SPARK Clinical Site Network — Request for Applications

The overall goal of SPARK (Simons Foundation Powering Autism Research for Knowledge) is to recruit, engage and retain a research community of at least 50,000 individuals in the United States with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), along with their family members. The SPARK research cohort includes children and adults with ASD who span the full spectrum of autism. Since its national launch in April 2016, SPARK has recruited over 130,000 participants. This includes over 50,000 individuals with ASD, of whom close to 13,000 have enrolled and provided saliva samples their biological parents and, if applicable, an unaffected sibling.

SPARK participants contribute medical and behavioral information online, collect and mail in saliva samples for DNA analysis, and have the opportunity to participate in additional research studies through the study’s research match program. Individuals who enroll in SPARK have access to both aggregate and individual behavioral results from their participation, and can elect to receive genetic results should a genetic cause of their autism be identified. SPARK also publishes timely articles on the latest in autism research and hosts monthly interactive webinars or Facebook live events.

Through this request for applications (RFA), SFARI supported additional U.S.-based clinical sites for the purpose of recruiting individuals with ASD and their family members to participate in SPARK. Selected sites received funding on an annual basis. Selected sites were responsible for the following: recruitment planning, outreach and recruitment, return of results, data entry, and tracking progress over time.