Limited Submission Opportunities

Brain Research Foundation’s Annual Seed Grant Program was initiated in 1981. The purpose of our program is to provide start-up monies for new research projects in the field of neuroscience that will likely lead to extramural funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) or other outside funding sources.
The objective of the BRF Seed Grant Program is to support new and innovative projects, especially those of junior faculty, who are working in new research directions. BRF Seed Grant awards are not intended to supplement existing grants.

Managing Unit: Wu Tsai

The Test Bed: Toward a Network of Programmable Cloud Laboratories (PCL Test Bed) program supports the creation of a network of distributed, remotely accessible laboratory facilities designed to advance autonomous experimentation. These facilities, called Programmable Cloud Laboratory Nodes (PCL Nodes), will be connected through shared science questions, computational networking, and common data and AI standards.

The program’s purpose is to accelerate research and strengthen U.S. competitiveness by enabling automated, AI-driven laboratory workflows. These workflows span the full research cycle, from experiment design and preparation to data collection, analysis, and interpretation. While small-scale efforts have shown promise, this initiative seeks to overcome challenges such as infrastructure access, interoperability, and consistent practices for experimental data and AI use.

Proposals must be guided by clear science drivers that are positioned to benefit significantly from PCL capabilities. Relevant areas include materials science, biotechnology, chemistry, and related disciplines. Examples include materials synthesis and characterization, scalable biotechnology workflows, and high-throughput catalyst development.

Managing Unit: VPDoR

The goal of the W. M. Keck Foundation Bridge Funding Initiative is to support the career paths of early- to mid-career faculty and their graduate students who are particularly vulnerable to sudden changes in traditional funding sources. Disruptions at this early point in the scientist pipeline could affect research accomplishments for decades to come. Therefore, the foundation aims to fund pairs of PI mentors (Keck Scholars) along with their PhD student mentees (Keck Fellows). This one-time funding is intended to:

Rapidly deploy bridge funds to assist researchers who may be especially vulnerable to sudden shifts in traditional funding mechanisms.
Support retention of early- to mid-career principal investigators (Assistant or Associate Professors as of January 2026) and their PhD students.
Fund projects aligned with the W. M. Keck Foundation's mission to advance high-impact, basic science research

Managing Unit: VPDoR

Rally Foundation for Childhood Cancer Research is excited to announce the 2026 Rally Career Development Award. Through this grant opportunity, Rally aims to support the development of independent research of highly qualified individuals still early in their careers. Rally Career Development Awards are intended to take an investigator from mentorship to independence by providing the opportunity to develop independent research through protected time.

Managing Unit: SCI (Stanford Cancer Institute)

The Office of the Under Secretary of Defense (OUSD), Research and Engineering (R&E) Joint Hypersonics Transition Office (JHTO), in partnership with Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station (TEES) and the UCAH, is soliciting for Prototype Project Proposals (PPPs) supporting projects that will accelerate hypersonics technology development, develop the nation’s future hypersonics workforce, and facilitate the transition of ready technologies into operational capabilities. The JHTO is seeking solutions that are considered Advanced Technology Development, which surpass the threshold of Basic or Applied Research.

TOPIC 1: Improved Sub-Scale Hypersonic Air-Breathing Propulsion Test Capabilities
TOPIC 2: Digital Twin Architecture for Hypersonic Air-Breathing System and Mission Design Trade Studies
TOPIC 3: Shock Properties of Additively Manufactured Materials (AMM)
TOPIC 4: Experimental & Model Based Endothermic Fuel Properties
TOPIC 5: Ceramic Testing for Hypersonic Vehicles
TOPIC 6: Mitigation Of Thermal Degradation in Hypersonic Windows
TOPIC 7: Networking and Collaborative Communications

Managing Unit: VPDoR

The proposed project/initiative should be built on diversity, equity, and inclusion principles and
support the Interledger Foundation's thrust to foster an empowering ecosystem for digital
financial inclusion.
This grant seeks to collaborate with tertiary institutions to highlight the impact of technology on
financial access and inclusion. Overall, the grant aims to accomplish the following goals:
● Increase student engagement, interaction, and learning about open-payment
technologies, open-source, and digital financial inclusion with a significant focus on the
Interledger Protocol and related technologies.
● Enable faculty to implement effective forward-thinking initiatives to enable digital financial
literacy and inclusion.
● Showcase career pathways in open payments, open-source, sustainable development,
and the multi-disciplinary fintech space.

Managing Unit: VPDoR

The Blavatnik National Awards for Young Scientists recognizes exceptional research in Life Sciences, Physical Sciences & Engineering, and Chemical Sciences.

The award honors individuals whose work is innovative, impactful, and addresses critical challenges. Nominees must demonstrate how their research advances their field and opens new areas of exploration, supported by evidence like peer-reviewed publications and major grants.

Additionally, nominees should highlight their leadership, mentorship, and efforts to promote diversity in STEM, reflecting the program's commitment to inclusivity.

Managing Unit: VPDoR

The Camille Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Awards Program supports the research and teaching careers of talented early career faculty in the chemical sciences. The award is based on an independent body of scholarship attained in the early years of their appointment, and a demonstrated commitment to education, signaling the promise of continuing outstanding contributions to both research and teaching.

Managing Unit: VPDoR

Award mechanisms:
-Research Grant Award
-Scholar (Career Development) Award
-International Scholar Award
Funding Priorities:
-New discovery research
-Translational research and early phase clinical trials
-Phase III clinical trials & infrastructure support of participating institutions (primarily the fall grant cycle)
-Education of new pediatric oncology researchers

Managing Unit: SCI (Stanford Cancer Institute)

This program aims to connect Japan scholars from the U.S., Southeast Asia, and Japan to foster collaborative scholarship and strengthen Japanese Studies across these regions.

Through joint research, exchanges, and resource-sharing initiatives, the Japan Foundation (JF) seeks to build vibrant academic networks and promote interdisciplinary and practical collaborations.

Managing Unit: VPDoR

The Frontiers Planet Prize is an international competition addressing the planetary crisis by mobilizing researchers engaged in transformational, breakthrough science with the greatest potential to stabilize Earth's ecosystems within the Anthropocene.

Launched in 2022 by the Frontiers Research Foundation, the Frontiers Planet Prize recognizes and awards exceptional scientists for enhancing understanding of planetary health and devising tangible and actionable solutions to bring us back into a safe operating space. The prize focuses on research exploring any one of the 9 planetary boundaries:

Atmospheric aerosol loading
Biogeochemical flows
Biosphere integrity
Climate change
Freshwater change
Land system change
Novel entities
Ocean acidification
Stratospheric ozone depletion

Managing Unit: VPDoR

The Discovery Science Award typically provides up to $500,000 in funding for groundbreaking research that aligns with our mission. In select cases, proposals demonstrating exceptional potential for impact and scalability may be considered for higher levels of support. To be considered for funding, proposals must meet the following criteria:
- Are focused on pediatric cancer
- Will lead to less toxic, more targeted treatments
- Are clearly communicated in lay terms (accessible to our Board and donor community)
- Demonstrate strong potential to progress toward a clinical trial in 1-3 years

SebastianStrong funds one or more proposals each year that advance meaningful change in pediatric cancer treatment. We are especially interested in research that:
- Focuses on pediatric cancers with low survival rates or high relapse rates
- Has transitional potential within 36 months
- Pursues underfunded or unconventional approaches that could change the status quo

Managing Unit: SCI (Stanford Cancer Institute)