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Next Generation Research Grant in Mal de Débarquement Syndrome

American Brain Foundation

The American Brain Foundation’s Next Generation Research Grants (NGRGs) support early career investigators conducting high-quality research aimed at better understanding, treating, and curing brain diseases. These grants are offered in collaboration with disease-focused partner organizations and reflect ABF’s Cure One, Cure Many research philosophy: the belief that breakthroughs in one area of research accelerate progress across many others.

About This Grant

This two-year award supports basic, preclinical, clinical, or translational research in Mal de Débarquement Syndrome (MdDS). This grant targets early career researchers who are studying MdDS disease mechanisms or translational research specifically designed to develop treatments for or enhance diagnosis or prevention of MdDS and whose research has potential relevance beyond Mal de Débarquement Syndrome to other diseases.

Award Amount

This grant provides $75,000 per year for two years, for a total of $150,000. Funds support salary and research-related expenses. Of the annual award, $65,000 is designated for salary support including fringe benefits and $10,000 for research-related expenses. This grant does not support indirect costs; all funds must be used directly for the proposed project. Applicants may supplement this grant with other awards where they are the Principal Investigator, however, the other grant(s) cannot exceed $75,000 in direct costs annually.

Evaluation and Selection

Applications will be reviewed by a committee of experts convened by the American Brain Foundation. Ranked applications will then be reviewed and a selection made by the Science Committee of the American Brain Foundation. Proposals for all NGRGs are evaluated according to the following core review criteria:

• Scientific rationale, innovation, and methodological rigor, including a well-developed and testable hypothesis

• Feasibility of proposed aims, including identification of potential pitfalls and alternative approaches

• Potential clinical impact and translational value

• Alignment of the proposed research plan with the programmatic priorities of this RFP

• Investigator expertise and potential for an independent research career

• Quality and nature of the mentorship plan, including frequency of meetings with the applicant, mentor’s prior experience in providing research training, and the mentor’s commitment to the applicant’s research training and career development

In addition to the shared NGRG review criteria above, proposals will include evaluation of the following criteria:

• Applicant’s demonstrated interest in MdDS research

• Clear and rigorous career development plan, including coursework, if applicable

• Alignment of the proposed research and training activities with the applicant’s research and career development goals

AI Based Application Success Predictor

1. Direct neurological relevance ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

This is the most important fit factor.

ABF explicitly funds research across the broad spectrum of brain and nervous-system diseases rather than concentrating exclusively on one condition. Its funded research has included ALS, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, epilepsy, dementia, stroke, peripheral neuropathy, neuromuscular disease and neurodevelopmental disorders.

High-fit areas include:

Alzheimer's disease and dementia
Parkinson's disease
ALS
Multiple sclerosis
Epilepsy
Stroke
Migraine/headache
Frontotemporal dementia
Lewy body dementia
Neuromuscular disease
Peripheral neuropathy
Neuroimmunology
Neurogenetic disorders
Brain tumors
Neurodevelopmental disorders

2. Significance of the neurological problem ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

A competitive proposal should address a substantial unanswered problem.

Strong questions may concern:

Disease mechanisms
Early diagnosis
Disease progression
Treatment resistance
Biomarkers
Neuroinflammation
Neurodegeneration
Neurological disability
Prevention
Novel therapeutic targets

The application should clearly establish:

Major neurological problem → critical knowledge gap → proposed research → potential solution.

3. Potential to improve diagnosis, treatment or prevention ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

This is central to ABF's mission. ABF describes its research objective as improving prevention, diagnosis and treatment, while pursuing treatments and cures across brain diseases.

Particularly compelling outcomes include:

Earlier diagnosis
More accurate diagnosis
Better prognostic prediction
New therapeutic targets
Disease-modifying treatments
Prevention strategies
Reduced disability
Improved quality of life

4. Innovation ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

ABF strongly values innovative research. Its Next Generation program specifically supports innovative investigations, while Cure One, Cure Many targets highly innovative, cross-cutting approaches to diagnosis, treatment and cures.

Potentially strong approaches include:

Novel biomarkers
Neuroimaging
AI/computational neurology
Neuroimmune mechanisms
Gene-based approaches
Cell-based approaches
Novel disease models
Precision neurology
Digital neurological assessment
Novel therapeutic targets

5. Strong hypothesis and scientific rationale ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

The proposal should make the scientific logic easy to follow:

What is known?
↓
What is unknown?
↓
Why does it matter?
↓
What is your hypothesis?
↓
How will you test it?
↓
What will change if you are correct?

ABF's recent awards demonstrate a mixture of mechanistic, biomarker, clinical and translational projects.

6. Methodological rigor ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Strong applications should demonstrate:

Appropriate study design
Adequate sample size
Appropriate controls
Validated outcome measures
Appropriate statistical analysis
Reproducible methodology
Clearly defined endpoints
Appropriate handling of confounders
Ethical research procedures

For clinical studies, recruitment and follow-up must be realistic.

For laboratory research, appropriate models and controls are essential.

7. Translational potential ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

The strongest projects can show a pathway from discovery toward patient benefit.

Example:

Disease mechanism → biomarker → clinical validation → earlier diagnosis

Disease mechanism → therapeutic target → preclinical validation → clinical treatment

ABF's Cure One, Cure Many philosophy particularly favors discoveries that may have relevance across multiple brain diseases. Its 2026 awards, for example, included work on Lewy body dementia biomarkers and neuroinflammation across brain diseases.

8. Investigator potential ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

This is particularly important for the Next Generation Research Grant, which is designed to support innovative work by early-career investigators and help establish long-term research careers.

A strong early-career applicant should demonstrate:

Appropriate scientific training
Relevant research experience
Publications
Strong mentor/team
Appropriate research environment
Clear long-term career plan

ABF reports that 98% of its researchers have subsequently obtained funding from NIH or other major national funders, demonstrating the Foundation's strong emphasis on developing research careers.

9. Feasibility ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆

The proposal should demonstrate access to:

Appropriate patient populations
Neurology clinics
Brain/CSF/tissue samples
Imaging facilities
Molecular laboratories
Genomic/proteomic platforms
Statistical expertise
Bioinformatics
Clinical research infrastructure

The project should be ambitious enough to be meaningful but realistic enough to complete.

10. Cross-disease impact ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆

This factor becomes especially important for Cure One, Cure Many proposals.

ABF's philosophy is that discoveries in one brain disease can lead to advances in other related neurological conditions.

Specialties

Neurosciences

Eligibility Requirements

Applications must meet all the following eligibility requirements:

• Applicants must be clinician investigators or research scientists with an MD, PhD, or equivalent terminal-level clinical or research degree. Equivalent degrees include but are not limited to DO, MBBS, DVM, PharmD, DDS, DrPH, AuD, and DPT. The MdDS Foundation and ABF welcome applications from researchers across a wide range of scientific disciplines, including but not limited to neurology, neurotology, otolaryngology, physical therapy, audiology, and neuroscience.

• Applicants must have completed clinical residency, PhD, or equivalent terminal degree no later than 6 years prior to an award start date (i.e., 2021 for this 2027 award)..

• Applicants at accredited US and international institutions are eligible to apply. There is no citizenship requirement.

There is no limit on the number of applications submitted from a single institution. Applicants may apply for more than one NGRG in a single application cycle; a separate, complete application must be submitted for each grant.

Applicants are encouraged to establish a committee to regularly review and provide feedback regarding research and career development progress and plans. MdDS experts, including clinicians, beyond the Applicant’s institution, may be valuable given the rare nature of MdDS.

The American Brain Foundation and the MdDS Foundation are committed to supporting research that incorporates a broad range of perspectives and includes study populations that reflect the full spectrum of individuals affected by MdDS. The ABF provides equal opportunities to all applicants without regard to race, religion, color, age, sex, pregnancy, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic disposition, neurodiversity, disability, veteran status, or any other protected category under applicable law.

Sponsor Details

Sponsor Institute/Organizations: American Brain Foundation

Sponsor Type: Corporate/Non-Profit

Address: PO Box 176 Wheaton, IL 60187

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