McKnight Brain Research Foundation Innovator Awards in Cognitive Aging and Memory Loss

The McKnight Brain Research Foundation (MBRF) and the American Federation for Aging Research (AFAR) will provide up to two 3-year awards of $750,000 (USD) each to advanced Assistant Professors and recently appointed Associate Professors (MDs and PhDs.) One award will be made to support studies focusing on clinical translational research and another award toward understanding basic biological mechanisms underlying cognitive aging and age-related memory loss.

The Letter of Intent deadline is April 15, 2026.

The major goal of the program is to identify emerging scientific leaders by building a cadre of outstanding research scientists across the United States to lead transformative research in the field of cognitive aging.

The program targets full-time independent investigators at the rank of Assistant Professor or Associate Professor (or equivalent) with established independent research programs who have already demonstrated a firm commitment to cognitive aging research. It will add substantial start-up support for a period of three years to help these investigators develop and/or expand an outstanding research program in cognitive aging and memory loss.

One award will be made to support innovative studies focusing on clinical translational research and another will support innovative studies of basic biological mechanisms underlying cognitive aging and age-related memory loss. It is expected that the proposed research will yield transformative discoveries and thus proposals are invited that are high risk/high gain in nature and that would be less suitable for conventional sources of funding. For example, this support could be deployed towards conducting a pilot clinical trial, developing proof-of concept interventions to ameliorate age associated cognitive impairment, gather preclinical data to accelerate testing of potential interventions, and further study the mechanistic basis of age-associated cognitive impairment in relevant experimental models with a view to identifying novel treatment targets. Scientists proposing to pursue basic research should clearly articulate the potential of their findings to be translated into clinically relevant strategies, and/or treatments. Research studies at the intersection of age-associated cognitive changes and disease-related cognitive impairment may be considered if a strong case can be made for their relevance to cognitive aging and age-related memory loss. However, research that is primarily focused on neurodegenerative diseases (e.g., Alzheimer’s disease) will not be supported.

Two 3-year awards of $750,000 (USD) each will be made in 2026, of which a maximum of 10% may be used for indirect expenses or institutional overhead.

To be eligible, the applicant must:

• Have completed research training prior to the beginning of this award (October 1, 2026):
  o PhD candidates: no more than 7 years from the completion of formal post-doctoral research training post-PhD,
  o MD or combined degree candidates: no more than 12 years from the date when finished residency.

• Exceptions to the 7 and 12 year limits may be considered for certain life events (e.g. familial, personal commitments or other exceptional circumstances). An exception request can be submitted by emailing an NIH-style biosketch to AFAR at grants@afar.org at least one week prior to the deadline date.

• Be an independent investigator at the rank of Assistant Professor or Associate Professor (promoted to the rank of Associate Professor no earlier than October 1, 2023), who has received R01 funding. Equivalent funding is considered NIH DP1, DP2, DP5, R37, R56, RF1, RL1, U01 and R35 or VA Merit Award, and NSF funding of at least $200,000 a year in direct costs.

• Be tenure-track faculty or equivalent in an academic or non-profit institution with evidence of long-term institutional support as indicated by commitment of resources including independent laboratory space, start-up research funds and personnel. Candidates not in a tenure-track position are also eligible and should demonstrate similar evidence of long-term institutional support and not be in a time-limited appointment.

• Have a proven track record of research accomplishments in cognitive aging as indicated by their publications in high-impact journals, awards, and other metrics of peer recognition.

• Provide evidence of institutional commitment as described in a form completed by the Dean or CEO.

• Be in full time employment at an academic or non-profit research institution in the United States.

The program does not provide support for:

• Senior faculty, i.e., at the rank of Associate Professor or higher who have held this position before October 1, 2023.

• Assistant Professors who have not yet received R01 or equivalent extramural independent funding.

• Investigators who are conducting research at a federal government or for-profit institution.

• See comment above about disease specific research.

Questions about eligibility and suitability of research project can be addressed to grants@afar.org.

Five criteria are used to determine the merit of an application:

• Qualifications of the applicant;
• Quality and promise of the proposed research and its relevance to cognitive aging/age-related memory loss;
• Novelty/impact of the proposed research and potential to have transformative clinical impact;
• Excellence of the research environment;
• The commitment by the institution to the applicant as described in the institutional commitment form and letter.

Please refer to the Letter of Intent (LOI) instructions and form. Incomplete LOIs cannot be considered. All LOIs must be submitted here. The 2025 recipients of the Innovator Awards can be viewed here, and earlier recipients here.

The applications will be reviewed by a committee whose recommendations will be presented to MBRF and AFAR for final funding decisions.

Please review this link which includes suggestions for submitting an LOI or application to AFAR. Click here for our Frequently Asked Questions page. If you are using animals in your research, we strongly encourage you to review Guidelines for Aging Rodent Research.

MBRF and AFAR will not provide reviewer critiques to any applicants at any review level.

Timeline:
Letter of Intent (LOI) deadline: April 15, 2026

Results LOI review: mid-June, 2026

Full Application deadline: mid-August, 2026

Anticipated Award Announcement: late September, 2026

Award Start Date: October 1, 2026

Investigators will be required to submit a brief narrative report annually on the progress of their research. Final narrative and financial reports are required within three months following the end date of the award.

Recipients of this award are expected to attend the AFAR Grantee Conference. The purpose of the meeting is to promote scientific and personal exchanges among recent AFAR grantees and experts in aging research. Grantees are also expected to attend the annual inter-institutional meeting of the MBRF.