Neurodegeneration Challenge Network (NDCN)

The CZI Neurodegeneration Challenge Network (NCDN) was launched in 2018 with the vision that progress in solving neurodegenerative diseases will come from bringing new people into the neurodegeneration field from diverse disciplines and expertise; supporting interdisciplinary collaborations; empowering the broader scientific community with robust tools and platforms, and creating a culture of open science.

We’re excited by the scientific advances achieved through this collaborative, interdisciplinary research model and look forward to future scientific contributions from the NDCN. With the view that a general understanding of cellular and circuit mechanisms of healthy brain function will be a critical foundation for understanding and ultimately solving neurodegenerative disease, the next phase of NDCN will expand to cover a broader range of fundamental neuroscience.

A large, star-shaped pink and dark blue, star-shaped cell appears with tree-like tendrils against a dark background.

A cultured rat astrocyte with its mitochondria labeled in red. Photo by CZI Neurodegeneration Challenge Network grantee Cagla Eroglu.

The NDCN program has funded the following RFAs:

Collaborative Science Awards, $9.5 million
Patient-Partnered Collaborations for Rare Neurodegenerative Disease, $10 million
Ben Barres Award Early Career Acceleration Awards (Cycle 1, $42.5 million and Cycle 2)
Collaborative Pairs Pilot Project Awards (Cycle 1 (Phase 1, which is inclusive of all grants, and Phase 2), $30.1 million and Cycle 2)

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CZI Neurodegeneration Challenge Network (NDCN) early career grantee Molly Gale Hammell presenting to Challenge Network members at a meeting.

CZI Neurodegeneration Challenge Network early career grantee Molly Gale Hammell presents to Challenge Network members at a meeting.

Neurodegeneration Challenge Network Mentors

CZI values the critical role that mentors and mentorship play in career development. We are grateful for the contributions of the Neurodegeneration Challenge Network Mentors who provide mentorship for the Ben Barres Early Career Acceleration Award grantees, empowering them to reach their full scientific and professional potential.

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This RFA supports pairs of investigators and their teams to explore innovative, interdisciplinary approaches to address critical challenges in the fields of neurodegenerative diseases and fundamental neuroscience.

Collaborative Pairs Pilot Project Awards

Cycle 1 - $30.1 Million
Phase 1
Phase 2

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This RFA aims to provide mentored support for early career investigators to conduct bold, innovative, and rigorous research in the basic science underlying neurodegenerative disease and fundamental neuroscience.

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This RFA aims to advance the understanding of the pathophysiology and mechanistic underpinnings of rare neurodegenerative and neurological disorders.

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As part of the CZI Neurodegeneration Challenge Network, an interdisciplinary collaborative network that addresses fundamental issues in neurodegenerative disease biology, these are grant opportunities for small group interdisciplinary research collaborations tha... As part of the CZI Neurodegeneration Challenge Network, an interdisciplinary collaborative network that addresses fundamental issues in neurodegenerative disease biology, these are grant opportunities for small group interdisciplinary research collaborations that include a physician with active clinical engagement.