Simons Foundation Autism Research Initiative

The Simons Foundation Autism Research Initiative improves the understanding, diagnosis, and treatment of autism spectrum disorders by funding innovative research of the highest quality and relevance.

To that end, SFARI is inviting applications for its SFARI Research Awards from individuals ready to conduct bold and rigorous research.

The goal of the award is to provide support for investigation of key unresolved research questions in autism, particularly those that connect genetic etiologies to brain function and behavior. The program welcomes risk and novelty, but they are not required criteria for a proposal to be considered meritorious. Competitive applications will have preliminary data or other relevant groundwork that justifies substantial investment in the proposed topic. In some cases, projects may include those focusing on a central hypothesis where success depends on close collaboration between two or more labs.

The maximum budget of a Research Award is $1.3 million (including 20 percent indirect costs), over a period of up to four years. Investigators are encouraged to take advantage of the flexibility in budget and duration to tailor the scope of the award as appropriate for their specific aims. For projects that propose four years of research, progress will be critically evaluated at the end of year two before support for the remaining two years will be approved.

All applicants and key collaborators must hold a PhD, MD, or equivalent degree and have a faculty position or the equivalent at a college, university, medical school, or other research facility. Eligible applicants must also have independent lab space at their institution. Applications may be submitted by domestic and foreign nonprofit organizations; public and private institutions such as colleges, universities, hospitals, laboratories, and units of state and local government; and eligible agencies of the federal government. There are no citizenship or country requirements.

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