2024 Pilot Award – Request for Applications
The goal of the Pilot Award is to provide early support for exploratory ideas considered higher risk but with the potential for transformative results, particularly those with novel hypotheses for autism. This funding mechanism is particularly suitable for investigators new to the autism field, though we encourage applicants to consult with experts in autism research to ensure their projects are relevant to the human condition. We encourage applications that propose research to link genetic or other ASD risk factors to molecular, cellular, circuit or behavioral mechanisms and set the stage for development of novel interventions, including work in human subjects.
The total budget of a Pilot Award is $300,000 or less, including 20 percent indirect costs, over a period of up to two (2) years. Projects proposing research in human subjects may request a budget up to $500,000 dollars including 20 percent indirect costs, over a period of up to two (2) years.
Over Two Years
$300,000
- Application Available:
April 2024 - Application Deadline:
- Award Notification:
November 2024 - Award Start Date:
Awards may begin as early as Feb 1, 2025, but we encourage PIs to select a project start date that best accommodates the needs of their project. Funds are expected to be expended as requested during each annual budget period. Projects must begin on the first of the month.
Over Two Years
$300,000
- Application Available:
April 2024 - Application Deadline:
- Award Notification:
November 2024 - Award Start Date:
Awards may begin as early as Feb 1, 2025, but we encourage PIs to select a project start date that best accommodates the needs of their project. Funds are expected to be expended as requested during each annual budget period. Projects must begin on the first of the month.
- Administrative inquiries:
[email protected]
646-654-0066 - Scientific inquiries:
[email protected]
646-654-0066 - Technical assistance:
[email protected]
646-654-0066 - Simons Collections:
[email protected]
646-654-0066 - Monday - Friday: 9 am - 5 pm ET
Over Two Years
$300,000
- Application Available:
April 2024 - Application Deadline:
- Award Notification:
November 2024 - Award Start Date:
Awards may begin as early as Feb 1, 2025, but we encourage PIs to select a project start date that best accommodates the needs of their project. Funds are expected to be expended as requested during each annual budget period. Projects must begin on the first of the month.
- Administrative inquiries:
[email protected]
646-654-0066 - Scientific inquiries:
[email protected]
646-654-0066 - Technical assistance:
[email protected]
646-654-0066 - Simons Collections:
[email protected]
646-654-0066 - Monday - Friday: 9 am - 5 pm ET
SFARI Mission
The mission of the Simons Foundation Autism Research Initiative (SFARI) is to improve the understanding, diagnosis and treatment of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) by funding innovative research of the highest quality and relevance.
To this end, we solicit applications for Pilot Awards from individuals who will conduct bold, imaginative, rigorous and relevant research.
Objective of the Pilot Award
The goal of the Pilot Award is to provide early support for exploratory ideas, particularly those with novel hypotheses. Appropriate projects for this mechanism include those considered higher risk but with the potential for transformative results, including work in human subjects. Projects that represent continuations of ongoing work (whether funded by SFARI or other funders) are not appropriate for this mechanism.
This funding mechanism is particularly suitable for investigators who are new to the autism field, though we encourage those new to the field to consult with experts in autism research to ensure their projects are relevant to the human condition.
In particular, we encourage applications that propose research to link genetic or other ASD risk factors to molecular, cellular, circuit or behavioral mechanisms and set the stage for development of novel interventions. Please read more about SFARI’s scientific perspectives. We also strongly advise applicants to familiarize themselves with the currently funded projects and resources that SFARI supports and to think about how their proposals might complement existing efforts.
As with other Pilot projects, proposals in human subjects should be relevant, novel, exploratory, high-risk and with the potential for transformative results. They may test new mechanisms, employ new technology or analytics, or take innovative approaches to phenotyping or stratification that stand to move the field forward in transformative ways. Given the heterogeneity and multifactorial causes of ASD, SFARI places a premium on the use of well-characterized and sufficiently powered cohorts. To facilitate recruitment of cohorts with well-characterized ASD and associated neurodevelopmental disabilities, SFARI has developed the Research Match program, which helps investigators recruit participants from Simons collections, including SPARK and Simons Searchlight. RFA applicants are strongly encouraged, but not required, to use Research Match as part of their participation recruitment strategy. Recognizing that sufficiently-powered work in humans can be costly, projects employing human subjects will have the option for a separate (higher) budget track, as detailed below.
Level and Duration of Funding
The total budget of a Pilot Award is $300,000 or less, including 20 percent indirect costs, over a period of up to two (2) years. Projects proposing research in human subjects may request a higher budget (up to $500,000 over 2 years), but must include a compelling justification, particularly for the required level of effort of all key personnel. Allowable indirect costs to the primary institution for subcontracts are not included in the total budget threshold (see our grant policies). We encourage investigators to take advantage of the flexibility in budget and duration, tailoring the scope of the award as appropriate for their specific aims. Proposed budgets will be assessed on the appropriateness for the scope of work and merit of commitment. Larger budgets invite heightened scrutiny. We strongly encourage investigators considering budgets that exceed our guidelines to consult SFARI before submission (please contact [email protected]).
Funds are expected to be expended as requested during each annual budget period.
Please note that in the event of budgetary or other considerations the Simons Foundation reserves the right to refer an application to the Simons Foundation International, Ltd. (SFI) for consideration and funding, in which case SFI’s grant policies would apply.
Eligibility
All applicants and key collaborators must hold a Ph.D., M.D. or equivalent degree and have a faculty position or the equivalent at a college, university, medical school or other research facility.
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.
Multiple Applications, Resubmissions and Renewals
Unsuccessful applications submitted to previous SFARI RFAs may be resubmitted to this RFA, if relevant. For all resubmissions, we ask principal investigators (PIs) to submit a statement of changes describing substantive changes to the application since the previous submission. If the previous application was externally reviewed, this document should include point-by-point responses to the reviewers’ critiques. If the revised application does not include substantive changes, it is unlikely that the outcome will change. This is especially true for applications that were not externally reviewed, as this decision is often based on the relevance of the project to SFARI’s mission. We also will not accept applications that have previously been considered three or more times (regardless of which RFA they were previously submitted to).
Investigators may submit multiple applications on different topics. However, it is highly unlikely that two awards will be made to the same PI within one RFA cycle.
Given the focus of this RFA on bold, imaginative new ideas, it is unlikely that a renewal of a currently funded project (either from SFARI or elsewhere) will be a good fit for this RFA. We encourage investigators to seek continuation support from outside funding sources, or, if eligible, to consider applying to the Pilot Progression RFA, which will open for applications in April 2024. Decisions on new proposals from current SFARI Investigators will include the evaluation of progress on previous or ongoing SFARI grants.
Instructions for Submission
Applications must be submitted via the Simons Award Manager (SAM). Please click on the Funding Opportunities icon and navigate to the Autism Research – Pilot Award – 2024 call. Click the Create Application button to begin. Applications should be started and submitted under the applicant’s own account in SAM.
Application templates will be available in SAM on April 11, 2024. Applications will include a Specific Aims page and a 3-page Proposal Narrative. Up to 10 figures can be included separately and do not count towards the page limit.
Our Commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
Many of the greatest ideas and discoveries come from a diverse mix of minds, backgrounds and experiences. The Simons Foundation is committed to grantmaking that inspires and supports greater diversity and inclusiveness by cultivating a funding environment that ensures representation of all identities and differences and equitable access to information and resources for all applicants and grantees.
The Simons Foundation provides equal opportunities to all applicants for funding without regard to race, religion, color, age, sex, pregnancy, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic disposition, neurodiversity, disability, veteran status or any other protected category under federal, state and local law. We also fund programs directed at supporting scientists from disadvantaged backgrounds or underrepresented groups, often working closely with professional societies and other funding agencies.
Over Two Years
$300,000
- Application Available:
April 2024 - Application Deadline:
- Award Notification:
November 2024 - Award Start Date:
Awards may begin as early as Feb 1, 2025, but we encourage PIs to select a project start date that best accommodates the needs of their project. Funds are expected to be expended as requested during each annual budget period. Projects must begin on the first of the month.
- Administrative inquiries:
[email protected]
646-654-0066 - Scientific inquiries:
[email protected]
646-654-0066 - Technical assistance:
[email protected]
646-654-0066 - Simons Collections:
[email protected]
646-654-0066 - Monday - Friday: 9 am - 5 pm ET
The submission deadline is Thursday, June 13, 2024, 12:00 p.m. Eastern Time
Applications must be submitted via the Simons Award Manager (SAM). Please click on the Funding Opportunities icon and navigate to the call for the Autism Research – Pilot Award – 2024. Click the Create Application button to begin. Applications should be started and submitted under the applicant’s own account in SAM.
Please note that anyone submitting an application will be added to the SFARI newsletter mailing list.
Informational videos on submitting applications in SAM can be found here.
Application Submission Instructions:
To submit an application, the following sections must be completed:
- Proposal Tab:
- Applicant Details & Personal Data: Please complete the required fields listed below. The applicant may use the Edit Profile button to update their information as needed.
- Position/Job Title
- Academic Rank
- ORCID iD
- Personal Data: Disclosing demographic information is voluntary; however, a response is required for all demographic questions. If you do not wish to disclose any information, please select the “Prefer not to disclose” option for each question. To complete this section, please use the Edit Profile button. Please note that you will not be able to submit your application until a response has been provided for each demographic question.
- Academic Degrees: Click the Add/Modify Degree(s) button to provide this information.
- Application Details: Please complete the required fields below. Hovering over the question mark icons will provide additional information on required fields.
- Title: Enter a project title.
- Start Date and End Date: All start dates must be on the first of the month and end dates must be on the last day of the month. Awards should span two years (e.g. February 1, 2025 to January 31, 2027).
- Is this a resubmission?: Please select Yes if you have previously submitted an application to this program. You will be asked to enter the SAM or ProposalCentral (pC) ID.
- Proposal – The following information/upload must be provided:
- Simons Collections Data and/or Biospecimens: indicate accordingly.
- Specific Aims: Upload via template provided.
- Proposal Narrative: Upload via template provided.
- Personnel Biosketches: Please upload a biosketch for all key personnel on the project using the template provided or using your NIH biosketch or NIH SciENcv.
- Resources and Research Environment: Upload via template provided.
- Progress Report: Only required for investigators currently receiving SFARI funding on science relevant for current proposal. If required, upload via template provided.
- Investigational Compound Information Sheet: Only required for investigators proposing to use investigational compounds or chemicals for which public information is not yet available. If required, upload via template provided.
- Human Participants Study Information Sheet: Only required for investigators proposing human participant research/clinical studies. If required, upload using template provided.
- Other: Upload any application materials that were specifically requested. Additionally, in-press papers can be included, as well as any papers that you consider essential for the work of the review committee. Include no more than three (3) papers. Any other material should be included, if possible, in the narrative.
- Data & Renewable Reagents: Indicate your plan for sharing data and renewable reagents (if applicable) by answering the provided questions.
- Applicant Details & Personal Data: Please complete the required fields listed below. The applicant may use the Edit Profile button to update their information as needed.
- Contacts and Personnel Tab:
- Institution Administrative Contacts: At least one institution signing official and financial officer must be added to the Institution Administrative Contacts section before you will be able to submit your application.
- Project Personnel: Please indicate all key personnel on the proposed project. Key personnel include the PI and other individuals who contribute to the scientific development or execution of a project in a substantive, measurable way, whether or not they request salaries or compensation. This may include co-investigators, collaborators, postdoctoral research associates or equivalent employee positions.
- Project personnel who will be named in the budget must be added to the Project Personnel section on this tab before they will display as available options in the budget module. This does not apply to TBD personnel.
- Instructions for multi-site applications: The Spokesperson PI will be the designated contact for the project. The Spokesperson PI will be responsible for directing the project and will coordinate all administrative deliverables.
- Applications with multiple PIs from different institutions that would like to be paid separately must list the additional PI(s) in the Project Personnel section and use the Application Role dropdown that indicates “Principle Investigator (Multi-Site).” This will generate a linked application that the additional PI and their institution must complete. Additional PIs will be notified via email that they have been invited to participate in a collaboration and will be able to access their application upon logging into SAM, which includes a budget and requires sign-off by a signing official from the individual PI’s institution. Additional PIs can work on their applications at the same time as the Spokesperson PI.
- Applications with multiple PIs from different institutions that would like to be paid directly by the main institution are considered subcontracts. Subcontract PIs should be listed in the Project Personnel section either with or without access.
- Subcontract PIs with access should be added using the Application Role dropdown that indicated “Subcontract Lead – With Application Access,” which will generate an email notification that they have been added to the application with access to view or edit the main or any subcontract budgets.
- Subcontract Leads without access should be added using the Application Role dropdown that indicates “Key Personnel (Including Subcontracts) – Without Application Access,” which will not notify the Subcontract PI and will not give them access. Instead, this allows the contact PI to fill out the subcontract budget on their behalf.
- Applications from multiple PIs at the same institution do not need to submit additional materials. Additional non-applicant PIs can be added to this section as “Key Personnel – With Access” or “Key Personnel (Including Subcontracts) – Without Application Access.” Under “add more details,” select the role “Non-Contact Principal Investigator.”
- Budget Tab: Click the Edit/Modify button to add a detailed budget. Any errors that must be corrected before submission will be displayed in red above the budget. If a budget has more than one period, using the “copy from previous period” functionality will copy items from the previous period into the current period.
- Subcontract Budgets, including budgets with PIs from different institutions who would like to be paid directly by the main institution, will be visible once the Subcontract is added in the Contacts and Key Personnel tab as described above.
- Multi-site budgets from different institutions that would like to be paid separately will be visible on each PI’s individual application, but they will not be able to see any individual salary information. They will see an aggregated personnel total.
- Budget Considerations
- Personnel: Please note that there is no salary cap for PIs or other faculty on a Simons Foundation grant; however, the compensation is prorated according to the individual’s percent effort on the grant. There is no minimum percent effort required for PIs or other personnel on any SFARI award type, but it is expected that the PI will commit sufficient effort to this project to provide a leading intellectual and guiding role on the project. PIs committing less than 15 percent effort to their project should justify their effort level in detail. SFARI funds may be used only for personnel considered employees of the grantee institution who are eligible for benefits. Funds may not be used for stipend or benefit supplementation unless specifically authorized under the terms of the program from which funds are derived. The Simons Foundation reserves the right to modify budgets when an application has been selected for an award (see Simons Foundation policies).
- Indirect costs (IDCs): Indirect costs to the primary institution are limited to 20 percent of direct costs with the following exceptions: equipment, tuition and any portion of each subcontract in excess of $25,000. The primary institution may take indirect costs on the first $25,000 modified total direct costs of each subcontract. Indirect costs paid to a subcontractor may not exceed 20 percent of the modified total direct costs paid to the subcontractor.
- Equipment: The Simons Foundation will own equipment purchased with foundation grant funds with a unit cost of $50,000 or more. At the end of the grant funding period or in the case of grant termination for any reason, the foundation reserves the right to retain ownership or cede ownership to the PI’s institution. Equipment with a unit cost of less than $50,000 shall be the property of the institution.
- Abstract & Keywords Tab: Provide an abstract for the proposed project in the Technical Abstract text box.
- Publications & Other Support Tab:
- Publications: Follow instructions for providing publications for all key personnel on the project. Publications can be added as a batch from a PubMed search by selecting Select publication from profile and then clicking the Assign publications for this proposal button. Note that publications will be used to determine conflicts of interest (COIs) for the review of your proposal.
- Other Support: Follow instructions for providing other support information for all key personnel on the project.
- If using PDF upload, use NIH format.
- Organization Assurances: Indicate if the application has organizational assurances.
- Check Application Progress: Click the Check Application Progress button to check for any missing required information or files. All missing required information will be listed at the top of the screen and must be corrected before the application can be submitted.
- Send for sign-off: When the application is complete, click on the Send for sign-off button to send to your signing official for signature. You will receive a notification when the application is signed.
- Submit Application: When the full proposal application is complete and signed, click on the Submit Application button. A confirmation page will appear once the application is successfully submitted. It will appear in the Submitted tab of the Applications in Progress table. Please note that you will not be able to submit an application if the deadline has passed.
Please note that in the event of budgetary or other considerations the Simons Foundation reserves the right to refer an application to the Simons Foundation International, Ltd. (SFI) for consideration and funding, in which case SFI’s grant policies would apply.
Please note that narratives exceeding the three (3)-page limit will not be reviewed. Not included in the page limit are figures (up to 10, each fitting on one page), figure legends and references (formatted in the Journal of Neuroscience style).
Over Two Years
$300,000
- Application Available:
April 2024 - Application Deadline:
- Award Notification:
November 2024 - Award Start Date:
Awards may begin as early as Feb 1, 2025, but we encourage PIs to select a project start date that best accommodates the needs of their project. Funds are expected to be expended as requested during each annual budget period. Projects must begin on the first of the month.
- Administrative inquiries:
[email protected]
646-654-0066 - Scientific inquiries:
[email protected]
646-654-0066 - Technical assistance:
[email protected]
646-654-0066 - Simons Collections:
[email protected]
646-654-0066 - Monday - Friday: 9 am - 5 pm ET
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Eligibility
Am I eligible to be a principal investigator (PI) on a SFARI Pilot or Research Award?
All applicants and key collaborators must hold a Ph.D., M.D. or equivalent degree and have a faculty position or the equivalent at a college, university, medical school or other research facility. Applications may be submitted by domestic and foreign nonprofit organizations; public and private institutions, such as colleges, universities, hospitals, laboratories, units of state and local government; and eligible agencies of the federal government. There are no citizenship or country requirements. See the Personnel FAQ section for more information on the responsibilities of a SFARI principal investigator.
Can postdoctoral associates apply as PIs?No, postdoctoral associates may not apply as PIs even if your institution is willing to submit an application on your behalf.
Senior postdoctoral research associates who are interested in pursuing an independent career in autism research are encouraged to apply for SFARI’s Bridge to Independence Award RFA. The next round of Bridge to Independence is scheduled to launch in August 2024.
Can foreign institutions apply for a grant?Yes, foreign institutions may apply. Please see Simons Foundation policies regarding international grants.
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Personnel
What is the difference between a principal investigator (PI) and a co-investigator?
Principal Investigator
The individual(s) judged by the applicant institution to have the appropriate level of authority and responsibility to direct the project or program supported by the grant. All principal investigators (PIs) must hold a Ph.D., M.D. or equivalent degree and have a faculty position or equivalent at a college, university, medical school or other research facility. The PI is responsible and accountable to the applicant institution and SFARI for the proper conduct of the project or activity, including the submission of all required reports. The PI will act as the main point of contact for SFARI and should be noted as personnel in the budget even if not requesting salary. There is no minimum percent effort required for PI, but it is expected that the PI will join the collaborative community of SFARI Investigators, and that the PI will partake in some conferences, workshops and symposia that SFARI organizes.Co-Investigator
An individual involved with the PI in the scientific development or execution of a project. The co-investigator must hold a Ph.D., M.D. or equivalent, and be employed by or be affiliated with the applicant/grantee institution or another organization participating in the project under a consortium agreement. A co-investigator is considered key personnel and should be noted as personnel in the budget even if not requesting salary. SFARI does not require a minimum effort from the co-investigator. The designation of a co-investigator, if applicable, does not affect the PI’s roles and responsibilities, nor is it a role implying multiple PIs.Is there a minimum percent effort for PIs or co-investigators?We seek applications from independent investigators who can devote a substantial portion of time to this effort. There is no minimum percent effort required for any personnel, but we expect personnel, in particular PIs and co-investigators, to have efforts that reflect their roles in the project.
Can multiple PIs apply for a grant?When relevant, the applicant organization may designate multiple individuals as PIs who share the authority and responsibility for leading and directing the project, intellectually and logistically. Each PI is responsible and accountable to the applicant organization or, as appropriate, to a collaborating organization, for the proper conduct of the project or program, including the submission of all required reports. The presence of more than one identified PI on an application or award diminishes neither the responsibility nor the accountability of any individual PI.
The first PI listed, under whose name the application is submitted, will serve as the contact PI for administrative purposes. The contact PI must be affiliated with the institution submitting the application. The contact PI will be responsible for communication between SFARI and the rest of the leadership team.
The role type “Co-PI” will not be used by SFARI.
How do I designate multiple PIs on the application?Please review the instructional video, “Generate collaboration and multi-site applications,” on our website.
Where do I enter additional co-investigators and additional key personnel?You can save personnel details in the Project Personnel section on the Contacts and Personnel tab of the application.
Can co-investigators and additional personnel be listed on multiple applications?Yes, co-investigators and additional personnel can be listed on multiple applications.
Does SFARI require letters of support or collaboration?We do not require letters of support or letters of collaboration from co-investigators. If a letter is prepared, it can be uploaded in the Other section.
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Submission
Where do I submit the proposal?
Applications must be submitted via the Simons Award Manager (SAM). Please click on the Funding Opportunities icon and navigate to the Autism Research – Pilot Award – 2024 call. Click the Create Application button to begin. Applications should be started and submitted under the applicant’s own account in SAM.
Can I email or mail a proposal?No, SFARI accepts only applications submitted online through SAM.
Does the PI need to sign the signature page?No, only the signing official may sign and submit the application.
Where is the Submit button?The Submit button is located at the bottom right of the screen. You will be unable to submit if you have not provided all the required information. If the submission deadline has NOT passed, use the Check Application Progress button to check for missing requirements. If the problem persists, please contact [email protected].
If the deadline has passed, the submission period has closed, and you will not be able to submit.
I get an error message citing a missing section when I try to submit.The Check Application Progress button reviews your application for missing sections. The submission instructions list the required sections and attachments. You must complete the missing sections listed. If you are still receiving error messages after completing and saving the indicated sections, please contact [email protected].
Are deadline times adjusted for time zones?No, please be advised that application deadlines on the application are in Eastern Time. We recommend registering early and submitting applications with ample time for corrections prior to the deadline hour. Site traffic can slow page-load times. The Submit button will not work after the deadline time has passed.
Is there a confirmation email when I submit?A confirmation email is sent upon submission of the application. Make sure that spam filters allow emails from [email protected]. Additionally, the application will be in the Submitted tab of the Applications in Progress table after submission.
Can I make changes to the application once it has been submitted?Before you can make changes to your submitted application, you must first contact SFARI. Please email [email protected]. Applications can only be changed prior to the deadline.
The funding notification date has passed, but I haven’t received a notification. What is the status of my proposal?You should receive notification within 24 hours of the deadline. Please check your spam filter settings if you have not received notification by then.
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Resubmissions and Renewals
Can PIs submit multiple applications for Pilot Awards?
Principal Investigators may submit multiple applications for funding, however SFARI is exceedingly unlikely to award more than one grant to a given PI in a single year.
Can PIs re-submit unfunded applications?Unsuccessful applications submitted to previous SFARI RFAs may be resubmitted in subsequent RFAs. However, we will not accept applications that have previously been considered three (3) or more times (regardless of which RFA they were previously submitted to). For all resubmissions, we ask PIs to submit a statement of changes describing substantive changes to the application since the previous submission. If the previous application was externally reviewed, this document should include point-by-point responses to the reviewers’ critiques. This document will be used primarily by SFARI’s internal scientific staff, although in some cases portions of it may be shared with external reviewers at SFARI’s discretion. If the revised application does not include substantive changes, it is unlikely that the outcome will change. This is especially true for applications that were not externally reviewed, as this decision is often based on the relevance of the project to SFARI’s mission.
Can PIs submit applications for renewal of a previously funded SFARI award?Given the focus of the Pilot RFA on bold, imaginative new ideas, it is unlikely that a renewal of a currently funded project (either from SFARI or elsewhere) will be a good fit for this RFA. We encourage investigators to seek continuation support from outside funding sources, or, if eligible, to consider applying to the Pilot Progression RFA, which is currently open. Decisions on new proposals from current SFARI Investigators will include the evaluation of progress on previous or ongoing SFARI grants.
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Proposal
- Relevant scientific background and relevance to autism
- Preliminary results when applicable
- Specific aims
- Experimental design
- Pitfalls and alternative strategies
- Future directions and implications for autism diagnosis, understanding or treatment
- Timeline and milestones
- Induced pluripotent stem cell lines and controls to be used and their availability
- Animal model strains/lines and their availability
- Patient cohorts used (including source of participants, sample size and availability of genetic data)
- Datasets or biospecimen collections to be used (including SFARI resources) and their availability
- A brief statement of statistical power
- Investigators should refer to the Methodological and Statistical Considerations Sheet for further information on necessary experimental detail to include in the proposal narrative.
What should be included in the Specific Aims Page?The Specific Aims Page should be a summary of the proposed project focused on the research aims of the project, including a concise rationale for the hypothesis, description of preliminary data and experimental approach, and impact on autism research.
What is the page limit for the Specific Aims Page?The Specific Aims Page should not exceed one (1) page of single-spaced, 11-point text and 0.5-inch margins.
What is the page limit for the Proposal Narrative?Pilot Award Proposal Narratives should not exceed three (3) pages single-spaced, 11-point text and 0.5-inch margins. Figures, figure legends and references should follow the narrative text and will not count towards the page limit.
How should the Proposal Narrative be organized?The Proposal Narrative should be considered an expanded version of the Specific Aims Page and used to provide more detail on the following:
SFARI considers the following information crucial for the evaluation of a project and encourages including the following details (where relevant):
Are references, figures and figure legends included in the Proposal Narrative page limit? How should they be included?References, figures and figure legends are not included in the page limits for the Proposal Narrative, although we have a limit of ten (10) figures, each fitting on a single page. Please attach them at the end of the narrative in the same PDF file. SFARI’s preference is for figures to follow the narrative rather than be embedded in the text. References should be in Journal of Neuroscience format, including full author list, title and a link to PubMed or preprint archive.
What is a “statement of changes”?For all resubmissions, we ask PIs to submit a statement of changes describing substantive changes to the application since the previous submission. If the previous application was externally reviewed, this document should include point-by-point responses to the reviewers’ critiques. This document will be used primarily by SFARI’s internal scientific staff, although in some cases portions of it may be shared with external reviewers at SFARI’s discretion.
What can I include in the Other section?In-press papers can be included, as well as any papers that you consider essential for the work of the review committee. Include no more than three (3) papers. Any other material should be included, if possible, in the narrative. If you have video attachments for your proposal, please upload them in the Other section (all file types are accepted).
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Budget
What do I do if there is a subcontract on the application?
Applications with a subcontract (including PIs who will be paid directly by the contact PI’s institution) should review the instructional video, “Add a subcontract budget to an application,” on our website.
Are indirect costs included in the budget limits?Yes. The total limit for a Pilot Award is $300,000 for proposals that do not involve work in humans and $500,000 for proposals that do involve work in humans. These totals include indirect costs, at 20 percent for up to two (2) years. Allowable Indirect costs to the primary institution for subcontracts are not included in the total budget threshold (see grant policies). Please note that indirect costs cannot be taken on equipment with a unit cost of more than $10,000 or on tuition or SSC and Simons Searchlight biospecimens.
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Accessing Simons Collection Resources (i.e., SSC, Simons Searchlight, SPARK and AIC)
How can I find out more about available data and biospecimens (where applicable) from the SSC, Simons Searchlight, SPARK, Autism Inpatient Collection (AIC) and Autism BrainNet?
You can access and request information about the SSC, Simons Searchlight, SPARK, AIC and Autism BrainNet on SFARI Base. If you do not have SFARI Base account, you must create one. If you have problems with the log in or have questions regarding the collections, please email [email protected].
How can I find out more about the data collected from SPARK participants?Please see the SPARK webpage for more information about the SPARK cohort and available data. You can access and request information about the data collected from SPARK via SFARI Base. If you do not have a SFARI Base account, you must create one. If you have problems with the login or have questions regarding the collections, please email [email protected].
Are biospecimens available from SPARK?No, but phenotypic and genetic data are currently available to approved researchers via SFARI Base.
How can I apply to recruit SPARK participants for my research studies?Researchers may submit an application on SFARI Base. The SPARK Participant Access Committee considers applications on a quarterly basis, but applications may be submitted at any time. Please refer to the SPARK Recruitment Process Document for more details and email [email protected] with any questions.
Do budget limits include the cost of purchasing SSC and Simons Searchlight biospecimens?No, SSC, Simons Searchlight and AIC biospecimen costs are not included in the budget limit. Prices can be found on the price list on our website.
How can I apply to access human post-mortem brain tissue from Autism BrainNet?Researchers may submit an application through SFARI Base. Information on Autism BrainNet tissue and data are available in the Autism BrainNet tissue catalogue.
Improving the prediction of nonsense-mediated decay outcomes for protein-truncating variants associated with autism
- Awarded: 2024
- Award Type: Pilot
- Award #: SFI-AN-AR-Pilot-00005484
- Zeynep Coban Akdemir, Ph.D. University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston
Mechanisms of disrupted cortical functional connectivity in a mouse model of CDKL5 deficiency disorder
- Awarded: 2024
- Award Type: Pilot
- Award #: SFI-AN-AR-Pilot-00005950
- Jessica Cardin, Ph.D. Yale University
- Michael Higley, M.D., Ph.D. Yale University
The role of BAF subunit genetic variants in autism
- Awarded: 2024
- Award Type: Pilot
- Award #: SFI-AN-AR-Pilot-00005996
- Annie Ciernia, Ph.D. University of British Columbia
Does ectopic expression of germline genes during brain development contribute to autism?
- Awarded: 2024
- Award Type: Pilot
- Award #: SFI-AN-AR-Pilot-00005721
- Shigeki Iwase, Ph.D. University of Michigan Medical School
Understanding oral texture feeding issues in mouse models of autism
- Awarded: 2024
- Award Type: Pilot
- Award #: SFI-AN-AR-Pilot-00005298
- Lauren Orefice, Ph.D. Massachusetts General Hospital
Linking mitochondrial metabolism and autism during human neuronal development
- Awarded: 2024
- Award Type: Pilot
- Award #: SFI-AN-AR-Pilot-00005813
- Pierre Vanderhaeghen, M.D., Ph.D. KU Leuven
Reversing sleep and memory deficits in a mouse model of 16p11.2 deletion syndrome
- Awarded: 2024
- Award Type: Pilot
- Award #: SFI-AN-AR-Pilot-00006039
- Franz Weber, Ph.D. University of Pennsylvania
From proteins to circuits: Understanding thalamocortical circuit vulnerability in autism
- Awarded: 2024
- Award Type: Pilot
- Award #: SFI-AN-AR-Pilot-00006258
- Joris de Wit, Ph.D. Vlaams Instituut voor Biotechnologie (VIB)
Neural basis of social decision-making in autism mouse models
- Awarded: 2024
- Award Type: Pilot
- Award #: SFI-AN-AR-Pilot-00005788
- Herbert Wu, Ph.D. Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
Mitochondrial dysfunction as a genetic modifier in autism
- Awarded: 2023
- Award Type: Pilot
- Award #: AR-PI-00002590
- Stewart Anderson, M.D. Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
Integrated anatomical and gene expression phenotyping in mouse models of autism
- Awarded: 2023
- Award Type: Pilot
- Award #: AR-PI-00002314
- Harrison Gabel, Ph.D. Washington University in St. Louis
Oligodendrocyte dysfunction in mouse models of autism
- Awarded: 2023
- Award Type: Pilot
- Award #: AR-PI-00002519
- Bryen Jordan, Ph.D. Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Retrospective longitudinal characterization of gene expression changes in mouse models of autism
- Awarded: 2023
- Award Type: Pilot
- Award #: AR-PI-00002071
- Reza Kalhor, Ph.D. Johns Hopkins University
Assessing prefrontal-hypothalamic circuit control of pro-social behaviors in autism mouse models
- Awarded: 2023
- Award Type: Pilot
- Award #: AR-PI-00002095
- Nancy Padilla-Coreano, Ph.D. University of Florida
Cell-specific phosphoproteomic profiling in a mouse model of autism linked to a dysregulated kinase
- Awarded: 2023
- Award Type: Pilot
- Award #: AR-PI-00002388
- Heike Rebholz, Ph.D. Institute of Psychiatry and Neuroscience of Paris
Harnessing functional variant analysis for the targeted design of inhibitors of UBE3A
- Awarded: 2023
- Award Type: Pilot
- Award #: AR-PI-00002201
- Jason Yi, Ph.D. Washington University School of Medicine in St Louis
Real-time tracking and control of brain neuropeptide levels in a mouse model of autism
- Awarded: 2022
- Award Type: Pilot
- Award #: 976096
- Mark Andermann, Ph.D. Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
Neural basis for observational learning in autism mouse models
- Awarded: 2022
- Award Type: Pilot
- Award #: 968348
- Anis Contractor, Ph.D. Northwestern University
Early life sleep disruption as a risk factor for autism
- Awarded: 2022
- Award Type: Pilot
- Award #: 970806
- Graham Diering, Ph.D. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Cortico-cerebellar communication during flexible motor control in mouse models of autism
- Awarded: 2022
- Award Type: Pilot
- Award #: 978953
- Adam Hantman, Ph.D. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
The role of the superior colliculus in tactile sensory processing in mouse models of autism
- Awarded: 2022
- Award Type: Pilot
- Award #: 901159
- Kate Hong, Ph.D. Carnegie Mellon University
Developing a closed-loop framework using artificial neural networks and nonhuman primate experiments to test theories of atypical facial emotion processing in autism
- Awarded: 2022
- Award Type: Pilot
- Award #: 967073
- Kohitij Kar, Ph.D. York University
16p11.2 copy number variant effects on transcriptome-metabolome coupling
- Awarded: 2022
- Award Type: Pilot
- Award #: 977618
- Mirjana Maletić-Savatić, M.D., Ph.D. Baylor College of Medicine
Role of autism risk genes in frontal-sensory cognitive control circuits in mice
- Awarded: 2022
- Award Type: Pilot
- Award #: 977966
- Hirofumi Morishita, M.D., Ph.D. Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
What is the common factor driving brain overgrowth in autism? Investigating the relationship between epigenetic marks and neural stem cell proliferation
- Awarded: 2022
- Award Type: Pilot
- Award #: 963500
- Michael Piper, Ph.D. The University of Queensland
Using human innervated intestinal organoids to study enteric glial dysfunction in autism
- Awarded: 2022
- Award Type: Pilot
- Award #: 978897
- Paul Tesar, Ph.D. Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine
Zebrafish functional analysis of autism risk genes
- Awarded: 2022
- Award Type: Pilot
- Award #: 976210
- Summer Thyme, Ph.D. University of Alabama at Birmingham
Charting the emergence of excitatory and inhibitory neuronal lineages in organoid models of autism
- Awarded: 2022
- Award Type: Pilot
- Award #: 975844
- Flora Vaccarino, M.D. Yale University
Assessing the functions of autism risk genes in deep layer cortical neurons during primate midfetal development
- Awarded: 2022
- Award Type: Pilot
- Award #: 971316
- Xinyu Zhao, Ph.D. University of Wisconsin–Madison
- Qiang Chang, Ph.D. University of Wisconsin–Madison
- Daifeng Wang, Ph.D. University of Wisconsin–Madison
- André M. M. Sousa, Ph.D. University of Wisconsin–Madison
Anomalous visual integration in mouse models of autism
- Awarded: 2021
- Award Type: Pilot
- Award #: 875447
- Hiroki Asari, Ph.D. European Molecular Biology Laboratory
Enhancing reciprocal cooperation through prefrontal microstimulation
- Awarded: 2021
- Award Type: Pilot
- Award #: 875855
- Steve Chang, Ph.D. Yale University
- Anirvan Nandy, Ph.D. Yale University
- Monika Jadi, Ph.D. Yale University
Identifying the epigenetic vulnerability of neurodevelopment
- Awarded: 2021
- Award Type: Pilot
- Award #: 876649
- Gordon Fishell, Ph.D. Harvard University
Elucidating how the autism risk gene CPEB4 regulates cortical neuron development
- Awarded: 2021
- Award Type: Pilot
- Award #: 879074
- John Flanagan, Ph.D. Harvard Medical School
Tracking sensory signals across multiple cortical areas during impaired sensory perception in Cntnap2 knockout mice
- Awarded: 2021
- Award Type: Pilot
- Award #: 878393
- Bilal Haider, Ph.D. Georgia Institute of Technology
Fronto-striatal dopamine underlying behavioral inhibition in a mouse model of neurofibromatosis type 1
- Awarded: 2021
- Award Type: Pilot
- Award #: 736504
- Adam Kepecs, Ph.D. Washington University in St. Louis
Genomic variation in centromeric proximal regions and risk of autism
- Awarded: 2021
- Award Type: Pilot
- Award #: 877843
- Charles Langley, Ph.D. University of California, Davis
- Gary Karpen, Ph.D. University of California, Berkeley
RNA-binding proteins in autism
- Awarded: 2021
- Award Type: Pilot
- Award #: 877745
- Howard Lipshitz, Ph.D. University of Toronto
Neuromuscular mechanisms of motor impairments associated with autism
- Awarded: 2021
- Award Type: Pilot
- Award #: 882985
- Lin Mei, M.D., Ph.D. Case Western Reserve University
The role of cortical feedback during auditory perception in a mouse model of autism
- Awarded: 2021
- Award Type: Pilot
- Award #: 896869
- Adi Mizrahi, Ph.D. The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Understanding insomnia in the autism spectrum using mouse models
- Awarded: 2021
- Award Type: Pilot
- Award #: 878115
- Lucia Peixoto, M.D. Washington State University
Modeling deficiencies in the chromatin modifying enzyme EHMT1 during human neurogenesis using multipurpose degron alleles
- Awarded: 2021
- Award Type: Pilot
- Award #: 875469
- Matthias Stadtfeld, Ph.D. Weill Cornell Medicine
Molecular signatures and reversibility in mouse models of Jordan’s syndrome
- Awarded: 2021
- Award Type: Pilot
- Award #: 877875
- Stefan Strack, Ph.D. University of Iowa
High-throughput screening of Drosophila models to identify autism gene networks that disrupt sleep and circadian rhythms
- Awarded: 2020
- Award Type: Pilot
- Award #: 735135
- Ravi Allada, M.D. Northwestern University
Understanding and manipulating cortex-wide neural dynamics across multiple mouse models of autism
- Awarded: 2020
- Award Type: Pilot
- Award #: 670183
- Timothy Buschman, Ph.D. Princeton University
Cortical encoding of speech in autism
- Awarded: 2020
- Award Type: Pilot
- Award #: 733070
- Edward F. Chang, M.D. University of California, San Francisco
Microbial-based interventions in rodent models of autism: An exploratory study
- Awarded: 2020
- Award Type: Pilot
- Award #: 726259
- Mauro Costa-Mattioli, Ph.D. Baylor College of Medicine
Gut-intrinsic mechanisms of gastrointestinal dysmotility in zebrafish models of autism
- Awarded: 2020
- Award Type: Pilot
- Award #: 719401
- Julia Dallman, Ph.D. University of Miami
Molecular and functional characterization of circuits underlying social motivation in mouse models of autism
- Awarded: 2020
- Award Type: Pilot
- Award #: 673021
- Catherine Dulac, Ph.D. Harvard University
Enhancer-targeted correction of haploinsufficient autism risk genes
- Awarded: 2020
- Award Type: Pilot
- Award #: 675474
- Daniel Geschwind, M.D., Ph.D. University of California, Los Angeles
Cellular and molecular analysis of Setd2 function during cortical neurogenesis
- Awarded: 2020
- Award #: 736305
- Corey Harwell, Ph.D. University of California, San Francisco
Development of antisense oligonucleotides for SYNGAP1 haploinsufficiency associated with autism spectrum disorder and intellectual disability
- Awarded: 2020
- Award Type: Pilot
- Award #: 731581
- Richard Huganir, Ph.D. Johns Hopkins University
Investigating a novel link between ANK2 and SCN2A to control dendritic excitability
- Awarded: 2020
- Award Type: Pilot
- Award #: 675594
- Paul Jenkins, Ph.D. University of Michigan
Identifying substrates of UBE3A-mediated ubiquitination in neural progenitor cells and cortical neurons
- Awarded: 2020
- Award Type: Pilot
- Award #: 645756
- Hiroaki Kiyokawa, M.D., Ph.D. Northwestern University
Developmental and cell type-specific origin of autism pathology at single-cell resolution
- Awarded: 2020
- Award Type: Pilot
- Award #: 724430
- Jürgen Knoblich, Ph.D. Institute of Molecular Biotechnology of the Austrian Academy of Sciences
Defining the regulatory landscape of autism susceptibility genes in human neurons
- Awarded: 2020
- Award Type: Pilot
- Award #: 735604
- Kasper Lage, Ph.D. Harvard Medical School
Assessing the role of predictive processing in autism using electrophysiological modeling of neural responses to natural speech
- Awarded: 2020
- Award Type: Pilot
- Award #: 675250
- Edmund Lalor, Ph.D. University of Rochester
Integrative metabolomics of autism spectrum disorders
- Awarded: 2020
- Award Type: Pilot
- Award #: 674423
- Jessica Ann Lasky-Su, M.S., D.Sc. Harvard Medical School
- Rachel Kelly, Ph.D. Harvard Medical School
How do neurexins promote presynaptic development?
- Awarded: 2020
- Award Type: Pilot
- Award #: 724490
- Peri Kurshan, Ph.D. Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Investigating social communication and attachment deficits in prairie vole models of autism
- Awarded: 2020
- Award Type: Pilot
- Award #: 736475
- Devanand Manoli, M.D., Ph.D. University of California, San Francisco
Regulation of cortical interneuron wiring in neurodevelopmental disorders
- Awarded: 2020
- Award Type: Pilot
- Award #: 736666
- Oscar Marín, Ph.D. King's College London
- Beatriz Rico, Ph.D. King's College London
Elucidating early disruptions of brain activity in mouse models of autism
- Awarded: 2020
- Award Type: Pilot
- Award #: 663966
- William J. Moody, Ph.D. University of Washington
Computerized assessment of motor imitation (CAMI): Advancing the validity and scalability of a promising phenotypic biomarker for autism
- Awarded: 2020
- Award Type: Pilot
- Award #: 724867
- Stewart H. Mostofsky, M.D. Kennedy Krieger Institute
Investigating the contribution of peripheral sensory neuron dysfunction to gastrointestinal-related phenotypes in mouse models of autism
- Awarded: 2020
- Award Type: Pilot
- Award #: 724817
- Lauren Orefice, Ph.D. Massachusetts General Hospital
Mapping the common genetic architecture of fine and gross infant motor development in the context of autism
- Awarded: 2020
- Award Type: Pilot
- Award #: 724306
- Angelica Ronald, Ph.D. University of London
- Mark Johnson, Ph.D. University of Cambridge
Elucidating the consequence of R-loop deregulation in autism spectrum disorders
- Awarded: 2020
- Award Type: Pilot
- Award #: 670739
- Kavitha Sarma, Ph.D. The Wistar Institute
Mapping circuits and physiological mechanisms for disrupted behavioral imitation in a FoxP1 songbird model of autism
- Awarded: 2020
- Award Type: Pilot
- Award #: 733903
- Todd Roberts, Ph.D. University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
Antisense gene therapy for dominant haploinsufficiencies associated with autism
- Awarded: 2020
- Award Type: Pilot
- Award #: 674442
- Jonathan Sebat, Ph.D. University of California, San Diego
Exploring the integrated stress response as a driver of autism features
- Awarded: 2020
- Award Type: Pilot
- Award #: 722987
- Peter Walter, Ph.D. University of California, San Francisco
Assembly of cortical microcircuit motifs in a mouse model of Arid1b haploinsufficiency
- Awarded: 2020
- Award Type: Pilot
- Award #: 724187
- Jason Wester, Ph.D. Ohio State University
Inhibition of an RNA-binding protein as a treatment for fragile X syndrome
- Awarded: 2020
- Award Type: Pilot
- Award #: 668241
- Gene Yeo, Ph.D. University of California, San Diego
Identification of cell-type-specific isoforms of autism risk genes expressed during neocortical development
- Awarded: 2020
- Award Type: Pilot
- Award #: 615098
- Xiaochang Zhang, Ph.D. University of Chicago
A tRNA-based gene therapy approach for high-fidelity repair of SCN2A premature termination codons
- Awarded: 2019
- Award Type: Pilot
- Award #: 646844
- Christopher Ahern, Ph.D. University of Iowa
Mobile genetic elements in autism spectrum disorder
- Awarded: 2019
- Award Type: Pilot
- Award #: 608983
- Maria Chahrour, Ph.D. University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
Speeding up autism gene discovery via deep multitask learning of data from cohorts of comorbid neurodevelopmental and neuropsychiatric disorders
- Awarded: 2019
- Award Type: Pilot
- Award #: 640935
- A. Ercüment Çiçek, Ph.D. Bilkent University
Linking neuroimmune dysfunction, sensory system deficits and behavioral phenotypes in a new mouse model of MEF2C haploinsufficiency syndrome
- Awarded: 2019
- Award Type: Pilot
- Award #: 649452
- Christopher Cowan, Ph.D. Medical University of South Carolina
- Hainan Lang, M.D., Ph.D. Medical University of South Carolina
- Bärbel Rohrer, Ph.D. Medical University of South Carolina
Enhancement of neurexin-1 function in a genetic mouse model: A novel approach to restore synaptic pathways disrupted in autism
- Awarded: 2019
- Award Type: Pilot
- Award #: 608066
- Ann Marie Craig, Ph.D. University of British Columbia
Integrated metagenomic analysis of the oral microbiome in autism spectrum disorders
- Awarded: 2019
- Award Type: Pilot
- Award #: 648614
- Enrico Domenici, Ph.D. University of Trento
Gastrointestinal dysfunction and the gut-brain axis in a Chd8 mouse model of autism
- Awarded: 2019
- Award Type: Pilot
- Award #: 645766
- Evan Elliott, Ph.D. Bar-Ilan University
Connectivity-based Bayesian nonparametric modeling of individual variability in autism
- Awarded: 2019
- Award Type: Pilot
- Award #: 614379
- Joshua Hartshorne, Ph.D. Boston College
- Stefano Anzellotti, Ph.D. Boston College
Building phenotypic maps based on neuronal activity and transcriptional profiles in human cell models of syndromic forms of ASD
- Awarded: 2019
- Award Type: Pilot
- Award #: 610264
- Nael Nadif Kasri, Ph.D. Radboud University Medical Centre
Dysregulation of the integrated stress response pathway in fragile X syndrome
- Awarded: 2019
- Award Type: Pilot
- Award #: 611773
- Arkady Khoutorsky, D.V.M., Ph.D. McGill University
Role of the autism risk gene Scn2a in oligodendrocyte-mediated myelination and circuit development
- Awarded: 2019
- Award Type: Pilot
- Award #: 609186
- Jun Hee Kim, Ph.D. UT Health San Antonio
Assessing signaling pathway- and brain region-specific alterations in Trio mouse models of autism
- Awarded: 2019
- Award Type: Pilot
- Award #: 645379
- Anthony Koleske, Ph.D. Yale University
In vivo calcium dynamics in dendritic spines of Shank3 and Scn2a mutant mouse models of autism
- Awarded: 2019
- Award Type: Pilot
- Award #: 611189
- Alex Kwan, Ph.D. Yale University
Augmentation of serotonergic signaling during development in a mouse model of autism: A mechanism to regulate choroid plexus function?
- Awarded: 2019
- Award Type: Pilot
- Award #: 610670
- Maria Lehtinen, Ph.D. Boston Children's Hospital
Both overstimulated and understimulated: Gain control in children with autism
- Awarded: 2019
- Award Type: Pilot
- Award #: 648277
- April R. Levin, M.D. Boston Children's Hospital
Elucidating the role of chromatin-modifying complexes in autism spectrum disorder
- Awarded: 2019
- Award Type: Pilot
- Award #: 609562
- Pierre Mattar, Ph.D. Ottawa Hospital Research Institute
Role of autism risk genes in prefrontal circuits underlying social processing in mice
- Awarded: 2019
- Award Type: Pilot
- Award #: 610850
- Hirofumi Morishita, M.D., Ph.D. Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
Computationally modeling large-scale neural dynamics in autism using existing neuroimaging and transcriptomic datasets
- Awarded: 2019
- Award Type: Pilot
- Award #: 614955
- John D. Murray, Ph.D. Yale University
- Alan Anticevic, Ph.D. Yale University
Disrupted stimulus offset responses in autism spectrum disorder
- Awarded: 2019
- Award Type: Pilot
- Award #: 647415
- Scott Murray, Ph.D. University of Washington
- Sara Jane Webb, Ph.D. University of Washington
Network activity and homeostatic plasticity as endophenotypes for autism
- Awarded: 2019
- Award Type: Pilot
- Award #: 648651
- Sacha Nelson, M.D., Ph.D. Brandeis University
Characterizing motor deficits and striatal circuit dynamics in rat models of autism
- Awarded: 2019
- Award Type: Pilot
- Award #: 646706
- Bence Ölveczky, Ph.D. Harvard University
Integrating germline and mosaic mutations to uncover novel autism risk genes and biological mechanisms
- Awarded: 2019
- Award Type: Pilot
- Award #: 644038
- Brian O’Roak, Ph.D. Oregon Health & Science University
Assessing the role of NOTCH2NL in autism
- Awarded: 2019
- Award Type: Pilot
- Award #: 643417
- Sofie Salama, Ph.D. University of California, Santa Cruz
- David Haussler, Ph.D. University of California, Santa Cruz
Auditory hypersensitivity and circuit disruptions in a rat model of fragile X syndrome
- Awarded: 2019
- Award Type: Pilot
- Award #: 611534
- Richard Salvi, Ph.D. State University of New York at Buffalo
Identification and manipulation of splicing variants that contribute to autism
- Awarded: 2019
- Award Type: Pilot
- Award #: 647371
- Stephan Sanders, B.M.B.S., Ph.D. University of California, San Francisco
Impact of maternal serotonin levels on neurodevelopment
- Awarded: 2019
- Award Type: Pilot
- Award #: 612911
- Jeremy Veenstra-VanderWeele, M.D. Columbia University
The influence of ASD risk genes on corticostriatal circuit development and reinforcement learning
- Awarded: 2019
- Award Type: Pilot
- Award #: 613972
- Linda Wilbrecht, Ph.D. University of California, Berkeley
Neurophysiological impact of abnormal sleep during infancy in 16p11.2 deletion mice
- Awarded: 2018
- Award Type: Pilot
- Award #: 569466
- Mark S. Blumberg, Ph.D. University of Iowa
Assessment of involuntary eye movements as a measure of cognitive abilities in minimally verbal individuals with autism spectrum disorder
- Awarded: 2018
- Award Type: Pilot
- Award #: 573840
- Yoram Bonneh, Ph.D. Bar-Ilan University
Neural mechanisms underlying sleep disturbances in Syngap1+/- mutant mice
- Awarded: 2018
- Award Type: Pilot
- Award #: 572595
- Shinjae Chung, Ph.D. University of Pennsylvania
- Ted Abel, Ph.D. University of Iowa
Characterizing focal cortical dysplasias in individuals with autism spectrum disorders
- Awarded: 2018
- Award Type: Pilot
- Award #: 572612
- Ruth Carper, Ph.D. San Diego State University
Striatal circuit dysfunction in a mouse model of the autism risk gene CACNA1D
- Awarded: 2018
- Award Type: Pilot
- Award #: 572078
- Anis Contractor, Ph.D. Northwestern University
Subcortical multisensory integration in mouse models of autism spectrum disorder
- Awarded: 2018
- Award Type: Pilot
- Award #: 574347
- Evan Feinberg, Ph.D. University of California, San Francisco
Sensory circuit development in a zebrafish model of fragile X syndrome
- Awarded: 2018
- Award Type: Pilot
- Award #: 569051
- Geoffrey Goodhill, Ph.D. The University of Queensland
Assessing roles for autism-linked epigenetic factors in activity-dependent synapse elimination
- Awarded: 2018
- Award Type: Pilot
- Award #: 575147
- Kimberly Huber, Ph.D. University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
- Tae-Kyung Kim, Ph.D. University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
Tracing abnormal cortical neuron developmental trajectories in a mouse model of 22q11.2 deletion syndrome
- Awarded: 2018
- Award Type: Pilot
- Award #: 571980
- Denis Jabaudon, M.D., Ph.D. University of Geneva
Elucidation of the bidirectional role of microglia in fragile X syndrome
- Awarded: 2018
- Award Type: Pilot
- Award #: 574967
- Hye Young Lee, Ph.D. University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio
A platform to identify circuit defects in autism mouse models
- Awarded: 2018
- Award Type: Pilot
- Award #: 572955
- Markus Meister, Ph.D. California Institute of Technology
Linking placental dysfunction, cerebellar white matter alterations and social behavior deficits in a novel mouse model
- Awarded: 2018
- Award Type: Pilot
- Award #: 572832
- Anna A. Penn, M.D., Ph.D. Columbia University Medical Center
Exploring deficits in lineage-dependent neocortical circuit assembly in a mouse model of fragile X syndrome
- Awarded: 2018
- Award Type: Pilot
- Award #: 567854
- Song-Hai Shi, Ph.D. Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
Disentangling autism heterogeneity through multivariate genetic analyses
- Awarded: 2018
- Award Type: Pilot
- Award #: 514787
- Beate St Pourcain, Ph.D. Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics
Establishment of specific cortico-basal ganglia circuits by autism-linked protocadherins
- Awarded: 2018
- Award Type: Pilot
- Award #: 568285
- Hisashi Umemori, M.D., Ph.D. Boston Children's Hospital
Exacerbation of Chd8+/- phenotypes with a suspected environmental risk factor
- Awarded: 2018
- Award Type: Pilot
- Award #: 572984
- Mark Zylka, Ph.D. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Cellular and circuit effects of SCN2A haploinsufficiency
- Awarded: 2017
- Award Type: Pilot
- Award #: 513133
- Kevin Bender, Ph.D. University of California, San Francisco
Restoration of a splicing regulatory network commonly disrupted in autism
- Awarded: 2017
- Award Type: Pilot
- Award #: 513581
- Benjamin Blencowe, Ph.D. University of Toronto
Delineating neural circuits underlying maternal immune activated autism-like behaviors in mice
- Awarded: 2017
- Award Type: Pilot
- Award #: 513633
- Gloria B. Choi, Ph.D. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Assessing BKCa channel openers for the treatment of sensory hypersensitivity in ASD
- Awarded: 2017
- Award Type: Pilot
- Award #: 402454
- Andreas Frick, Ph.D. Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale-ADR-Bordeaux
Exploring disruption of DNA methylation in autism spectrum disorders
- Awarded: 2017
- Award Type: Pilot
- Award #: 508034
- Harrison Gabel, Ph.D. Washington University School of Medicine
Mitochondrial DNA mutations in autism spectrum disorder
- Awarded: 2017
- Award Type: Pilot
- Award #: 514517
- Zhenglong Gu, Ph.D. Cornell University
Uncovering Trio’s role in autism spectrum disorder
- Awarded: 2017
- Award Type: Pilot
- Award #: 503736
- Bruce E. Herring, Ph.D. University of Southern California
Modulation of mitochondrial efficiency to treat fragile X syndrome
- Awarded: 2017
- Award Type: Pilot
- Award #: 513123
- Elizabeth A. Jonas, M.D. Yale University
Molecular mechanisms of sensory transduction in the gut
- Awarded: 2017
- Award Type: Pilot
- Award #: 514791
- David Julius, Ph.D. University of California, San Francisco
Investigating cell-type-specific molecular pathology in autism
- Awarded: 2017
- Award Type: Pilot
- Award #: 515488
- Arnold Kriegstein, M.D., Ph.D. University of California, San Francisco
Cellular and molecular mechanisms of sex bias in maternal immune activation-induced autism
- Awarded: 2017
- Award Type: Pilot
- Award #: 515305
- John Lukens, Ph.D. University of Virginia
- Eli Zunder, Ph.D. University of Virginia
Associative circuitry in Bcl11a/Ctip1 ASD mice: Growth cone proteomes and RNA
- Awarded: 2017
- Award Type: Pilot
- Award #: 515376
- Jeffrey Macklis, M.D. Harvard University
Delineating neurodevelopmental causal paths to autism symptoms in infancy
- Awarded: 2017
- Award Type: Pilot
- Award #: 511504
- Emma Meaburn, Ph.D. Birkbeck College, University of London
- Emily Jones, Ph.D. Birkbeck College, University of London
Uncovering convergent autism synaptic endophenotypes and candidate drug treatments
- Awarded: 2017
- Award Type: Pilot
- Award #: 514630
- Philippe Mourrain, Ph.D. Stanford University
Testing the stability of neural responses to tactile stimuli in fragile X syndrome mice
- Awarded: 2017
- Award Type: Pilot
- Award #: 513155
- Cian O’Donnell, Ph.D. University of Bristol
- Carlos Portera-Cailliau, M.D., Ph.D. University of California, Los Angeles
Elucidating the signaling pathways involved in autism spectrum disorder
- Awarded: 2017
- Award Type: Pilot
- Award #: 507047
- Kassandra Ori-McKenney, Ph.D. University of California, Davis
Misregulation of striatal neuronal development in autism
- Awarded: 2017
- Award Type: Pilot
- Award #: 514813
- David Sulzer, Ph.D. Columbia University
Cerebellar contributions to autism-related behaviors
- Awarded: 2017
- Award Type: Pilot
- Award #: 515441
- Peter Tsai, M.D., Ph.D. University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
Contributions of rare biallelic recessive mutations in autism
- Awarded: 2017
- Award Type: Pilot
- Award #: 515232
- Timothy Yu, M.D., Ph.D. Boston Children's Hospital
Novel technology for behavioral phenotyping of autism mouse models
- Awarded: 2016
- Award Type: Pilot
- Award #: 401141
- David Anderson, Ph.D. California Institute of Technology
Development of corticothalamic circuits of prefrontal cortex in mouse models of autism
- Awarded: 2016
- Award Type: Pilot
- Award #: 401358
- Chinfei Chen, M.D., Ph.D. Boston Children's Hospital
Mechanisms that connect autism with homeostatic synaptic plasticity
- Awarded: 2016
- Award Type: Pilot
- Award #: 401636
- Graeme Davis, Ph.D. University of California, San Francisco
Regulation of KCC2 as a target for the treatment of autism
- Awarded: 2016
- Award Type: Pilot
- Award #: 402013
- Yves De Koninck, Ph.D. Laval University
- Melanie Woodin, Ph.D. University of Toronto
Does astrocyte dysfunction contribute to synaptic pathologies in autism?
- Awarded: 2016
- Award Type: Pilot
- Award #: 400729
- Cagla Eroglu, Ph.D. Duke University
Neural circuitry linking oxytocin deficiency and social impairment in autism
- Awarded: 2016
- Award Type: Pilot
- Award #: 401457
- Daniel Geschwind, M.D., Ph.D. University of California, Los Angeles
Dissecting phenotypic heterogeneity associated with 16p12.1 deletion
- Awarded: 2016
- Award Type: Pilot
- Award #: 399894
- Santhosh Girirajan, M.B.B.S., Ph.D. Pennsylvania State University
Neurobiological basis of connectivity deficits in autism
- Awarded: 2016
- Award Type: Pilot
- Award #: 400101
- Alessandro Gozzi, Ph.D. Italian Institute of Technology
Mapping 3D genomic architecture in human developing neurons to assess the contribution of noncoding risk variants for autism
- Awarded: 2016
- Award Type: Pilot
- Award #: 401625
- Fulai Jin, Ph.D. Case Western Reserve University
- Guo-Li Ming, M.D., Ph.D. Johns Hopkins University
Restoring GABA inhibition in a Rett syndrome mouse model by tuning a kinase-regulated Cl- rheostat
- Awarded: 2016
- Award Type: Pilot
- Award #: 400947
- Kristopher Kahle, M.D., Ph.D. Yale University
FOXP1 orchestration of neuronal function in the striatum
- Awarded: 2016
- Award Type: Pilot
- Award #: 401220
- Genevieve Konopka, Ph.D. University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
- Jay Gibson, Ph.D. University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
A somatic mechanism for autism phenotypic heterogeneity
- Awarded: 2016
- Award Type: Pilot
- Award #: 402213
- Kenneth Kwan, Ph.D. University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
Amniotic and cerebrospinal fluid-based signaling in a mouse model of autism
- Awarded: 2016
- Award Type: Pilot
- Award #: 402089
- Maria Lehtinen, Ph.D. Boston Children's Hospital
Exploring sex differences in autism via the NRXN1 knockout rat
- Awarded: 2016
- Award Type: Pilot
- Award #: 402378
- Margaret McCarthy, Ph.D. University of Maryland
Assessing the functional effects of enhancer mutations identified in the Simons Simplex Collection via mouse models
- Awarded: 2016
- Award Type: Pilot
- Award #: 402344
- Alex Nord, Ph.D. University of California, Davis
Probing the development and reversibility of autism-related phenotypes in SETD5 conditional knockout mice
- Awarded: 2016
- Award Type: Pilot
- Award #: 401299
- Gaia Novarino, Ph.D. Institute of Science and Technology
Probing perception and sensorimotor coupling in mouse models of autism
- Awarded: 2016
- Award Type: Pilot
- Award #: 402506
- Sandeep Robert Datta, M.D., Ph.D. Harvard Medical School
Functional and behavioral analysis of zebrafish models of autism
- Awarded: 2016
- Award Type: Pilot
- Award #: 399432
- Ethan Scott, Ph.D. The University of Queensland
Do VIP interneurons drive abnormal prefrontal circuit function in autism?
- Awarded: 2016
- Award Type: Pilot
- Award #: 399853
- Vikaas Sohal, M.D., Ph.D. University of California, San Francisco
Autophagy pathway alterations in lymphocytes: Potential biomarkers for autism?
- Awarded: 2016
- Award Type: Pilot
- Award #: 402220
- David Sulzer, Ph.D. Columbia University
- Guomei Tang, Ph.D. Columbia University
- Jeremy Veenstra-VanderWeele, M.D. Columbia University
Assessing thalamocortical circuit function in TSC1 and NHE6 mouse models
- Awarded: 2016
- Award Type: Pilot
- Award #: 402531
- Brian Theyel, M.D., Ph.D. Brown University
- Barry Connors, Ph.D. Brown University
Identifying autism-associated signaling pathways regulated by CHD8 in vivo
- Awarded: 2015
- Award Type: Pilot
- Award #: 344763
- M. Albert Basson, Ph.D. King's College London
Parameterizing neural habituation in autism with sensory overresponsivity
- Awarded: 2015
- Award Type: Pilot
- Award #: 345389
- Susan Bookheimer, Ph.D. University of California, Los Angeles
Use of high-throughput splicing assays to prioritize autism gene candidates
- Awarded: 2015
- Award Type: Pilot
- Award #: 342705
- William Fairbrother, Ph.D. Brown University
Comparison of cortical circuit dysfunction in autism model mice
- Awarded: 2015
- Award Type: Pilot
- Award #: 342096
- Dan Feldman, Ph.D. University of California, Berkeley
Understanding somatosensory deficits in autism spectrum disorder
- Awarded: 2015
- Award Type: Pilot
- Award #: 345690
- David Ginty, Ph.D. Harvard University
Randomized controlled pilot trial of pregnenolone in autism
- Awarded: 2015
- Award Type: Pilot
- Award #: 345949
- Antonio Hardan, M.D. Stanford University
High-throughput drug discovery in zebrafish models of autism risk genes
- Awarded: 2015
- Award Type: Pilot
- Award #: 345993
- Ellen Hoffman, M.D., Ph.D. Yale University
The intersection between habit and anxiety in a genetic model of autism
- Awarded: 2015
- Award Type: Pilot
- Award #: 344904
- Bo Li, Ph.D. Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Dysregulation of mTOR/TSC in 22q11.2 deletion autism mouse model
- Awarded: 2015
- Award Type: Pilot
- Award #: 342005
- Thomas Maynard, Ph.D. George Washington University
Role of the hippocampal CA2 region in autism
- Awarded: 2015
- Award Type: Pilot
- Award #: 344522
- Steven Siegelbaum, Ph.D. Columbia University
Visualizing neural circuits of social sensory processing
- Awarded: 2015
- Award Type: Pilot
- Award #: 342154
- Garret Stuber, Ph.D. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Neuronal translation in TSC2+/- and FMR1-/y mutant autism mouse models
- Awarded: 2015
- Award Type: Pilot
- Award #: 345915
- David Sulzer, Ph.D. Columbia University
- Guomei Tang, Ph.D. Columbia University
Illuminating the role of glia in a zebrafish model of Rett syndrome
- Awarded: 2015
- Award Type: Pilot
- Award #: 346154
- David Traver, Ph.D. University of California, San Diego
A new nonhuman primate model for studying communicative behaviors
- Awarded: 2015
- Award Type: Pilot
- Award #: 346068
- Xiaoqin Wang, Ph.D. Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
How do autism-related mutations affect basal ganglia function?
- Awarded: 2014
- Award Type: Pilot
- Award #: 307866
- Helen Bateup, Ph.D. University of California, Berkeley
Validation of a diffusion imaging biomarker of autism
- Awarded: 2014
- Award Type: Pilot
- Award #: 307098
- Steven Chance, Ph.D. University of Oxford
CHD8 and beta-catenin signaling in autism
- Awarded: 2014
- Award Type: Pilot
- Award #: 306312
- Anjen Chenn, M.D., Ph.D. University of Illinois at Chicago
Sexually dimorphic gene expression and regulation to evaluate autism sex bias
- Awarded: 2014
- Award Type: Pilot
- Award #: 307705
- Stephan Sanders, B.M.B.S., Ph.D. University of California, San Francisco
Development of a blood-based biomarker for autism
- Awarded: 2014
- Award Type: Pilot
- Award #: 309212
- Elliott Sherr, M.D., Ph.D. University of California, San Francisco
MAGEL2, a candidate gene for autism and Prader-Willi syndrome
- Awarded: 2014
- Award Type: Pilot
- Award #: 304216
- Rachel Wevrick, Ph.D. University of Alberta
Environment-wide association study of autism
- Awarded: 2014
- Award Type: Pilot
- Award #: 307280
A functional near-infrared spectroscopy study of first signs of autism
- Awarded: 2013
- Award Type: Pilot
- Award #: 274396
- Naama Barnea-Goraly, M.D. Stanford University
Reliability of sensory-evoked activity in autism
- Awarded: 2013
- Award Type: Pilot
- Award #: 74635, 274635
- Marlene Behrmann, Ph.D. Carnegie Mellon University
- David Heeger, Ph.D. New York University
Role of GABA interneurons in a genetic model of autism
- Awarded: 2013
- Award Type: Pilot
- Award #: 273504
- Jessica Cardin, Ph.D. Yale University
Genome-wide analysis of cis-regulatory elements in autism
- Awarded: 2013
- Award Type: Pilot
- Award #: 275579
- Joseph Corbo, M.D., Ph.D. Washington University in St. Louis
The role of UBE3A in autism: Is there a critical window for social development?
- Awarded: 2013
- Award Type: Pilot
- Award #: 275234
- Ype Elgersma, Ph.D. Erasmus University Medical Center
Hippocampal mechanisms of social learning in animal models of autism
- Awarded: 2013
- Award Type: Pilot
- Award #: 273886
- Daoyun Ji, Ph.D. Baylor College of Medicine
Cortico-striatal dysfunction in the eIF4E transgenic mouse model of autism
- Awarded: 2013
- Award Type: Pilot
- Award #: 274864
- Eric Klann, Ph.D. New York University
Role of LIN28/let-7 axis in autism
- Awarded: 2013
- Award Type: Pilot
- Award #: 275171
- Mollie Meffert, M.D., Ph.D. Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Biomarker discovery for low sociability: A monkey model
- Awarded: 2013
- Award Type: Pilot
- Award #: 274472
- Karen Parker, Ph.D. Stanford University
Characterizing 22q11.2 abnormalities
- Awarded: 2013
- Award Type: Pilot
- Award #: 275687
Pathogenic roles of paternal-age-associated mutations in autism
- Awarded: 2013
- Award Type: Pilot
- Award #: 274941
- Marco Seandel, M.D., Ph.D. Weill Cornell Medicine
CNTNAP2 regulates production, migration and organization of cortical neurons
- Awarded: 2013
- Award Type: Pilot
- Award #: 274336
- Song-Hai Shi, Ph.D. Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
Unreliability of neuronal responses in mouse models of autism
- Awarded: 2013
- Award Type: Pilot
- Award #: 274741
- Nathan Urban, Ph.D. Carnegie Mellon University
Linking genetic mosaicism, neural circuit abnormalities and behavior
- Awarded: 2013
- Award Type: Pilot
- Award #: 275701
- Mark Zervas, Ph.D. Brown University
Perinatal choline supplementation as a treatment for autism
- Awarded: 2011
- Award Type: Pilot
- Award #: 206764
- Tiffany Mellott, Ph.D. Boston University
Effect of abnormal calcium influx on social behavior in autism
- Awarded: 2011
- Award Type: Pilot
- Award #: 206734
- Vikaas Sohal, M.D., Ph.D. University of California, San Francisco
Genetics and gene-environment interactions in a Korean epidemiological sample of autism
- Awarded: 2009
- Award Type: Pilot
- Award #: 137032
- Young Shin Kim, M.D., Ph.D. Yale University