All applicants and key collaborators must hold a Ph.D., M.D. or equivalent degree and have a faculty position or the equivalent at a college, university, medical school or other research facility. Applications may be submitted by domestic and foreign nonprofit organizations; public and private institutions, such as colleges, universities, hospitals, laboratories and units of state and local government; and eligible agencies of the federal government. There are no citizenship or country requirements. See the Personnel FAQ section for more information on the responsibilities of a SFARI PI.

PIs who do not have substantial experience with ASD participants should include a close collaborator with such expertise on their grant application (e.g., multi-PI application).

No, postdoctoral associates may not apply as PIs even if your institution is willing to submit an application on your behalf.

Senior postdoctoral research associates who are interested in pursuing an independent career in autism research are encouraged to apply for SFARI’s Bridge to Independence Award RFA.

Yes, foreign institutions may apply. Please see Simons Foundation policies regarding international grants.

A SFARI policy change in effect since July 2022 now allows BTI awardees to apply as a PI to the SFARI 2022 Human Cognitive and Behavioral Science RFA, as long as they meet all eligibility criteria outlined in the RFA.

Principal Investigator
The individual(s) judged by the applicant organization to have the appropriate level of authority and responsibility to direct the project or program supported by the grant. All PIs must hold a Ph.D., M.D. or equivalent degree and have a faculty position or the equivalent at a college, university, medical school or other research facility. They are responsible and accountable to the applicant organization and SFARI for the proper conduct of the project or activity, including the submission of all required reports. They will act as the main point of contact for the foundation.

Co-investigator
An individual involved with the PI in the scientific development or execution of a project. The co-investigator must hold a Ph.D., M.D. or equivalent and be employed by, or affiliated with, the applicant/grantee organization or another organization participating in the project under a consortium agreement. A co-investigator is considered key personnel, but the Simons Foundation does not require a minimum effort from the co-investigator. The designation of a co-investigator, if applicable, does not affect the PI’s roles and responsibilities, nor is it a role implying multiple PIs.

We seek applications from independent investigators who can devote a substantial portion of time to this effort. There is no minimum percent effort required for any personnel, but we expect personnel, in particular PIs and co-investigators, to have efforts that reflect their roles in the project.

When relevant, the applicant organization may designate multiple individuals as PIs who share the authority and responsibility for leading and directing the project, intellectually and logistically. Each PI is responsible and accountable to the applicant organization or, as appropriate, to a collaborating organization, for the proper conduct of the project or program, including the submission of all required reports. The presence of more than one identified PI on an application or award diminishes neither the responsibility nor the accountability of any individual PI.

PIs who do not have substantial experience working with ASD participants should include a close collaborator with such expertise on their grant application (e.g., multi-PI application).

The first PI listed, under whose name the application is submitted, will serve as the contact PI for administrative purposes. The contact PI must be affiliated with the institution submitting the application. The contact PI will be responsible for communication between SFARI and the rest of the leadership team.

The role type “Co-PI” will not be used by SFARI.

Multiple PIs can be added under three scenarios: when they are from different institutions that would like to be paid separately, when they are from different institutions that would like to be paid directly by the main institution, and when they are from the same institution. Instructions for each scenario are below. Please also refer to the instructional videos, “Add contacts to an application,” “Generate collaboration and multi-site applications,” and “Add a subcontract budget to an application,” on our website.

Applications with multiple PIs from different institutions that would like to be paid separately must list the additional PI(s) in the Project Personnel section and use the Application Role dropdown that indicates “Principal Investigator: Multi-Site.” This will generate a linked application that the additional PI and their institution must complete. Additional PIs will be notified via email that they have been invited to participate in a collaboration and will be able to access their application upon logging into SAM, which includes a budget and requires sign-off by a signing official from the individual PI’s institution. Additional PIs can work on their applications at the same time as the contact PI.

Applications with multiple PIs from different institutions that would like to be paid directly by the main institution are considered subcontracts. Subcontract PIs should be listed in the Project Personnel section either with or without access.

1. Subcontract PIs with access should be added using the Application Role dropdown that indicates “Subcontract Lead – With Application Access,” which will generate an email notification that they have been added to the application with access to view or edit the main or any subcontract budgets.
2. Subcontract Leads without access should be added using the Application Role dropdown that indicates “Key Personnel (Including Subcontracts) – Without Application Access,” which will not notify the Subcontract PI and will not allow them access. Instead, this allows the contact PI to fill out the subcontract budget on their behalf.

Applications from multiple PIs at the same institution do not need to submit additional materials. Additional non-applicant PIs can be added to this section as “Key Personnel – With Access” or “Key Personnel (Including Subcontracts) – Without Application Access.” Under “add more details,” select the role “Non-Contact Principal Investigator.”

Important: Please do not include the contact PI (main PI) in this section. Key personnel include any other individuals who contribute to the scientific development or execution of a project in a substantive, measurable way, whether or not they request salaries or compensation. This may include co-investigators, collaborators, postdoctoral research associates or equivalent employee positions.

You can save personnel details in the Project Personnel section on the Contacts and Personnel tab of the application.

Yes, co-investigators and additional personnel can be listed on multiple applications.

We do not require letters of support or letters of collaboration from co-investigators. If a letter is prepared, it can be uploaded in the Other section.

The submission schedule is as follows:

• February 28, 2023: RFA Opens
• May 4, 2023,12:00 p.m. ET: Full Application Submission Deadline

Applications must be submitted via the Simons Award Manager (SAM). Please click on the Funding Opportunities icon and navigate to the Simons Foundation Autism Research Initiative — Human Cognitive and Behavioral Science call. Click the Create Application button to begin. Applications should be started and submitted under the applicant’s own account in SAM. After creating an application, navigate to the “Applications in Progress” section on your homepage to access the in-progress application.

If you are applying to the Simons Foundation for the first time, please register in SAM before selecting “Apply now.” If you have a ProposalCentral (pC ) account, a profile was created for you in SAM using the email address associated with your pC account. Please select “Forgot Password?,” set a new password for your SAM account and then select “Apply now.”

No, the Simons Foundation accepts only applications submitted online through Simons Award Manager (SAM).

Yes, adding a user to the Institution Administrative Contacts section of the application as an Institution Administrator will give them full access to edit an application and submit it for sign-off. To do so, the person who created the application would navigate to the contacts and personnel tab of the application. Under the Institution Administrative Contacts section, they would select the user and use the drop-down to indicate their role. If the user does not yet exist, click on the “create new institution official” button, and add the newly created user as an Institutional Administrator.

Separately, to modify another user’s degrees, publications and other support, the user must add them to the Profile Access tab of their profile.

If one institution is included, or if multiple institutions are included but they are all paid directly by the main institution as subcontracts, only the Signing Official may sign and submit the application. When the application is complete, the PI will click on the “send for sign-off” button to send to their signing official for signature. Your signing official will see the application in the “Applications to Review” section when they log in and will be responsible for signing and submitting the application to the Simons Foundation.

Multi-site applications for institutions paid separately have an additional step for final submission. Once all linked applications have been signed by each institution’s signing official as described above, the contact PI will receive a notification that the application is ready for submission. The contact PI should click on “Submit Application Package” to finalize and submit the application package including all components from multiple sites.

The Submit button is located at the bottom right of the screen. You will be unable to submit if you have not provided all the required information. If the submission deadline has NOT passed, use the Check Application Progress button to check for missing requirements. If the problem persists, please contact [email protected].

If the deadline has passed, the submission period has closed, and you will not be able to submit.

The Check Application Progress button reviews your application for missing sections. The submission instructions list the required sections and attachments. You must complete the missing sections listed. If you are still receiving error messages after completing and saving the indicated sections, please contact [email protected].

No, please be advised that application deadlines on the application are in Eastern Time. We recommend registering early and submitting applications with ample time for corrections prior to the deadline hour. Site traffic can slow page-load times. The “Submit” button will not work after the deadline time has passed.

A confirmation email is sent upon submission of the application. Make sure that spam filters allow emails from [email protected]. Additionally, the application will appear in the Submitted tab of the Applications in Progress table after submission.

Before you can make changes to your submitted application, you must first contact the Simons Foundation. Please email [email protected].  Applications can only be changed prior to the deadline.

You should receive notification within 24 hours of the deadline. Please check your spam filter settings if you have not received notification by then.

The Specific Aims page should be a summary of the proposed project focused on the research aims of the project, including a concise rationale for the hypothesis, description of preliminary data and experimental approach, and impact on autism research. Applicants should also indicate whether they are applying to the Explorer, Expansion or Collaboration track (see also Budget FAQ).

The Specific Aims page should not exceed one (1) page of single-spaced, size 11 text, 0.5 margins.

Proposal Narratives should not exceed five (5) pages single-spaced, size 11 text, 0.5 margins. Figures, figure legends and references should follow the narrative text and will NOT count towards the page limit.

The Proposal Narrative should be considered an expanded version of the Specific Aims page and used to provide more detail on the following:

• Relevant scientific background
• Preliminary results when applicable
• Specific aims
• Experimental design, including data analysis plan
• Pitfalls and alternative strategies
• Project significance and relevance to autism
• Timeline and milestones

SFARI considers the following information crucial for the evaluation of a project and encourages including the following details (where relevant):

• Patient cohorts used (including source of participants, sample size and availability of genetic data). Investigators should also complete the Human Participants Study Information Sheet. Applicants are strongly encouraged, but not required, to use SPARK or Simons Searchlight Research Match as part of their participation recruitment strategy.
• Datasets or biospecimen collections to be used (including SFARI resources) and their availability
• A statement on statistical power and analytical plan

References, figures and figure legends are not included in the page limits for the Proposal Narrative, although we have a limit of five (5) figures (each fitting on a single page). Please attach them at the end of the narrative in the same PDF file. The Simons Foundation’s preference is for figures to follow the narrative rather than be embedded in the text. References should be in Journal of Neuroscience format, including full author list, title and a link. The Foundation does not require a minimum.

In-press papers can be included as appendices, as well as any papers that you consider essential for the work of the review committee but include no more than three (3) papers. Any other material should be included, if possible, in the narrative. If you have video attachments for your proposal, please upload them as an appendix (all file types are accepted).

Yes. All applications proposing to recruit human participants must complete the Human Participants Study Information Sheet available in SAM.

Applicants should select which track best matches the maturity and goals of their research proposal, as review criteria will be appropriately tailored for each track.

Explorer track

This track is appropriate for early-stage projects where establishing feasibility and proof-of-concept are the most relevant outcomes of the grant period. The total budget is $500,000 or less, inclusive of 20 percent indirect costs, over a period of up to two (2) years. Allowable indirect costs to the primary institution for subcontracts are not included in the $500,000 total budget threshold (see grant policies).

Expansion track

This track is appropriate for more mature projects with evidence of feasibility and preliminary validity, for which goals such as scalability, generalizability and/or more complete measure validation are now the most relevant translational outcomes. The total budget is $900,000 or less, inclusive of 20 percent indirect costs, over a period of up to three (3) years. Allowable indirect costs to the primary institution for subcontracts are not included in the $900,000 total budget threshold.

Collaboration Track

This track is appropriate for multi-lab, cross-institutional collaborative projects. Collaborative proposals should be built around transdisciplinary teams that are tackling a critical issue in the neurobehavioral differences present in autism, with clear translational implications. The total budget per collaborating lab is $750,000 or less, inclusive of 20 percent indirect costs, for up to four (4) labs, over a period of up to three (3) years. Allowable indirect costs to the primary institution for subcontracts are not included in the $750,000 total budget threshold (see grant policies). We welcome applications from up to four collaborating PIs.

As with all SFARI-funded projects, it is at the foundation’s discretion to modify final budgets and scientific scope as needed. Grant progress will be critically evaluated at the end of each annual funding period before support for the upcoming year will be approved.

There are two places to indicate the budget track within the application:

• In the proposal tab, applicants will select either the Explorer, Expansion or Collaboration budget track via a check box.
• On the Specific Aims page (template available in SAM), applicants should also indicate whether they are applying to the Explorer, Expansion or Collaboration track.

Most likely. Research Match includes services for identifying and contacting participants on behalf of your study. As such, some study team costs which are typically budgeted to a PI’s grant may be reduced with the use of Research Match. Simons Foundation will work, as needed, with applicants selected for funding through this RFA to arrive at mutually agreeable budget terms.

Applications with a subcontract (including additional PIs from institutions that will be paid directly by the contact PI’s institution) should review the instructional video, “Add a subcontract budget to an application,” on our website.

Yes. For the Explorer track, the total budget is $500,000 or less, inclusive of 20 percent indirect costs, over a period of up to two (2) years. For the Expansion track, the total budget is $900,000 or less inclusive of 20 percent indirect costs, over a period of up to three (3) years. For the Collaboration track, the total budget is $750,000 or less per lab, for up to four (4) labs, inclusive of 20 percent indirect costs, over a period of up to three (3) years. There is an exception: Allowable indirect costs to the primary institution for subcontracts are not included in total budget thresholds.

Please note that indirect costs cannot be taken on tuition, equipment with a unit cost of more than $10,000, or Simons Collection biospecimens.

No, SSC, Simons Searchlight and Autism Inpatient Collection (AIC) biospecimen costs are not included in the budget limit. Prices can be found on the price list on our website.

You can access and request information about the SSC, Simons Searchlight, SPARK, AIC and Autism BrainNet on SFARI Base. If you do not have SFARI Base account, you must create one. If you have problems with the log in or have questions regarding the collections, please email [email protected].

Researchers may submit an application on SFARI Base. The SPARK and Simons Searchlight Participant Access Committee considers applications on a quarterly basis, but applications may be submitted at any time. Please refer to the SPARK recruitment process document for more details and email [email protected] with any questions.