Announcing Two New Bridge to Independence Awards from SFARI and the Simons Collaboration on the Global Brain

Requests for applications for these early-career scientist grant opportunities are now open.

The Simons Foundation is invested in supporting the next generation of researchers. Our Bridge to Independence (BTI) Award programs promote talented early-career scientists by facilitating their transition to research independence and providing grant funding at the start of their professorships.

We are offering such awards through two of our programs: the Simons Foundation Autism Research Initiative (SFARI), and the Simons Collaboration on the Global Brain (SCGB).

These requests for applications (RFAs) are aimed at Ph.D. and M.D.-holding scientists who are currently in training positions and intend to seek tenure-track faculty positions over the next two academic years (i.e., 2021-2023). Successful applicants will receive a commitment of $495,000 over three years, activated upon assumption of a tenure-track professorship.

BTI Award Summaries

SFARI
SFARI’s mission is to improve the understanding, diagnosis and treatment of autism spectrum disorders by funding innovative research of the highest quality and relevance. The SFARI BTI Award program was established in 2015 to extend SFARI’s long-standing goal of attracting new scientists to the field of autism. We welcome applications that span the breadth of science that SFARI typically supports, including genetics, molecular mechanisms, circuits and systems, and clinical science.

Opens: January 11, 2021
Deadline: April 12, 2021

SCGB
The Simons Collaboration on the Global Brain (SCGB) is dedicated to supporting advances in systems and computational neuroscience with the goal of expanding our understanding of the brain’s internal states. The SCGB BTI Award aims to fund scientists doing work consistent with SCGB’s scientific mission; ideally, work investigating large-scale circuits at single-cell resolution to understand neural dynamics and coding. We especially encourage applications from populations underrepresented in the scientific workforce.

Opens: January 4, 2021
Deadline: April 5, 2021

Key Differences Between SFARI and SCGB RFAs:

	SFARI	SCGB
Scientific Focus	The SFARI BTI Award program welcomes applications that span the breadth of autism science that SFARI normally supports, including genetics, molecular mechanisms, circuits and systems, and clinical science. The award is also open to researchers who are not currently working on autism but who are interested in starting research projects in this area and have expertise that could be brought to bear on this complex condition. Please also see a listing of current BTI fellows, as well as research highlights from the 2019 fellows retreat.	The Simons Collaboration on the Global Brain (SCGB) is dedicated to supporting advances in systems and computational neuroscience with the goal of expanding our understanding of the brain’s internal states. Through this effort, we seek to fund scientists doing work consistent with SCGB’s scientific mission, ideally investigating large-scale circuits at single-cell resolution to understand neural dynamics and coding.
Eligibility	Applicants must hold a Ph.D., M.D. or equivalent degree, and must be currently recognized by their institutions as holding a non-independent, mentored, training position. Applicants must have fewer than six (6) years of postdoctoral or otherwise mentored training. Given the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on early-career researchers, the 2020 calendar year will not be counted towards the postdoctoral term limits. Please see the 2021 SFARI BTI RFA for more information.	Applicants must hold a Ph.D., M.D. or equivalent degree, and must be currently recognized by their institutions as holding a non-independent, mentored, training position. No limit on length of mentored training.
Fellow Selection Process	Internal review by the SFARI science team External review by a scientific panel No interviews	Internal review by SCGB Scientific Staff Scientific review committee may include members of the SCGB Executive Committee Finalists invited for virtual interviews
Transition Timeline and Criteria	One to two years to secure a tenure-track faculty position at a U.S or Canadian academic institution. SFARI will work with fellows and their potential faculty institutions to ensure that fellows receive start-up packages with sufficient institutional resources and academic privileges to complete the BTI grant. Activation of the BTI award is contingent upon SFARI approval. Please see the 2021 SFARI BTI RFA for more information.	18 months (next job cycle) to secure a tenure-track faculty position, with no restriction on job location. SCGB will work with fellows and their potential faculty institutions to ensure that fellows receive start-up packages with sufficient institutional resources and academic privileges to complete the BTI grant. Activation of the BTI award is contingent upon SCGB approval. Please see the SCGB BTI RFA for more information.
RFA Timeline	Open: January 11, 2021 LOI Due: April 12, 2021 Fellows Notified: July 2021	Open: January 4, 2021 Due: April 5, 2021 Fellows Notified: July 2021