Skip to main content

2026-2027 Rare Disease Research Grant Program

Request for Research Proposals (Phase 1 & 2)

IPRD Grant Program Overview

The Florida Institute for Pediatric Rare Diseases is pleased to announce the 2026-2027 Rare Disease Research Grant Program. The program is designed to provide funding for both the initial development of new projects and the advancement of current projects in their early stages.

The program will be offered in two phases:

  • Phase 1: Seed grants of up to $50,000 per project for a 12-month period to support early-stage research and data generation.
  • Phase 2: Expansion grants of up to $100,000 per project for 12 months, offered competitively to select Phase 1 recipients who demonstrate outstanding progress. An application is required.

The primary goal of this program is to help investigators generate the preliminary data and publications necessary to advance their research for the next stage, where applications for external funding (e.g., NIH R01 awards) will be competitive.

Eligibility Criteria

Phase 1 Eligibility Criteria

  • Full-time FSU faculty at any rank are eligible to apply 
  • Principal Investigators (PIs) and Co-PIs who have previously been awarded IPRD funding in the last Phase 1 funding cycle (2025-2026) are not eligible to apply during this round. 
  • Students and post-docs may receive salary support from the award, but they are not eligible to serve as PIs or Co-PIs.

Phase 2 Eligibility Criteria

    • Only those Principal Investigators (PIs) who have received a Phase 1 award during the 2025-2026 cycle are eligible to apply. 
    • All Co-PIs must be full-time FSU faculty. Current or new Co-PIs may be included. 
    • Students and post-docs may receive salary support from the award, but they are not eligible to serve as PIs or Co-PIs.

Award Information

Phase 1 Award Information

  • Awards are up to $50,000 per project for 1 year.
  • A review of progress will be required at the end of the first 6 months before funding may be continued for the remaining 6 months.
  • Awards do not support PI or co-PI (i.e., faculty) salaries.

Phase 2 Award Information

  • Awards are up to $100,000 per project for 1 year.
  • A review of progress will be required at the end of the first 6 months before funding may be continued for the remaining 6 months.
  • Awards do not support PI or co-PI (i.e., faculty) salaries.

Important Dates for New Applications and Phase I Progress Reports

  • Submission Deadline for new Phase 1 and Phase 2 applications: November 1, 2026, at 5:00 pm
  • Submission Deadline for Progress reports from all current Phase 1 awardees (2025-2026) : November 1, 2026, at 5:00 pm
  • Award Notification: By December 18, 2026
  • Award Period: January 15, 2027 - January 14, 2028

Instructions for Preparation of New Proposals and Progress Reports

New Proposals

Proposals should be submitted via the IPRD application portal in InfoReady and must contain the following information.

  1. Project title
  2. Full name of Contact PI (Team Leader)
  3. Contact PI’s Department/Center/Institute
  4. Contact PI’s email address
  5. Full name(s) and Department/Center/Institute affiliation(s) of Co-PIs and any other Collaborating Investigator(s)
  6. Have you previously received IPRD funding? Yes/No
    • If Yes: Include project title and funding period(s)
  7. Approval letters from IACUC or IRB (if vertebrate model systems or human subjects are involved). The research proposed in the application must be approved by the appropriate review boards. Proposals with pending approvals are not eligible.
  8. Project Description (Phase 1 max 1,000 words; Phase 2 max 2,500 words), and must include the following:
    1. Relevance to the IPRD mission
    2. Background and Significance
    3. Research Milestones for the 12-month period. Please clearly indicate what will be accomplished in the initial 6-month period.
    4. Budget Justification
    5. Plans for application for external funding (please be specific: funding agency, type of proposal to be submitted, and date of the proposed application)
    6. IPRD Grant Program Budget Form ($50,000 maximum for Phase 1 and $100,000 maximum for Phase 2)
    7. Suggested reviewers (at least 3 and up to 5). Reviewers can be FSU or non-FSU colleagues.
  9. Supplement (optional): 1 page maximum for Bibliography, and 1 page maximum for additional figures, tables, and legends.
  10. NIH Biosketch for the PI and Co-PI(s), including the last 2 years of past/current/pending grant support.

Progress Reports

All current Phase 1 awardees are required to submit a progress report by November 1, 2026, regardless of whether they intend to apply for a Phase 2 award. The Progress Report should not exceed 1000 words and must contain the following:

  1. Project title
  2. Full name of the Contact PI (Team Leader)
  3. Contact PI’s department, center, or institute
  4. Contact PI’s email address
  5. Brief description of the project
  6. Research milestones approved for the current 12-month funding period
  7. Progress toward each milestone: Indicate whether the milestone was achieved. For milestones achieved, describe the accomplishments. For milestones not achieved, explain the reasons.