McKnight Brain Research Foundation Innovator Awards in Cognitive Aging and Memory Loss

If you are interested in this opportunity, please contact Amy Cook at amy.cook@med.usc.edu.

Application due: August 12, 2025 over 3 years

Amount: $750,000 (includes 10% indirects)

Applicant must be an advanced Assistant Professor or recently appointed Associate Professors (MDs and PhDs.)  

One award will be made to support innovative studies focusing on clinical translational research and another will support innovative studies of basic biological mechanisms underlying cognitive aging and age-related memory loss.

It is expected that the proposed research will yield transformative discoveries and thus proposals are invited that are high risk/high gain.

Research studies at the intersection of age-associated cognitive changes and disease-related cognitive impairment may be considered if a strong case can be made for their relevance to cognitive aging and age-related memory loss.

However, research that is primarily focused on neurodegenerative diseases (e.g., Alzheimer’s disease) will not be supported.