Areas of Emphasis: The FY23 NFRP strongly encourages research applications that specifically address the critical needs of the NF community in one or more of the Areas of Emphasis listed below. All applications are also encouraged to include materials and data from diverse populations in their research.
• NF2 and Schwannomatosis-related areas (e.g., hearing, balance, schwannoma, ependymoma, meningioma, LZTR1, SMARCB1)
• Endpoint validation, biomarker discovery, and technological innovation for assessments
• Application of data science
• Non-tumor manifestations not limited to: o Pain o Cognitive manifestations o Sleep
• Heterogeneity of NF-related phenotypes
• Genetics, genomics, epigenetics, systems biology, metabolomics, or similar approaches
• Preclinical efficacy studies
• Target identification and drug discovery
• Nutritional, environmental, and other modifiers of NF
• Health services research
The PI must: • Be involved in a postdoctoral training or medical residency program • Possess up to 4 years of continuous postdoctoral research experience by the Early Investigator Research Award application submission deadline • Possess a doctoral degree (i.e., Ph.D., M.D./Ph.D., D.O./Ph.D.) or a clinical doctoral degree (i.e., M.D./D.O. or Ph.D. in a clinical discipline) from an accredited organization or program • Commit at least 50% of their effort toward the proposed NF research project
An eligible PI, regardless of ethnicity, nationality, or citizenship status, must be employed by, or affiliated with, an eligible organization.
The anticipated direct costs budgeted for the entire period of performance for an FY23 NFRP Early Investigator Research Program Award should not exceed $200,000. Refer to Section II.D.5, Funding Restrictions, for detailed funding information.