Seed Grants

Seed Grant Applications Now Open

The Masonic Institute for the Developing Brain is pleased to announce its FY25 annual seed grant competition. There are two award mechanisms that will be supported in the current year, one for graduate students/trainees/fellows and one for faculty:.

There are two award mechanisms to be supported, one for graduate students/trainees/fellows and one for faculty:

Provisions for both award types:

*1. Priority will be given to work that will be conducted at the MIDB unless it is impossible to use the facility for data collection (e.g., a hospitalized sample is being studied; the work is preclinical bench work; a sample is being assessed in a community setting).
2. The project must be registered with the MIDB.
3. Human clinical, cognitive or affective scientific studies are encouraged as are preclinical studies that contribute to our understanding of the developing organism. Work that has clinical implications or that includes community partners is especially encouraged.
4. Two year awards will be allocated unless the budget stipulates a one-year plan; a one year no-cost extension will be available; you must provide a detailed budget for each year of support.
5. The proposed work must fit the overall mission of the MiDB.
8. Funds cannot be used to support investigator/graduate student salaries/stipends or summer salaries. Funds may be used to support laboratory personnel. Faculty must include a list of non-sponsored funds available for their use and whether these funds will be used to support the proposed work. Cost-sharing is encouraged.
9. Note that the services of the MIDB service hubs are provided at cost to investigators (e.g., technician time; MRI scanning hours). A budget for these services, if utilized, should be part of your proposal and you must indicate as part of your submitted letter of intent that you have started to plan for this component of this work. If you have questions about this aspect of your budget, please contact the relevant hub leads for further information.
Please do not wait until the last minute to seek guidance regarding hub services or associated costs. We cannot guarantee that we will be able to accommodate your request.
10. Applicants must be active members of the MiDB. Information about MIDB membership can be found on the MIDB website (under the “About”) tab.
11. Funds will not be allocated until IRB/IACUC approval is obtained. 12. We anticipate that awards will be allocated in the late summer with start dates to begin around September 1, 2024. 13. To submit your application, please email all requested components to this address: [email protected] Please include a subject heading of “MIDB seed grant application attached”. If you have questions, contact Brie Katterjohn, MIDB Research Administrative Associate at [email protected].

REVIEW / EVALUATION

The review will be coordinated/administered by J. Elison and M. Georgieff. All grants will be reviewed by at least two faculty members. A short-list of submissions will be identified and invited for technical meetings with service hub leads/PMs relevant to their project. Research
Advisory Council Members will then consider the short list of submissions along with a detailed SOW generated by the service hubs and make final funding decisions.