Seed Grants

Seed Grants is sponsored by Johns Hopkins Merkin Peripheral Neuropathy and Nerve Regeneration Center. Provides seed funding for peripheral neuropathy research projects.

Peripheral neuropathies (often painful damage or disruption of the peripheral nerve function) affect millions of Americans, but sadly, most have no effective treatments. The Johns Hopkins Merkin Peripheral Neuropathy and Nerve Regeneration Center hopes to change that. Our goal is to advance peripheral neuropathy research, deepen our understanding of these conditions and their causes and develop viable therapies.

### Peripheral Neuropathy Awareness Campaign On July 21, 2026, Dr. Gregory Maassen completed an extraordinary 7,460-mile cross-country e-bike journey in Santa Monica, California. Living with peripheral neuropathy himself, Gregory rode from Florida to California to raise awareness of the condition and highlight the urgent need for better treatments and continued research. Although the ride has ended, its mission continues.

Learn more about Gregory’s journey and how you can support the Merkin PNNR Center’s efforts to advance peripheral neuropathy research. Applications are accepted through our grant application portal. Learn about using the portal (PDF).

For questions, please email merkincenter@jhu. edu. ### Johns Hopkins Applicants **Seed Grants**(up to $75,000/year for up to 2 years): Applications must be submitted between July 1, 2026, and August 10, 2026, by 11:59 PM ET.

Award notifications will be issued by October 31, 2026. The earliest project start date is December 1, 2026. **Micro-Grants**(up to $20,000, maximum 6 months): Applications are accepted on a rolling basis.

Funding decisions are typically made within 4 weeks of submission. Download instructions for internal applicants (PDF). ### Applicants from Other U.S. Institutions **Seed Grants**(up to $75,000/year for up to 2 years): Applications must be submitted between July 1, 2026, and August 10, 2026, by 11:59 PM ET.

Award notifications will be issued by October 31, 2026. The earliest project start date is March 1, 2027. Download instructions for external applicants (PDF).

## How We Plan to Advance Peripheral Neuropathy Research It is people — brilliant scientists — who make notable medical discoveries. Our center will use the Johns Hopkins expertise and resources, combined with the generous gift from the Merkin Family Foundation, to bring together these individuals and teams in a collaborative setting.

To achieve this, we will: ### Create a Global Research Network By providing seed funding, support and expertise to investigators worldwide, we can help advance many innovative projects. By organizing forums and events, we hope to promote open exchange of tools and ideas between researchers, which sparks innovation.

Through mentorship and a collaborative environment, we aim to encourage out-of-the-box approaches and create a research community with a diverse body of knowledge. ### Focus on Better Diagnostics and Treatments By supporting the full pathway from investigating the causes, to drug discovery, animal models and clinical trials, we aim to translate basic research into patient-ready therapies.

### Establish a Scientific Advisory Board Comprised of external experts in related disciplines, the board will set annual goals, review data and provide perspectives and guidance on research productivity and timeliness.

### Aggregate and Share Data Through the use of computer algorithms, investigators will be able to better characterize disease, identify subtypes, determine patterns and build shared resources, such as a patient registry for genotyping and biomarker studies. Our center and research progress were made possible by a gift from the Merkin Family Foundation.