The Research and Innovation Directorate (RID) is pleased to inform the University community of a funding opportunity under the Simons Foundation Autism Research Initiative (SFARI) New Ideas Award. This programme provides early-stage support for bold, exploratory research that tests novel hypotheses and opens new conceptual or experimental directions in the study of autism and related neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs). The call is intentionally broad in scope and welcomes ideas from any scientific discipline, methodology, or experimental system, provided the proposed work makes a compelling case for its relevance to SFARI’s mission of advancing the basic science of autism and related NDDs.

Award Budget and Duration

• Maximum budget: USD 600,000
• Up to 2 years

Eligibility
Applicants and key collaborators must:

• Hold a Ph.D., M.D. or equivalent degree; and
• Have a faculty position or equivalent at a college, university, medical school, or other research facility.
• Applications may be submitted by public and private institutions, including colleges, universities, hospitals, laboratories, and other research organisations.
• The call is open to both domestic and foreign institutions.
• Researchers who are new to autism research are welcome to apply. Investigators who have not previously been funded by SFARI are especially encouraged to apply.

Timeline

• Applications open: April 29, 2026
• Submission process: Letters of intent must be submitted electronically through the Simons Award Manager (SAM)
• Decisions on letters of intent: Within three to four months of submission

Applications are accepted on a rolling basis. If invited to submit a full application, applicants will have four weeks to do so.

For more information on the call and application process, kindly visit: SFARI New Ideas in Autism and Neurodevelopmental Disorders Research

RID encourages eligible researchers in neuroscience, psychology, psychiatry, genetics, computational biology, data science, biomedical sciences, and related fields to explore this opportunity, particularly those interested in advancing bold new directions in autism and neurodevelopmental research.

Interested applicants are kindly requested to inform RID of their intention to apply to enable institutional guidance and support. Please email rid-grantsmgt@ug.edu.gh, with jobappiah@ug.edu.gh in copy, early in the process.