The HEARD (Henderson Equity And Research on Disparities) Center is now accepting applications for the Small Grants for Big Ideas (SGBI) Program, a new funding opportunity designed to support innovative research that advances understanding of, and solutions to, disparities in neurocritical illness.
Program Purpose
The HEARD Center was established by the NCS to investigate and address inequities affecting patients with neurological critical illness, their families and the clinicians who care for them.
The SGBI Program is intended to seed promising new research from investigators and clinicians whose ideas can move the field forward, particularly those whose work is not yet supported by traditional extramural funding.
Key Dates
- Application Deadline: September 1, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. CT
- Award Notifications: October 2026
- Project Start Date: November 1, 2026
Funding Details
- Up to three awards will be funded
- Up to $10,000 per project
- No indirect costs permitted
- Funds must be used within two years
- Payments will be made directly to the awardee's institution
Awardees will also have the opportunity to present their work as an oral or poster presentation at a future NCS Annual Meeting.
Areas of Interest
The HEARD Center broadly defines disparities in care and encourages proposals that address inequities related to:
- Race and ethnicity
- Gender
- Socioeconomic status
- Primary language
- Immigration status
- Geographic location, including rural communities
- Limited-resource settings (U.S. and international)
- Age
- Disability
- Insurance or payer status
- Other social drivers of health
Projects should focus on generating knowledge that can improve equity, care delivery, and outcomes in neurocritical care.
Who Should Apply?
Eligible applicants are clinicians or scientists who have completed their clinical or post-doctoral training.
Applications are encouraged from investigators across disciplines and backgrounds, particularly those who may not traditionally receive major extramural funding. This includes, but is not limited to:
- Nurses
- Advanced Practice Providers
- Pharmacists
- Social Workers
- Rehabilitation Specialists
- Junior Physicians
- PhD Scientists
- International Investigators
Trainees may participate as co-investigators but must apply with a senior collaborator or mentor serving as principal investigator.
What Can Be Funded
The SGBI Program supports hypothesis-driven research projects that align with the HEARD Center mission. Examples of allowable expenses include:
- Research materials and supplies
- Staff support
- Software
- Essential project equipment
- Statistical or methodological consultation
- Participant recruitment and modest incentives
- Investigator effort, where permitted by institutional policy
SGBI funding may supplement existing grants provided there is no overlap in budgeted expenses.
What Will Not Be Funded
The program does not support:
- Quality improvement initiatives
- Educational projects without a research question
- Program implementation activities without a research component
- Direct patient care costs unrelated to research
- Retrospective case series without an analytic plan
- Self-reported surveys lacking a generalizable research objective
- Laboratory-based mechanistic studies without direct clinical translation
- Travel unrelated to the required NCS Annual Meeting presentation
- Review Criteria
Applications will be evaluated on their potential to:
- Improve equity, care, or outcomes for patients and families affected by disparities in neurocritical illness
- Advance the mission of the HEARD Center
- Demonstrate innovation and originality
- Engage multidisciplinary collaborators
- Be completed within the funding period
- Disseminate findings to clinical, scientific, and community audiences
Priority consideration will be given to projects led by, or meaningfully involving, investigators from groups underrepresented in neurocritical care research.
Application Requirements
pplicants must submit a single six-page PDF. Proposals exceeding six pages will be administratively withdrawn.
Required Format
- Page 1: Title page, to include project title and principal investigator information
- Page 2: Abstract (maximum 300 words)
- Page 3: Specific Aims
- Pages 4–5: Significance, innovation, approach and dissemination plan
- Page 6: Budget and budget justification
Formatting Requirements
- Arial or Helvetica, 11-point font or larger
- Single-column layout
- Minimum 0.5-inch margins
- Spell out abbreviations at first use
How to Apply
Submit a single PDF proposal to info@neurocriticalcare.org with the subject line: HEARD SGBI Proposal – First and Last Name
Post-Award Expectations
Awardees will be required to:
- Submit a brief progress report
- Present results at a future NCS Annual Meeting
- Notify the HEARD Center of publications, presentations, and subsequent funding resulting from the project
Questions?
Please contact us at info@neurocriticalcare.org.