Pilot Awards (SFARI)

Pilot Awards (SFARI) is sponsored by Simons Foundation Autism Research Initiative (SFARI). Pilot Awards (SFARI) is a grant from the Simons Foundation Autism Research Initiative (SFARI) that funds investigators new to the autism research field who are pursuing innovative, hypothesis-driven studies in autism science.

SFARI | 2024 Pilot Award — Request for Applications You are using an outdated browser. Please upgrade your browser to improve your experience. Awards may begin as early as Feb 1, 2025, but we encourage PIs to select a project start date that best accommodates the needs of their project.

Funds are expected to be expended as requested during each annual budget period. Projects must begin on the first of the month. Awards may begin as early as Feb 1, 2025, but we encourage PIs to select a project start date that best accommodates the needs of their project.

Funds are expected to be expended as requested during each annual budget period. Projects must begin on the first of the month. Monday - Friday: 9 am - 5 pm ET Awards may begin as early as Feb 1, 2025, but we encourage PIs to select a project start date that best accommodates the needs of their project.

Funds are expected to be expended as requested during each annual budget period. Projects must begin on the first of the month. Monday - Friday: 9 am - 5 pm ET 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.

To this end, we solicit applications for Pilot Awards from individuals who will conduct bold, imaginative, rigorous and relevant research. Objective of the Pilot Award The goal of the Pilot Award is to provide early support for exploratory ideas, particularly those with novel hypotheses.

Appropriate projects for this mechanism include those considered higher risk but with the potential for transformative results, including work in human subjects. Projects that represent continuations of ongoing work (whether funded by SFARI or other funders) are not appropriate for this mechanism.

This funding mechanism is particularly suitable for investigators who are new to the autism field, though we encourage those new to the field to consult with experts in autism research to ensure their projects are relevant to the human condition. As with other Pilot projects, proposals in human subjects should be relevant, novel, exploratory, high-risk and with the potential for transformative results.

They may test new mechanisms, employ new technology or analytics, or take innovative approaches to phenotyping or stratification that stand to move the field forward in transformative ways. Given the heterogeneity and multifactorial causes of ASD, SFARI places a premium on the use of well-characterized and sufficiently powered cohorts.

To facilitate recruitment of cohorts with well-characterized ASD and associated neurodevelopmental disabilities, SFARI has developed the Research Match program, which helps investigators recruit participants from Simons collections, including SPARK and Simons Searchlight . RFA applicants are strongly encouraged, but not required, to use Research Match as part of their participation recruitment strategy.

Recognizing that sufficiently-powered work in humans can be costly, projects employing human subjects will have the option for a separate (higher) budget track, as detailed below. Level and Duration of Funding The total budget of a Pilot Award is $300,000 or less, including 20 percent indirect costs, over a period of up to two (2) years.

Projects proposing research in human subjects may request a higher budget (up to $500,000 over 2 years), but must include a compelling justification, particularly for the required level of effort of all key personnel. Allowable indirect costs to the primary institution for subcontracts are not included in the total budget threshold (see our grant policies ).

We encourage investigators to take advantage of the flexibility in budget and duration, tailoring the scope of the award as appropriate for their specific aims. Proposed budgets will be assessed on the appropriateness for the scope of work and merit of commitment. Larger budgets invite heightened scrutiny.

We strongly encourage investigators considering budgets that exceed our guidelines to consult SFARI before submission (please contact [email protected] ). Funds are expected to be expended as requested during each annual budget period.

Please note that in the event of budgetary or other considerations the Simons Foundation reserves the right to refer an application to the Simons Foundation International, Ltd. (SFI) for consideration and funding, in which case SFI’s grant policies would apply. 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.

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.

Multiple Applications, Resubmissions and Renewals Unsuccessful applications submitted to previous SFARI RFAs may be resubmitted to this RFA, if relevant. For all resubmissions, we ask principal investigators (PIs) to submit a statement of changes describing substantive changes to the application since the previous submission.

If the previous application was externally reviewed, this document should include point-by-point responses to the reviewers’ critiques. If the revised application does not include substantive changes, it is unlikely that the outcome will change. This is especially true for applications that were not externally reviewed, as this decision is often based on the relevance of the project to SFARI’s mission.

We also will not accept applications that have previously been considered three or more times (regardless of which RFA they were previously submitted to). Investigators may submit multiple applications on different topics. However, it is highly unlikely that two awards will be made to the same PI within one RFA cycle .

Given the focus of this RFA on bold, imaginative new ideas, it is unlikely that a renewal of a currently funded project (either from SFARI or elsewhere) will be a good fit for this RFA. We encourage investigators to seek continuation support from outside funding sources, or, if eligible, to consider applying to the Pilot Progression RFA , which will open for applications in April 2024.

Decisions on new proposals from current SFARI Investigators will include the evaluation of progress on previous or ongoing SFARI grants. Instructions for Submission Application templates will be available in SAM on April 11, 2024. Applications will include a Specific Aims page and a 3-page Proposal Narrative.

Up to 10 figures can be included separately and do not count towards the page limit. Our Commitment to Expanding Pathways to Science and Opportunities for All Many of the greatest ideas and discoveries come from a diverse mix of minds, backgrounds and experiences. The Simons Foundation is committed to advancing basic science and mathematics to benefit humankind and expand our collective understanding of our world.

As part of our mission, we support partners, programs and initiatives that seek to broaden the scientific community and open pathways to science and mathematics careers.

The Simons Foundation provides equal opportunities to all applicants for funding without regard to race, religion, color, age, sex, pregnancy, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic disposition, neurodiversity, disability, veteran status or any other protected category under federal, state and local law.

Awards may begin as early as Feb 1, 2025, but we encourage PIs to select a project start date that best accommodates the needs of their project. Funds are expected to be expended as requested during each annual budget period. Projects must begin on the first of the month.

Monday - Friday: 9 am - 5 pm ET The submission deadline is Thursday, June 13, 2024, 12:00 p. m. Eastern Time Please note that anyone submitting an application will be added to the SFARI newsletter mailing list.

Informational videos on submitting applications in SAM can be found here . Application Submission Instructions: To submit an application, the following sections must be completed: Applicant Details & Personal Data: Please complete the required fields listed below. The applicant may use the Edit Profile button to update their information as needed.

Personal Data: Disclosing demographic information is voluntary; however, a response is required for all demographic questions. If you do not wish to disclose any information, please select the “Prefer not to disclose” option for each question. To complete this section, please use the Edit Profile button.

Please note that you will not be able to submit your application until a response has been provided for each demographic question. Academic Degrees: Click the Add/Modify Degree(s) button to provide this information. Application Details: Please complete the required fields below.

Hovering over the question mark icons will provide additional information on required fields. Title: Enter a project title. Start Date and End Date: All start dates must be on the first of the month and end dates must be on the last day of the month.

Awards should span two years (e.g. February 1, 2025 to January 31, 2027). Is this a resubmission? : Please select Yes if you have previously submitted an application to this program.

You will be asked to enter the SAM or ProposalCentral (pC) ID. Proposal – The following information/upload must be provided: Simons Collections Data and/or Biospecimens: indicate accordingly. Specific Aims: Upload via template provided.

Proposal Narrative: Upload via template provided. Personnel Biosketches: Please upload a biosketch for all key personnel on the project using the template provided or using your NIH biosketch or NIH SciENcv. Resources and Research Environment: Upload via template provided.

Progress Report: Only required for investigators currently receiving SFARI funding on science relevant for current proposal. If required, upload via template provided. Investigational Compound Information Sheet: Only required for investigators proposing to use investigational compounds or chemicals for which public information is not yet available.

If required, upload via template provided. Human Participants Study Information Sheet: Only required for investigators proposing human participant research/clinical studies. If required, upload using template provided.

Other: Upload any application materials that were specifically requested. Additionally, in-press papers can be included, as well as any papers that you consider essential for the work of the review committee. Include no more than three (3) papers.

Any other material should be included, if possible, in the narrative. Data & Renewable Reagents: Indicate your plan for sharing data and renewable reagents (if applicable) by answering the provided questions.

Contacts and Personnel Tab: Institution Administrative Contacts: At least one institution signing official and financial officer must be added to the Institution Administrative Contacts section before you will be able to submit your application. Project Personnel: Please indicate all key personnel on the proposed project.

Key personnel include the PI and other individuals who contribute to the scientific development or execution of a project in a substantive, measurable way, whether or not they request salaries or compensation. This may include co-investigators, collaborators, postdoctoral research associates or equivalent employee positions.

Project personnel who will be named in the budget must be added to the Project Personnel section on this tab before they will display as available options in the budget module. This does not apply to TBD personnel. Instructions for multi-site applications: The Spokesperson PI will be the designated contact for the project.

The Spokesperson PI will be responsible for directing the project and will coordinate all administrative deliverables. Applications with multiple PIs from different institutions that would like to be paid separately must list the additional PI(s) in the Project Personnel section and use the Application Role dropdown that indicates “Principle Investigator (Multi-Site).

” This will generate a linked application that the additional PI and their institution must complete. Additional PIs will be notified via email that they have been invited to participate in a collaboration and will be able to access their application upon logging into SAM, which includes a budget and requires sign-off by a signing official from the individual PI’s institution.

Additional PIs can work on their applications at the same time as the Spokesperson PI. Applications with multiple PIs from different institutions that would like to be paid directly by the main institution are considered subcontracts. Subcontract PIs should be listed in the Project Personnel section either with or without access.

Subcontract PIs with access should be added using the Application Role dropdown that indicated “Subcontract Lead – With Application Access,” which will generate an email notification that they have been added to the application with access to view or edit the main or any subcontract budgets.

Subcontract Leads without access should be added using the Application Role dropdown that indicates “Key Personnel (Including Subcontracts) – Without Application Access,” which will not notify the Subcontract PI and will not give them access. Instead, this allows the contact PI to fill out the subcontract budget on their behalf. Applications from multiple PIs at the same institution do not need to submit additional materials.

Additional non-applicant PIs can be added to this section as “Key Personnel – With Access” or “Key Personnel (Including Subcontracts) – Without Application Access. ” Under “add more details,” select the role “Non-Contact Principal Investigator. ” Budget Tab : Click the Edit/Modify button to add a detailed budget.

Any errors that must be corrected before submission will be displayed in red above the budget. If a budget has more than one period, using the “copy from previous period” functionality will copy items from the previous period into the current period.

Subcontract Budgets, including budgets with PIs from different institutions who would like to be paid directly by the main institution, will be visible once the Subcontract is added in the Contacts and Key Personnel tab as described above.

Multi-site budgets from different institutions that would like to be paid separately will be visible on each PI’s individual application, but they will not be able to see any individual salary information. They will see an aggregated personnel total.

Personnel: Please note that there is no salary cap for PIs or other faculty on a Simons Foundation grant; however, the compensation is prorated according to the individual’s percent effort on the grant.

There is no minimum percent effort required for PIs or other personnel on any SFARI award type, but it is expected that the PI will commit sufficient effort to this project to provide a leading intellectual and guiding role on the project. PIs committing less than 15 percent effort to their project should justify their effort level in detail.

SFARI funds may be used only for personnel considered employees of the grantee institution who are eligible for benefits. Funds may not be used for stipend or benefit supplementation unless specifically authorized under the terms of the program from which funds are derived. The Simons Foundation reserves the right to modify budgets when an application has been selected for an award (see Simons Foundation policies ).

Indirect costs (IDCs): Indirect costs to the primary institution are limited to 20 percent of direct costs with the following exceptions: equipment, tuition and any portion of each subcontract in excess of $25,000. The primary institution may take indirect costs on the first $25,000 modified total direct costs of each subcontract.

Indirect costs paid to a subcontractor may not exceed 20 percent of the modified total direct costs paid to the subcontractor. Equipment: The Simons Foundation will own equipment purchased with foundation grant funds with a unit cost of $50,000 or more.

At the end of the grant funding period or in the case of grant termination for any reason, the foundation reserves the right to retain ownership or cede ownership to the PI’s institution. Equipment with a unit cost of less than $50,000 shall be the property of the institution. Abstract & Keywords Tab: Provide an abstract for the proposed project in the Technical Abstract text box.

Publications & Other Support Tab: Publications: Follow instructions for providing publications for all key personnel on the project. Publications can be added as a batch from a PubMed search by selecting Select publication from profile and then clicking the Assign publications for this proposal button. Note that publications will be used to determine conflicts of interest (COIs) for the review of your proposal.

Other Support: Follow instructions for providing other support information for all key personnel on the project. If using PDF upload, use NIH format. Organization Assurances: Indicate if the application has organizational assurances.

Check Application Progress: Click the Check Application Progress button to check for any missing required information or files. All missing required information will be listed at the top of the screen and must be corrected before the application can be submitted. Send for sign-off: When the application is complete, click on the Send for sign-off button to send to your signing official for signature.

You will receive a notification when the application is signed. Submit Application: When the full proposal application is complete and signed, click on the Submit Application button. A confirmation page will appear once the application is successfully submitted.

It will appear in the Submitted tab of the Applications in Progress table. Please note that you will not be able to submit an application if the deadline has passed. Please note that in the event of budgetary or other considerations the Simons Foundation reserves the right to refer an application to the Simons Foundation International, Ltd. (SFI) for consideration and funding, in which case SFI’s grant policies would apply.

Please note that narratives exceeding the three (3)-page limit will not be reviewed. Not included in the page limit are figures (up to 10, each fitting on one page), figure legends and references (formatted in the Journal of Neuroscience style). Awards may begin as early as Feb 1, 2025, but we encourage PIs to select a project start date that best accommodates the needs of their project.

Funds are expected to be expended as requested during each annual budget period. Projects must begin on the first of the month. Monday - Friday: 9 am - 5 pm ET Am I eligible to be a principal investigator (PI) on a SFARI Pilot or Research Award?

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. Applications may be submitted by domestic and foreign nonprofit organizations; public and private institutions, such as colleges, universities, hospitals, laboratories, units of state and local government; and eligible agencies of the federal government.

There are no citizenship or country requirements. See the Personnel FAQ section for more information on the responsibilities of a SFARI principal investigator. Can postdoctoral associates apply as PIs?

No, postdoctoral associates may not apply as PIs even if your institution is willing to submit an application on your behalf. Senior postdoctoral research associates who are interested in pursuing an independent career in autism research are encouraged to apply for SFARI’s Bridge to Independence Award RFA . The next round of Bridge to Independence is scheduled to launch in August 2024.

Can foreign institutions apply for a grant? Yes, foreign institutions may apply. Please see Simons Foundation policies regarding international grants.

What is the difference between a principal investigator (PI) and a co-investigator? The individual(s) judged by the applicant institution to have the appropriate level of authority and responsibility to direct the project or program supported by the grant. All principal investigators (PIs) must hold a Ph.

D. , M. D.

or equivalent degree and have a faculty position or equivalent at a college, university, medical school or other research facility. The PI is responsible and accountable to the applicant institution and SFARI for the proper conduct of the project or activity, including the submission of all required reports.

The PI will act as the main point of contact for SFARI and should be noted as personnel in the budget even if not requesting salary. There is no minimum percent effort required for PI, but it is expected that the PI will join the collaborative community of SFARI Investigators, and that the PI will partake in some conferences, workshops and symposia that SFARI organizes.

An individual involved with the PI in the scientific development or execution of a project. The co-investigator must hold a Ph. D.

, M. D. or equivalent, and be employed by or be affiliated with the applicant/grantee institution or another organization participating in the project under a consortium agreement.

A co-investigator is considered key personnel and should be noted as personnel in the budget even if not requesting salary. SFARI does not require a minimum effort from the co-investigator. The designation of a co-investigator, if applicable, does not affect the PI’s roles and responsibilities, nor is it a role implying multiple PIs.

Is there a minimum percent effort for PIs or co-investigators? We seek applications from independent investigators who can devote a substantial portion of time to this effort. There is no minimum percent effort required for any personnel, but we expect personnel, in particular PIs and co-investigators, to have efforts that reflect their roles in the project.

Can multiple PIs apply for a grant? When relevant, the applicant organization may designate multiple individuals as PIs who share the authority and responsibility for leading and directing the project, intellectually and logistically.

Each PI is responsible and accountable to the applicant organization or, as appropriate, to a collaborating organization, for the proper conduct of the project or program, including the submission of all required reports. The presence of more than one identified PI on an application or award diminishes neither the responsibility nor the accountability of any individual PI.

The first PI listed, under whose name the application is submitted, will serve as the contact PI for administrative purposes. The contact PI must be affiliated with the institution submitting the application. The contact PI will be responsible for communication between SFARI and the rest of the leadership team.

The role type “Co-PI” will not be used by SFARI. How do I designate multiple PIs on the application? Please review the instructional video, “Generate collaboration and multi-site applications,” on our website .

Where do I enter additional co-investigators and additional key personnel? You can save personnel details in the Project Personnel section on the Contacts and Personnel tab of the application. Can co-investigators and additional personnel be listed on multiple applications?

Yes, co-investigators and additional personnel can be listed on multiple applications. Does SFARI require letters of support or collaboration? We do not require letters of support or letters of collaboration from co-investigators.

If a letter is prepared, it can be uploaded in the Other section. Where do I submit the proposal? Can I email or mail a proposal?

No, SFARI accepts only applications submitted online through SAM. Does the PI need to sign the signature page? No, only the signing official may sign and submit the application.

Where is the Submit button? The Submit button is located at the bottom right of the screen. You will be unable to submit if you have not provided all the required information.

If the submission deadline has NOT passed, use the Check Application Progress button to check for missing requirements. If the problem persists, please contact [email protected] . If the deadline has passed, the submission period has closed, and you will not be able to submit.

I get an error message citing a missing section when I try to submit. The Check Application Progress button reviews your application for missing sections. The submission instructions list the required sections and attachments.

You must complete the missing sections listed. If you are still receiving error messages after completing and saving the indicated sections, please contact [email protected] . Are deadline times adjusted for time zones?

No, please be advised that application deadlines on the application are in Eastern Time. We recommend registering early and submitting applications with ample time for corrections prior to the deadline hour. Site traffic can slow page-load times.

The Submit button will not work after the deadline time has passed. Is there a confirmation email when I submit? A confirmation email is sent upon submission of the application.

Make sure that spam filters allow emails from [email protected] . Additionally, the application will be in the Submitted tab of the Applications in Progress table after submission. Can I make changes to the application once it has been submitted?

Before you can make changes to your submitted application, you must first contact SFARI. Please email [email protected] . Applications can only be changed prior to the deadline.

The funding notification date has passed, but I haven’t received a notification. What is the status of my proposal? You should receive notification within 24 hours of the deadline.

Please check your spam filter settings if you have not received notification by then. Resubmissions and Renewals Can PIs submit multiple applications for Pilot Awards? Principal Investigators may submit multiple applications for funding, however SFARI is exceedingly unlikely to award more than one grant to a given PI in a single year.

Can PIs re-submit unfunded applications? Unsuccessful applications submitted to previous SFARI RFAs may be resubmitted in subsequent RFAs. However, we will not accept applications that have previously been considered three (3) or more times (regardless of which RFA they were previously submitted to).

For all resubmissions, we ask PIs to submit a statement of changes describing substantive changes to the application since the previous submission. If the previous application was externally reviewed, this document should include point-by-point responses to the reviewers’ critiques.

This document will be used primarily by SFARI’s internal scientific staff, although in some cases portions of it may be shared with external reviewers at SFARI’s discretion. If the revised application does not include substantive changes, it is unlikely that the outcome will change.

This is especially true for applications that were not externally reviewed, as this decision is often based on the relevance of the project to SFARI’s mission. Can PIs submit applications for renewal of a previously funded SFARI award? Given the focus of the Pilot RFA on bold, imaginative new ideas, it is unlikely that a renewal of a currently funded project (either from SFARI or elsewhere) will be a good fit for this RFA.

We encourage investigators to seek continuation support from outside funding sources, or, if eligible, to consider applying to the Pilot Progression RFA, which is currently open. Decisions on new proposals from current SFARI Investigators will include the evaluation of progress on previous or ongoing SFARI grants. What should be included in the Specific Aims Page?

The Specific Aims Page should be a summary of the proposed project focused on the research aims of the project, including a concise rationale for the hypothesis, description of preliminary data and experimental approach, and impact on autism research. What is the page limit for the Specific Aims Page? The Specific Aims Page should not exceed one (1) page of single-spaced, 11-point text and 0.

5-inch margins. What is the page limit for the Proposal Narrative? Pilot Award Proposal Narratives should not exceed three (3) pages single-spaced, 11-point text and 0.

5-inch margins. Figures, figure legends and references should follow the narrative text and will not count towards the page limit. How should the Proposal Narrative be organized?

The Proposal Narrative should be considered an expanded version of the Specific Aims Page and used to provide more detail on the following: Relevant scientific background and relevance to autism Preliminary results when applicable Pitfalls and alternative strategies Future directions and implications for autism diagnosis, understanding or treatment SFARI considers the following information crucial for the evaluation of a project and encourages including the following details (where relevant): Induced pluripotent stem cell lines and controls to be used and their availability Animal model strains/lines and their availability Patient cohorts used (including source of participants, sample size and availability of genetic data) Datasets or biospecimen collections to be used (including SFARI resources) and their availability A brief statement of statistical power Investigators should refer to the Methodological and Statistical Considerations Sheet for further information on necessary experimental detail to include in the proposal narrative.

Are references, figures and figure legends included in the Proposal Narrative page limit? How should they be included? References, figures and figure legends are not included in the page limits for the Proposal Narrative, although we have a limit of ten (10) figures, each fitting on a single page.

Please attach them at the end of the narrative in the same PDF file. SFARI’s preference is for figures to follow the narrative rather than be embedded in the text. References should be in Journal of Neuroscience format, including full author list, title and a link to PubMed or preprint archive.

What is a “statement of changes”? For all resubmissions, we ask PIs to submit a statement of changes describing substantive changes to the application since the previous submission. If the previous application was externally reviewed, this document should include point-by-point responses to the reviewers’ critiques.

This document will be used primarily by SFARI’s internal scientific staff, although in some cases portions of it may be shared with external reviewers at SFARI’s discretion. What can I include in the Other section? In-press papers can be included, as well as any papers that you consider essential for the work of the review committee.

Include no more than three (3) papers. Any other material should be included, if possible, in the narrative. If you have video attachments for your proposal, please upload them in the Other section (all file types are accepted).

What do I do if there is a subcontract on the application? Applications with a subcontract (including PIs who will be paid directly by the contact PI’s institution) should review the instructional video, “Add a subcontract budget to an application,” on our website . Are indirect costs included in the budget limits?

Yes. The total limit for a Pilot Award is $300,000 for proposals that do not involve work in humans and $500,000 for proposals that do involve work in humans. These totals include indirect costs, at 20 percent for up to two (2) years.

Allowable Indirect costs to the primary institution for subcontracts are not included in the total budget threshold (see grant policies ). Please note that indirect costs cannot be taken on equipment with a unit cost of more than