This funding opportunity supports junior researchers (BS, MS, PhD, MD, and postdocs) pursuing innovative and exploratory projects in neuroscience, particularly those leveraging the re analysis of existing or own datasets, that are not readily supported by traditional funding mechanisms. Eligible projects should address fundamental or translational questions across neuroscience, including neural development, neural injury and repair, neurodegeneration, neuroinflammation, and brain aging, with a clear scientific rationale grounded in prior literature, existing data, or cross disciplinary observations.
The goal is to facilitate creative junior scientists to rapidly test high risk but feasible ideas that could advance our understanding of brain function, neural dysfunction, disease mechanisms or treatment. Priority will be given to projects that can generate meaningful proof of concept or preliminary insights within a 6 month timeframe, and that outline a clear path toward follow up funding, publication, or translational development, with a strong emphasis on projects centered on reanalyzing and integrating existing public or private datasets.
Neuroscience continues to face major limitations in understanding and treating many neurological conditions, with effective therapies lacking for a wide range of developmental, injury, and neurodegenerative disorders. Despite decades of research, the biological mechanisms underlying brain vulnerability, repair, and long term dysfunction remain incompletely understood. Recent progress in brain organoid systems, new animal models and genomic datasets have made it possible to study neuroscience in ways that were not feasible until recently. However, junior researchers often face pressure to align with their mentors’ established research areas, forcing them to abandon creative ideas in exchange for project approval. This practice severely limits their ability to explore high-risk, high-reward ideas that could lead to transformative discoveries.
$10,000 USD in ResearchCoin (RSC) is available to support this initial iteration, which may include data collection, laboratory analysis, reporting, and personnel costs. See ResearchHub’s funding guide for researchers to learn more about the process.
Applicants must verify identity and authenticate ORCID on their ResearchHub profile
There are no restrictions based on the applicant’s country of residence.
PhD students, Postdocs, independent researchers, non-tenured faculty are eligible
Projects should be feasible within the proposed 6 month timeframe using available infrastructure.
Preregistration: All selected applicants must preregister their study protocol on ResearchHub to be considered for funding.
Fully funded pre-registrations will be eligible to be published as ResearchHub Registered Report (RRR) in the ResearchHub Journal (more info).
Open-Access Data Sharing: By participating, applicants agree to share all data generated through this research in an open-access repository. This ensures transparency and facilitates the scientific community’s engagement with the findings.
Preprint: Researchers are encouraged to upload a preprint of their findings on ResearchHub.
Progress Updates: Researchers are encouraged to share regular updates via the “Updates” tab and may receive RSC tips for updates shared.
For questions, please post directly in the “Conversation” tab of the RFP or alternatively contact editorial@researchhub.foundation or Selda Yildiz (selda.editor@researchhub.foundation).