The Brain & Behavior Research Foundation is the largest non-government, donor-supported organization that distributes funds for brain and behavior disorder research. The Brain & Behavior Research Foundation NARSAD Independent Investigator Grant offers up to $50,000 a year for two (2) years and is intended for scientists at the associate professor level (or equivalent) with national competitive supports as a Principal Investigator (P.I.). Please note that an assistant professor who is a Principal Investigator (P.I.) on a NIH R01 grant is now eligible for the Independent Investigator Grant.
The Independent Investigator Grant stands between the Young and Distinguished Investigator Grants. The Young Investigator is intended to extend initial research training, or support scientists at the assistant professor rank. The Distinguished Investigator supports senior investigators (full professor or equivalent) pursuing innovative, new directions. Strict adherence to eligibility guidelines for the Independent Investigator will apply to prevent overlap between the programs, and to ensure that a reasonable proportion of applications judged to be excellent can be funded.
The program is intended to facilitate innovative research opportunities and supports basic, as well as translational and/or clinical investigators; however, research must be relevant to understanding, treatment and prevention of serious psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia, mood disorders, anxiety disorders, or early onset brain and behavior disorders.
As is well known, the Brain & Behavior Research Foundation is interested in supporting the full range of relevant neurobiological and psychobiological basic science. We also support clinical grants which can include careful studies using qualitative research approaches or research generating preliminary data to explore a new hypothesis generated by clinical experience or large sample studies. NARSAD Grants are not sufficient to support expensive large sample patient-based studies but it may be possible to attach a study to a clinical project already under way or for which other funding has become available. Some possibilities for preliminary clinical studies include:
- Support for an add-on study to identify a biomarker in the context of an ongoing clinical trial.
- Determining if a computer-based cognitive or other remediation enhances effectiveness of a treatment.
- Proof of principle study in a small number of subjects to see if efficacy is detected with a new treatment.
- Testing a novel hypothesis within an already established data set.
- Research on productive work and other treatment outcomes.
These examples do not define specific Brain & Behavior Research Foundation goals, but illustrate feasibility of expensive clinical research in the context of the NARSAD Grants program.
For more information, please visit: https://www.bbrfoundation.org/grants-prizes/grants