May 01, 2025

Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation and Harrington Discovery Institute Brain Health Medicines Center Invite Proposals for the 2026 ADDF-Harrington Scholar Award

CLEVELAND, Ohio and NEW YORK, New York – Harrington Discovery Institute's Brain Health Medicines Center at University Hospitals and the Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation (ADDF) announce a joint request for proposals for the 2026 ADDF-Harrington Scholar Award. The ADDF-Harrington Scholar Award is designed to accelerate the translation of innovative research that could treat, prevent, slow, or reverse Alzheimer's disease or related dementias.

The Request for Proposals (RFP) is open to academic investigators at accredited medical centers, research institutions, and universities in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. Researchers working on drug development programs that are relevant to, but not presently focused on, the Alzheimer’s field are strongly encouraged to apply.

This award provides a combination of financial support and expert drug development guidance. Award recipients will receive financial support up to $600,000 over two years, dedicated drug development and project management support, and an opportunity to qualify for investment funds.

The 2026 ADDF-Harrington Scholar RFP places high priority on targets related to emerging therapeutic areas for dementia, particularly:

• Proteostasis (including autophagy, lysosomal biogenesis, proteasomal degradation, post-translational modification associated with proteostasis, protein folding/misfolding, ER stress, extracellular clearance)
• Senescence (including cells that have halted division, shifted towards a secretory phenotype, altered morphology and epigenetics, and decreased apoptosis)

Other novel targets are encouraged. These include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Epigenetics
• Vascular pathology
• Neuroprotection
• Synaptic activity and neurotransmitters
• Inflammation
• Mitochondrial health
• Antioxidant defense
• Metabolic function and brain energy
• Brain insulin resistance
• ApoE
• Glymphatic clearance
• Postnatal neurogenesis
• Other aging targets

Therapeutic targets with a clear marker of target engagement, either established or in development, will be considered of high priority.

Letters of Intent (LOI) must be submitted online here and will be accepted through June 2, 2025, at 5:00 pm EDT. Full proposals, for those who are invited to submit, are due August 18, 2025, 5:00 PM EDT. We encourage an interactive application process in efforts to solicit the best applications. Scientific inquiries can be directed to either: