BEGIN:VCALENDAR
VERSION:2.0
PRODID:-//Memento EPFL//
BEGIN:VEVENT
SUMMARY:Target ALS – Biomarker Consortia | Research Funding
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20260519
DTSTAMP:20260410T171747Z
UID:26ba337c0a94964b96face50bac2fc2c6e18d45dc51d34480860cc1d
CATEGORIES:Call for proposal
DESCRIPTION:Aim: Target ALS is a medical research foundation committed to 
 the search for effective treatments for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS
 )\, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. Target ALS funds investigators w
 ho collaborate across scientific disciplines and research constituencies t
 o drive medical breakthroughs for the treatment of ALS.\n\nAs new therapeu
 tics have begun moving the needle for ALS patients\, tracking disease prog
 ression and monitoring the effects of drug treatment have become even more
  important. Biomarkers are needed to stratify patient populations\, unders
 tand response to therapeutics\, and quantify disease progression. The foun
 dation is soliciting proposals from multidisciplinary groups focused on th
 e discovery and development of novel fluid or tissue-based biomarkers of d
 isease progression and stratification using novel\, innovative\, and compl
 ementary approaches including applications of AI and machine learning (ML)
 .\n\nAlthough all groups studying disease progression biomarkers are eligi
 ble to apply\, Target ALS is particularly interested in supporting project
 s that propose the study of:\n\n	novel biomarkers predictive of disease pr
 ogression or phenoconversion \n	biomarkers with utility as treatment resp
 onse \n	biomarkers for patient population stratification (e.g.\, fast vs 
 slow progressors\, cognitive impairment\, peripheral immunity)\n	novel ana
 lytical approaches to blood-based biomarkers\, including AI/ML-extracted s
 ignatures\n\nConfidentiality of the investigator’s data\, research\, and
  intellectual property will be strictly honored.  Target ALS does not see
 k ownership of any intellectual property or financial gains that result fr
 om its funding.\n\nFunding:       $130\,000 per lab per year (not to 
 exceed a total of $500K / year)\n\nDuration:      24 months \n\nEligi
 bility: Only collaborative projects will be considered\; collaborative pro
 jects for this call comprise groups of 3-5 laboratories working around a c
 ommon research theme or target. Each consortium should have at least one i
 nvestigator from the biotech/pharmaceutical industry.\n\nHow to Apply: The
  two-step application process begins with a Letter of Intent. The letter o
 f intent can be filled in directly on the application portal\, with four q
 uestions to be answered (see below for the list of questions). Selected ap
 plicants will be notified in June 2026 and invited to submit a full propos
 al. At the full proposal stage\, a detailed budget is required. Budgets ca
 n include researcher salaries and fringe benefits\, materials and consumab
 les\, equipment\, and overhead of 15%.\n\nDeadline\, LOI:        
              19 May 2026\nDeadline\, Full Proposal:       
  20 July 2026\n\nFurther information\n\n\n	More information about the prog
 ram is available here\n	The application portal can be found here\n	For any
  other questions\, please contact the Research Office\n\n\nLetter of Inten
 t Questions\n           \n\n	Relevance: Describe the present or
  future relevance of the project for ALS biomarkers of disease stratificat
 ion and progression. (up to 125 words)\n	Scientists Involved expected cont
 ribution: Clearly identify the scientists involved with a short paragraph 
 about the expected contribution of each individual. (up to 250 words)\n	NI
 H-style biosketches: Include biosketches for all individuals described abo
 ve. (pdf files)\n	Scientific Objective: Define a set of scientific objecti
 ves (specific aims) with explicit milestones. (up to 625 words)\n
LOCATION:
STATUS:CONFIRMED
END:VEVENT
END:VCALENDAR