Research Grants

To date, the CJD Foundation has awarded more than 70 grants for prion disease research. In the history of the program, we have awarded more than $4 million in research grants. The CJD Foundation Research Grant Program offers families affected by prion disease a way to make a measurable impact on the field, in memory of their loved ones.

2023/2024 CJD Foundation Call for Grant Applications

Two types of grants will be awarded for human prion disease research:

• One-year grants of up to $50,000
• Two-year grants of up to $100,000

Projects may be focused on pathophysiology, molecular mechanisms, cell and animal disease models, diagnostics, clinical and translational research, studies identifying treatment targets or biomarkers, genetics, bioinformatics, or other areas related to human prion diseases.

Deadlines for submissions are as follows:

• Deadline for receipt of Letters of Intent: July 19, 2023
• Applicants selected to submit a full Grant Application will be notified by October 2, 2023
• If advised to submit a full Grant Application, deadline is November 3, 2023
• Awards communicated to recipients: January 16, 2024
• Awards announced by: January 24, 2024
• Research projects are expected to be completed in one year or two years (depending on the type of grant award) from notification of the award
• A progress report is due at one year and at eighteen months (for one-year grants) and at eighteen months and two years (for two-year grants) from date of the award

To learn more about all past recipients of the CJD Foundation Research Grants, visit Research Grant Recipients.

Request for 2023/2024 Post-Doctoral Fellowship Applications

The Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD) Foundation is pleased to announce a Call for Post-Doctoral Fellowship Applications for clinical and research training relating to human prion diseases.

In January 2024, the CJD Foundation may award a Postdoctoral fellowship award for a researcher who is in the early years of their post-doc career and is working under the direct supervision of a senior investigator. This award will fund a training fellowship in an established laboratory that will provide a foundation for the applicant's independent research career.

The topic of the fellow’s training should relate to human prion disease and they should engage in prion disease related research projects during their training. Their work might focus on areas such as cellular and molecular mechanisms of prion disease, novel disease models, biomarkers, bioinformatic or other computational biology approaches, or emerging technologies to improve diagnosis, monitoring disease progression, treating symptoms or underlying disease, supporting caregivers, among other possibilities.

Award Amount: up to $100,000
Duration: 1 year
Available fellowships: up to one award

Deadlines for submissions are as follows:

• Application deadline is November 3, 2023
• Awards communicated to recipients by: January 17, 2024
• Awards announced by: January 24, 2024
• Training related to prion disease is expected to take place over a full year from July 1, 2024
• A progress report, including details regarding prion disease related training and research projects, is due at six months and one year from date of the award. A short video report might be requested to be shown at the CJD Foundation Family Conference.