如何申请

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. 

应用程序支持

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

View a recorded webinar to learn more about the Scholars Program and recommendations for the application process which is due November 3, 2026. The webinar contains advice from three McKnight Scholar Awards Committee members: Dr. Vanessa Ruta (Chair), Dr. Jennifer Raymond, and Dr. Marlene Cohen, as well as previous McKnight awardee, Dr. Abigail Person. This webinar was 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. Webinar was recorded August 27, 2026.

合格

麦克奈特学者奖的申请人必须是美国非营利研究机构的独立研究人员；必须担任助理教授（或同等职位，见下文）级别的教职，并且在申请截止日期时担任该级别的时间必须少于五年（家庭假可以例外）。 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. 五年期限可累计，因此，如果申请人曾在多所院校担任助理教授，即使该院校并非申请人目前任职的院校，五年期限也从其担任第一个职位时开始计算。申请人必须在提交申请之日正式获得助理教授（或同等职位）的任命，方符合资格。

担任非终身教职（例如讲师、研究助理教授、兼职助理教授或讲师）的其他职称者不符合申请资格。如果所在机构不使用教授职称，则必须由机构高级官员（例如院长或科研主任）出具信函，确认申请人拥有其专属的机构资源、实验室空间和/或设施。请将此信函与以下申请材料一同提交，并同时发送电子邮件至 jkrogstad@mcknight.org 提前告知信函已送达。我们致力于提升神经科学领域的地域、性别和种族多样性，并鼓励女性、少数族裔成员以及此前从未获得过麦克奈特奖的机构的教职人员申请。  

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.  

在同一轮资助中，我们可以收到来自同一机构的申请数量没有限制，并且在我们努力实现机构多样性的同时，同一机构的多名学者奖获得者可以在同一资助期内获得奖励。 

应用

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. 

要申请，首席研究员需要在门户网站开放后遵循以下步骤： 

• 使用右侧边栏上的“开始申请”链接设置用户名和密码。 （请保留您的用户名和密码以备将来使用。） 

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

1. 1. 该 提议 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. 多样性和包容性声明。 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. 简历. 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 包括所有可用于支持其研究的资源（包括启动资金和外部资金）。请列出每个奖项的金额，例如 R01、$100,000 年度直接费用以及项目名称。您无需列出目前正在审议但尚未获奖的提案。请在文件开头列出启动资金，然后遵循 NIH 的外部资金指南。但与 NIH 不同的是，无需签名。
   5. Titles and links to 5 recent publicly accessible publications (can include pre-prints e.g. on BioRxiv).

我们还要求 三个参考文献 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.

申请提交时无需预算. 获奖者需要向 McKnight 提交年度财务和科学报告，以获得第二笔和第三次付款。 允许的预算项目包括工资和福利（包括首席研究员）、学费、设备、用品、动物成本、技术服务成本等。 资金不能用于间接费用。 

选择过程

该 McKnight学者奖评审委员会将评估申请 并邀请约 20 名决赛选手 采访 委员会。受邀参加面试的申请人将收到通知 in March 2027. The interviews 将 预定 不久 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. 

有问题吗？

电子邮件： 乔尔·克罗斯塔德麦克奈特神经科学捐赠基金项目经理