2023 BBRF Young Investigator Grant

Eligibility

1. BBRF welcomes diversity with BBRF grant applications including gender, race, ethnicity, and culture of the applicant, and geographic location for their proposed work.
2. Applicants must have a doctoral level degree (e.g., M.D. with [minimum PGY-IV] training, Ph.D., Psy.D., Pharm.D., etc.) and already be employed in research training or a faculty research position. The BBRF Young Investigator Grant is intended to support advanced post-doctoral fellows, instructors and assistant professors (or equivalent). Pre- doctoral students, first year post-doctoral fellows, faculty who serve(d) as a principal investigator (PI) on a NIH R01 grant are not eligible. Investigators at the rank of associate professor or equivalent are also not eligible (assistant professors who serve(d) as a principal investigator (PI) on a NIH R01 or equivalent grant are now eligible for the BBRF Independent Investigator Grant).
3. Applicants must have an on-site mentor or senior collaborator who is an established investigator in areas relevant to psychiatric disorders. The mentor/sponsor role is usually extensive for fellowship extension (mentor), and more senior colleague/advisor (sponsor) for an applicant prepared to initiate independent science.
4. Applicants may only apply twice for an initial BBRF Young Investigator Grant.
5. Applicants are eligible for a maximum of two BBRF Young Investigator Grants. Prior grantees who are currently advanced post-doctoral, instructor or assistant professor can apply for a second grant. However, grants cannot overlap in time, only one application for a second BBRF Young Investigator Grant is permitted, and substantial productivity on the first grant must be documented and the applicant must show how a second grant will facilitate competition for a NIH R01 grant or equivalent.
6. Only one principal investigator is allowed per application.
7. Funding is for one or two years and is up to $35,000 per year. 
8. The Foundation allows considerable flexibility in the use of funds: equipment, stipends, etc., are all acceptable as long as the support is in the service of the BBRF Young Investigator Grant research project.

Summary

The Brain & Behavior Research Foundation is the largest non-government, donor-supported organization that distributes funds for psychiatric brain and behavior disorder research. The Foundation’s BBRF Young Investigator Grant (YI) program offers up to $35,000 a year for up to two (2) years to enable promising investigators to either extend their research fellowship training or to begin careers as independent research faculty.

The program is intended to facilitate innovative research opportunities and supports basic, as well as translational and/or clinical investigators. All research must be relevant to our understanding, treatment and prevention of serious psychiatric disorders such as: schizophrenia; bipolar; mood and anxiety disorders or early onset brain and behavior disorders.

In addition to supporting the full ranges of relevant neurobiological and psychobiological basic science, we also support clinical science, which can include careful studies using qualitative research approaches or research generating preliminary data to explore a new hypothesis generated by clinical experience or large sample studies.

The BBRF Young Investigator Grant is not sufficient to support expensive large sample patient-based studies but it may be possible to attach a study to a clinical project already under way or for which other funding has become available. Some examples of preliminary clinical studies include:

1. Support for an add-on study to identify a biomarker in the context of an ongoing clinical trial.
2. Determining if a computer-based cognitive or other remediation enhances effectiveness of cognitive agents. 3. Proof of principle study to see if efficacy is detected with a new treatment.
3. Testing a novel hypothesis within an already established data set.

These examples do not define the Foundation’s specific goals but illustrate feasibility of expensive clinical research in the context of the BBRF Grants Program. The Foundation is committed to spending all contributions for direct support of research. Operational expenses are covered by separate Foundation grants. Administrative cost of review is small— reviewers are members of the Foundation’s Scientific Council and volunteer their time to evaluate applications; therefore, no feedback can be provided to applicants.

Application deadlines

RSO detailed review deadline

RSO final internal review deadline

Program application deadline

NOTE: Consult your Faculty Associate Dean (Research) (ADR) regarding Faculty-specific deadlines and submission processes.

Principal Investigators: Complete a Research Management System (RMS) record, including a copy of your complete application, and submit this for approvals in RMS.

Postdocs, students, and trainees: For fellowships and externally-sponsored research training awards or opportunities, you must complete the Research Funding Application Approval (RFAA) Trainee PDF form, and submit it, along with a complete copy of the application, to Research Services at rsogrants@ucalgary.ca. Trainees should not use RMS at this time.

Approvals: The University of Calgary requires that all funding applications be approved prior to submission. Approval requires signatures via either RMS or the RFAA Trainee form, in the following order:

• Principal Investigator
• Department Head
• Faculty ADR/Dean
• Research Services (on behalf of the Vice-President Research)

Read the Meaning of Grant Signatures policy to understand what your approval means. Please see the agency guidelines for details about which signatures are required on your application, as it may differ from internal requirements.

Late submissions: Late submissions will only be accepted in cases of medical or family emergencies, or other exceptional circumstances. If you submit your RMS record to Research Services after the internal deadline has passed, you must secure additional approvals. Please read: Late Applications Process.

Overhead/Indirect Costs

The Foundation does not pay institutional overhead on the BBRF Young Investigator Grant Program.