Chan Zuckerberg Initiative Funds New Alzheimer's Grants

The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative is inviting applications to the CZI Neurodegeneration Challenge Network, an interdisciplinary effort to increase understanding of the basic biology of neurodegenerative disorders. The network's objectives include advancing the understanding of neurodegeneration, bringing new ideas and talent to the neurodegeneration field, and encouraging a new type of interdisciplinary collaborative research involving scientists, clinicians, and engineers. Applications are being taken for the CZI Ben Barres Early Career Acceleration Awards given to early career academic investigators, and the CZI Collaborative Science Awards for small group interdisciplinary collaborations that include a physician with active clinical engagement. The network will be formed by exceptional, innovative, forward-thinking researchers from different disciplines who would collaborate on questions related to the basic cell biological mechanisms of neurodegeneration in the context of human disease biology. CZI will ask investigators to contribute to the development, validation, and distribution of resilient, dependable, and scalable experimental and analytical tools for the wider neurodegeneration community. The initiative also will provide infrastructure support for such efforts. The network is encouraging applications for the awards from both investigators looking into underexplored topics and those focusing on more well-developed mechanisms where there remain significant gaps in understanding.