The Curing Coma® Campaign, in collaboration with Spaulding Rehabilitation and through the Rehabilitation Outcomes Center at Spaulding (ROCS), invites applications for the Innovative Treatments in Disorders of Consciousness (ITDC) Grant Program.
This funding opportunity is designed to spark bold, high-impact research that advances the diagnosis, understanding and treatment of disorders of consciousness (DoC), including coma, vegetative state and minimally conscious state.
Projects should aim to:
- Generate pilot data for future large-scale studies
- Build infrastructure to support multicenter clinical trials
- Evaluate biologically plausible, innovative treatments
View the Request for Proposals
Why This Matters
Disorders of consciousness affect hundreds of thousands of individuals in the United States, yet the field faces critical challenges, including high rates of misdiagnosis (~40%), limited tools to accurately detect consciousness and few effective treatment options. This program seeks to address these gaps by accelerating research that can transform care and outcomes.
Areas of Interest
Applicants are encouraged to propose innovative work in, but not limited to, the following areas:
- Clinical Trial Infrastructure: Development of multicenter networks or model systems
- Neurobiological Mechanisms: Connectomics and circuit mapping
- Patient Classification: Phenotyping and endotyping
- Long-Term Outcomes: Recovery trajectories and modeling
- Biomarkers: Diagnostic, prognostic, and treatment-response validation
- Prognostication: Machine learning and large dataset modeling
- Therapeutic Innovation: Novel or repurposed drugs and devices (e.g., DBS, TMS, VNS)
Funding & Project Details
- Award Amount: Up to $200,000 per year (max $400,000 total)
- Project Duration: Up to 2 years
- Number of Awards: Approximately 2
- Indirect Costs: Up to 20% included
Projects should include a clear path to future external funding.
Eligibility
- U.S.-based nonprofit organizations, including academic institutions
- Projects must include at least one Mass General Brigham (MGB) collaborator
- Preference for:
- Interprofessional and multi-institutional teams
- Inclusion of Spaulding Rehabilitation collaborators
Important: Projects must...
- Focus on prospective research (no retrospective or meta-analyses)
- Include patient and stakeholder engagement, incorporating individuals with lived experience
Application Process
Step 1: Letter of Intent (LOI)
Submit a brief LOI including:
- Project Narrative
- Specific Aims
- Proposed Work
- Potential Impact
LOIs must be submitted through the online portal once the LOI period opens on May 18.
Applicants are encouraged to develop proposals that:
- Foster collaboration across institutions and disciplines
- Engage patients, families, and caregivers as partners
- Advance scalable solutions for multicenter trials and real-world impact
Submit LOI
Step 2: Full Proposal (by invitation only)
Selected applicants will be invited to submit a full application.
Key Dates
- LOI Opens: May 18, 2026
- LOI Deadline: June 14, 2026
- LOI Notification: August 9, 2026
- Full Application Deadline: October 18, 2026
- Awards Announced: Early January 2027
Review Criteria
Applications will be evaluated based on:
- Significance: Importance and potential to address critical gaps
- Innovation: Novelty of concepts, methods, or applications
- Approach: Scientific rigor, feasibility, and likelihood of success
- Overall Impact: Potential to meaningfully advance the field
Questions?
Please contact Shonali Gaudino and/or (617) 952-6509.