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Clinician-Researcher Award Application

Dravet Syndrome Foundation

Clinician-Researcher Awards support hypothesis-driven clinical research projects that have significant potential to advance our understanding of Dravet syndrome; slow or halt the progression of the disease, characteristics, or comorbidities of the disease; and/or reduce mortality. The projects must be patient-oriented, with the investigator directly interacting with human subjects/patients. This includes studies such as therapeutic interventions or support/extension of existing clinical trials.

The clinician-researcher award is meant to aid early-career clinicians in gaining experience in clinical research studies of Dravet syndrome (established clinicians without research experience are also eligible). Applicants are required to identify a clinical research mentor to assist in guiding the studies for the duration of the award.

Details: Award funds of $75,000 for one year are made to the affiliated institution in two payments, the second of which is dependent on IRB approval if not required for the first portion of the funding period. Awardees are expected to have a minimum of 25% physician effort, which can be supported (salary and benefits) by this award. Funds may also be used to support a clinical trial specialist’s efforts or similar research support costs. Up to $1000 may be set aside to present findings at a national meeting. No indirect costs are permitted under the Clinician-Researcher Award category. Submission of scientific and financial reports are due no later than 30 days after completion of the project, and awardees are expected to present at a future DSF Research Roundtable.

Applications are due Friday, August 21, 2026.

APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS

Applications which do not include the following materials and meet the specified page limitations will be returned unprocessed, or will be deferred until a subsequent granting cycle:

Please use a size 11 font or larger with margins of at least 0.5 inches.
All documents should be submitted as PDFs. Each file name should include the lead investigator’s last name and the document section name (as listed below; i.e. “Jones_FacePage”).
Applications must be received by 11:59pm (US Pacific Time) on the specified due date.

Grant Application, found here
Fillable PDF form that must be signed by applicant and an institutional grants program official. Includes applicant and mentor information, a lay abstract, and scientific abstract.
Letters of Support
Two letters of support are required; one letter of support from your direct supervisor/mentor and one letter of support from another senior investigator/clinician familiar with your expertise, experience, and potential.

**Medical Residents and Fellows must additionally provide a letter of support from their program director indicating support of time dedicated to research activities.

(Letters of support may also be submitted directly for confidentiality to veronica@dravetfoundation.org)

CV/Biosketch- Not to exceed 3 pages each
An example can be found here. Please submit a biosketch for the applicant and a biosketch for the direct supervisor/mentor.

Budget – 1 page
Often displayed as a table, the budget page should include a simple numeric breakdown of how grant funds will be utilized, and a final total of the funds being requested. If the applicant does not have protected research time, they are expected to budget a minimum of 25% effort to cover salary and benefit costs for the duration of the award. Indirect costs are not permitted for the Clinician Researcher Award category. If the total budget for your project exceeds the amount you are requesting from DSF, your budget page must include a breakdown of how all funds, including those from other sources, will be used.

Budget Justification – 1 page
The budget justification page should provide an explanation and rationale of each line item of the budget including why specific personnel and/or supplies are critical to the proposed study.

Hypothesis and Specific Aims – 1 page
Please use a single page to lay out the hypothesis and rationale for the proposal including the specific aims to be accomplished.

Research Plan – Not to exceed 4 pages
This should include background, any preliminary data, experimental approach, methods, expected outcomes and discussion of potential pitfalls.

Bibliography – no page limit
Please provide citations in NIH format (listing all authors)

AI Based Application Success Predictor

1. Direct Relevance to Dravet Syndrome (Strongest Predictor)

DSF explicitly states that funded projects must investigate hypotheses directly related to Dravet syndrome or associated epilepsies. Applications with only indirect relevance are unlikely to be competitive.

2. Novelty and Innovation

Research applications are judged principally on:

Novel hypotheses
Innovative approaches
New therapeutic concepts
Creative solutions to longstanding challenges in Dravet syndrome

Innovation is repeatedly highlighted as a primary review criterion.

3. Scientific Quality

Successful proposals typically demonstrate:

Rigorous methodology
Strong experimental design
Appropriate statistical planning
Clear milestones and endpoints

DSF uses a rigorous NIH-style review process and places substantial weight on scientific excellence.

4. Potential Impact on Patients

Competitive applications show how the work could:

Improve treatment options
Advance disease-modifying therapies
Reduce seizure burden
Improve quality of life
Address severe complications such as SUDEP (Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy)

Projects with clear patient benefit receive strong consideration.

5. Alignment with DSF Priority Areas

Recent priority areas include:

Mechanisms of epileptogenesis
Cellular, molecular, and genetic mechanisms of disease
Improved disease models
Novel therapeutic approaches
SUDEP prediction and prevention
Natural-history studies
Outcome-measure development
Gene therapy and disease-modifying interventions

Applications matching these priorities are particularly competitive.

6. Feasibility and Likelihood of Success

DSF specifically evaluates the strength of approach and likelihood of success.

Successful applications generally include:

Realistic timelines
Achievable aims
Appropriate methodologies
Access to required resources and patient populations when relevant.

7. Strong Preliminary Data

For larger mechanisms such as Transformational Science Grants, substantial preliminary data is specifically required and forms an important scoring criterion. Clinical Research Grants are also evaluated on the quality of preliminary evidence supporting the proposed work.

8. Translational and Clinical Potential

DSF prioritizes research with a clear path toward:

Clinical application
Therapeutic development
Genetic understanding
Disease modification

Projects that can move discoveries closer to patient care often score highly.

9. Investigator and Institutional Strength

Reviewers assess:

Investigator qualifications
Prior productivity
Relevant expertise
Institutional support
Research environment

For fellowships and clinician-researcher awards, mentor quality is also important.

10. Addressing Community Needs

A distinctive feature of DSF review is that final funding decisions consider not only scientific merit but also the priorities and needs of the patient community. Applications that address major unmet needs in Dravet syndrome may receive additional support.

Frequently Funded Research Themes

Recent DSF-funded projects commonly involve:

SCN1A biology and genetics
Gene therapy approaches
Disease-modifying therapies
Epileptogenesis mechanisms
Biomarker discovery
Natural-history studies
SUDEP prevention
Novel seizure interventions
Cellular and molecular disease mechanisms
Outcome measures and quality-of-life research

Specialties

Pediatrics

Eligibility Requirements

Successful applicants hold an MD or DO degree, have a valid US medical license (though US citizenship is not required), work full-time at a US academic or research institution. Clinical residents, fellows, and faculty are eligible. Applicants for this grant award are not required to have expertise in clinical research, but rather must identify a primary mentor with experience in the proposed research area. Residents and fellows are additionally required to submit a letter of support from their program director. With the exception of career development and training awards, Principal Investigators on NIH grants exceeding $225,000 and recipients of other fellowships are not eligible.

Applications are due Friday, August 21, 2026.

Sponsor Details

Sponsor Institute/Organizations: Dravet Syndrome Foundation

Sponsor Type: Corporate/Non-Profit

Address: PO Box 3026, Cherry Hill, NJ 08034 (203) 392-1955

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