SPARK Research Match Expansion — Request for Applications 2026-2027: How to Apply

Applications must be submitted through SFARI Base. See ‘Instructions for Submission’ below.

Applications should include the following material:

• Research application — questions include title, abstract, funding source, proposal summary, surveys (if applicable), inclusion and exclusion criteria, sample size and justification, and information about incentive (if applicable);
• Documentation of IRB approval;
• Proposal, consent form, and additional documentation (e.g., recruitment materials, summary report templates);
• Power analysis;
• Information about previous efforts to increase ancestral representation in clinical studies, collaborations with stakeholders from groups that have been undersampled, or any other information that would demonstrate the applicant’s commitment to issues of importance to the undersampled community being recruited (1–2 pages);
• Rationale for how the research study will make Research Match more representative of the demographics of the United States and why the research topic is of high impact, importance, and/or relevance for one or more undersampled groups (1 page).

Applications will be reviewed on the basis of alignment with SPARK’s mission to advance our understanding of autism, potential to engage participants, benefit to participants, scientific merit, and relevance to this RFA.

Researchers should include information (e.g., as an attached document) about previous work in increasing representation in research, providing documentation about relationships with organizations and/or groups engaging with the undersampled community, or any information about consultation or other work with stakeholders from groups that have been undersampled that helped to inform the development of the research study.