Apply for CURE Epilepsy Catalyst Award

CURE Epilepsy’s grant programs seek to accelerate promising research leading to new treatments and cures for people living with epilepsy. CURE Epilepsy prioritizes innovative projects that address their mission, affirming their core belief that the only acceptable final goal is “no seizures, no side effects”.

They identify and fund cutting-edge research that may lead to new approaches for curing epilepsy, challenging scientists worldwide to collaborate and innovate in pursuit of this goal. Their commitment is unrelenting.

They encourage applications from groups identified as nationally underrepresented in the biomedical sciences. These groups include individuals with disabilities, veterans, persons from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups and gender-diverse groups, women in biomedical-related disciplines, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law.

Priority Areas

• CURE Epilepsy funds research that has the potential to truly transform and save lives. The purpose of this funding opportunity is to stimulate and accelerate discovery and development of new, transformative therapies for epilepsy, moving promising, well-supported preclinical and/or clinical research closer to clinical application. The award is intended to support the nimble development of data necessary to attract larger commercialization funding opportunities and is not intended to replace those opportunities. Projects based on novel biological pathways and/or highly differentiated therapeutic approaches which are likely to have a high probability of successfully transitioning to clinical development are strongly encouraged. The award is not intended to fund basic research on the mechanisms underlying epilepsy.
• This funding mechanism prioritizes projects that advance research to clinical trial readiness. This includes the development of biomarkers and optimization of promising new entities with established proof-of-concept to improve pharmacokinetics/pharmacodynamics, safety profiles, and/or formulations to advance these new entities further in development.
• Prospective pilot clinical trials where limited testing of a novel intervention is needed to inform the next step in translational research are encouraged. Projects adding critical data to ongoing or funded clinical studies will also be considered, provided the request does not duplicate existing funding.
• Proof-of-concept of the entity being developed is required. Proposals lacking proof-of-concept data will not be evaluated.
• Priority areas include:
  • Innovative approaches to prevent, modify and/or arrest the development of acquired epilepsy.
  • Development of novel approaches to prevent the onset or halt the progression of severe pediatric epilepsies.
  • New, effective treatments for the >30% of the epilepsy population who are pharmaco-resistant.
  • Translational or clinical approaches aimed at normalizing sleep disturbances or circadian rhythms to treat seizures.
  • New approaches, biomarkers, or therapies to predict and/or prevent SUDEP.

Funding Information

• Funding requests must be itemized and based on specific, milestone-based scientific aims. Requests may be made for up to a maximum of $250,000 paid over 2 years. Awards of lesser amounts and shorter duration that will accomplish key milestones needed for clinical advancement are strongly encouraged. CURE Epilepsy reserves the right to fund only select specific aims or stage funding of proposals based on achievement of milestones.
• Budgets may include salary support for the Principal Investigator (PI), technical staff and/or co-PIs, supplies, animal costs, vendor costs, limited equipment costs, and travel to an epilepsy-related conference only if the PI is presenting his/her CURE Epilepsy-funded research. Indirect costs are not supported.

Eligibility Criteria

• This award is available to independent researchers at or above the level of Assistant Professor (or equivalent) at universities and non-academic research institutions, including small biotechnology companies, who seek to develop new interventions for epilepsy.
• International applicants are welcome.
• Postdoctoral fellows may not apply for this award.
• All materials must be submitted in English.

For more information, visit CURE Epilepsy.