Federal Grant Award Summary

Vanderbilt University received a $108,000 Project Grant award from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) under the Child Health and Human Development Extramural Research program (CFDA 93.865) effective July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2031. The award supports the Fundamental Neuroscience Training Program, a graduate-level predoctoral training initiative designed to develop the next generation of neuroscientists through comprehensive didactic instruction and mentored research experience. The program provides five training slots within Vanderbilt's interdisciplinary neuroscience graduate program, which encompasses 67 trainees and 73 faculty mentors across 23 departments and five colleges and schools.

The primary deliverables include structured neuroscience curriculum instruction, hands-on research training in state-of-the-art neuroscience laboratories, and professional development support emphasizing quantitative literacy and rigorous scientific methodology. Research areas of focus encompass addiction, attention, brain evolution, cognitive neuroscience, circadian rhythms, neuroimaging, neurodegeneration, psychiatric illness, and sensory systems. The program is designed to equip trainees with the academic foundation and investigative skills necessary for independent research careers, with explicit emphasis on building an inclusive cadre of future neuroscience researchers.