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Parkinson's Impact Awards

Parkinson's Foundation

The science underlying the Parkinson's Foundation Impact Award projects should be "outside the box" with the goal of bringing new light to the biology of Parkinson’s disease (PD), a new approach to PD research, or testing a truly novel therapeutic idea. Projects should be based on groundbreaking or unconventional ideas that are unlikely to be funded through more traditional funding mechanisms. Our goal is to provide the support that will enable researchers to test new ideas with an impact on the PD community and generate compelling results that will facilitate continued investment from the Parkinson’s Foundation and other funders. Both established researchers and newcomers to PD research are encouraged to apply.

Level of Support

Each award provides $200,000 in total costs over 2 years ($100,000 per year). Up to 10% ($10,000 per year) of the total award may be used for indirect costs. The Principal Investigator (PI), Co-Principal Investigator (Co-PI), and Co-Investigator (Co-I) combined salary support is capped at $35,000 annually. Salaries for the postdoctoral fellows, graduate students, and other key personnel are not capped. Tuition is not an eligible expense for any of the Foundation’s awards. The funds are awarded over two years, subject to annual progress reviews.

AI Based Application Success Predictor

1. Clear, Explicit Focus on Parkinson’s Disease (PD)

High-scoring proposals directly advance:

PD pathogenesis mechanisms

Therapeutic development (drug, device, neuromodulation)

Disease progression / neuroprotection

Biomarkers (fluid, imaging, digital)

Cognition, mood, and neuropsychiatric symptoms

Gait, balance, and falls

Sleep, autonomic symptoms

Health equity & access to care

Patient-centered quality-of-life research

❗ Generic movement disorder or general neurodegeneration projects must strongly justify PD relevance.

2. Mechanism Alignment (Critical)

Each PF award is designed for a specific stage and purpose:

Mechanism	Ideal Candidate	Strong Predictors
Postdoctoral Fellowships	Trainees in PD research	Strong mentorship + feasibility
Early-Career Investigator Awards	Junior faculty	Preliminary data + PD independence
Impact Awards	New ideas	High innovation + rapid feasibility
Clinical Research Awards	Clinician-scientists	Access to PD cohorts + measurable outcomes
Community Grants	Programs serving PwP	Patient impact & sustainability

Predictor: Align career stage + scope + expected outcomes with the right funding line.

3. Innovation + Patient Impact

PF strongly prioritizes ideas that change lives, including:

New symptomatic or disease-modifying therapies

Digital health monitoring & telehealth

Behavioral interventions improving mobility or cognition

Models enabling translation to clinic

Interdisciplinary strategies (engineering, AI, rehab science)

Predictor: Show how your work will improve patient outcomes within the foreseeable future.

4. Strong Preliminary Data

Especially important for Investigator and Impact Awards:

Pilot data demonstrating feasibility

Early mechanistic or therapeutic signal

Reliable access to PD biospecimens or datasets

Analytics validated in small patient/animal studies

Predictor: Preliminary data significantly increases competitiveness.

5. Access to PD Cohorts, Samples, or Real-World Data

High-impact proposals leverage:

Parkinson’s Outcomes Project data

PD GENEration or genetic cohorts

Imaging and biospecimen repositories

Clinical trial networks

Movement disorder clinics with recruitment capacity

Predictor: Human relevance = strong review scores.

6. Robust Mentorship & Environment (for Trainees/Early Investigators)

Reviewers expect:

Mentor with strong PD expertise & funding record

Structured training plan and regular contact

Protected research time

Institutional support for independence

Predictor: Mentorship quality is one of the highest-weighted criteria in trainee programs.

7. Patient-Centered Design

PF is highly stakeholder-driven:

Outcomes meaningful to People with Parkinson’s (PwP)

Engagement of patient advisory groups

Practicality and real-world translation plans

Clear metrics for functional benefit (e.g., falls, fatigue, speech)

Predictor: Patient voice must be prominent.

8. Collaboration & Multidisciplinary Teams

Strengthens both scientific rigor and clinical feasibility:

Neurologists + neuroscientists + rehab/engineering

Multi-site clinical studies

Partnerships with PD consortia and data networks

Predictor: Collaboration boosts reviewer confidence and impact.

9. Feasible, Focused Specific Aims

Best-performing proposals have:

2–3 straightforward aims

Measurable milestones

Statistical analysis plans

Go/no-go criteria and backup strategies

Fit within funding period (often 1–2 years)

Predictor: Feasibility and clarity = top scoring category.

10. Clear, Compelling Writing

High-scoring PF proposals are:

Well-structured

Supported by visual preliminary data

Explicit about significance, milestones, and impact

Easy for clinicians and scientists to evaluate

Predictor: Strong communication improves enthusiasm and scoring.

🏆 Summary Table — PF Proposal Success Predictors

Predictor	Why It Matters
PD-specific significance	Core eligibility
Mechanism alignment	Ensures reviewers see correct scope
Innovation + patient relevance	Central priority
Preliminary data	Demonstrates feasibility
Access to PD cohorts/models	Human relevance
Strong mentorship/environment	Execution confidence
Patient-centered design	Mission alignment
Collaboration	Increases rigor and deliverability
Focused aims	Realistic progress
Clear writing	Helps maximize reviewer scores

Specialties

Clinical Trials

Neurosciences

Eligibility Requirements

This award is open to scientists with a PhD or MD, regardless of nationality or location. The Parkinson's Foundation Impact Awards are intended for researchers both established and new to the field of PD.

Only independent investigators are eligible to serve as PIs - applicants must hold a tenure-track position or equivalent. Non-tenure track faculty may serve as Co-PIs, and postdoctoral fellows are eligible to serve as Co-Is. Applications from Instructors will be considered if they can demonstrate that they will begin a tenure-track position by the award start date (as confirmed by a support letter from their department chair). The Foundation reserves the sole authority to determine an applicant’s eligibility. Awardees may not concurrently hold an award from another source with overlapping specific aims.

All research proposals must demonstrate a significant research focus and impact on Parkinson’s disease. We will consider proposals seeking to:

Bring new light to the biology of PD: Research that enhances our understanding of the underlying mechanisms of PD.
Address an unmet need in PD research. Projects that tackle gaps or unresolved issues in the current PD research landscape.
Test a new approach (methods or technology) to Parkinson’s research: Innovative methods or technologies that could advance PD research.
Identify new PD biomarkers: Discovery of novel biomarkers that can aid in the diagnosis or monitoring of PD.
Identify new intervention targets: Research aimed at finding new targets for therapeutic interventions.
Test a truly novel therapeutic idea (pharmacological, brain stimulation, cell or gene therapy): Proposals that explore groundbreaking therapeutic concepts or techniques.
Understand the role of co-pathologies in PD: Investigations into how co-existing conditions affect the progression or treatment of PD.
Use human subjects with already established cohorts: Studies that utilize existing cohorts of human subjects to advance PD research.

Though important, the following areas are not within the scope of this award and will not be considered:

Complementary and supportive therapies: Research focusing on diet, exercise, physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, psychotherapy, social work, and community support.
Clinical trials: Proposals centered on clinical trial methodologies or conducting clinical trials.
Proposals whose scope does not fit the time frame of this award (24 months): Proposals that cannot be completed within the specified time frame.
Want to use human subjects but don’t have established cohorts: Proposals that intend to use human subjects but lack established cohorts.
Meta-analysis of existing clinical studies: Research that involves analyzing data from existing clinical studies rather than generating new primary data.

If you have questions about whether your proposal is eligible for the Impact Award RFA, please contact the Parkinson’s Foundation's Research Grants Team (Grants@Parkinson.org).

Applications from groups that have been historically underrepresented or excluded in the scientific workforce, including but not limited to racial and ethnic groups, sexual orientation and gender identities, individuals with mental/physical disabilities, and those from economically disadvantaged backgrounds, are especially encouraged.

Sponsor Details

Sponsor Institute/Organizations: Parkinson's Foundation

Sponsor Type: Corporate/Non-Profit

Address: 1359 Broadway, Ste 1509, New York, NY 10018, USA

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