SynAD Project Applications

Research: Small Equipment Grants

The SynAD program includes a priority for “increasing research capacity” in Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Disorders (ADRD). One goal of this priority is to provide funding for small equipment grants to fulfill significant and urgent instrumentation needs or upgrades. The initiative is designed to assist with the acquisition of small and targeted research equipment needs (broadly defined to include multiple types of data acquisition or analysis technologies, tests, or software for human, animal, or other ADRD research). Grants may range in value up to $10,000 (with justification). The aim is to accelerate the application-decision-acquisition process such that new ideas or spin-off projects can be launched. These new projects should be designed to generate novel and robust data that lead to rapid and significant scientific presentations, publications, and/or grant proposals.

Eligibility: Faculty membership in NMHI. All proposed projects must demonstrate a direct connection to ADRD research and a clear statement of potential significance and deliverables. Applicants may be a PI or Co-PI on only one application to this equipment competition.

Competition opens 2 November 2020. The deadline is 16 November 2020. Awards must be completed by 31 March 2021. Use the fillable pdf application below.

SynAD Equipment Grant Application Form Nov 2020 – Closed

Training

The SynAD program includes a priority for “enhancing training capacity” in ADRD. The purpose of this priority is to provide selective support for promising graduate students and postdoctoral fellows in any area of neuroscience-related ADRD research. The candidates should demonstrate that they will (a) benefit from excellent and available training opportunities and (b) produce outcomes leading to presentations, manuscripts, publications, or further awards. Conditions: Trainees must be supervised by faculty members of NMHI. The 2020-2021 competition includes up to five awards of a maximum of $8400 (graduate students) or $9000 (PDFs). Awards must be completed by March 31 2021. The initiative is open for applications on 21 September 2020. The deadline is 6 October 2020.

SynAD Trainee Grant Application Form 2020 – Closed

Research: Small Catalyst Grants

The SynAD program includes a priority for “strengthening research catalyst opportunity” in ADRD. We implement this priority by offering small catalyst grants to support the testing of new ideas (e.g., pilot projects), spin-off ideas (e.g., new direction of research) or novel collaborations (new synergies) in ADRD research. The initiative is targeted for focused and promising research projects (e.g., $1,000–$10,000). The goal is to test spin-off or new ideas and to generate novel and robust data that lead to rapid and significant scientific presentations, publications, or larger grant proposals.

Eligibility: Faculty membership in NMHI. All proposed projects must demonstrate a direct connection to ADRD research and a clear statement of potential significance and deliverables. Applicants may be a PI or Co-PI on only one application to this catalyst competition.

Competition opens 2 November 2020. The deadline is 16 November 2020. Awards must be completed by 31 March 2021. Use the fillable pdf application form below.

SynAD Catalyst Grant Application Form Nov 2020 – Closed

Timeline and Application

SynAD rolls out the initiatives sequentially. In 2018-19, the first Request for Application (RFA; Equipment) was announced in October 2018. The second RFA (Catalyst Grants) was announced in December 2018. The third RFA (Trainee Support) was announced in January 2019. We aim for relatively rapid decisions and funding. For the 2019-2020 schedule, the first RFA is for Catalyst Grants. It was announced on 7 October and includes a deadline date of 31 October. All applications should use the fillable forms attached to any active initiative.
Queries and applications should be addressed to the SynAD email address: SynAD@ualberta.ca

SynAD Acknowledgment Policy

All SynAD supported projects, researchers, and trainees will acknowledge our funders, the Alzheimer Society of Alberta and Northwest Territories and the University Hospital Foundation, and our institutional partner, the Neuroscience and Mental Health Institute. Recipients of grants will agree to the following acknowledgment formats (including logos as appropriate).

Acknowledgment (for small grant or equipment)

This research was supported in part by the Alberta Synergies in Alzheimer’s and Related Disorders (SynAD) program which is funded by the Alzheimer Society of Alberta and Northwest Territories through their Hope for Tomorrow program and the University Hospital Foundation. SynAD operates in partnership with the Neuroscience and Mental Health Institute at the University of Alberta.

Acknowledgment (for trainee, RA, or PDF)

[Jane Doe’s] participation was supported in part by the Alberta Synergies in Alzheimer’s and Related Disorders (SynAD) program which is funded by the Alzheimer Society of Alberta and Northwest Territories through their Hope for Tomorrow program and the University Hospital Foundation. SynAD operates in partnership with the Neuroscience and Mental Health Institute at the University of Alberta.

Acknowledgment with Logos

Posters (or signs) including any support from SynAD should also include the logos of the Alzheimer Society of Alberta and Northwest Territories, Hope for Tomorrow, the University Hospital Foundation, and the Neuroscience and Mental Health Institute.