The Parekh Center for Interdisciplinary Neurology is proud to announce our 2023 request for applications (RFA) for the Parekh Center Research Program (PCRP). This program provides funding to support creative, collaborative projects that are designed to foster new connections across NYU Langone for the study neurodegenerative, neurodevelopmental, and neuropsychiatric diseases.

PCRP Objectives

The program’s objectives are as follows:

• establish partnerships between basic and clinical research scientists at NYU Langone to drive transformative insights by capitalizing on collective expertise
• enhance the current understanding of shared pathways and facilitate breakthroughs in therapeutic interventions across a spectrum of neurological disorders

PCRP Proposals

The Parekh Center for Interdisciplinary Neurology is interested in understanding immune, glial, or microbiome dysfunction and interaction of peripheral and central nervous system components shared across multiple neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative diseases. Proposed investigations addressing these areas will be prioritized but need not be limited to them.

Proposals should outline how the integration of diverse and novel methodologies will enhance our understanding of shared pathways that are relevant for multiple diseases. Successful projects will combine established insights with cutting-edge approaches to elucidate these fundamental mechanisms. Priority will be given to proposals with collaborations between basic scientists and clinical researchers/clinicians. Appropriate statistical consideration should be included, and statistical support may be available from the Parekh Center SAB if necessary.

We are seeking proposals at various stages and have three available funding mechanisms to support investigators.

Exploratory Grant

The Exploratory Grant will provide up to $10,000 in funding over a 6-month period. Designed for early-stage interdisciplinary collaborative project proposals, each application should involve two laboratories who have not previously collaborated and are eager to explore a new joint topic or approach. Investigators with diverse skill sets and scientific perspectives will initiate discussions to shape concrete outlines for pilot projects, testing the feasibility of proposed ventures.

Innovative strategies are welcome to facilitate interactions leading to concrete pilot grants. Proposals may include meetings to explore collaborative approaches, invite outside consultants, or organize and host specialized conferences for expert insights. The Exploratory Grant will cover meeting expenses including refreshments, dinners, speaker honorariums, and travel. Proposals are encouraged to focus on trainees or junior faculty involvement, such as supporting a clinical fellow and basic science postdoctoral fellow pairing to attend meetings together to generate novel pilot grant ideas.

Selected awardees of the Exploratory Grant will gain priority consideration for subsequent Pilot Grants.

Pilot Grant

The Pilot Grant is available in amounts up to $100,000 disbursed over a 2-year period. The proposal is expected to test high-risk/high-reward ideas. Proposals may test novel hypotheses and/or develop new research methodology to understand shared pathways among neurodegenerative disorders and should include clear milestones to obtain sufficient preliminary data for acquiring additional extramural funding.

Advancement Grant

The Advancement Grant is designed to propel in-depth investigations into the biological underpinnings of shared mechanisms in neurological diseases by providing up to $300,000 over 2 years. We would expect proposals to take advantage of the laboratory’s track record with promising preliminary data to gain sufficient grounds to take the next steps. Successful anticipated outcomes may include accelerating our understanding of neurological diseases with novel mechanistic insights and/or pave the way for groundbreaking therapeutic strategies. Potential for substantial extramural funding at the conclusion of the project is desirable. This may also result in close collaboration with NYU Langone’s Technology Opportunities and Ventures office, fostering the translation of research discoveries into tangible innovation.

Eligibility

Eligible applicants include faculty members in all academic tracks of NYU Langone whose proposals fit the criteria listed below. Students and postdoctoral fellows are not eligible to apply as private investigators (PIs), but specific inclusion of trainees in the proposal is encouraged.

Application Process

Applications for funding from the Parekh Center for Interdisciplinary Neurology must be submitted via our online application portal. Please include the following items with your application:

• A one-page letter of intent (LOI) due on October 6, 2023, as well as National Institutes of Health (NIH) biosketches for all PIs/Co-PIs of each submission are required. The LOI should clearly state which level of grant is being considered (Exploratory, Pilot, Advancement).
• A brief description of how this project will advance your research in a new direction/expand to collaboration with a new team or area of expertise across the NYU Langone campuses.
• Pilot Grant LOIs: a clear indication of how the funding and research generated will be used to achieve future funding or translational success at the completion of the award
• Advancement Grant LOIs: a clear statement about the proposed outcomes of the project, which may include conceptual advancement from the study, plans for a large extramural grant for the next step (e.g., NIH U/P grants), commercialization, etc.

Full proposal by invitation is due on December 1, 2023.

Budget

The LOI should include the total overall budget value. The detailed budget will only be requested for those applications chosen to submit a full proposal.

Award Selection Process

LOIs will be reviewed by a selection committee, led by the center’s directors and advisory committee, comprising faculty across multiple disciplines and departments including but not limited to the Departments of Neurology and Psychiatry, the Division of Infectious Diseases and Immunology, the Neuroscience Institute, and the Center for Human Genetics and Genomics.

Criteria for funding of these awards include the following:

• the applicant’s capacity to conduct bold, exceptionally creative research
• the potential impact for prevention, diagnosis, and treatment or basic understanding of neurological diseases and disorders
• the current limited resources of the applicant to pursue the proposed research based on traditional funding models
• the extent of collaborations among various departments, divisions, and disciplines
• projects that focus on a single disease-specific mechanism will be less competitive
• projects that bring together diverse groups of researchers (defined by gender, underrepresented minorities, or differentially abled individuals) or focus on nontraditional patient cohorts/diseases will be strongly competitive

A strength of previous successful projects was a willingness for research in novel areas, or with new clinical/basic science collaborators.

Contact Us

If you have any questions about Parekh Center Research Program or how to apply, please email Parekh.Center@NYULangone.org.