Greetings,
We are excited to share this funding opportunity from the Pershing Square Foundation (PSF). The MIND (Maximizing Innovation in Neuroscience Discovery) Prize supports and empowers early-to-mid-career investigators to rethink conventional paradigms around neurodegenerative diseases (NDDs). More information about the award can be found in the synopsis and links below. For a full list of currently open opportunities that have been announced through our office, please visit our Current Opportunities web page. As a reminder, our Research Development team is available to provide proposal development support to FAS ladder faculty.
- OSP Deadline: September 16, 2026 at 9:00 AM ET
Departments or areas may require additional time for proposal review and submission. Please discuss a timeline with your departmental or FORA grants administrator.
- Sponsor Deadline for Letters of Intent (LOIs): September 21, 2026 at 5:00 PM ET
- Award Amount: $250,000/year for 3 years
PSF will allow no more than 10% of the award amount ($25,000/year) to be allocated to indirect costs, which comes out to 11.11% of direct costs. This is less than the 15% required by FAS/SEAS policy; however, because these are early career awards FAS/SEAS recognizes this indirect cost limit and does not require further action, such as a waiver or direct charge of other costs. FAS/SEAS requires the use of the 11.11% rate for these awards and will not accept a lower percentage.
Program Overview
The MIND (Maximizing Innovation in Neuroscience Discovery) Prize is meant to enable the most talented early-to-mid-career investigators to pursue bold, creative projects that could have transformative impacts on the field of brain research. This program supports scientists looking to uncover a deeper understanding of the brain and cognition, with a lens on Alzheimer's Disease and Dementias. The highly competitive MIND Prize catalyzes novel and daring interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary work by facilitating collaborations across academic departments and institutions and among the academic, biomedical industry, philanthropic, and business communities. Resulting breakthroughs in basic and translational research will help augment the toolkit for, and knowledge of, neurodegenerative and neurocognitive disorders. Projects may range from the invention of novel tools, techniques, and technologies for mapping and analyzing the brain, to bold approaches that demonstrate extraordinary therapeutic potential.
In addition to awarded funds, MIND Prize winners become part of a unique network of researchers associated with the Pershing Square Foundation (PSF). Benefits include:
- Facilitated partnerships with like-minded researchers within and across institutions
- Networking programs such as collaborations and discussions with industry mentors, introductions to philanthropic and for-profit investors in the business community, special industry networking and entrepreneurship events, and more
- An annual retreat
- Opportunities to present at conferences and events (hosted by PSF and other organizations)
Priority Areas
- Proposals that articulate a clear application to and impact on the field of neurodegenerative and neurocognitive disorders, with a lens of Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementias, will be favored.
- Research domains may include—but are not limited to—neurobiology, brain imaging and mapping, machine learning, drug delivery, and synthetic biology.
- Applicants are encouraged to propose bold, hypothesis-driven, high-risk, high-reward research with the potential for transformative impact. The MIND Prize was created to fund projects that have been deemed too risky or speculative for traditional funding sources but still hold the potential for radical impact.
- Tool and technology development are permitted when they support the testing of a clearly defined biological hypothesis.
- Screening may be part of the proposed work, but should not be the sole focus.
- Clinical components are permitted, but proposals should not center on clinical trials or medical device testing in humans.
Eligibility Criteria
- Applicants must have between one and eight years of independent research experience as a tenure-track faculty member (or equivalent) by the award start date (May 2027), hold a PhD, MD, or MD-PhD (or degree equivalent), and be affiliated with a nonprofit research institution in the U.S.
- An applicant who is not a U.S. citizen or permanent resident, by submitting an LOI for this funding, assures that his/her visa status will provide sufficient time to complete the project and grant term within the United States.
- Applicants may apply for the MIND Prize a total of three times.
- Only one LOI is allowed per Principal Investigator (PI). However, a PI can be listed as a collaborator on another lead PI's application. There is no limit to the number of collaborators that can be included within an LOI, and the lead PI is the only one who must meet the eligibility criteria.
- Applicants to The Pershing Square Foundation prize programs (the MIND Prize, Pershing Square Sohn Cancer Prize, and Lotus Award) can only apply to one program at a time.
- Current PSF grantees (including Cancer Prize and Lotus Award winners) may not apply to the MIND Prize until their existing award term has concluded, and final reports have been received.
- Applicants must display creativity, adaptability, strong written communication skills, and the ability to collaborate with others. They embody an entrepreneurial spirit for driving impact and scale.
- Investigators with or without core neuroscience backgrounds are encouraged to apply.
LOI Materials
- LOI (1.5-page document in Georgia, 11-point font, single-spaced, with one-half inch margins. Figures are accepted but must remain legible within the 1.5-page limit. References are not included in the limit.)
- Scientific background and rationale (one-half page, 400 words maximum)
- Proposed research project (one page)
- Biosketch (must use template in application portal, available after a proposal is initiated)
- Budget (must use template in application portal, available after a proposal is initiated)
Selection Criteria
- Radically innovative and scientifically sound research
- Quality of the applicant
- Application to neurodegeneration
Additional Information and Resources
Applicants should review the full application guidelines and FAQs before submitting an LOI. PSF also recommends reading this article from
PLoS Computational Biology on best practices for grant applicants, as well as its list of previous MIND Prize winners. Recent winners include Max Prigozhin, Assistant Professor of Molecular and Cellular Biology and of Applied Physics (2026). All applications must be submitted through the MIND Prize application submission portal.
For clarity, the MIND Prize does not have a full proposal stage. Projects will be evaluated solely through the LOI. After submission of the LOI, applications will undergo review by the MIND Prize Scientific Advisory Board. Applicants will be notified regarding the status of their LOI by December 17, 2026, at which time selected finalists will be invited to make presentations at the MIND Prize Finalist Review Board Meeting on January 27, 2027 in New York City (while not preferred, a Zoom option is available if needed). Travel expenses will be reimbursed. PSF will notify prize winners in February 2027, with projects beginning on May 1, 2027.
At least six awards are anticipated annually.
Questions from FAS or SEAS faculty about this opportunity may be directed to FAS Research Development. |
