SFARI Collaborations are a new funding mechanism which will provide substantive and stable funding support to multi-disciplinary teams of investigators tackling critical issues in the autism research field. Collaborations will be led by a director who oversees interdisciplinary, synergistic research efforts across multiple laboratories. Investigative groups within a Collaboration will focus on the same conceptually unified topic but will incorporate different scientific disciplines, multiple levels of analysis, and will include a robust data-sharing infrastructure.
SFARI Collaborations have a maximum budget of up to $8,000,000, including 20 percent indirect costs, over an initial period of four years, with a possible three-year extension.
For our first Collaboration RFA, SFARI solicits applications to investigate sex differences in autism.
Collaborations will be led by a director who oversees interdisciplinary, synergistic research efforts across multiple laboratories. Investigative groups within a Collaboration will focus on the same conceptually unified topic but will incorporate different scientific disciplines and multiple levels of analysis, and will include a robust data-sharing infrastructure.
For this SFARI Collaboration, we welcome proposals that will use an array of modern technologies to examine sex differences in brain function, within and across species, including humans, to identify key differences in gene, cell and circuit function that account for the observed differential sensitivities of the two sexes to ASD. A successful Collaboration must enhance our understanding of the biological bases for sex-specific differences in ASD and set the stage for development of novel interventions.
Letter of Intent Deadline: June 5, 2020 (was April 21)
The Collaboration director is expected to determine the scientific agenda, coordinate the scientific activities of the other members, and manage the overall functioning of the Collaboration through administrative and data management teams. The director will be SFARI’s main point of contact for the activities of the collaboration and will be responsible for monitoring and reporting on the overall progress of the research effort and of the individual projects.
Principal investigators (PIs) are expected to conduct research that advances the goals of the Collaboration. Since inclusion of diverse viewpoints is critical for scientific advancement, SFARI strongly encourages the inclusion of researchers who span institutions, career stages and groups historically underrepresented in science.
SFARI Collaborations have a maximum budget of $8,000,000, including 20 percent indirect costs, over an initial period of four years, with a possible three-year extension. We also welcome applications from groups of investigators whose combined efforts do not require the maximum budget.
