RFA for Autism Research

The SFARI BTI (Bridge to Independence) Award program was created to help mitigate this systematic issue and to encourage continued excellence in the autism research field.

The BTI Award program engages talented early-career scientists in autism research by facilitating their transition to research independence and providing grant funding at the start of their professorships. The annual RFA is aimed at Ph.D. and M.D.–holding scientists who are currently in training positions but intend to seek tenure-track research faculty positions during the upcoming academic year. Fellows will receive a commitment of $495,000 over three years, activated upon assumption of a tenure-track research professorship at a U.S. or Canadian research institution.

Importantly, although eligible applicants must be currently in a training position, the BTI Award itself is not a training fellowship but a research grant to newly appointed faculty. The program’s selection process is uniquely designed to enhance the BTI fellows’ job prospects by providing a letter that specifies SFARI financial commitment to the research project once the BTI fellow has secured a suitable faculty position. For more information on eligibility requirements and the funding process, see the RFA section.

The BTI Award program welcomes applications that span the breadth of science that SFARI normally supports, including genetics, molecular mechanisms, circuits and systems, and clinical science. For reference, please see the list of current BTI fellows and of all SFARI Investigators, as well our postings on SFARI scientific priorities.