2023 SFARI Cross-Species Studies of ASD Grant

Eligibility

• All applicants and key collaborators must hold a Ph.D., M.D. or equivalent degree and have a faculty position or the equivalent at a college, university, medical school or other research facility.
• Principal investigators (PIs) who do not have substantial expertise with ASD participants should include a close collaborator with such expertise on their grant application (e.g., multi-PI application).
• Applications may be submitted by domestic and foreign nonprofit organizations; public and private institutions, such as colleges, universities, hospitals, laboratories and units of state and local government; and eligible agencies of the federal government. There are no citizenship or country requirements.

Summary

SFARI Mission

The mission of the Simons Foundation Autism Research Initiative (SFARI) is to improve the understanding, diagnosis and treatment of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) by funding innovative research of the highest quality and relevance.

Scientific Scope and Priorities

The 2023 SFARI Cross-Species Studies of ASD Grant will support research on ASD-relevant behaviours and their underlying neurobiological mechanisms conducted in parallel across human and non-human animals. Because the focus is on translation across species, in addition to being relevant to ASD, the behaviors under study should be conserved across species and able to be measured objectively and quantitatively. Three domains SFARI recognizes as fitting these criteria include sensory function, motor function and sleep, although other behaviors will be considered if there is a strong argument that they meet these criteria. All three of these domains are recognized as being affected in many people with ASD, with sensory atypicalities now included in the DSM-5 diagnostic criteria for autism. Competitive applications will not only study the same general behavioral domains in humans and non-human animals, but be able to measure truly analogous behaviors in humans and model animals.

Beyond measuring behaviors in parallel across species, special emphasis is placed on furthering our understanding of the underlying neurobiological mechanisms with an eye towards developing novel biomarkers or interventions. Therefore, behaviors for which there is evidence of evolutionary conservation of such mechanisms, e.g., at the circuit level, will be prioritized. Studies in animals should take advantage of the use of more invasive techniques that would not be possible in humans, yet attempt to link findings from such techniques with analogous measurements in humans.

In addition to aligning measurements of behavior and circuit function across species, SFARI encourages applicants to carefully consider other traits of their study subjects, both human and non-human species, including age, sex, and genotype or genetic background. While there is no rigorous way to model “idiopathic” ASD in non-human animals, applicants should carefully consider and rationalize comparisons of humans with idiopathic and/or known genetic causes of ASD with genetically modified animal models.

Level and Duration of Funding

Applicants may request a maximum of $400,000, inclusive of 20% indirect costs, for each year of funding over a period of two (2) to three (3) years. Allowable Indirect costs to the primary institution for subcontracts are not included in the total budget threshold (see grant policies). SFARI encourages investigators to take advantage of the flexibility in budget and duration, tailoring the scope of the award as appropriate for their specific aims. As with all SFARI-funded projects, it is at Simons Foundation’s discretion to modify final budgets as needed.

Overhead

20% of direct costs.

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.

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.

Resources

Informational Sessions for Potential Applicants - Video

Request for Proposals

Frequently Asked Questions