HD Career Advancement Grant (HD-CAG)
Offers senior postdoctoral career acceleration for Huntington disease experts building leadership skills and independent research directions in neurobiology.
The Huntington's Disease Career Advancement Grant (HD-CAG) is a two-year accelerator program from the Hereditary Disease Foundation (HDF) aimed at senior postdoctoral researchers who are in years four or five of their training — and no more than seven years past PhD — and who are preparing to transition into independent academic investigator positions. The program does not provide research funding or salary support; instead it covers professional-development costs: up to $10,000 per year for approved conferences, patient events, and open-access publication costs, plus all travel and accommodation for three HD-CAG workshops. Remaining funds are forfeited upon program end or acceptance of a tenure-track offer.
Eligibility requires an active commitment to HD research, an established mentor, and a trajectory toward an academic career. International applicants are welcome; no country restrictions apply. The program runs biannually. The 2027 cycle opens its LOI portal January 15, 2027; the LOI deadline is February 19, 2027; full proposal invitations are issued March 26, 2027; full proposals are due May 21, 2027; and award announcements are expected in late June 2027. Applicants submit an NIH biosketch plus a two-page research statement via ProposalCentral for the LOI; full proposals include a K99/R00-style candidate section, mentor letter, and institutional support description.
Selection priorities are an applicant's demonstrated commitment to an academic career path and evidence of productivity in HD research. Mandatory participation requirements for awardees include quarterly virtual meetings with career updates, annual young-investigator science workshops, and one two-day in-person Incubator Workshop. Post-award obligations extend beyond the two-year program: awardees must submit annual career-milestone reports for ten years following program completion, providing HDF with longitudinal data on the careers it has advanced.
Career development for senior Huntington's disease postdoctoral researchers in years 4–5 of training who are transitioning toward independent academic investigator positions.
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