Since launching in 2016, SPARK has driven scientific discovery in autism, building a cohort of over 280,000 individuals, including more than 100,000 children and adults with autism.

Researchers interested in requesting brain tissue from Autism BrainNet can now submit their applications through SFARI Base, SFARI’s clearinghouse for autism and autism-related research data and biospecimens.

SFARI is pleased to announce that it intends to fund five collaborative groups in response to the 2020 SFARI Collaboration on Sex Differences in Autism request for applications.

Three SFARI Investigators and the deputy director of Clinical Research Associates, LLC (an affiliate of the Simons Foundation) were recently appointed to serve on the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee.

The Simons Foundation is delighted to announce that neuroscientist Kelsey Martin will be the next director of SFARI. Starting in September 2021, she will helm SFARI’s continuing work to improve the understanding, diagnosis and treatment of autism spectrum disorders by funding innovative high-quality research.

In conjunction with leading universities across the county, SFARI works to provide undergraduates with an opportunity to advance their careers in autism science while promoting diversity in the field through the Summer Undergraduate Research Program.

SFARI announces the recipients of the Autism BrainNet Appreciation Award, a new honor that recognizes outstanding partners and collaborators for their dedication to advancing brain tissue research in autism.

Ten years after its launch, Simons Searchlight counts a community of 4,000 families, encompassing more than 150 genetic neurodevelopmental conditions. Thanks to the dedicated, highly motivated families who have participated in research, genetic and phenotypic data and biospecimens have been collected for several of these conditions, providing researchers with invaluable resources to advance the understanding of autism and related neurodevelopmental conditions.