Yuav Thov Licas

Changes to Application for 2027

In our new grantmaking system, applicants will need to submit their application first, and then the system will collect your letters of reference with the email addresses that you provide. 

Kev them nyiaj yug daim ntawv thov

If your institution has received one or fewer McKnight awards, you are eligible to request support from a previous McKnight awardee from a different institution to review your application materials prior to submission. Please send any requests to jkrogstad@mcknight.org before October 10, 2026 in order to be paired with a previous awardee. This is designed to help promote a greater diversity of applications from institutions who may have less in-house experience with our awards.

Webinar with Scholar Awards Committee- August 27, 2026

Spend the hour with McKnight Scholar Awards Committee Chair Dr. Vanessa Ruta from Rockefeller University and Program Manager Joel Krogstad from McKnight Foundation to learn more about the Scholars Program and recommendations for the application process which is due November 3, 2026. There will be a brief presentation, with time for questions from participants. This webinar is designed to be inclusive of applicants and development staff who have little to no prior knowledge of the Scholars program. The committee is especially interested in the addition of applications from institutions who have never received a McKnight award, as well as applicants underrepresented in the neuroscience field and neuroscientists committed to creating equitable lab environments as well as developing outreach programs aimed at changing the landscape of science. A recording of the webinar will be posted on this page if you cannot attend.  Register for Webinar Here

Kev Tsim Nyog

Cov neeg thov rau McKnight Scholar Award yuav tsum yog cov neeg tshawb nrhiav ywj pheej ntawm cov koom haum tshawb fawb tsis muaj txiaj ntsig hauv Tebchaws Meskas; yuav tsum tuav ib tug kws qhia ntawv txoj hauj lwm nyob rau hauv qeb ntawm Assistant xib fwb (los yog sib npaug, saib hauv qab no) thiab yuav tsum tau ua hauj lwm nyob rau hauv qeb ntawd tsawg tshaj li tsib xyoos nyob rau lub sij hawm ntawm lub sij hawm ntawm daim ntawv thov (tshwj tsis yog rau tsev neeg so). For this year’s round, that means that the applicant must not have started serving in the rank of Assistant Professor any earlier than December 1, 2021. Qhov kev txwv tsib xyoos yog qhov sib npaug, yog li yog tias tus neeg thov tau ua tus pab xibfwb ntawm ntau tshaj ib lub tsev kawm ntawv, lub moos pib thaum lub sijhawm thawj txoj haujlwm txawm tias qhov ntawd tsis yog qhov chaw uas tus neeg thov tam sim no ua haujlwm. Tus neeg thov kev pabcuam yuav tsum tuav lub sijhawm teem ua haujlwm ua Tus Pabcuam xibfwb (lossis sib npaug) nyob rau hnub ntawm daim ntawv thov kom tsim nyog.

Cov tib neeg tuav lwm lub npe nyob rau hauv txoj haujlwm uas tsis yog kev ua haujlwm xws li Tus Kws Qhia Ntawv, Tus Kws Pabcuam Tshawb Fawb, Tus Kws Pabcuam Pabcuam, lossis Tus Kws Qhia tsis tsim nyog. Yog tias lub koom haum tswv tsev tsis siv cov npe ntawm cov xibfwb, tsab ntawv los ntawm ib tus neeg ua haujlwm laus (xws li Dean lossis Tus Thawj Coj ntawm Kev Tshawb Fawb) yuav tsum lees paub tias tus neeg thov kev pabcuam tswj hwm lawv tus kheej cov peev txheej hauv tsev, chaw kuaj mob, thiab / lossis chaw. Thov xa tsab ntawv no nrog rau cov ntaub ntawv thov hauv qab no, thiab tseem xa email rau jkrogstad@mcknight.org kom muab kev ceeb toom ua ntej ntawm tsab ntawv. Peb nrhiav kev txhim kho thaj chaw, poj niam txiv neej, thiab kev sib txawv ntawm haiv neeg hauv neuroscience, thiab peb txhawb cov poj niam, cov tswv cuab ntawm cov xim, thiab cov kws qhia ntawv ntawm cov tsev kawm ntawv uas tsis tau txais ib qho khoom plig McKnight yav dhau los los thov.  

Applicants to the Scholar Award may not apply in more than two rounds of competition, have already been granted tenure, or hold another award from the McKnight Endowment Fund. A candidate may not apply for both Scholar and Neurobiology of Brain Disorders Award during the same funding cycle.  

Tsis muaj kev txwv rau pes tsawg daim ntawv thov uas peb tuaj yeem tau txais los ntawm tib lub tsev kawm ntawv hauv tib lub peev txheej, thiab thaum peb siv zog rau kev sib txawv ntawm lub koom haum, ntau tus Scholar Awardees los ntawm tib lub tsev kawm ntawv tuaj yeem muab khoom plig rau tib lub sijhawm. 

Daim ntawv thov

The application process is completely online, and the portal will open for submission by early August 2026.    

Applications are due by no later than Tuesday November 3, 2026, at 5 PM Central. 

Txhawm rau ua ntawv thov, tus thawj kws tshawb fawb yuav tsum ua raws li cov kauj ruam no thaum lub portal qhib: 

• Teeb tsa tus neeg siv lub npe thiab tus password siv “Start Daim Ntawv Thov” txuas nyob ntawm sab xis. (Thov khaws koj tus username thiab password rau kev siv yav tom ntej.) 

• Below are main application components that you will need to upload within the portal:

1. 1. Lub tswv yim should be introduced with an abstract of 200 words or less, followed by a detailed statement of plans. The proposed work need not present a totally new line of research but should represent one of your lab’s most innovative and impactful directions. Successful proposals clearly communicate a vision of how success would advance our understanding of the brain, delineate clear hypotheses and consider alternative outcomes. Proposals are often most compelling when they are ambitious yet grounded in the applicant’s prior work or preliminary data and prioritize transformative potential over whether the full vision can be completed within the award’s time or budget. The proposal (abstract, narrative and figures, but not referenced literature) must not exceed four numbered single-spaced pages in 12-point font with 1-inch margins.
   2. Diversity & Inclusion Statement. A defining principle of the McKnight Endowment Fund for Neuroscience is to foster community and support mentorship. Submit a half-page narrative with the same formatting guidelines as the proposal describing how you are addressing diversity, equity, and inclusion in science beyond the confines of your lab. Keep the focus on personal experience and specific actions you have taken, and not just philosophy or planned activities.
   3. CV. Please ensure it includes the following: header with applicant’s name, current position title, current institution/department, ORCID ID (if available), website (if available); listing of education and training (degree, institution, dates, advisor/mentor); Professional Experience and Scientific Appointments (title, institution, dates); Honors and Awards; Teaching Mentoring and Service; and a full bibliography as space allows. The CV should not exceed five pages.
   4. List of other support suav nrog tag nrho cov peev txheej (ob qho kev txhawb nqa pib thiab nyiaj txiag sab nraud) muaj nyob rau hauv kev txhawb nqa ntawm lawv cov kev tshawb fawb. Thov suav cov nqi rau txhua qhov khoom plig teev tseg, piv txwv li, R01, $100,000 tus nqi ncaj qha txhua xyoo, lub npe qhov project. Koj tsis tas yuav sau cov lus thov tam sim no tab tom xav txog uas tseem tsis tau txais txiaj ntsig. Sau cov nyiaj pib pib thaum pib ntawm cov ntaub ntawv thiab tom qab ntawd ua raws NIH cov lus qhia rau cov nyiaj txiag sab nraud. Tab sis txawv ntawm NIH, tsis tas yuav kos npe.
   5. Titles and links to 5 recent publicly accessible publications (can include pre-prints e.g. on BioRxiv).

Peb kuj xav tau peb cov ntaub ntawv from former teachers, mentors, or senior colleagues familiar with the applicant’s work. Once you submit your application, the system will send an email to your references.  Please follow up with your references to confirm that they received the email and that they can submit your letter by the deadline.   Here is sample language you could send to your references:

The McKnight Endowment Fund for Neuroscience Scholar Awards support young applicants embarking on an independent research career in neuroscience. We would appreciate your candid comments on the applicant’s training and research accomplishments, and on the applicant’s potential as an independent investigator in neuroscience. We also welcome comments on the applicant’s commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion in neuroscience. There is no specific format for the letter. The letter will be submitted directly to McKnight through the link that you will receive upon application submission. Your comments will be seen by the McKnight Scholar Awards Review Committee and will otherwise be held in confidence. You will need to submit your letter by no later than November 24, 2026.

Tsis muaj pob nyiaj xav tau hauv kev xa daim ntawv thov. Cov neeg tau txais txiaj ntsig yuav tsum xa cov ntaub ntawv nyiaj txiag thiab kev tshawb fawb txhua xyoo rau McKnight rau kev them nyiaj thib ob thiab thib peb. Cov khoom siv nyiaj tso cai muaj xws li cov nyiaj hli thiab cov txiaj ntsig (nrog rau cov kws tshawb fawb thawj zaug), cov nqi kawm ntawv, khoom siv, khoom siv, cov nqi tsiaj, cov nqi rau kev pabcuam, thiab lwm yam. Cov nyiaj tsis tuaj yeem siv rau cov nqi tsis ncaj. 

Kev Xaiv Tsa

Lub McKnight Scholar Award Review pawg saib xyuasyuav ntsuas cov ntawv thov thiab caw kwv yees li 20 tus neeg kawg rau xam phaj nrog pawg neeg. Cov neeg thov raug caw tuaj xam phaj yuav raug ceeb toom nyob rau lub Peb Hlis 2026. Kev xam phaj yuav yog teem caij tsis ntev tom qab ntawd and will be conducted remotely. The committee will then recommend candidates to the Board of Directors of the Endowment Fund for final decision. Awards will start June 1, 2027. 

Cov lus nug?

Email: Joel Krogstad, Tus Thawj Saib Xyuas Haujlwm, McKnight Endowment Fund rau Neuroscience