Fellowships Round 7

The New York State Department of Health, in partnership with the New York State Spinal Cord Injury Research Board (SCIRB), has released a funding opportunity for predoctoral and postdoctoral fellowships focused on spinal cord injury research. This initiative, administered by the Wadsworth Center’s Extramural Grants Administration Program, aims to address the significant physical, emotional, and economic burdens caused by spinal cord injuries (SCI), which impact approximately 1,100 New Yorkers annually and contribute to the estimated six million individuals in the U.S. living with paralysis. Since its inception in 1998, SCIRB has been dedicated to supporting transformative, not incremental, research that advances the discovery of treatments or cures for SCI. This Request for Applications (RFA) supports two-year training fellowships for predoctoral and postdoctoral researchers. Predoctoral awards offer up to $51,000 annually in direct costs, with a total cap of $122,400 over two years including indirect costs. Postdoctoral awards offer up to $80,000 annually, capped at $192,000 over two years including indirect costs. Funding may cover stipends, institutional allowances, tuition and fees, and other non-personnel costs, though salaries for principal investigators or mentors are excluded. Applicants may budget for related research travel and supplies. The program encourages applicants from diverse biomedical fields, provided the research directly contributes to SCI treatment or cure goals. Eligibility requires that the principal investigator (PI) is not a postdoctoral fellow or dependent research staff, and the applicant organization must be a not-for-profit or governmental institution based in New York State. Both predoctoral and postdoctoral fellows must meet detailed training and background requirements, including restrictions on prior postdoctoral experience and expected commitment to SCI research. The application must include comprehensive plans for mentorship, career development, and training, with specified formats and page limits. Applications must be submitted via the New York State Statewide Financial System (SFS). A letter of intent, while optional, is strongly encouraged and due by November 13, 2025. The application portal opens on October 30, 2025, and closes at 4:00 PM ET on December 18, 2025. Prospective applicants are encouraged to register early and allow sufficient time to resolve any technical issues. Prequalification in the SFS is required for not-for-profit applicants. Evaluation of proposals involves a peer review panel, considering factors such as the strength of the research and training plan, the qualifications and commitment of the mentor(s), the feasibility and innovation of the proposed work, and alignment with SCIRB’s mission. The award period is expected to run from September 1, 2026, through August 31, 2028, contingent upon available funding and satisfactory performance. Awards may be renewed in future cycles, as this is a recurring opportunity.