FARA Postdoctoral & Graduate Training Awards

FARA Postdoctoral & Graduate Training Awards

Supports postdoctoral and graduate researchers entering new Friedreich ataxia studies.

Eligibility · United States, Australia, United Kingdom, Canada, Germany

FARA offers three early-career training mechanisms under the postdoctoral and graduate umbrella, collectively designed to recruit and retain young investigators in the FA research field. The Postdoctoral Research Award provides up to $100,000 per year for one to two years; the trainee must be named as PI rather than the advisor, must commit at least 75% effort, and must have completed 18 or more months of postdoctoral training but fewer than six years total (career disruptions are accommodated). The Postdoctoral Fellowship supports trainee salary plus fringe benefits for up to two years; it targets postdocs with fewer than four years total experience and fewer than two years in FA-specific research environments, with the goal of expanding the FA talent pipeline. Both postdoctoral mechanisms share the fall cycle calendar: Letter of Intent due 15 August 2026, full application due 15 October 2026, award notice 1 February 2027.

The Graduate Research Fellowship supports full-time PhD students at up to $50,000 per year for up to three years. Applicants must be matriculated with a chosen adviser, must have passed a qualifying examination or have at least six months of prior FA-laboratory experience, and may not hold concurrent fellowships. The graduate fellowship runs on a separate annual calendar: LOI due 15 March, application due 15 May, award notice 1 September. The 2026 graduate cycle has closed; the next cycle opens in March 2027.

For-profit entities are not eligible for any early-career FARA mechanism; universities, academic research organisations, and non-profit research centres are the eligible institutional hosts. Salary and stipend are capped at NIH stipend levels; indirect costs are not funded. Applications must be submitted through the FARA online portal at webportalapp.com/sp/login/fara_grants. Trainees who receive FARA postdoctoral funding may also be nominated for the FARA Fellow Program, a selective recognition award offering a $10,000 cash prize and annual conference support up to $4,000 for researchers committing to an FA research career.