Alliance for Therapies in Neuroscience Request for Proposals 

The Alliance for Therapies in Neuroscience (ATN) – a collaborative research partnership between the Weill Neurohub-affiliated universities and Roche/Genentech – is seeking proposals that support its mission of accelerating the development of new therapies for debilitating brain diseases and disorders of the nervous system.

The ATN Joint Projects are two-year long industry-sponsored research awards under the ATN Master Agreement, which aim to leverage early-stage academic discoveries from UCSF, UC Berkeley, and the University of Washington and combine them with Roche/Genentech know-how and resources to advance innovative ideas with high therapeutic potential and/or clinical impact across the field of neuroscience.

Funded projects will be performed by Joint Project Teams (JPTs) comprised of one or more investigator(s) from UCSF, UC Berkeley, or the University of Washington, and scientific counterparts from Roche/Genentech. The JPTs will be led by two co-chairs, an investigator from one of the Weill Neurohub-affiliated universities and a scientist from Roche/Genentech. Based on the pre-proposals received, the ATN Joint Steering Committee (JSC) will invite select teams to submit collaborative proposals for funding consideration; pre-proposals that include collaborators at Roche or Genentech are strongly encouraged and, if needed, the JSC can assist in forming JPTs that include Roche and/or Genentech scientists.

Through this call we anticipate funding between 5-8 projects. Clear scientific rationale and budget justification are essential. Projects with translational potential that fit within the budget guidelines below will be prioritized.

Key DAtes and Materials

Collaboration Form Due (optional, see below): November 1, 2023
Collaboration Form Link

Pre-Proposal Deadline: December 8, 2023
Download Pre-Proposal Template
Pre-Proposal Submission Link

Funding Opportunities Available

Computational Projects

Applied computational neuroscience projects (especially those addressing issues of cell biology or digital biomarkers), which can have a budget of up to $200K per year in total costs (inclusive of all direct and indirect costs) for two years.

Discovery Projects

Early-stage, proof-of-concept projects, which can have a budget of up to $500K per year in total costs (inclusive of all direct and indirect costs) for two years; these projects may have the possibility of a third year of funding pending progress in achieving project milestones. 

Applicants must be a faculty member from UCSF, UC Berkeley, or the University of Washington. Principal investigators (PI) may submit separate and distinct proposals to both funding categories, however a PI is only eligible to receive one award. Pre-proposals that include collaborators at Roche or Genentech are strongly encouraged, and an industry PI will be required at the full proposal stage. If needed, the JSC can assist in identifying potential Roche/Genentech collaborators. See criteria section below for more details.

Note: Current ATN Investigators are not eligible to apply through this RFP for additional funds for a previously funded award; no sub-awarding allowed.

Eligibility

Include, but not limited to the following:

  • Glial Cell Dynamics in Neuroinflammation and Neurodegeneration

  • Diagnostics and Biomarkers (including human samples)

  • Gene-editing Delivery Platforms to CNS

  • Underlying Biology of Neuroprotection

  • Applied Computational Neuroscience (Cell Biology or Digital Biomarkers)

Areas of Interest

  • Projects should address important problems with high relevance to clinical or translational neuroscience and human health. Projects should lead to and describe tangible benefit to patients.

  • Projects that incorporate ideas and/or research topics that may synergize with scientific expertise or capabilities at Roche/Genentech will be given priority.

  • Projects should be relevant to the aims and research areas of the Weill Neurohub, including fostering collaborations between neuroscientists and researchers working in an array of disciplines – e.g., engineering, computer sciences, physics, chemistry, and mathematics –and across institutions.

  • Pre-proposals which include collaborators at Roche or Genentech are strongly encouraged.

  • For assistance getting connected with a collaborator at Roche or Genentech, please complete the following Collaboration Form by November 1, 2023: https://airtable.com/appSdFlNDpv61zefW/shrVCJGC5X9f62Hxq

Projects that involve human subjects will require human research committee approval before funding is released.

We greatly encourage participation and proposals from members of underrepresented groups; the ATN is committed to funding a diverse community of investigators.

Criteria for Evaluation of Interest

Funding decisions will be based on scientific review by the ATN JSC and alignment of the proposal to the evaluation criteria. All applicants will be notified of final decisions.

Selection of Awardees

The submission process will be comprised of two-phases – a pre-proposal phase and a full proposal phase:

  • Applicants should submit a high-level pre-proposal with a Roche/Genentech collaborator.

  • Pre-proposals will be reviewed by the ATN JSC and selected proposals will be invited to submit a full proposal.

  • All full proposals must include joint scientific leads from both a Weill Neurohub-affiliated university and Roche and/or Genentech.

  • Full proposals will be reviewed by the ATN JSC and selected for funding.

Submission Process

Timeline

Important Dates

Collaboration Form Due (optional): November 1, 2023

Pre-Proposals Due: December 8, 2023

Pre-Proposal Selection: January 2024

Full Project Proposals Due: March 2024

Funding Announcement: Early June 2024

Funding Start: July 1, 2024

To Apply

PRE-PROPOSALS DUE: December 8, 2023
Click Here to Download Pre-Proposal Template

Pre-Proposal Submission Guidelines:

  • Content should be non-confidential.

  • Do not exceed one page, excluding budget, literature cited, and biosketches.

  • Pre-proposals do not need to be submitted through the OSR or RMS processes at UCSF, the Phoebe proposal portal at UC Berkeley, or the Office of Sponsored Programs at University of Washington.

Populate the provided Pre-Proposal Template, which includes:

  • Project Title

  • Academic Principal Investigator Name(s): Proposals may include up to two academic PIs. If funded, the PI listed first will act as the lead and be the primary contact for theaward set-up and management.

  • Industry Principal Investigator Name: Applicants are strongly encouraged to include a scientific lead from Roche and/or Genentech at the pre-proposal stage

  • Background and Significance: Please include a description of the project’s novelty/innovation and/or how it will meet an unmet need in the field of neuroscience as well as how it is responsive to the request for proposals. Note preliminary studies, if applicable.

  • Experimental Design and Methods: Please include a brief description of the overall project goals, deliverables, and success metrics, including at a high level the work to be performed by UCSF, UC Berkeley, or the University of Washington, as well as Roche and/or Genentech.

  • Estimated Budget (excluded from page limit): Please include total cost estimates, including direct and indirect costs, for FTEs, consumables, and services as well as a very brief budget justification. Please note that the budget may not include costs for purchasing equipment.

  • Literature Cited (excluded from page limit): Maximum of 10 references.

SUBMIT YOUR PRE-PROPOSAL VIA THIS LINK:
https://airtable.com/appSdFlNDpv61zefW/shrGZN2oGwMnxx01I

Full Proposal Guidelines

Once the JSC has reviewed and selected pre-proposals of interest, applicants will be notified via email as to whether their pre-proposals were selected to move on to the full proposal phase.

All full proposals will require having a scientific co-lead from Roche/Genentech. Applicants are strongly encouraged to include a Roche/Genentech collaborator at the pre-proposal stage, however, if needed, the ATN JSC will assist in identifying a scientific lead from Roche and/or Genentech prior to a proposal being invited to submit a full proposal.

Contact Info

For any questions or further information about the application process, please contact:

UCSF: Jonathan Brown (jonathan.brown@ucsf.edu)

UC Berkeley: Lynne Hollyer (lhollyer@berkeley.edu)

University of Washington: Rad Roberts (rad@uw.edu)

For assistance getting connected with a collaborator at Roche or Genentech, please complete the following Collaboration Form by November 1, 2023:
https://airtable.com/appSdFlNDpv61zefW/shrVCJGC5X9f62Hxq