ADDF-Harrington Scholar Program
Funds academic Alzheimer's researchers with hit-to-lead and development-stage support plus therapeutic guidance.
Eligibility · United States, Canada, United Kingdom
⚠This may reflect a past cycle — verify the current call on the funder's site.
The ADDF-Harrington Scholar Program is a joint initiative between the Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation and the Harrington Discovery Institute at University Hospitals in Cleveland, Ohio, designed to bridge the gap between academic discovery and pharmaceutical-grade drug development for Alzheimer's disease and related dementias. Unlike ADDF's broader RFPs, this is a dedicated scholar program that pairs up to $600,000 in funding over two years with hands-on project support from a Therapeutics Development Team of pharmaceutical industry experts. Supported research spans the hit-to-lead optimization stage through IND-enabling studies; high-priority biological targets include proteostasis mechanisms — specifically autophagy and lysosomal function — and cellular senescence. Anti-amyloid approaches and cholinesterase inhibitors are not supported.
Eligibility is restricted to academic investigators at accredited institutions in the United States, Canada, or the United Kingdom. The lead investigator must hold an MD, PhD, or equivalent credential, and the intellectual property underlying the proposal must not yet be licensed to any for-profit entity at the time of application. For-profit organizations are ineligible. Award payments are milestone-driven and subject to oversight committee review; ADDF's mission-related investment model applies, meaning scholars will negotiate equity, convertible notes, or royalties as ROI terms. Participation also requires attendance at an annual scientific symposium held each May in Cleveland.
For the 2027 cycle, the Letter of Intent deadline is June 8, 2026; full proposals are due August 17, 2026; and award decisions are announced in March 2027. Applications are submitted through addf.fluxx.io. Given the restricted geographic eligibility and the requirement that IP remain unlicensed, applicants should confirm both institutional accreditation and IP status before investing in the LOI.
Hit-to-lead optimization through IND-enabling studies for Alzheimer's and related dementias. High-priority targets: proteostasis (autophagy, lysosomal) and senescence. No anti-amyloid or cholinesterase inhibitor approaches.
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