Neha Patil (Editor)

NARSAD Grants

Updated on
Edit
Like
Comment
Share on FacebookTweet on TwitterShare on LinkedInShare on Reddit

NARSAD Grants are awarded to researchers by the Scientific Council of the Brain & Behavior Research Foundation. The council comprises a group of 138 volunteer mental health professionals considered leaders in their fields. NARSAD is an acronym for National Alliance for Research on Schizophrenia and Depression, the former name of the Brain & Behavior Research Foundation. The mission of the Brain & Behavior Research Foundation is to alleviate the suffering caused by mental illness by awarding grants that will lead to advances and breakthroughs in scientific research.

Contents

History and Leadership

The first NARSAD Grant was awarded in 1987 and since then more than 4,000 grants have been awarded totaling nearly $300 million. The Scientific Council is still led by its founding president, Herbert Pardes, M.D., Executive Vice Chairman of the Board of Trustees of New York-Presbyterian Hospital.

Research Priority Areas

NARSAD Grants are given in four research priority areas:

  • Basic research – to understand what happens in the brain to cause mental illness
  • New technologies – to advance or create new ways of studying and understanding the brain
  • Diagnostic tools/early intervention – to recognize early signs of mental illness and treat as early as possible
  • Next generation therapies – to reduce symptoms of mental illness and retrain the brain

    • Grant Types

    In addition to the above four research areas, grants are awarded to researchers in three different stages of their careers. NARSAD Young Investigator Grants are up to $35,000 per year for one or two years and are given to advanced post-doctoral or assistant professor or equivalent-level scientists. NARSAD Independent Investigator Grants are up to $50,000 per year for two years for scientists at the associate professor or equivalent level. Finally, NARSAD Distinguished Investigator Grants are up to $100,000 for one year for scientists at the full professor or equivalent level.

    Prize Schedule

    Prizes are awarded by the Brain & Behavior Research Foundation twice annually. In the summer, The Klerman Prize for Exceptional Clinical Research and The Freedman Prize for Exceptional Basic Research ($1,000 each) are given to NARSAD Young Investigator Grantees.

    In the fall, five prizes are awarded for lifetime achievement to distinguished researchers:

  • The Lieber Prize for Outstanding Achievement in Schizophrenia Research, a $50,000 cash prize given annually since 1987, recognizes scientists who have made distinguished contributions to the understanding of schizophrenia.
  • The Colvin Prize for Outstanding Achievement in Mood Disorders Research (formerly the Bipolar Mood Disorder Prize, the Nola Maddox Falcone Prize and the Selo Prize), renamed in honor of the late Oliver D. Colvin, Jr., is a $50,000 award given to scientists doing outstanding work on the causes, pathophysiology, treatment, or prevention of affective disorders.
  • The Ruane Prize for Outstanding Achievement in Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Research recognizes scientists carrying out research on the causes, pathophysiology, treatment, or prevention of severe child mental illness, with an award of $50,000.
  • The Goldman-Rakic Prize for Outstanding Achievement in Cognitive Neuroscience Research is a $40,000 award recognizing outstanding research in cognitive neuroscience, specifically neurobiological research at the cellular, physiological, or behavioral levels.
  • The Sidney R. Baer, Jr. Prize for Innovative and Promising Schizophrenia Research, a $40,000 award, is given to a candidate chosen by the current year's Lieber Prize winner for outstanding work in schizophrenia research.

    • Grant Statistics

    The following are the latest NARSAD Grant statistics as of February 2013 according to the Foundation website:

    Total given since 1987 (26th year of grant giving): $289,322,696.27
    Total number of grantees: 3,319
    Total number of grants given: 4,278
    Total number of institutions: 434
    Total number of countries (other than the U.S.): 32

    References

    NARSAD Grants Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA