The ALS Association has launched two new grant funding opportunities designed to support research focused on better management of the disease and reduction of its complications. These grants, worth several million dollars over the next two years, will fund the development of new assistive technologies and strengthen the quality of ALS care.
“Our goal is to make ALS a livable disease until we can cure it. That means we need to advance the science of assistive technology to support people with ALS maximizing their joy and living their lives on their own terms,” said Neil Thakur, Ph.D., chief mission officer at The ALS Association. “We also need to learn how everyone with ALS can get the best standard of care no matter where they live—a standard of care that is rapidly improving as new treatments become available.”
Assistive Technology Grants
The needs of people living with ALS can vary from person to person and throughout the course of the disease. As ALS progresses, a diverse array of assistive technologies play a crucial role in helping manage symptoms and maintain independence. These devices can make it easier for people with ALS to communicate, move, breathe, and perform daily activities, helping make life better for both the person living with the disease and their caregivers.
The Association’s newly launched Assistive Technology Grants will provide up to $400,000 over two years to accelerate the development of innovative technologies or the adaptation of existing technologies that can help maintain or improve the health, independence, and/or quality of life for people living with ALS.
Click here to learn more. Letters of intent are due July 13, 2023, by 5:00 p.m. U.S. EDT.
Quality of Care Research Awards
Specialized multidisciplinary care and symptom management are vital components of ALS care, helping to extend survival and improve quality of life. With two new disease-modifying drugs approved by the FDA over the past year, along with rapid technological changes in the practice of medicine, the landscape of ALS treatment and care is changing at a pace never before seen by the ALS community. However, transforming these advances into meaningful improvements in outcomes for everyone, everywhere, will require greater insight into the best ways to optimize the effectiveness, efficiency and accessibility of care.
The Association’s new Quality of Care Research Awards are designed to spark collaborations between ALS clinical science, implementation science, quality improvement, and health services researchers to make ALS care safer, of higher quality, more accessible, more equitable, and more affordable.
Awardees will receive up to $500,000 over two years. For more information, click here. Letters of intent are due August 9, 2023, by 5:00 p.m. U.S. EDT.
