The Simons Foundation Autism Research Initiative (SFARI) seeks to improve the understanding, diagnosis and treatment of autism spectrum disorders by funding innovative research of the highest quality and relevance.
Rationale and overview
The autism research community has expanded substantially in recent years and SFARI has contributed to this change by attracting outstanding established scientists to the field of autism. In order to sustain this level of scientific excellence in future years, SFARI is extending our support to promising early-career investigators. One of the most salient milestones in a scientific career is the transition from formal mentorship to an independent position. Unfortunately, this transition has become increasingly tenuous in recent years, in part because of the decreasing number of tenure-track faculty positions, compounded by the increasing number of Ph.D. graduates and postgraduate traineeships.1 SFARI created the Bridge to Independence Award program to address this issue and to encourage continued excellence in the autism research field.
For more information, please visit:
| https://www.sfari.org/grant/bridge-to-independence-award-request-for-applications/ |
Eligibility
Grants awarded through the Bridge to Independence Award program are intended to invest in the next generation of top autism investigators by identifying talented early-career scientists interested in autism research and facilitating their transition to an independent research career. This request for applications (RFA) is aimed at senior postdoctoral fellows who intend to seek tenure-track faculty positions during the 2017–18 academic year. Successful applicants will be notified that they are finalists in the Bridge to Independence Award program and will have one year to submit an approval application, which includes confirmation of a tenure-track professorship at a U.S. academic institution, review of the institution’s research environment and resources, and institutional signoff. After the Simons Foundation accepts the approval application, the finalist will become a grantee and receive a commitment of $150,000 per year over three years, awarded through their faculty appointment institution.
- Basic Science
- Clinical Science
- Neuroscience
- Psychiatry
- Translational Science
- Junior Faculty
- New Investigator
- Postdoc/Residents/Fellows