The Hevolution Foundation and AFAR will provide up to 18 three-year awards of USD375,000 each to junior investigators (MDs and/or PhDs) with at least 3 years of independent research, who conduct research projects in basic biology of aging or geroscience. Funding will be made available to investigators with labs in Canada and the United States. The Letter of Intent deadline for the 2024 program is July 15, 2024.
This is an initiative from Hevolution Foundation and AFAR. The major goal of this initiative is to identify and support promising junior investigators committed to aging research and geroscience with at least 3 years of independent research. The program provides flexible support for research projects in basic biology of aging, as well as geroscience (projects that translate advances in basic research on aging biology from the laboratory to the clinic.) The projects should focus on understanding the basic mechanisms of aging rather than disease-specific research. Projects investigating age-related diseases or functional disorders are supported only if approached from the point of view of how basic aging processes may lead to disease outcomes. Projects that deal strictly with clinical problems such as the diagnosis or treatment of disease, health outcomes, or the social context of aging are not eligible. Research areas could include, but are not limited to those described in the Hallmarks of Aging.
It is anticipated that up to 18 three-year awards of up to USD375,000 (total cost) each will be awarded in 2024. Overhead/indirect costs of up to 20% of the cost of the grant can be requested, not to exceed USD62,500. Award start date is December 31, 2024.
To be eligible, the applicant must:
- Be an independent investigator with independent research space for at least 3 years, as of July 15, 2024, as described in the Institutional Commitment Form.
- Be no more than 12 years beyond the start of postdoctoral research training as of July 15, 2024. Exceptions to the twelve-year rule may be requested by emailing a biosketch to AFAR at grants@afar.org at least one week prior to the deadline date.
- Have published at least three last author research papers in an international peer reviewed journal from independent work carried out in their own laboratory.
- Propose a research project in basic biology of aging or geroscience.
- Be at an academic, government or non-profit institution in Canada or the United States.
Investigators who may not have previously worked in the area of aging, but whose research interests and expertise are relevant and could lead to discoveries or new understanding in the biology of aging or geroscience are strongly encouraged to apply.