Call for Research Proposals
Milton Safenowitz Postdoctoral Fellowship Program (2022)

Registration Now Closed
Letter of Intent due March 8, 2022

The ALS Association’s Milton Safenowitz Postdoctoral fellowship grant program supports the development of new scientists in the field of ALS by funding junior postdoctoral fellows doing research of high scientific merit and relevance to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

Overview

The ALS Association Global Research Program leads the scientific community in finding effective treatments and cure for ALS, and a better life for people with ALS, their caregivers, and families. The ALS Association is the largest philanthropic funder of ALS research worldwide, and our efforts have led to some of the most promising and significant advances in ALS research.

The ALS Association is proud to support the development of new scientists through the Milton Safenowitz Postdoctoral Fellowship. The Safenowitz family, through The Greater New York Chapter of The ALS Association, founded the award in memory of Mr. Safenowitz, who died of ALS in 1998. These awards are to encourage and facilitate promising young scientists to enter the ALS field. Fellows work with a senior mentor and receive extensive exposure to the ALS research community through meetings and presentations. After completing this fellowship, over 75 percent of the awardees stay in ALS research. They go on to establish their own laboratories to continue studying ALS and mentor more ALS researchers along the way. Other postdoctoral fellows have moved on to successful careers in industry, medical writing, and non-profit organizations.

To view the full funding announcement, click here

Topics of Interest (Scope)

We are especially interested in Fellowships supporting the following:

  • Studies for new target validation including in animal models, and human cell models.
  • Studies that would elucidate target or pathway biology in disease-relevant models, including defining upstream/downstream modifiers and convergence of promising target pathways.
  • Studies of risk factors that could ultimately reduce the risk of developing ALS including studies of genetic risk factors, epigenetics, gene-environment interactions, lifestyle, occupational or dietary factors and epidemiology.
  • Studies of new biomarker identification, and development and/or validation of biomarker assays.
  • Studies to help people living with ALS, including development and/or validation of novel assistive technology and measurement of patient/caregiver/family burden.
  • Studies employing analysis of omics data for purposes such as identification of disease-relevant patient subtypes, new therapeutic targets or new biomarkers. Data analyzed could come from resources including, but not limited to, PRO-ACT, Project MinE or Answer ALS.

PLEASE NOTE: Priority will be given to specific biological targets and areas of research not previously funded through this program in the last three years. Proposals with significant overlap to already funded work will likely not be considered. To view the previous fellowships awarded through this program, please visit The ALS Association’s Milton Safenowitz Postdoctoral Fellowship Program section on our website. 

Funding and Eligibility

Budgets for total direct costs up to $75,000 per year may be requested ($150,000 total direct costs for two years of support). Indirect costs are not provided for postdoctoral fellowship awards. Individuals who have the skills, knowledge, and resources necessary to carry out the proposed research and have an existing postdoctoral fellowship, including the support of their mentor. Applicants who received their highest degree (e.g. PhD or MD) less than three years before the date the award starts are eligible to apply. 

Deadlines

  • Letter of Intent Due Date: March 8, 2022 5 p.m. US ET
  • Full Application Due Date (by invite only): May 10, 2022, 5 p.m. US ET
  • Anticipated Award Decision: July 2022
  • Anticipated Earliest Start Date: July 2022

Online Submission

To Register for a proposalCENTRAL account, create a new Letter of Intent or to access an existing saved Letter of Intent, please visit: https://proposalcentral.com/

User Guides for proposalCENTRAL: 

Questions

We encourage inquiries concerning this funding opportunity and welcome the opportunity to answer questions from potential applicants. Submit general questions and other related correspondence to ResearchGrants@als.org.

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