MIT faculty members with an interest in autism research may apply as the PI on a seed research grant. We seek innovative research projects that are directly relevant to autism and that bridge at least two different MIT labs, or one MIT lab and another at a Boston-area institution (typically a hospital). The expectation is that the seed funds will enable the collection of pilot data on bold new projects, bringing the work to the point where it can be funded through standard channels after the first year. This mechanism will provide a single year of support, at a maximum level of $100,000 in direct costs (indirect costs need not be included in the budget). The project must involve one MIT faculty member as PI and at least one other independent researcher as co-PI from a different lab. When a MIT PI applies with a co-PI from another Boston-area institution, the funds will be budgeted for spending at MIT. Successful applicants can apply later for a second year of funding, but the application will be considered in competition with all submitted applications (including new ones).

Applications should be submitted via email to scsb-funding@mit.edu. Applications should include a cover page and a project proposal (5 pages maximum, 11 point Arial font, single-spaced, 1 inch margins on all sides) containing a proposal summary, specific aims, background, preliminary data if any, and experimental design and methods. A budgetand budget justification are separately required, along with NIH-format CV’s of the PI and co-PI, and a brief letter from each outlining how this project will enable his or her lab to expand their effort in autism research and how they propose to continue the project after the first year. The lead PI should submit all of this material as one compiled PDF.

Application Materials

Seed Grant Cover Page and Budget Template