NARSAD Grants
NARSAD Grants are awarded to researchers by the Scientific Council of the Brain & Behavior Research Foundation. The council comprises a group of 138 volunteer mental health professionals considered leaders in their fields.[1] NARSAD is an acronym for National Alliance for Research on Schizophrenia and Depression, the former name of the Brain & Behavior Research Foundation. The mission of the Brain & Behavior Research Foundation is to alleviate the suffering caused by mental illness by awarding grants that will lead to advances and breakthroughs in scientific research.[2]
History and Leadership
The first NARSAD Grant was awarded in 1987 and since then more than 4,000 grants have been awarded totaling nearly $300 million.[2] The Scientific Council is still led by its founding president, Herbert Pardes, M.D., Executive Vice Chairman of the Board of Trustees of New York-Presbyterian Hospital.[3]
Research Priority Areas
NARSAD Grants are given in four research priority areas:[1]
- Basic research – to understand what happens in the brain to cause mental illness
- New technologies – to advance or create new ways of studying and understanding the brain
- Diagnostic tools/early intervention – to recognize early signs of mental illness and treat as early as possible
- Next generation therapies – to reduce symptoms of mental illness and retrain the brain
Grant Types
In addition to the above four research areas, grants are awarded to researchers in three different stages of their careers. NARSAD Young Investigator Grants are up to $35,000 per year for one or two years and are given to advanced post-doctoral or assistant professor or equivalent-level scientists.[4] NARSAD Independent Investigator Grants are up to $50,000 per year for two years for scientists at the associate professor or equivalent level.[5] Finally, NARSAD Distinguished Investigator Grants are up to $100,000 for one year for scientists at the full professor or equivalent level.[6]
Prize Schedule
Prizes are awarded by the Brain & Behavior Research Foundation twice annually. In the summer, The Klerman Prize for Exceptional Clinical Research[7] and The Freedman Prize for Exceptional Basic Research[8] ($1,000 each) are given to NARSAD Young Investigator Grantees.
In the fall, five prizes are awarded for lifetime achievement to distinguished researchers:
- The Lieber Prize for Outstanding Achievement in Schizophrenia Research, a $50,000 cash prize given annually since 1987, recognizes scientists who have made distinguished contributions to the understanding of schizophrenia.
- The Colvin Prize for Outstanding Achievement in Mood Disorders Research (formerly the Bipolar Mood Disorder Prize, the Nola Maddox Falcone Prize and the Selo Prize), renamed in honor of the late Oliver D. Colvin, Jr., is a $50,000 award given to scientists doing outstanding work on the causes, pathophysiology, treatment, or prevention of affective disorders.
- The Ruane Prize for Outstanding Achievement in Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Research recognizes scientists carrying out research on the causes, pathophysiology, treatment, or prevention of severe child mental illness, with an award of $50,000.
- The Goldman-Rakic Prize for Outstanding Achievement in Cognitive Neuroscience Research is a $40,000 award recognizing outstanding research in cognitive neuroscience, specifically neurobiological research at the cellular, physiological, or behavioral levels.
- The Sidney R. Baer, Jr. Prize for Innovative and Promising Schizophrenia Research, a $40,000 award, is given to a candidate chosen by the current year's Lieber Prize winner for outstanding work in schizophrenia research.[9]
Grant Statistics
The following are the latest NARSAD Grant statistics as of February 2013 according to the Foundation website:
Total given since 1987 (26th year of grant giving): $289,322,696.27
Total number of grantees: 3,319
Total number of grants given: 4,278
Total number of institutions: 434
Total number of countries (other than the U.S.): 32
References
- 1 2 "NARSAD Grants & Prizes". BBRF. Retrieved 9 August 2012.
- 1 2 "About BBRF". BBRF. Retrieved 8 August 2012.
- ↑ Moran, Mark (3 February 2012). "Psychiatry Superstar Dials Back Distinguished Career". Psychiatric News. Retrieved 9 August 2012.
- ↑ "Thirteen Columbia Researchers Receive NARSAD Young Investigator Awards". Columbia University. Retrieved 10 August 2012.
- ↑ "Brain & Behavior Research Foundation Continues to Find Answers". Answers for Special Kids. Retrieved 10 August 2012.
- ↑ "Brain & Behavior Research Foundation Announces 2011 NARSAD Distinguished Investigator Grant Recipients". Foundation Center. Retrieved 10 August 2012.
- ↑ "Fiedorowicz Receives Prestigious Klerman Prize". National Network of Depression Centers. Retrieved 10 August 2012.
- ↑ Tumulty, Peter (2 August 2012). "RWJ Neuroscientist Wins Prize for His Work in Schizophrenia & Bipolar Disorder". New Brunswick Today. Retrieved 10 August 2012.
- ↑ "The Beat Goes On". New York Social Diary. Retrieved 10 August 2012.
External links
- NARSAD Grants and Prizes at the Brain & Behavior Research Foundation
- Brain & Behavior Research Foundation