institution.
• This announcement provides only opportunity highlights. Please carefully review the sponsor's website and guidelines for any requirements and expectations related to eligibility, budget, collaboration, priority research areas, letter of intent requirements, and review criteria before submitting to this internal competition.

Funding Specifics:

1. Funding is to be directed at pilot research projects that are both innovative and will likely lead to successful grant applications to NIH and other public and private funding entities.
2. Assistant Professor – Junior faculty with a new research project that will generate pilot data that will lead to RO1 funding or a comparable outside grant will be first priority.
   1. Must provide abstract and specific aims for current grants and indicate if there is any overlap.
3. Associate Professor – Faculty who are pursuing new research directions.
   1. Must explain how the project is a new research direction.
   2. Must provide abstract and specific aims for current grant(s) and indicate if there is any overlap.
4. A new technique is not considered a new direction unless it pertains to a different area of study.
5. Grants are NOT to be used for bridge funding between grants.

Please review the full guidelines for allowable costs.

Eligibility

To be eligible, PI must be a full-time Assistant or Associate Professor working in the area of studies of brain function. This includes molecular and clinical neuroscience as well as studies of neural, sensory, motor, cognitive, behavioral and emotional functioning in health and disease. The grant proposal must detail a new research project that is not funded by other sources. This grant is not to be used as bridge funding.

Ineligibility

1. PI is ineligible if they are not a full-time faculty member at the institution in which they are applying under.
2. PI is ineligible if they are a Full Professor.
3. PI is ineligible if they are a research assistant professor or research associate professor.
4. PI is ineligible to submit more than one BRF Seed Grant proposal in a funding period.
5. PI is ineligible if they have BRF funding that will overlap this grant period.
6. PI is ineligible if they have been awarded prior BRF funding, but have failed to submit scientific and financial reports at the end of their grant period.
7. PI is ineligible if they are a member of the BRF Scientific Review Committee.
8. PI is ineligible if they are a relative of BRF a representative, including the SRC, as defined by the Foundation.

Application Procedure

Phase I: Letter of Intent (LOI) - Due Tuesday, November 19, 2024, 4:00 p.m.

The first step in applying for a BRF Seed Grant is to submit a Letter of Intent. The purpose of the LOI is to determine worthy projects that will be asked to submit a complete Seed Grant application for further review. The LOI and invited application must be submitted by a single investigator.

LOI submission must include an institutional signature to verify nomination. LOIs submitted without
an institutional signature will not be accepted. This means that you must process your application through the Office of Sponsored Projects.

Phase II: Application - Due Thursday, March 27, 2025, 4:00 p.m.

If the LOI receives a favorable review, the PI will be invited to submit a grant application.