BRF Seed Grant Program

General Information

Program Description

The Brain Research Foundation’s Annual Seed Grant Program provides start-up funding for new and innovative research projects in neuroscience. Established in 1981, the program aims to support projects that have the potential to secure extramural funding from sources like the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The grants are designed to foster scientific advancement, collaboration, and future research opportunities, particularly for junior faculty exploring new research directions. Each grant awards up to $80,000 over two years, with the goal of enabling groundbreaking research in various areas of brain function, including molecular, clinical, cognitive, and behavioral neuroscience.

Limitation

Schools may submit one (1) application for Penn’s internal competition.

Eligibility

• Position: Must be a full-time Assistant or Associate Professor at an invited U.S. academic institution.
• Research Focus: Must be working in the area of brain function studies, including molecular and clinical neuroscience, as well as neural, sensory, motor, cognitive, behavioral, and emotional functioning in health and disease.
• Institution: Must be affiliated with a U.S. academic or research institution. Investigators at institutions affiliated with a medical school or university are eligible to apply only through the institution where they hold a full-time faculty position.
• Funding Status: The grant proposal must detail a new research project that is not funded by other sources. This grant is not to be used as bridge funding.
• Previous Recipients: Scientists who have previously received a BRF Seed Grant may not receive the award again unless all grant requirements from previous awards are met.
• Application: Only one Principal Investigator (PI) may apply per application.
• For any sponsored research projects, the applicant must be eligible to serve as Principal Investigator for the project, unless otherwise noted in the LSO. Please see Penn’s PI Eligibility requirements to ensure you are eligible.

Ineligibility

• PI is ineligible if they are not a full-time faculty member at the institution they are applying under.
• PI is ineligible if they are a Full Professor.
• PI is ineligible if they are a research assistant professor or research associate professor.
• PI is ineligible to submit more than one BRF Seed Grant proposal in a funding period.
• PI is ineligible if they have BRF funding that will overlap this grant period.
• PI is ineligible if they have been awarded prior BRF funding but have failed to submit progress and financial reports at the end of their grant period.
• PI is ineligible if they are a member of the BRF Scientific Review Committee.
• PI is ineligible if they are a relative of BRF or a representative, including the SRC, as defined by the Foundation.

Award Information

• A total unrestricted research award of $80,000 over two (2) years.
• Annual Distribution: $40,000 per year.
• Grant Start Date: The grant begins at the start of the awarded year.
• Grant Payments:
  • First payment of $40,000 upon completion of the Seed Grant Acceptance Form (June 2025).
  • Final payment of $40,000 contingent upon receipt of a preliminary progress and financial report (June 2026).
• Progress Reports: Interim progress reports are required, detailing the advancements and outcomes of the research.
• Financial Reports: Final financial reports, including a lay summary, must be submitted within 60 days of the grant period’s end.

Funding Specifics

• Budget Justification: Formal proposals must detail costs for investigator salaries, personnel, laboratory supplies, and miscellaneous expenses. These will be highly scrutinized.
• Capital Equipment: Grant funds cannot be used for purchasing capital equipment; they are intended solely for the investigation.
• Tuition Expenses: Tuition remission for personnel, such as graduate students, may not be covered if deemed excessive.
• Core Services: Expenses for core services (e.g., Cryo-EM, sequencing) may not be approved if considered excessive.
• Computers and AI: Expenses for computers, computer-generated systems, and AI data generation are not allowed.
• Research Focus: Funding is directed at innovative pilot research projects likely to lead to successful NIH or other grant applications.
• Assistant Professor: Junior faculty with new research projects generating pilot data for RO1 funding or comparable grants are prioritized. Must provide abstracts and specific aims for current grants and indicate any overlap.
• Associate Professor: Faculty pursuing new research directions must explain how the project is a new direction and provide abstracts and specific aims for current grants, indicating any overlap. A new technique is not considered a new direction unless it pertains to a different area of study.
• Bridge Funding: Grants are not to be used for bridge funding between grants.