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HBI Grant Programs

Since its launch, the Harvard Brain Science Initiative has awarded over 100 seed grants to support the start of new projects in basic neurobiology and neurological and psychiatric disease research. These grants have come from faculty grant programs funded largely by philanthropists. Over the years HBI has also offered a variety of trainee grants funded by the Office of the Provost. The HBI Bipolar Disorder Seed Grant and HBI Postdoc Pioneer Grants Programs are currently active.

 

Faculty Grants
Bipolar Disorder Seed Grant Program
Supported by the Dauten Family Foundation and Sandra Lee Chen and Sidney Chen, the HBI Bipolar Disorder Seed Grant Program funds research relevant to the basic understanding and treatment of bipolar disorder at Harvard University and its affiliated hospitals. It funds innovative, visionary projects with new ideas and approaches that address fundamental questions about the disorder and may not attract funding from conventional sources. The program was launched in 2015 with the vision of the Dauten family and has issued over 90 grants and led to five symposia to date.
Bipolar Disorder Seed Grant Program Awardees >
ALS Seed Grant Program
The HBI ALS Seed Grant Program, funded by the Stephen Van R. Winthrop Fund for ALS Research, supported the launch of 20 seed projects between 2015 to 2022, by 22 investigators from ten departments spread across Harvard’s different campuses. The projects funded sought to advance biomedical breakthroughs to ultimately enhance our capacity to treat and cure ALS.
ALS Seed Grant Program Awardees >
Collaborative Seed Grant Program
The HBI Collaborative Seed Grant Program, active from 2015 to 2019, supported the launch of 14 new collaborations in fundamental neuroscience research that may yield insights into mechanisms underlying brain disorders.  Each grant funded a dual investigator team consisting of one Harvard Medical School faculty member and one Faculty of Arts and Sciences (undergraduate campus) faculty member. This program was made possible through generous support from the Alice and Rodman W. Moorhead III Collaborative Grants Fund for HBI, the Andrew B. Suzman Research Fund for HBI, the Thomas H. Lee Fund, and an allocation from the President’s Discretionary Fund.
Collaborative Seed Grant Program Awardees >
Trainee Grants
Postdoc Pioneers Grant Program
The HBI Postdoc Pioneers Grant Program, launched in 2022, supports Harvard University postdocs who take on new or risky projects and serves as pioneers for their labs. Specifically, it offers $50,000 fellowships to mid- to late-stage postdocs who are conducting basic neuroscience research in areas outside of their lab’s established focus. To date it has supported 38 postdocs via four award cycles.
Postdoc Pioneers Grant Program Awardees >
Young Scientist Transitions Award Program
The HBI Young Scientist Transitions Award Program provided relief funding to neuroscience postdocs at Harvard University whose career progress was significantly delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Thirteen awards of $25,000 each were given over the course of two grant cycles in 2021.
Young Scientist Transitions Award Program Awardees >
Young Scientist Development Award Program
The HBI Young Scientist Development Award Program provided small grants of up to $5,000 each to over 100 students and fellows conducting neuroscience research in Harvard University or affiliated hospital labs in 2018 and 2019. These grants largely funded travel to courses, conferences, or collaborator labs outside the Boston area, as well as the hosting of visiting scholars in Harvard labs.

 

Banner image shows staining of cerebellum, courtesy of David Brann, graduate student in the lab of Bob Datta