The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is offering the INCLUDE Project: Transformative Research Awards for Down syndrome, aimed at advancing innovative research to improve health and quality of life for individuals with Down syndrome. This funding opportunity invites applications for groundbreaking research that can establish new scientific paradigms or develop transformative technologies related to Down syndrome and its co-occurring conditions, with no preliminary data required. The program has an estimated total funding of $3 million, with individual awards ranging from $250,000 to $500,000, and is expected to support approximately four projects. Interested applicants can reach out to Dr. Charlene Schramm at schrammc@nih.gov or by phone at 301-402-3793, with applications due by February 19, 2026, and anticipated awards announced by September 1, 2026.

The NIH INvestigation of Co-occurring conditions across the Lifespan to Understand Down syndromE (INCLUDE) Project seeks to improve health and quality-of-life for individuals with Down syndrome. The purpose of this Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) is to solicit Transformative Research Award applications to support individual scientists or groups of scientists proposing groundbreaking, exceptionally innovative, original, and/or unconventional research that has the potential to create new scientific paradigms, establish entirely new and improved clinical approaches, or develop transformative technologies related to Down syndrome. Applications are welcome in all topics relevant to Down syndrome-related research or its co-occurring conditions. No preliminary data are required. Projects must clearly demonstrate, based on the strength of the logic, a compelling potential to produce a major impact in research related to Down syndrome.

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