Virginia Biosciences Health Research Corporation announces grants for neuroscience initiatives

The Virginia Biosciences Health Research Corp. (VBHRC) – also known as The Catalyst — announced Thursday that it is accepting grant applications for neuroscience initiatives.

The grants, which range from $200,000 to $800,000, are being awarded for collaborations of Virginia’s research universities and industry. 

This round of funding is part of the Virginia Neuroscience Initiative, an effort to advance the state’s neuroscience research. Grants will likely be awarded to research efforts focused on new approaches to diagnosing and treating neurological conditions, such as brain injuries and developmental disorders, neuropsychiatric and behavioral disorders and addiction and substance abuse.

“VBHRC’s seventh round of funding provides us an opportunity to continue our focus on neurological issues that will lead to a better understanding of how the brain works,” Mike Grisham, CEO of VBHRC, said in a statement. “This enables us to research and address disorders of the brain including Traumatic Brain Injuries, Autism, ALS, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, mental health, addiction and post-deployment issues faced by our military.”

Applications are due June 8.

To date, VBHRC has awarded more than $10.4 million for neurological research, including brain cancer therapeutics, diagnostics for Lyme disease, treatments for inflammatory bowel disease, tumor ablation for brain cancer and identifying novel biomarkers for glioblastoma.

The program says its grants have resulted in more than $20 million of matching funds and follow-on funding of more than $80 million.

VBHRC is a state-create non-profit organization whose mission is to improve human health by accelerating translational research through collaborations with Virginia research universities and industry.