Our Seed Grants program sparks new collaborations between scientists from across the University to engage in innovative, collaborative research projects in the neurosciences.
Seed grant research projects should involve at least two independent co-PI's who combine their expertise in an innovative fashion to address important problems in basic and clinical neuroscience.
We encourage applications from teams forming unique connections between neuroscience and other bastions of disciplinary strength at Stanford:
- engineering and the quantitative sciences
- chemical and molecular biology
- the social sciences, humanities and professional schools of education, law and business
Applying for Seed Grants
Seed Grant competitions occur every two years. Awards of $300,000 each ($150,000/year for two years) are awarded to up to five research teams.
Funded Seed Grant projects
A novel PET radioligand to identify microglial inflammation in Alzheimer's disease
Magnetic Recording and Stimulation of Neural Tissue
We propose a new magnetic sensor that is sensitive to picoTesla-scale fields, a localized magnetic stimulator with small form-factor, and a seamless integration of both systems for applications in experimental and clinical neuroscience.
A novel sigma-1 receptor PET radioligand as a probe of ketamine’s rapid therapeutic action in disorders of human brain and behavior: Pilot study
Injectable photovoltaics for a wireless, gliosis-free neural stimulation interface
We believe our research has the potential of generating transformative results for both neuroscience research and neurological applications, also offering strategies to manipulate key intracellular pathways to prevent gliosis in therapeutic neural implants.
Creating an advanced transgenic animal model of autism
Autism is a highly genetic developmental brain disorder which is characterized by social impairments. Autism affects 1 in 68 US children, with an annual cost in the US of $250 billion dollars. Unfortunately, the basic biology of autism remains poorly understood.
Mapping the Mitophagy Network in Parkinson’s Disease
We will comprehensively define the gene network associated with mitochondrial dysfunction in Parkinson's disease using a cutting-edge technology, CRISPR, to understand how these nerve cells die in PD and how we can reverse the cell death to treat the disease.
Seed Grant Award Announcements
2021 - Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute announces fourth round of seed grants
2019 - Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute announces third round of seed grants
2017 - Stanford Neurosciences Institute awards second round of Seed Grants
2015 - Stanford Neurosciences Institute awards first round of Seed Grants