1. The Dana Foundation is currently accepting applications for Professional Development Awards for trainees interested in opportunities in neuroscience and society.
Please read the following instructions carefully before you begin your application.
The Dana Foundation is leading efforts to build the emerging and critical field of neuroscience and society, which bridges the gap between research in the lab and the interdisciplinary skills needed to use it to improve people’s lives. Through our work, we strive to foster collaboration between students, neuroscience and society scholars and practitioners, funders, policymakers, professionals, and communities in pursuit of advancing knowledge and co-creating neuroscience-informed solutions to complex societal problems. Reviewing the Foundation’s mission and vision and existing grants may be helpful in getting a better understanding of the type of work supported by the Foundation.
The professional development awards are organized by the Dana NextGen program, which aims to strengthen neuroscience’s positive role in the world by preparing the next generation of scholars to think reflexively and responsibly apply neuroscience knowledge to benefit society by supporting innovative training opportunities, workforce development, and collaboration across disciplines.
Applicants may request up to $5,000 in funding to support professional development in neuroscience and society. (Note that Dana funding can be used towards a professional development activity with a total cost that exceeds $5,000 — i.e., the Dana funding can be used as partial support of a professional development activity.)
Applicants may request up to an additional 10% of their requested amount to cover indirect costs at your institution (i.e. if you request $5,000, you may request an additional $500 covering indirect costs, for a total of $5,500). Indirect costs are expenses that are necessary for an organization to operate but are not directly associated with a specific project or program. Your institution will likely request indirect costs as a condition of receiving your grant.
Eligibility Information
To be eligible for a professional development award, you must meet both of the following conditions:
- Currently affiliated with an academic or non-profit institution in the United States.
- Currently enrolled in a training program, or employed by a non-profit organization, as an undergraduate, postbaccalaureate, graduate, or post-doctoral trainee.
Professional development awards can be used to support the following activities (note that these are examples and not an exhaustive list):
- Attending a conference or workshop in neuroscience and society.
- Neuroscience and society coursework
Requirements
The proposed opportunity must be interdisciplinary in nature and demonstrate strong connections to neuroscience and society. That is, it must include the field of neuroscience AND another field outside of the natural sciences or engineering. This can include, but is not limited to, ethics, law, philosophy, sociology, anthropology, social sciences, public health, arts, and the humanities.
The opportunity must extend beyond the applicant’s existing coursework, experiences, or training to demonstrate sufficient relevance to neuroscience and society.
- For example, if you are a trainee studying neuroscience, we will not fund you to attend a neuroscience conference like the annual Society for Neuroscience conference. Similarly, if your area of study is neuroethics, we will not fund you to attend the International Neuroethics Society annual meeting.
- At the very least, the professional development should expose you to topic(s) and/or experience(s) that are not included in your existing program.
- However, exceptions may be made if you can clearly articulate how the opportunity supplements existing experiences or could not be otherwise funded through your program. For example, if you are an undergraduate student majoring in philosophy but have not had the chance to present an interdisciplinary paper at a conference, you may be eligible to apply for a professional development award to attend a neuroethics or bioethics-related conference. Similarly, if you are a neuroscience student seeking to present a poster at the annual Society for Neuroscience conference on an interdisciplinary topic that goes beyond neuroscience, you may also be eligible.
A reasonable and justified budget for the opportunity must be provided.
All trainees must identify a faculty member at their home institution to serve as a mentor. Mentors will serve purely as an administrative contact should the grant need to be routed through them. Some institutions will not allow a grant to go directly to a trainee.
Award activities should begin no earlier than May 1, 2025, and be completed by April 30, 2026.
At the completion of the funded activity, trainees will be required to submit a brief written narrative about their experience and financial reporting of their expenditures.
Examples of Past Awards
Past Professional Development awards have been used for:
- Attending the International Neuroethics Society Annual Meeting (undergraduate trainee majoring in neuroscience).
- Attending the Human and Mammalian Brain Atlas Consortium meeting hosted by the Allen Institute (post-baccalaureate trainee with an ethics background).
- Taking an online Neuroethical Considerations course offered by Queen’s University (graduate trainee focusing on neuroscience).
- Training and experience in computer-generated art to better communicate neuroscience to the public (postdoctoral trainee in neuroscience).
Ineligibility
The following activities are NOT eligible to receive awards:
- Neuroscience and society research (please see separate call for Trainee Research Awards if you are interested in funding for the above activities).
- Neuroscience and society public engagement.
- Hosting a workshop, as opposed to attending one.
Review Process
Professional Development Award applications will be evaluated by Dana program staff to assess eligibility and requirements as described above as well as alignment with the goal and objectives of the NextGen program and the Foundation’s values.
Among all applications that are deemed to meet the above criteria, a lottery system will be used to randomly select awardees.
We anticipate selecting 5 recipients for the professional development awards.
The deadline for submissions is March 14, 2025, at 11:59 p.m. ET.
Questions can be directed to Chinmayi Balusu, Dana Fellow in Neuroscience & Society, at cbalusu@dana.org.
The Foundation will host a virtual information session on February 5, 2025, at 5 p.m. Eastern Time. Register here to receive the Zoom meeting details. To request access to the Zoom recording, email cbalusu@dana.org.
2. The Dana Foundation is currently accepting applications from graduate students and postdoctoral trainees for Trainee Research Awards to support small research projects in neuroscience and society.
Please read the following instructions carefully before you begin your application.
The Dana Foundation is leading efforts to build the emerging and critical field of neuroscience and society, which bridges the gap between research in the lab and the interdisciplinary skills needed to use it to improve people’s lives. Through our work, we strive to foster collaboration between students, neuroscience and society scholars and practitioners, funders, policymakers, professionals, and communities in pursuit of advancing knowledge and co-creating neuroscience-informed solutions to complex societal problems. Reviewing the Foundation’s mission and vision and existing grants may be helpful in getting a better understanding of the type of work supported by the Foundation.
The trainee research awards are organized by the Dana NextGen program, which aims to strengthen neuroscience’s positive role in the world by preparing the next generation of scholars to think reflexively and responsibly apply neuroscience knowledge to benefit society by supporting innovative training opportunities, workforce development, and collaboration across disciplines.
Applicants may request up to $15,000 in funding to support research projects in neuroscience and society. Applications may request up to an additional 10% of their requested amount to cover indirect costs at your institution (i.e. if you request $15,000, you may request an additional $1,500 covering indirect costs, for a total of $16,500). Indirect costs are expenses that are necessary for an organization to operate but are not directly associated with a specific project or program. Your institution will likely request indirect costs as a condition of receiving your grant.
Eligibility Information
To be eligible for a trainee research award, you must meet both of the following conditions:
- Currently affiliated with an academic or non-profit institution in the United States.
- Currently enrolled in a training program, or employed by a non-profit organization, as a graduate student or postdoctoral trainee.
Trainee research awards can be used to support a neuroscience and society research project (cannot involve either fundamental or applied clinical or psychological research). Research methodologies may include surveys, qualitative research, case studies, conceptual analysis, legal or policy analysis, systematic reviews, etc. Below are examples of the types of research these awards may support. These examples are not exhaustive and simply meant to guide applicants as they develop their ideas:
- Surveys and Questionnaires: These can be used to assess and gauge public opinion or the views of specific populations (e.g., patients, professionals, policymakers) on ethical or societal issues in neuroscience.
- Interviews and Focus Groups: In-depth interviews with stakeholders (e.g., patients, clinicians, ethicists) or focus group discussions can reveal the nuanced perspectives of different individuals affected by neuroscience and society issues.
- Case Studies: Detailed analysis of specific, real-world examples of neuroscience applications, exploring the practical and ethical challenges relevant to neuroscience and society.
- Conceptual Analysis: Investigating the meaning of key terms and concepts used in neuroethics to better understand their implications with respect to advances in neuroscience.
- Case Law Review: Analyzing legal rulings and judicial applications where neuroscience plays a critical role to understand its implications in legal frameworks and decision-making.
- Policy Analysis: Examining existing and/or proposed policies and regulations related to the usage and governance of neurotechnology.
- Systematic Reviews: Reviewing existing literature to synthesize research findings on a particular neuroscience and society topic, identifying patterns, gaps, and emerging trends.
Requirements
The proposed opportunity must be interdisciplinary in nature and demonstrate strong connections to neuroscience and society. That is, it must include the field of neuroscience AND another field outside of the natural sciences or engineering. This can include, but is not limited to, ethics, law, philosophy, sociology, anthropology, social sciences, public health, arts, and the humanities.
A reasonable and justified budget for the research project must be provided.
All trainees must identify a faculty member at their home institution to serve as a mentor and research supervisor. The mentor will work with the student to oversee their research project and serve as an administrative contact in case research funds cannot be awarded directly to the trainee.
All trainees must apply for and obtain appropriate IRB approval before funding is dispersed, if applicable. Research studies must be deemed to be IRB exempt under the following exemptions:
- Exempt 2(i). Research involving the use of educational tests, survey procedures, interview procedures or observation of public behavior and information obtained is recorded by the investigator in such a manner that the identity of the human subjects cannot readily be ascertained. –> Research that only includes interactions involving educational tests (cognitive, diagnostic, aptitude, achievement), survey procedures, interview procedures, or observation of public behavior (including visual or auditory recording) if the following criteria is met: The information obtained is recorded by the investigator in such a manner that the identity of the human subjects cannot readily be ascertained, directly or through identifiers linked to the subjects.
- Exempt 2(ii). Research involving the use of educational tests, survey procedures, interview procedures or observation of public behavior and disclosure of subjects’ responses outside research would not reasonably place the subjects at risk. -> Research that only includes interactions involving educational tests (cognitive, diagnostic, aptitude, achievement), survey procedures, interview procedures, or observation of public behavior (including visual or auditory recording) if the following criteria is met: Any disclosure of the human subjects’ responses outside the research would not reasonably place the subjects at risk of criminal or civil liability or be damaging to the subjects’ financial standing, employability, educational advancement, or reputation.
Award activities should begin no earlier than May 1, 2025, and be completed by December 31, 2026.
At the completion of the funded activity, trainees will be required to submit a written narrative about their research, financial reporting of their expenditures, and a public facing written synopsis of their findings.
Ineligibility
The following activities are NOT eligible to receive awards:
- Attending an interdisciplinary conference or workshop in neuroscience and society.
- Neuroscience and society coursework.
- Other professional development activities that are eligible for the Dana Foundation Professional Development Awards.
Review Process
Trainee research award applications will be evaluated by Dana program staff to assess eligibility and requirements as described above as well as alignment with the Foundation’s mission, vision, and values.
Applications that meet these criteria will be carefully reviewed by the Dana program staff for potential impact, feasibility, and innovation.
Impact
- Addresses a significant, well-defined problem or gap.
- Presents a clear narrative that articulates how measurable data (quantitative or qualitative) can address the identified problem or gap.
- Considers relevant ethical, societal, or legal implications.
- Highlights plans for measuring success and evaluating how research findings can influence future work.
Feasibility
- A well-defined project plan with clear, actionable steps and timelines.
- Adequate budget and resource allocation, including staffing, materials, and any compensation for research participants.
- Identification and mitigation of potential risks or challenges.
Innovation
- A unique, creative approach to solving the problem or addressing the need.
- Novel use of methodologies or approaches that set the project apart from existing efforts.
If your application is selected for funding, you will be notified via email of your potential award. At that time, you will need to officially submit an application to your institution’s IRB to receive exempt status, if applicable. Once your IRB has granted exempt status and provided any necessary approval, documentation must be submitted to the Foundation.
Once the Foundation has received appropriate documentation of IRB review and approval, if applicable, the funding process will commence. This includes signing the Foundation’s terms and conditions and providing relevant payment information.
We anticipate selecting 2 recipients for the trainee research awards.
The deadline for submissions is March 14, 2025, at 11:59 p.m. ET.
Questions can be directed to Chinmayi Balusu, Dana Fellow in Neuroscience & Society, at cbalusu@dana.org.
The Foundation will host a virtual information session on February 5, 2025, at 5 pm Eastern Time. Register here to receive the Zoom meeting details. To request access to the Zoom recording, email cbalusu@dana.org.