LOI Deadline
Posted: 3/19/2024

Research Grants

We invest in early-career researchers to drive innovative TSC research and to foster a diverse group of researchers dedicated to our shared mission. In 2023, we funded four awards to postdoctoral fellows and early-stage investigators. In 2024, we anticipate awarding three or four awards to postdoctoral fellows and early-stage investigators depending on merit, requested budgets, and funds available.

Deadlines:

Required LOI: May 13, 2024

Invited Full Proposal: Aug. 19, 2024

Areas of Interest

Types of Grants

Postdoctoral Fellowships

  • Postdoctoral Fellowship awards may support any type of basic or translational research relevant to TSC that provides an outstanding opportunity for the trainee’s professional growth.
  • Postdoctoral Fellowship awards are intended to provide funding for an individual who has recently earned a PhD or MD degree and is working with a Sponsor to do research relevant to TSC.
  • The Sponsor must be tenure-track faculty or an equivalent level at a research institution or company. The award is intended to fund the applicant’s salary and some of the laboratory supplies or tools necessary to conduct the proposed research. The award is not intended to fund technical support for the project or to purchase equipment in the Sponsor’s laboratory. The trainee applicant is considered to be the “Principal Investigator” for the purpose of postdoctoral fellowship awards.

Research Grants

  • Research Grant proposals should address one of the following four high-priority areas:

     

    • Understanding phenotypic heterogeneity in TSC, i.e., research on genetic, biologic, or environmental factors that might explain why TSC is so different from person to person
    • Gaining a deeper knowledge of TSC signaling pathways and the cellular consequences of TSC deficiency
    • Improving TSC disease models, whether cell-based, tissue-based, or animal models
    • Developing clinical biomarkers or patient-reported outcome measures for TSC, particularly those that assess disease burden or stratify an individual’s risk of progression or developing specific manifestations of TSC
  • Research Grant awards are intended to provide funding for an independent researcher, whether tenure-track faculty, non-tenure-track faculty or staff, or an equivalent level at a research institution or company. The award may support laboratory supplies, personnel costs, services, or equipment necessary to conduct the proposed research.
  • The TS Alliance fully supports collaborative projects between co-investigators, but only one investigator may be considered the “Principal Investigator” for the purpose of applying through the online system.

Wong Family Foundation Research Award

Thanks to generous support from the Wong Family Foundation, the TSC Alliance is proud to again offer this special funding opportunity as part of our regular research grant and postdoctoral fellowship cycle. This two-year award will be designated to the most meritorious application focusing on epilepsy research. All epilepsy-focused Postdoctoral Fellowship and Research Grant candidates will automatically be considered for the Wong Family Foundation Research Award, so no additional information is required during the application process.

Eligibility Requirements

This opportunity is open to all investigators at established academic or research institutions or at pharmaceutical or biotech companies worldwide.  Researchers residing in the U.S. do not need to be U.S. citizens to apply for funding.