Funding Opportunities

Opportunity Type: Pilot Grants and Other Requests for Applications

Goal: The ACT Rare Diseases Consortium Pilot Study Program is designed to support early-stage, high-impact pilot projects that generate preliminary data, validate novel concepts, or de-risk innovative approaches with strong potential for future translational, clinical, or commercialization impact. Proposed projects should align with the mission of the ACT Rare Diseases Consortium and complement or expand the Consortium's ongoing Clinical Projects. Clinical Project 1 aims to study the longitudinal natural history of syndromic CS. Clinical Project 2 aims to study surgical treatment outcomes of syndromic CS after cranial vault remodeling. Clinical Project 3 aims to study surgical treatment outcomes of syndromic CS after midface advancement.

Sponsor: Advancing Craniosynostosis Treatment (ACT) Rare Disease

Eligibility Criteria: The PI must be based at a US-based academic institution or research institution. The PI must hold a doctoral-level degree.

Application Due Date: 2027-01-31

Term: One Year

Opportunity Type: Education and Career Development Opportunities

Goal: To reduce the barrier to entry and facilitate their conduct of rare disease research, the ARISEN Early-Stage Investigator (ESI) Pilot Research Award invites applications from ESIs for pilot research projects that accelerate clinical research in rare diseases aligned with the consortium’s mission, including autoimmune encephalitis, Rasmussen syndrome, and new onset refractory status epilepticus (NORSE), including its subtype with prior fever, Febrile Infection-Related Epilepsy Syndrome (FIRES).

Sponsor: Autoimmunity, Rasmussen’s, Inflammation & Status Epilepticus research Network (ARISEN)

Eligibility Criteria: The PI must hold an MD, PhD, MD/PhD, DO, RN or more advanced, PharmD, DDS, DVM, or equivalent, be a faculty member at U.S.-based academic institution, and be eligible to serve as PI on an extramural grant.

Letter of Intent Due Date: 2026-11-13

Application Due Date: 2027-02-17

Term: 12 months

Opportunity Type: Pilot Grants and Other Requests for Applications

Goal: The Autoimmunity, Rasmussen’s, Inflammation & Status Epilepticus research Network (ARISEN) invites applications for pilot research projects that accelerate clinical research in rare diseases aligned with the consortium’s mission. ARISEN includes autoimmune encephalitis, Rasmussen syndrome, and new onset refractory status epilepticus (NORSE), including its subtype with prior fever, Febrile Infection-Related Epilepsy Syndrome (FIRES).

Sponsor: Autoimmunity, Rasmussen’s, Inflammation & Status Epilepticus research Network (ARISEN)

Eligibility Criteria: The PI must hold an MD, PhD, MD/PhD, DO, RN or more advanced, PharmD, DDS, DVM, or equivalent and be a faculty member at U.S.-based academic institution.

Letter of Intent Due Date: 2026-11-13

Application Due Date: 2027-02-15

Term: 12 months

Opportunity Type: Education and Career Development Opportunities

Goal: The Early Career Investigator Grants (ECIG) address training needs in rare disease research by providing specialized education in the complexities of clinical research in the neuronal ceroid lipofuscinoses (NCLs). Funding support is provided for a research project and career development activities over one year.

Sponsor: Batten Disease Clinical Research Consortium (BDCRC) Patient Advocacy Groups | National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) | National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS) | Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)

Eligibility Criteria: Eligible candidates must be actively affiliated with a US-based academic health care institution; they must be within five years of completing their terminal clinically oriented training; and they must have a doctoral degree in medicine, psychology, nursing, genetics/genetic counseling, occupational or physical therapy, or speech language pathology; others licensed to practice clinically may also be eligible. Candidates from non-clinical disciplines will only be considered if proposing a career development plan integrated with their institution’s clinical team focused on the NCLs. In addition to faculty, strong post-doctoral or clinical fellows may be considered as long as at least 3 calendar months are dedicated to the activities of the program. Candidates who propose animal studies will not be considered. Applicants are required to have a local primary mentor and are encouraged to establish a mentoring team.

Application Due Date: 2026-01-26

Term: Annual

Opportunity Type: Pilot Grants and Other Requests for Applications

Goal: The Pilot Project Grants fund high-quality translational and clinical pilot studies aligned with the top, Research Priorities for the Neuronal Ceroid Lipofuscinoses, identified by Batten disease stakeholders (Lancet Neurology). Each year, at least one project is selected through a rigorous NIH-based review process to ensure feasibility, impact, and innovation.

Sponsor: Batten Disease Clinical Research Consortium (BDCRC) | Batten Disease Global Research Initiative (BDGRI) | Patient Advocacy Groups (Batten Disease Support, Research and Advocacy Foundation (BDSRA) Foundation | Our Promise to Nicholas Foundation) | National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) | National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS) | Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)

Eligibility Criteria: Eligible candidates must hold a faculty level (or equivalent) appointment at a US institution for single site projects, or at a recognized international institution for multi site projects with at least one US site. Fellows in their final year of training are eligible with a letter confirming a forthcoming faculty appointment. Applications from investigators at all career stages, and established investigators from outside the Batten disease field are encouraged. Multi PI applications are permitted, though an individual may serve as Principal Investigator on only one proposal per cycle.

Term: One Year

Opportunity Type: Pilot Grants and Other Requests for Applications

Goal: To initiate and support collaborative research on osteogenesis imperfecta (OI).

Sponsor: Brittle Bone Disorders Consortium (BBD)

Eligibility Criteria: Both internal and external investigators are encouraged to propose and conduct pilot studies.

Application Due Date: 2024-01-01

Term: One Year

Opportunity Type: Pilot Grants and Other Requests for Applications

Goal: The Michael Geisman Fellowship Grant program awards funding to post-doctoral trainees who are currently working on projects with clear relevance to osteogenesis imperfecta (OI), or who have projects that will enable them to develop expertise in OI research.

Sponsor: Osteogenesis Imperfecta Foundation

Eligibility Criteria: Applicant must hold an MD, DDS, DO, or PhD, and be appointed at the level of a post-doctoral trainee, or equivalent, within an academic institution. Applicant should have completed their Ph.D. or clinical training within the past five (5) years.

Application Due Date: 2024-10-21

Term: One - Two Years

Opportunity Type: Pilot Grants and Other Requests for Applications

Goal: Support the discovery and/or validation of biomarkers for ALS or a related disorder (including primary lateral sclerosis [PLS], hereditary spastic paraplegia [HSP], progressive muscular atrophy [PMA], multisystem proteinopathy [MSP], and frontotemporal dementia [FTD]).

Sponsor: Clinical Research in ALS and Related Disorders for Therapeutic Development (CReATe) | ALS Association

Eligibility Criteria: Any individual with the requisite scientific training, irrespective of country of residence or origin. Priority will be given to those projects that are focused on developing biomarkers of disease mechanism and that might be relevant to the development of therapies.

Application Due Date: 2021-07-30

Term: One Year

Opportunity Type: Education and Career Development Opportunities

Goal: This award aims to support early career researchers engaged in clinical or preclinical research on ALS, PMA, PLS, FTD, HSP, and MSP.

Sponsor: CReATe Consortium and American Brain Foundation

Eligibility Criteria: Applicants must be clinician-investigators with an MD, PhD, or equivalent terminal-level clinical or research degree and have completed clinical residency or PhD on or after July 1, 2022. Applicants at accredited US and international institutions are eligible to apply, and there is no citizenship requirement.

Application Due Date: 2026-10-08

Term: Two Years

Opportunity Type: Pilot Grants and Other Requests for Applications

Goal: To allow CEGIR investigators to initiate new projects relevant to eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE), eosinophilic gastritis (EoG), eosinophilic enteritis (EoN), and/or eosinophilic colitis (EoC).

Sponsor: Consortium of Eosinophilic Gastrointestinal Disease Researchers (CEGIR) Patient Advocacy Groups (American Partnership For Eosinophilic Disorders (APFED) | Campaign Urging Research for Eosinophilic Disease (CURED) | Eosinophilic Family Coalition (EFC) | The International Gastrointestinal Eosinophilic Researchers (TIGER) | National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) | National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) | National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS)

Eligibility Criteria: MD, DO, PhD, or MD/PhD who is a member of CEGIR and full-time faculty at an academic institution in the USA or NIH

Application Due Date: Applications accepted on a rolling basis.

Term: One - Two Years

Opportunity Type: Education and Career Development Opportunities

Goal: To train experts to investigate eosinophilic gastrointestinal disorders through innovative research, clinical expertise and education via collaborations between scientists, physicians, patients, and professional organizations.

Sponsor: Consortium of Eosinophilic Gastrointestinal Disease Researchers (CEGIR) Patient Advocacy Groups (American Partnership For Eosinophilic Disorders (APFED) | Campaign Urging Research for Eosinophilic Disease (CURED) | Eosinophilic Family Coalition (EFC) | The International Gastrointestinal Eosinophilic Researchers (TIGER) | National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) | National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) | National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS)

Eligibility Criteria: Applicants must be physicians trained in Internal Medicine, Pediatrics or Pathology with ongoing or completed subspecialty training (within 5 years of award start date) in a related field in an ACGME-accredited training program. Candidates should be US citizens, US permanent residents, or possess a valid visa to work in the US.

Application Due Date: Applications accepted on a rolling basis.

Term: Three Years

Opportunity Type: Pilot Grants and Other Requests for Applications

Goal: The objective of the PFC is to serve as an engine and source of funding support for translational research across these four rare brain disorders to further our understanding of biological processes and development of novel therapies. The PFC aims to support collaboration across disciplines and take advantage of key infrastructure across the consortium to drive research that enhances not only clinical understanding but also bolsters community education and family engagement, in order to accelerate development of new therapies.

Sponsor: Developmental Synaptopathies Consortium (DSC)

Eligibility Criteria: Applications will be accepted from investigators interested in research on TSC, PHTS, PMS and SYNGAP1 disorders or research across these and/or related disorders.

Application Due Date: 2026-08-31

Term: Two years

Opportunity Type: Other

Goal: The Advocacy Advancement Award is intended to serve as a mechanism for patient advocacy leaders to answer concrete questions relevant to their own constituents by leveraging shared data, expertise, and resources available through the GLIA-CTN. Award criteria were defined in deliberately broad terms in order to accommodate the diverse and evolving needs of individual leukodystrophy communities.

Sponsor: Global Leukodystrophy Initiative Clinical Trials Network (GLIA-CTN)

Eligibility Criteria: Any registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization focused on promoting awareness, research, and/or fundraising for leukodystrophy research is eligible to apply for the GLIA-CTN Advocacy Advancement Award.

Application Due Date: Applications accepted on a rolling basis.

Term: Support for six (6) month project

Opportunity Type: Education and Career Development Opportunities

Goal: The GLIA-CTN Career Development Award is a mentored award designed to provide "protected time" for clinically trained individuals to receive supervised training in biomedical research related to leukodystrophies. A long-term goal is to establish a Leukodystrophy Center at each award recipient’s local institution. The award supports a period of supervised research, in conjunction with career development opportunities, for physician-scientists who require additional mentored training and support during development of an innovative research project.

Sponsor: Global Leukodystrophy Initiative Clinical Trials Network (GLIA-CTN)

Eligibility Criteria: Candidates for the award must have a doctoral degree within the health professions (e.g., MD, DO, DDS, DMD, OD, DC, PharmD) and be actively affiliated with a US-based academic and/or health care institution. Individuals with degrees in nursing research and/or practice, who are licensed to practice clinically, may be eligible.

Application Due Date: 2026-02-28

Term: One Year

Opportunity Type: Other

Goal: The GLIA-CTN Community Award is intended to encourage continued network growth, diverse membership, and an expanded leukodystrophy workforce by providing investigators external to the GLIA-CTN with in-kind infrastructure support for novel projects. Award recipients will work closely with the GLIA-CTN Biomedical Informatics and Statistical Core (BISC) to refine data collection and management plans, and will benefit from generous access to GLIA-CTN data and/or samples, as well as consultation and support by GLIA-CTN staff with expertise in data management, database design, outcome development and validation, regulatory affairs, etc.

Sponsor: Global Leukodystrophy Initiative Clinical Trials Network (GLIA-CTN)

Eligibility Criteria: Candidates for the award must have a doctoral degree within the health professions (e.g., MD, DO, DDS, DMD, OD, DC, PharmD) and be actively affiliated with a US-based academic and/or health care institution. Individuals with degrees in nursing research and/or practice, who are licensed to practice clinically, may be eligible. There are also certain circumstances in which individuals with a PhD may be eligible.

Application Due Date: Applications accepted on a rolling basis.

Term: One Year

Goal: The primary goal of the GLIA-CTN Pilot Project Award is to generate preliminary research data needed to secure more substantial funding through traditional federal, institutional, and/or industry grant mechanisms. Recognizing the importance of creating a sustainable infrastructure for collaborative research and excellence in clinical care, the GLIA-CTN Pilot Project Award is designed to enhance clinical trial readiness in the leukodystrophies through clinical/translational research in biomarkers, or assays to assess therapeutics, or other initiatives directed towards clinical trial readiness.

Eligibility Criteria: Candidates for the award must have a doctoral degree within the health professions (e.g., MD, DO, DDS, DMD, OD, DC, PharmD) and be actively affiliated with a US-based academic and/or health care institution. Individuals with degrees in nursing research and/or practice, who are licensed to practice clinically, may be eligible.

Application Due Date: Applications accepted on a rolling basis.

Term: One Year

Opportunity Type: Pilot Grants and Other Requests for Applications

Goal: The objective of this Pilot Grant Program is to stimulate innovative, high-impact research, foster collaboration in the TMA research community, and support projects that leverage existing TMA infrastructure, data, biospecimens, and expertise. Pilot projects are expected to generate preliminary data that will lead to future extramural funding, expanded clinical studies, or translational advances in TMA.

Sponsor: Initiation of a cohort to define pathogenic Mechanisms, Precision diagnosis And Complications of Thrombotic Microangiopathies: The IMPACT Study (IMPACT)

Eligibility Criteria: Applicants must hold an MD, PhD, MD/PhD, RN, PharmD, DDS, DVM, or equivalent doctoral or professional degree. Applicants must be trainees or faculty members at a U.S.-based academic institution. Applications from trainees and early-career faculty are strongly encouraged. Applicants holding appropriate visas are eligible to apply.

Application Due Date: 2026-04-15

Term: One year. A 2nd year of funding may be requested.

Goal: Early career scholars will complete a mentored TMA research project (at home institution), travel to a TMA expert site for an additional TMA immersion sabbatical (4-8 weeks) and receive online professional development in research methods.

Sponsor: Initiation of a cohort to define pathogenic Mechanisms, Precision diagnosis And Complications of Thrombotic Microangiopathies: The IMPACT Study

Eligibility Criteria: 1st, 2nd, or 3rd year of an US fellowship or have an Assistant Professor or Instructor equivalent title at a US institution

Application Due Date: 2026-05-01

Term: One Year

Opportunity Type: Education and Career Development Opportunities

Goal: The MGNet Scholar Program provides 2- years of mentored research training to prepare Scholars for an independent research career in the field of MG.

Sponsor: Myasthenia Gravis Rare Disease Network (MGNet)

Eligibility Criteria: Applicants must have a MD (or equivalent) or PhD. Clinical fellows, post-doctoral fellows, or junior faculty are eligible. Mid career faculty wanting to pursue more dedicated MG research or to transition into MG research are also encouraged to apply. Applicants must identify a primary mentor with appropriate content expertise and experience mentoring young investigators. Candidates should be U.S. citizens, U.S. permanent residents, or non U.S. citizens with a valid visa to work in the U.S. Applicants with training outside the field of neurology are particularly encouraged to apply.

Application Due Date: 2026-07-15

Term: Two years

Opportunity Type: Pilot Grants and Other Requests for Applications

Goal: The priorities of the Pilot Grant Program are 1) Identification of clinically useful biomarkers 2)Assess clinical measures and improve that enhance clinical trial readiness. 3)Evaluation of therapeutic interventions for one or more of the five distinct sub-types of MG.

Sponsor: Myasthenia Gravis Rare Disease Network (MGNet) | Myasthenia Gravis Foundation of America | Myasthenia Gravis Association | Conquer MG | argenx

Eligibility Criteria: The PI must hold a MD, PhD, MD/PhD, RN or more advanced, PharmD, DDS, DVM, or equivalent and be a faculty member at a US-based academic institution.

Application Due Date: 2026-07-15

Term: One Year

Opportunity Type: Education and Career Development Opportunities

Goal: The NASCARR fellowship supports a 12-month, mentored research experience focused on SCAs at one or more NASCARR sites. Fellows will engage in hands-on research, attend the national RDCRN Annual Meeting and the NASCARR Annual Symposium, and have access to NASCARR and RDCRN Early Career resources. Prospective applicants should develop a research and training plan in partnership with a NASCARR Senior Faculty mentor that clearly aligns with the program’s overarching goal of cultivating independent SCA researchers. Fellows are expected to dedicate a minimum of 50% effort to fellowship-related research and career development. The program welcomes applicants from all disciplines relevant to SCA care, including translational research, medical and surgical specialties, dentistry, psychology, and therapeutic and allied health professions. Research can include all types of research, although proposals related to research that will advance clinical trial readiness will be prioritized.

Sponsor: Network for Advancing Sex Chromosome Aneuploidy Research Readiness (NASCARR)

Eligibility Criteria: MD, DDS, DO, PhD, PsyD, DPT or equivalent terminal degree

Application Due Date: 2026-03-15

Term: One Year

Opportunity Type: Pilot Grants and Other Requests for Applications

Goal: This funding opportunity seeks proposals that generate novel data and approaches to accelerate SCA clinical trial readiness

Sponsor: Network for Advancing Sex Chromosome Aneuploidy Research Readiness (NASCARR)

Eligibility Criteria: Academic faculty investigators at any U.S. institution are welcome to apply. Applicants from institutions outside of the NASCARR RDCRN are encouraged to apply in collaboration with a NASCARR faculty member. Trainee applicants must have a faculty sponsor.

Letter of Intent Due Date: 2026-10-15

Application Due Date: 2027-01-31

Term: 12 months

Opportunity Type: Other

Goal: The Network for Advancing Sex Chromosome Aneuploidy Research Readiness (NASCARR) is pleased to support a Research Internship for trainees interested in learning more about sex chromosome aneuploidies and pediatric clinical research.

Sponsor: Network for Advancing Sex Chromosome Aneuploidy Research Readiness (NASCARR)

Eligibility Criteria: Be enrolled in or recently graduated from undergraduate, graduate, or medical school

Application Due Date: 2026-03-02

Term: 6/1/26-7/21/26

Opportunity Type: Education and Career Development Opportunities

Goal: The overall goal of the PFN-STRIDE training program is to develop a robust pathway for trainees and junior faculty interested in pediatric invasive fungal disease (IFD) to develop into successful scientists.

Sponsor: Pediatric Fungal Network-Study of Rare Invasive Fungal DisEases in Immunocompromised Pediatric Patients (PFN-STRIDE) RDCRN

Eligibility Criteria: Recipient must be a physician (MD/DO or equivalent) with a strong commitment to a research-based career in pediatric IFD. Priority will be given to early career researchers including fellows or junior faculty members who have not been a principal investigator on an NIH grant. Candidates should be US citizens, US permanent residents, or non-US citizens with a valid visa to work in the US. PFN-STRIDE trainees do not have to be at a PFN site.

Application Due Date: 2026-05-01

Term: 1-2 Years

Opportunity Type: Pilot Grants and Other Requests for Applications

Goal: Invites applications for one-year pilot projects that establish feasibility, refine the analytic design, or generate preliminary data to support future studies addressing critical knowledge gaps or improving patient-centered outcomes for pediatric invasive fungal diseases.

Eligibility Criteria: This program is primarily intended to support full-time, early-career faculty. Any member of a PFN-STRIDE participating institution is eligible to apply. Investigators from institutions outside PFN-STRIDE may apply for an award but must agree to have their site join the PFN-STRIDE during the award period.

Letter of Intent Due Date: 2026-12-04

Application Due Date: 2027-03-19

Term: One Year

Opportunity Type: Pilot Grants and Other Requests for Applications

Goal: The NPKUA is seeking proposals that will help us meet the above strategic goals as well as to close existing gaps in the knowledge and science of PKU, and to further support existing PKU-related projects.

Sponsor: National PKU Alliance

Eligibility Criteria: Eligible applicants must have a Ph.D., M.D., or equivalent degrees and currently hold a full-time position at any level (post-doctoral, research scientist, assistant/associate/full professor, etc.) at an established academic/research institution. Applicants will be considered from both the United States and internationally.

Application Due Date: 2022-05-01

Term: One Year with Potential of Renewal

Opportunity Type: Pilot Grants and Other Requests for Applications

Goal: The NPKUA is seeking proposals that will help us meet the above strategic goals as well as to close existing gaps in the knowledge and science of PKU, and to further support existing PKU-related projects.

Sponsor: National PKU Alliance

Eligibility Criteria: Eligible applicants must have a Ph.D., M.D., or equivalent degrees and currently hold a full-time position at any level (post-doctoral, research scientist, assistant/associate/full professor, etc.) at an established academic/research institution.

Application Due Date: 2022-05-01

Term: One Year with Potential of Renewal

Opportunity Type: Education and Career Development Opportunities

Goal: The NPKUA is seeking proposals that will help us meet the above strategic goals, promote and encourage young investigators into PKU-related research, to close the existing gaps in the knowledge and science of PKU, and to further support existing PKU-related projects.

Sponsor: National PKU Alliance

Eligibility Criteria: Eligible applicants must have a Ph.D., M.D., or equivalent degrees and have an opportunity to hold a full-time fellowship position at an established academic/research institution. Both United States and international academic institutions will be considered.

Application Due Date: 2022-05-01

Term: Two Years

Opportunity Type: Pilot Grants and Other Requests for Applications

Goal: The objective of the PHEFREE pilot/feasibility program is to provide funding for studies of innovative ideas or hypotheses which, if successful, could lead to improvement in the understanding, prevention, diagnosis and/or treatment of hyperphenylalaninemia, biopterin defects and related conditions.

Sponsor: Phenylalanine Families and Researchers Exploring Evidence (PHEFREE)

Eligibility Criteria: MD, PhD, or MD/PhD investigators are eligible to apply.

Application Due Date: 2023-01-06

Term: One Year

Opportunity Type: Education and Career Development Opportunities

Goal: The primary mission of this program is to train and attract new investigators to research on hyperphenylalaninemia, biopterin defects and related conditions that is directly relevant to improvement in patient care, treatment and quality of life.

Sponsor: Phenylalanine Families and Researchers Exploring Evidence (PHEFREE)

Eligibility Criteria: Graduate and postgraduate trainees, postdoctoral fellows, and junior faculty within 10 years from the completion of their degree/residency/clinical training are eligible.

Application Due Date: 2023-01-06

Term: One Year

Opportunity Type: Education and Career Development Opportunities

Goal: The overall mission of the ROAR career enhancement core is to recruit and retain a cohort of physicians, physician-researchers, and other researchers with clinical research expertise in rare metabolic disorders, specifically organic acidemias.

Sponsor: Rare Organic Acidemias Research (ROAR) Consortium

Eligibility Criteria: Applicants and mentors from within or outside of the ROAR consortium may apply, but they must be affiliated with the following ROAR institutions: (Baylor College of Medicine/Texas Children’s Hospital, University of Pittsburgh, University of Minnesota, Children’s Research Institute/Children’s National Medical Center, Children’s Hospital Colorado). All applicants must have a mentor and/or co-mentor who is a ROAR consortium member.

Application Due Date: 2026-04-17

Term: One Year

Opportunity Type: Pilot Grants and Other Requests for Applications

Goal: The overall mission of the ROAR pilot & feasibility grant is to support small projects which advance diagnosis, enhance clinical trial readiness, and improve therapies and outcomes for individuals with organic acidemias.

Sponsor: Rare Organic Acidemias Research (ROAR) Consortium

Eligibility Criteria: Investigators must have a doctoral degree to be eligible to apply (e.g., MD, DO, PhD, etc) and must be affiliated with U.S.-based institution within or outside of the ROAR Consortium. Applications from early-stage investigators are highly encouraged.

Application Due Date: 2026-08-17

Term: One Year

Opportunity Type: Education and Career Development Opportunities

Goal: The Spastic Paraplegia Centers of Excellence Research Network (SP-CERN) - RDCRC, part of the NIH-funded Rare Diseases Clinical Research Network (RDCRN), invites applications for the SP-CERN Career Enhancement Fellowship Program. These competitive fellowships aim to train the next generation of clinician-scientists and clinical trialists in Hereditary Spastic Paraplegia (HSP) and related neurogenetic disorders.

Sponsor: Spastic Paraplegia Centers of Excellence Research Network (SP-CERN-RDCRC)

Eligibility Criteria: MD or MD/PhD Degree

Application Due Date: 2026-02-01

Term: 12-months

Opportunity Type: Pilot Grants and Other Requests for Applications

Goal: The SP-CERN Pilot/Feasibility Core seeks projects that: Develop or validate biomarkers and clinical outcome measures for HSP subtypes; Advance diagnostic approaches, including genomic, transcriptomic, or functional tools; Explore gene-based or small-molecule therapies for HSP; Build or strengthen collaborations with patient advocacy groups (PAGs) and international consortia.

Sponsor: Spastic Paraplegia Centers of Excellence Research Network (SP-CERN-RDCRC)

Eligibility Criteria: Junior investigators (at the level of instructor or assistant professor) affiliated with SP-CERN institutions seeking to establish a research program in HSP or related neurogenetic disorders. Established investigators affiliated with SP-CERN institutions wishing to expand their research into new directions relevant to HSP.

Application Due Date: 2026-02-01

Term: One Year