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SRSF Career Development Award

Sleep Research Society

Overview

The goal of these mentored awards is to invest in promising early career researchers and assist with their transition into independence as junior investigators. The SRSF expects to fund up to four awards and each award will be funded up to $50,000 for one year of support. Recipients are expected to apply for a mentored or independent federal research award within the funding period. A second year of funding is not available in this award cycle.

Scope of Research Supported

The awards are intended to further our understanding of sleep, circadian rhythms and sleep/circadian rhythm disorders. Submitted proposals will need to be considered cutting edge sleep/circadian research.

Up to four awards will be chosen under the broad topic of sleep/circadian research.

How to Apply

To apply for the Career Development Award, applicants must create a profile in the Reviewr platform, complete the application, and upload a single PDF containing all required components of the application packet by the submission deadline.

Deadline: Sunday, August 23, 2026 at 11:59pm Central Time

Anticipated Timeline

Below, please find the approximate timeline for the SRSF Career Development Award:

Application Opens: May 14, 2026
Application Deadline: Sunday, August 23, 2026, at 11:59pm CT
Applicants Notified: Late November 2026

Awardee projects can begin once a signed agreement is in place.

Please note: This timeline is approximate and is subject to change as necessary.

AI Based Application Success Predictor

1. Direct Relevance to Sleep and Circadian Science (Strongest Predictor)

SRSF's mission is to support research that advances understanding of:

Sleep physiology
Circadian rhythms
Sleep disorders
Sleep health
Sleep-related neuroscience
Clinical and translational sleep medicine

Projects outside these core areas are generally less competitive.

2. Ability to Generate Preliminary Data

One of the clearest priorities across SRSF programs is funding pilot studies that can serve as the basis for future NIH, foundation, or industry-supported research.

Successful applications often emphasize:

Pilot data generation
Proof-of-concept studies
Development of future K-awards or R-level grants
Establishment of new research directions

This objective is explicitly stated in the Small Research Grant and Career Development Award programs.

3. Strong Scientific Merit and Innovation

Competitive proposals typically include:

Clear hypotheses
Novel research questions
Rigorous methodology
Appropriate statistical plans
Innovative approaches to sleep science

Recent funded projects have included AI-enabled sleep interventions, sleep neurophysiology, stress and sleep interactions, and culturally tailored sleep-health interventions.

4. Early-Career Investigator Potential

Many SRSF programs are specifically designed for:

Graduate students
Postdoctoral fellows
Residents and fellows
Assistant professors
Early-stage investigators

The Foundation explicitly aims to support the next generation of sleep researchers.

5. Pathway Toward Independence

For Career Development Awards and related mechanisms, reviewers are particularly interested in whether the project will help applicants transition toward independent funding and leadership in sleep research.

Strong applications often demonstrate:

A long-term research vision
Career-development goals
Future grant plans
Growing independence from mentors

6. Strong Mentorship

Mentorship is a major theme across SRSF programs.

Competitive applications frequently include:

Experienced sleep researchers as mentors
Formal mentorship plans
Collaborative training opportunities
Access to specialized sleep research expertise

The Mentored Collaboration Grant specifically evaluates mentorship activities and training plans.

7. Feasibility

SRSF awards are often relatively modest in size and duration, so reviewers favor projects that have:

Focused aims
Realistic budgets
Achievable milestones
Available resources and infrastructure

Projects that are overly ambitious for a one-year award are less competitive.

8. Publication and Scientific Output

Applications that are likely to produce:

Peer-reviewed publications
Conference presentations
Grant applications
New collaborations

align strongly with the Foundation's goals for career advancement and scientific impact.

9. Alignment with Specific Award Programs

Each SRSF mechanism has distinct priorities:

Small Research Grant → seed funding and pilot data
Career Development Award → transition to independence
Mentored Collaboration Grant → training and mentorship
Focused investigator awards → specific sleep and circadian science priorities

Applications that clearly match the intended purpose of the mechanism are generally more successful.

10. Strong Institutional Environment

Successful applicants typically have access to:

Sleep laboratories
Clinical research resources
Circadian research expertise
Biostatistical support
Established sleep research programs

A supportive institutional environment increases confidence in project completion.

Frequently Funded Research Themes

Recent SRSF-supported projects and funding priorities commonly include:

Sleep neurobiology
Circadian rhythm disorders
Sleep and memory consolidation
Sleep health disparities
Pediatric sleep research
Sleep and mental health
Artificial intelligence in sleep health
Sleep apnea and treatment innovation
Translational sleep medicine
Population sleep health research

Funding Strategy

A highly competitive SRSF application typically includes:

A significant question in sleep or circadian science.
Strong methodological rigor and innovation.
Clear potential to generate pilot data.
A pathway toward NIH or other major funding.
Strong mentorship and career-development plans.
Realistic aims that can be completed within the award period.
Evidence that the project will advance the applicant toward research independence.

Specialties

Others

Eligibility Requirements

Doctoral level degree, such as MD, PhD, DO and/or comparable degree.
Applicants must be early career investigators within 10 years of receiving their doctoral degree who are at the post-doctoral, instructor, or assistant professor level. Applicants should not have received tenure and should not have received grant funding in excess of $75,000 per year serving as a PI or co-PI. If an applicant is uncertain regarding eligibility, please contact the SRS Awards Department for approval prior to submission of the application. This communication should describe the circumstances, such as time spent in clinical training or other extenuating circumstances (e.g. maternity/paternity leave or care of dependents). The request will be reviewed to determine if an application will be accepted.
Documented history of commitment to sleep/circadian research – publications, other grants (not to have exceeded $75,000 per year serving as a PI or co-PI), service to the field, etc.
Current or prior federally funded career development award (CDA) recipients are not eligible to apply for this award. If a federally funded CDA or other federally funded grant is awarded during the funding period, the recipient can submit a revised budget and request continued support through the end of the original funding period. The revised budget must not overlap with the federally funded grant budget.
Mentor’s Letter (see section G of the application for details of what must be included in the mentor’s letter). Two mentors may be appropriate if they provide complementary expertise.
Complete Application, including all components noted on the Application form, submitted via the Reviewr platform.
SRS membership in good standing.

Sponsor Details

Sponsor Institute/Organizations: Sleep Research Society

Sponsor Type: Corporate/Non-Profit

Address: 2510 North Frontage Road Darien, IL 60561 Phone: 630.737.9702 coordinator@srsnet.org

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