This is an open call for proposals, so multiple PIs from an institution in the USA may apply as long as they meet the eligibility requirements. We have no limit and applicants do not need to be nominated.

Unfortunately, no. Assistant Professors, Associate Professors, or Full Professors (or equivalent) with independent experience running their own labs from a minimum of one (1) to a maximum of eight (8) years by the start date of the MIND Prize (May 2026) may apply. Salaries for postdocs in these labs may be on the submitted budgets.

Independent research experience means the start of a tenure-track (or equivalent) faculty appointment or independent lab space, with a maximum of eight (8) years of experience by May 2026 (the start date of the Prize).

No, MIND Prize applicants must be full-time, tenure-track (or equivalent) faculty members at 501(c)3 research institutions in the USA.

Yes, scientists who are in independent research roles at non-faculty research institutions are indeed eligible to apply, should they run their own research program and meet all the other eligibility requirements.

No, only one LOI is allowed per PI. PIs should choose their most innovative, high-risk, high-reward project to submit! However, a PI can be listed as a collaborator on another lead PIs application.

Unfortunately, no. Regardless of the application stage achieved, if a PI has submitted an application for three different years, they are no longer eligible to apply.

Possibly. Please reach out to info@MINDPrize.org to confirm your eligibility.

We do on a case-by-case basis. Please contact info@mindprize.org with additional information on the applicant’s exact situation.

The LOI is a one-page document in Georgia, 11-point font and single-spaced with 0.5-inch (NIH standard) margins.

While neither is required, figures need to be confined to the one-page limit, while references can be appended to an additional page(s)—you’ll have an opportunity to include these in your biosketch, as well. We ask that any figures included remain legible for our reviewers.

No, there aren’t any file naming requirements for the application files. As long as they are submitted as PDFs, applicants can name them whatever they’d like (reviewers don’t see the file name).

Once an applicant registers and begins to create an application on our application submission portal (https://prizeapplication.smapply.io), they will have access to any necessary forms and templates. We do not have an LOI template (just clear instructions), but we do have biosketch and budget templates . Templates can only be accessed once the program has launched.

The award total is $750,000 over three years, so $250,000/year. This includes the indirect costs (not to exceed 10%), so annually it would be $225,000 in direct costs and $25,000 in indirect costs*.  

 Therefore, the budget should be constructed as follows: 

*PLEASE NOTE: You can absolutely have less than $25K in indirect costs and more than $225K in direct costs. You simply cannot exceed the numbers above, and totals must reach $250K/year.

The award is $750,000 over three years, so the proposed project should be large enough in scope to have a budget that requires the full award amount. We do not accept budgets for amounts smaller than $750,000.

No, we do not have a salary cap, but expect applicants to budget reasonably and responsibly. 

We don’t have a formal policy on this, but budgets are viewed favorably if there is at least a 5% minimum effort.

Budgets should not be designed to have carryover each year, but we do approve carryover as needed and requested in annual grant reporting, with adequate explanation. We also approve no-cost extensions at the end of an award term on a case-by-case basis. More details on this are included in our award terms and conditions, should an applicant be selected for funding.

Yes, applicants absolutely can, but we’d recommend also including some fully published papers so that the reviewers can see the types of journals published in thus far, as that is also helpful. We recommend applicants have at least one last-author publication (in press or in revision is ok) before applying to ensure their application is competitive.

While there may only be one lead PI who is the primary applicant as this is a single investigator award, we absolutely encourage collaboration, and there is no limit to the number of collaborators that can be included within a proposal. The lead PI can work with as many collaborators as the needs of their project dictates, and subcontracts at other institutions are allowed (please note: indirect costs in subcontracts are included in the annual indirect cost total, which must not exceed $25,000). Applicants are not required to include the biosketches of collaborators or letters of support. Reviewers will focus first and foremost on the lead PI's accomplishments, background, and work. If these wish to be included, they can be uploaded as additional files. The lead PI is the only one who must meet the eligibility criteria, as well.

No, the MIND Prize does not have a full proposal stage. After the LOI, invited finalists will be asked to submit a PowerPoint presentation of no more than three slides. However, we recommend that applicants be ready to answer any detailed questions about their proposed project and provide additional information as needed, as there will be time for Q&A from the MIND Prize Scientific Advisory Board.

Ideally, it should be the PI applicant, and the email address associated with the application should be that of the PI applicant.

Applicants are unable to edit their applications once submitted. However, if it is before the deadline, please email info@mindprize.org and we can update it for you. If it is after the deadline, per internal policies, we will not allow any further edits or updates.