Clinical Research Training Scholarship

Since 2023, FPN, the American Brain Foundation (ABF) and the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) have been awarding The Clinicial Research Training Scholarship (CRTS). It is $150,000 in research grants dispersed over two years. For many, it’s a first major, independent research award, and it allows them to gain experience managing grant-funded research in a mentored environment. To date, 300+ researchers have received about $33M — and 80% of recipients have gone on to secure additional funding from other sources.

This unique program has an interdisciplinary approach to research (which ABF calls “Cure One, Cure Many”). This approach fosters connections between brain diseases through a cohort of early career researchers working on a number of disorders.

Program Eligibility

To be eligible for the award, applicants must:

  • Be an early-career investigator, in the first five years of their initial academic appointment, or within five years of finishing their PhD or residency/fellowship.
  • Be working within a U.S.-based non-profit organization, public or private, such as universities, colleges, hospitals, laboratories, units of state and local governments and eligible agencies of the federal government.
  • Hold an MD, DMD, DVM, PhD or equivalent, and have a faculty position or equivalent at a college, university, medical school, or other research facility.
  • Conduct their research and be appointed at an institution in the United States.
  • Have a letter of support from the department chair/division chief, ensuring that the applicant has sufficient laboratory space and support to complete the proposed project and that at least 50% of the applicant’s time will be protected for research activities.
  • Demonstrate a commitment to the field of peripheral neuropathy.
  • Must be an American Academy of Neurology (AAN) member

Application Process Dates

In terms of the application process, this year’s (2024) dates are:

  • June 3 – Applications open
  • September 10 – Applications close
  • Early November, TBD – Review day
  • Early January 2025 – Recipients notified
  • July 1, 2025 – Funding to new recipients begins

Help improve the lives of those with PN. Your contribution helps us support research and provide an improved quality of life for those affected.