SPARK NS announces Translational Research Program Cohort 2026

Program Components

• Education:
  • SPARK NS will provide PIs and additional team members with an in-person, comprehensive educational course on translational research, product development, and commercialization of therapeutic discoveries at the beginning of the two-year cohort. Attendance by PIs is mandatory. For the 2026 cohort, the in-person course will be held January 24-29, 2026 in the San Francisco Bay Area.
  • PIs and other team members will receive additional education both in-person and virtually via video conference from SPARK NS and industry expert advisors on advanced therapeutic development topics not covered in the initial course.
  • Team members also will have access to online self-paced education that will assist them in the development and commercialization of their products.
• Mentorship:
  • During monthly and ad hoc meetings with their SPARK NS project managers, PIs will receive ongoing guidance to ensure milestone completion and project success.
  • PIs will have access to SPARK NS expert advisors for advice and counsel. SPARK NS advisors are experts in a variety of disciplines, including (but not limited to) medicinal chemistry, preclinical development, clinical trial design, patent strategy, regulatory affairs, and commercialization strategies.
  • SPARK NS industry advisors will participate three times a year in progress report meetings, periodically in monthly meetings, and will be available to PIs on an as-needed basis.
  • SPARK NS project managers and relevant industry advisors may meet with PIs at their home institutions from time to time during the two-year cohort.
• Networking:
  • To achieve the shared goal of advancing promising academic discoveries in neuroscience from the lab to the clinic, SPARK NS will connect PIs to a rich network of individuals and organizations in academia and industry.
  • The network will include peer cohort investigators, scientists, business and regulatory experts, entrepreneurs, and commercial research organizations.
  • SPARK NS will also offer PIs guidance and assistance with specific business development opportunities. Depending on the individual goals of PIs and the potential of products in development, assistance may involve making introductions to potential partners and/or investors and helping investigators craft their pitches.
  • PIs will work with their project managers to identify the need for networking opportunities and determine the type and level of assistance from SPARK NS.

Funding Information

• Milestone-based Project Support: Up to $2,000,000 per project over two years, including discretionary funding for the principal investigator (PI) of $50,000 per year.
• Duration: Two years.

Costs Covered

• SPARK NS will cover the associated travel and accommodation costs.

Expectations

• All SPARK NS program participants and advisors will sign and abide by a confidentiality agreement, and all communications will be confidential.
• PIs will meet with their SPARK NS project manager monthly (with additional meetings on an as-needed basis) either in person or virtually via video conference to review progress.
• PIs will present their progress at mandatory triannual (three times a year) meetings to the entire cohort. These meetings will alternate between in-person and virtual. At these meetings, PIs will also receive feedback from SPARK NS and industry expert advisors.
• Attendance at an in-person training course from January 24-29, 2026 in the San Francisco Bay Area is mandatory for the PIs of each selected project. SPARK NS will cover the travel and accommodation costs for PIs. Costs for additional attendees from each selected project will be covered by SPARK NS on a case-by-case basis.
• By submitting an application, PIs are confirming their availability and commitment to attend all required training sessions and meetings.

Eligibility Criteria

• SPARK NS will accept applications from biomedical researchers at academic or nonprofit research institutions in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Europe.
• They value diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive research environment.
• Applicants from all backgrounds and experiences are encouraged to apply.

Review Criteria

• Clinical need: Applications must clearly define an unmet clinical need in Parkinson’s disease or autism. Applicants should describe how their proposed product will address the unmet clinical need compared to the current standard of care.
• Underlying biology/technology: Applicants must have a robust and novel therapeutic approach in Parkinson’s disease or autism. Applicants should clearly delineate the biology and/or technology behind their proposed product.
• Feasibility of translational objectives: SPARK NS will accept projects into the program at any stage of development between target identification and entry into clinical trials. However, selected projects will have translational objectives with a high probability of being accomplished.
• Program scope: For the 2026 cohort, they will not select projects that focus on medical devices, diagnostics (with the exception of companion and complementary diagnostics that would facilitate the development of a proposed novel therapeutic that is the central focus of the proposal), or platform technologies aimed at screening for and identifying novel targets.

For more information, visit SPARK NS.