The goal of this program is to promote the continued development of newly trained clinician-researchers (MDs or PhDs, or equivalent), or experienced clinician-researchers new to LBD, into world-class LBD investigators through mentorship. The program focuses on the mentorship of young or experienced investigators committed to clinical research in the Lewy body dementia arena by seasoned, established LBD investigators. This award is meant to offer a supplement to support mentorship on an otherwise funded project and is not meant to support the project itself.

While there are several courses and conferences that an early-stage investigator can participate in, there is no substitute for a personal mentor-mentee relationship, in which the mentor can review the mentee’s proposed initiative(s), meet with the mentee’s team, and provide one-on-one, in-person advice.

Under this request for applications, LBDA intends to fund up to four awards.

Full details are available on the Request for Applications.

The Lewy Body Dementia Association (LBDA) New Investigator Pilot Study Award is intended to support pilot translational or clinical studies for the purpose of developing preliminary data to be used in future grant applications. The program is open both to early-stage investigators, and to more established researchers from other fields, who have not yet received an NIH R01 in Lewy body dementia (LBD) research. In either case, the applicant’s career stage must be no higher that assistant professor of equivalent.

The aim of the program in 2025 is to drive progress in clinical trials of disease-modifying therapies for people with LBD. Example topics that are in scope include utilization of biomarkers for sample enrichment/stratification or to monitor disease progression, characterization of early disease states that may offer opportunities for intervention, outcome measures, and other topics that enable advancements in trials for disease-modifying therapies.

Under this request for applications, LBDA intends to fund two awards.

Full details are available on the Request for Applications, which is available through ProposalCentral. Potential applicants are encouraged to view the opportunity within ProposalCentral well in advance of the LOI deadline.