The Lupus Research Alliance seeks to fund biomedical research that will discover better diagnostics, improve medical treatments and advance translational and clinical research that will ultimately lead to a cure for lupus. Our grant funding opportunities provide distinct opportunities for researchers to test their most innovative hypothesis by applying cutting edge methodologies to further investigation in the lupus and autoimmune space.
The Global Team Science Award ($3 million over 3 years) supports interdisciplinary, collaborative, and highly synergistic projects that push the boundaries of innovation and bridge research and clinical efforts in lupus. The successful Teams will focus on unraveling human lupus heterogeneity by applying cutting-edge technologies to address critical questions that could bring about breakthroughs in lupus care, research or drug development. Deadline for LOI: Aug. 15, 2024
Translational Bridge Award ($450,000 over 2 years) provides funding to bridge the gap between post-discovery and pre-commercial development and to accelerate the pace at which promising LRA-funded foundational research discoveries are translated into clinical evaluation and transitioned to a viable product that impacts patients directly. All projects should advance potential commercial entities or clinical products with a clear and direct relevance to people with lupus and offer the potential to improve diagnosis or standard of care for the disease or usher in a cure. These can include a range of technologies, therapies, interventions, and diagnostics. Letters of Intent Due: April 29, 2024
Career Development Award: The Lupus Research Alliance Career Development Award to Promote Diversity in Lupus Research ($600,000 over 4 years) is designed to attract outstanding early-career underrepresented minority scientists and provides them with robust and sustained support to establish a competitive independent research program in areas that reflect strategic research priorities of the Lupus Research Alliance, including defining lupus heterogeneity and stratifying patients by active disease mechanism to advance new therapeutics. Deadline for LOI: Sep. 12, 2023
Postdoctoral Award: The Lupus Research Alliance Postdoctoral Award to Promote Diversity in Lupus Research ($170,000 over 2 years for fellows with no more than 4 years of postdoctoral training) is designed to attract qualified and promising underrepresented minority scientists and provides them with robust and sustained support that will help them generate scientific data and unique research ideas necessary to ultimately transition to an independent researcher role in areas that reflect the strategic research priorities of the Lupus Research Alliance, including defining lupus heterogeneity and stratifying patients by active disease mechanism to advance new therapeutics. Deadline for LOI: Sep. 12, 2023
The Distinguished Innovator Award ($1M over 4 years) provides outstanding scientists with substantial support to conduct highly innovative research into the fundamental causes of systemic lupus erythematosus and so provide new directions towards a cure. Deadline: TBA
The Lupus Innovation Award ($300,000 over 2 years) provides support for pioneering, high-risk, high-reward approaches to major challenges in lupus research. Special emphasis is placed on lupus studies exploring fundamental mechanisms, novel targets and pathways, novel technologies, and interdisciplinary approaches. Both early career and established investigators new to lupus with highly innovative ideas are encouraged to apply. LOI Deadline: March 1, 2024
Lupus Insight Prize: The primary objective of the Lupus Insight Prize is to identify and recognize an outstanding investigator who has developed a novel research insight in scientific domains relevant to lupus. Nominations Due December 20, 2024
The Lupus Mechanisms and Targets Award ($600,000 total costs over 3 years) supports research focused on the identification and/or investigation of molecular pathways or targets that will lead to new or improved therapies for patients with lupus. LOI Deadline: March 1, 2023
Diversity Supplement: The LRA offers an Administrative Supplement to Promote Diversity in Lupus Research (“LRA Diversity Supplement”) for highly qualified and promising underrepresented minority trainees to support their research experiences aligned with an active LRA parent award or with lupus research-focused NIH, DOD, or equivalent awards in good standing. Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis until the available funds have been committed. Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis until October 10, 2024.