Extramural Coordinated Funding


UM Submission Instructions: Scientific Innovations Award 2026

Sponsor:
Brain Research Foundation (BRF)
Award Title:
Scientific Innovations Award
Amount:
$150,000
Each total award is limited to $150,000 (direct costs) for a two year grant period. Exact dates will be provided by the BRF upon application approval. The first grant payment of $75,000 will be made upon completion of the SIA Acceptance Form. The final payment of $75,000 will be made contingent upon receipt of a Preliminary Progress and Financial Report. Funds must be utilized within the grant period.
UM Deadline:
04/30/2026
Sponsor Deadline:
06/02/2026
Description:
Brain Research Foundation is inviting eligible US academic institutions to nominate one senior faculty member (Associate and Full Professor) to submit a Letter of Intent for the Scientific Innovations Award (SIA).

Brain Research Foundation’s Scientific Innovations Award Program provides funding for innovative science in both basic and clinical neuroscience. This funding mechanism is designed to support creative, exploratory, cutting edge research in well-established research laboratories, under the direction of established investigators.

The objective of the SIA is to support projects that may be too innovative and speculative for traditional funding sources but still have a high likelihood of producing important findings. It is expected that investigations supported by these grants will yield high impact findings and result in major grant applications and significant publications in high impact journals.

100% of these SIA funds must be utilized for direct costs

Deadline for the LOI is Tuesday, June 2, 2026 at 4:00 p.m. CT. LOI’s will not be accepted after the deadline. No exceptions will be made. Submitted LOI's that have not been nominated by their institution will not be considered. You will be notified via email in mid-August to with the decision on your LOI

PHASE II: Application If the LOI receives a favorable review, the PI will be invited to submit a grant application. The application deadline is Tuesday, September 22, 2026 at 4:00 p.m. CT. Applications will not be accepted after the deadline. No exceptions will be made. You will be notified via email in early December with the decision on your application.
Number of Applicants University is Allowed to submit:
1
Additional Requirements:
Letter of Intent
Sponsor Guidelines:
https://www.thebrf.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/2027_SIA_Guidelines.pdf (opens in a new window)
UM Nominations Process:
Those interested in applying should submit the following as a single pdf document to collabor@umn.edu no later than 4pm on: 4/30/2026

1. Cover page including PI name, department, contact information, project title, any co-PI's name and department, and one paragraph project abstract.
2. Project summary - to include solicitation specific information. Closing paragraph that explains how this research will develop (next steps) - not more than three pages total.
3. Biosketch of PI and any co-PI's (2 - 5 pages NIH format).
4. 3-5 names of possible UMN reviewers (NOT References) (with no Conflicts of Interest) plus 5 keywords to be used as search terms for possible reviewers (can be added to Cover Page)

Any questions can be submitted to collabor@umn.edu
Peer Review Coordination:
Research and Innovation Office contact email
Status:
The internal deadline has passed with no applicants. Contact us if interested.
Please note:
To be considered for peer review and internal selection, faculty must follow the above submission guidelines and meet the UM deadline as set by the office coordinating the peer review for this opportunity.

General Information


  • Each posting has information about the external sponsor and opportunity as well as the internal application instructions.
  • Opportunities can be sorted by column headings; just click on the heading to re-sort by that column.
  • When a link redirects you to another site, it opens in a new browser window.
  • If you know of an opportunity that is not on the list, please contact Kristin Mead.

Internal Requirements


  • Sponsor: Name of funder.
  • Award Title: Funding opportunity nameAmount: Range/Maximum dollar amount awarded.
  • UMN Deadline: Submission deadline for internal proposal as determined by the coordinating office.
  • Sponsor Deadline: External deadline identified by the sponsor.
  • Description: General information about the sponsor and the funding opportunity. Usually describes the purpose of the funding opportunity, overview of what the sponsor is looking for, including distinctive criteria. This is not meant to take the place of the sponsor guidelines; please read the sponsor guidelines before deciding to apply.
  • Number of Applicants University is Allowed to Submit: The maximum number of applications the sponsor will allow the university to submit.
  • Additional Requirements: Identifies any special requirements such as cost sharing, partners, etc.
  • Sponsor Guidelines: Link to the sponsor’s funding opportunity website.
  • UMN Nominations Process: Contains specific internal submission requirements including internal proposal instructions, deadline, eligibility, internal nomination process, contact information.
  • Peer Review Coordination: The name and contact email of the office coordinating the funding opportunity. RIO coordinates most limited submissions, but opportunities coordinated by other offices or programs are also posted on this webpage.
  • Status:
    • Open: UM deadline has not passed and the opportunity is open for application.
    • Forecasted: The funder has not yet formally published the opportunity. The deadline has yet to be determined.
    • Archived: The opportunity has been archived by the funder.
    • Spots Remaining: UMN deadline has passed, with some applicant spots still available. Contact collabor@umn.edu if interested
    • First-Come, First-Served: Applicants accepted on a first-come, first-served basis. Contact collabor@umn.edu if interested
    • Contact Us: The internal deadline has passed, but no applicants were selected. Please contact the office coordinating the peer review for more information.
    • In Review: Peer review process is in progress for the opportunity.
    • PI Selected: The PI(s) have been selected as the official UMN nominees.
    • Closed: UMN is no longer accepting applications.

UMN Selection Process


  • Once the internal deadline has passed, if the number of applicants is less than or equal to the number of spots the university is allowed to send forward, the applicants automatically become the UMN nominee(s).
  • If the status of an opportunity is "First-Come, First-Served", there was not time to hold an internal review. Applicants will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis.
  • If there are no applicants, the status will change to "Contact Us". At this point, the opportunity changes to a first-come, first-served opportunity.
  • If there are multiple applicants, the office coordinating the nomination will determine the review criteria and coordinate the review process. The status will change to "In Review".
  • Once the review has been completed all parties will be notified via email.
  • Nominees will be provided with an email from RIO (or the designated coordinating office) indicating that they are the university's nominee. This letter should accompany the nominee's proposal.
  • SPA is notified of the university's nominee(s) and the status is updated to "PI(s) Selected".