Discovery Award Application » Norman Fixel Institute for Neurological Diseases

Fixel Discovery Award Application

Thank you for your interest in the Fixel Discovery Awards. The Fixel Institute established the Fixel Discovery Awards to support innovative, collaborative and high-impact research across neurological disease areas. This pilot funding opportunity is designed to generate preliminary data, foster cross-disciplinary partnerships and position investigators for future external funding opportunities. Applications may focus on a single Fixel disease area or address challenges that span multiple neurological conditions. Awards of up to $100,000 are available for projects with a maximum duration of 24 months. Please complete all required fields and upload the requested application materials. Incomplete applications may not be considered for review. Application Deadline: July 31, 2026 Questions may be directed to Fixel-Awards@ufl.edu.

Step 1 of 6 – Principal Investigator Information

16%

Principal Investigator Information

Principal Investigator Name(Required)

First Last

PI Title(Required)

PI Department(Required)

PI College(Required)

PI Email(Required)

PI Phone Number(Required)

Project Information

Project Title(Required)

Project Summary(Required)

Provide a brief summary of the proposed project (250 words maximum).

Fixel Disease Areas Addressed(Required)

ALS and other related neuromuscular disorders

Alzheimer’s, dementia and other related memory disorders

Concussion and other types of traumatic brain injury

Multiple Sclerosis and other neuroimmune disorders

Parkinson’s, dystonia, and other related movement disorders

Is this a multi-PI project?(Required)

Yes

Co-PI / Co-Investigator Information

Include names, departments and colleges.

Funding Information

Total Amount Requested from Fixel(Required)

Maximum request: $100,000

Proposed Funding Dept ID(Required)

Future External Funding Target(Required)

Identify at least one NIH, DoD, foundation, industry or other external funding opportunity.

Does this project include partnership funding, cost share, matching funds or leveraged support?(Required)

Yes

Describe Partnership Funding

Source, amount/value and purpose.

Regulatory Requirements

Regulatory Approvals Required

IRB

IACUC

FDA

Biosafety

Data Use Agreement

Other

None/ Not Applicable

If other, answer here

Required Uploads

Research Proposal PDF(Required)

The research proposal should be uploaded as a single PDF and include the following components: 1. Specific Aims: Provide an NIH-style specific aims page describing the project goals, central hypothesis or research question, proposed aims, expected outcomes, and relevance to Fixel disease areas. Page limit: 1 page. 2. Research Strategy: Provide an abbreviated research strategy that includes significance, innovation, approach, relevance to one or more Fixel disease categories, cross-disciplinary or cross-disease rationale if applicable, expected outcomes and impact, and future external funding plan. Page limit: 3 pages. Bibliography/references are not included in the page limit. 3. Team and Collaboration Plan: Describe the investigative team, roles of each key investigator or collaborator, and how the team’s expertise supports the proposed work. For cross-departmental or cross-college teams, describe how the collaboration will be structured and managed. Word limit: 300 words. 4. Milestones and Timeline: Provide measurable milestones for the 24-month project period, including expected timing of major activities, regulatory approvals if applicable, data generation, analysis, manuscript development, and submission for subsequent external funding. Word limit: 250 words. 5. Future Funding Plan: Identification of at least one external sponsor, funding agency, foundation, industry partner, or competitive funding mechanism is required. Applicants should describe how the proposed pilot data, methods, partnerships, or preliminary findings will support a future application for external funding. Word limit: 200 words.

Drop files here or

Accepted file types: pdf, Max. file size: 125 MB.

Budget & Budget Justification(Required)

Applicants should upload a budget and budget justification that includes: • Total amount of Fixel funding requested • Budget categories and requested amounts • Brief justification for each major budget category • Partnership funding, cost share, matching funds, or in-kind support, if applicable • Identification of the source, amount or estimated value, and purpose of any leveraged support Page limit: 1 page, unless a separate budget template is provided.

Drop files here or

Accepted file types: pdf, xls, xlsx, Max. file size: 125 MB.

NIH Biosketches(Required)

Applicants should upload NIH-style biosketches for the PI(s), co-PI(s), and key personnel as one combined PDF.

Drop files here or

Accepted file types: pdf, Max. file size: 125 MB.

Partnership Support Documentation

Applicants may upload letters, emails, cost-share documentation, in-kind support confirmation, foundation/gift alignment, departmental/college support, or other documentation of partnership funding or leveraged support. This documentation is optional but strongly encouraged for proposals seeking priority consideration based on partnership funding or leveraged resources.

Drop files here or

Accepted file types: pdf, doc, docx, Max. file size: 125 MB.

Certifications & Acknowledgments

I certify that the information submitted is accurate to the best of my knowledge

I agree

I understand that awardees will be required to acknowledge support from the Norman Fixel Institute for Neurological Diseases at UF Health and any applicable funding partner.

I agree

Submission Date

MM slash DD slash YYYY

Electronic Signature