Opportunity Has Closed
The ALS Association’s Seed Grants support the generation of preliminary data that will ultimately serve as the basis for larger grants that fund impactful research focused on ALS.
Overview
The ALS Association is the largest philanthropic funder of ALS research worldwide. Through our global research program, we are at the forefront of efforts to find new treatments and a cure for ALS in addition to making life better for people currently living with the disease, their caregivers, and their families. Association-funded grants and awards have led to some of the most promising and significant advances in ALS research.
Through its Seed Grants, the Association seeks to fund research with a strong scientific rationale and potential for significant impact in ALS but limited preliminary data. These one-year awards with a maximum budget of $50,000 should be used to gather preliminary data that will support future applications to larger grant award programs.
To view the full funding announcement, click here.
Topics of Interest (Scope)
We will accept applications from all scientific disciplines on topics that have the potential to ultimately transform the experience of ALS by optimizing the care and treatments we have, finding new treatments and cures, and/or preventing ALS. In addition to projects focused on ALS, projects that investigate the continuum of disease spanning ALS and frontotemporal dementia (FTD) are also in scope.
We are especially interested in:
- Drug target identification
- Biomarkers
- Prevention
- Clinical tools and techniques
- Big data approaches
- Assistive technology
- Studies that document and reduce the harms of ALS on caregivers and families of people living with the disease
- Any other proposal with the potential to significantly improve the lives of those impacted by ALS
Please note: This funding opportunity will not support clinical trials, preclinical drug development activities (e.g., pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, and safety and toxicology studies), or early drug development studies (e.g., hit-to-lead and lead optimization).
Funding and Eligibility
Budgets for total costs up to $50,000 (inclusive of both direct and indirect costs) may be requested for a period of one year. Indirect costs are limited to 10% of total direct costs.
Individuals with the skills, knowledge, and resources necessary to carry out the proposed research may apply as a principal investigator. Individuals do not need to have a scientific background in ALS research. Established investigators, early career investigators, and investigators from outside the ALS field are all encouraged to apply. Junior postdoctoral fellows are not eligible to apply as principal investigators.
Key Dates and Deadlines
- Letter of Intent Due Date: April 25, 2023, 5 p.m. U.S. EDT
- Full Proposal Due Date (by invitation only): June 27, 2023, 5 p.m. U.S. EDT
- Anticipated Award Decision: September 2023
- Anticipated Earliest Start Date: October 2023
Our expectation is that contracting will involve minimal negotiations due to the modest size of these awards and will be completed within 60 days of the award offer. If not, we reserve the right to rescind the award offer and redirect the funds to other projects.
Submissions
All application materials must be submitted electronically. To register for a Proposal Central account, create a new Letter of Intent or access an existing saved Letter of Intent, please visit proposalcentral.com.
Instructions for Proposal Central:
Questions
We encourage inquiries concerning this funding opportunity. Please submit your questions and other related correspondence to ResearchGrants@als.org.
