Awards, Grants & Prizes: A Year-Round Guide for Early Career Neuroscientists
Whether you're a PhD student, postdoc, or newly independent investigator, applying for grants and awards will be a key part of your life as a neuroscientist. From recognising your achievements to funding your next project, science awards and prizes can boost your CV, support your research, and raise your profile in the neuroscience community.
But with so many different awards on offer, how do you decide which ones to apply for, and when? To help you stay organised, we’ve rounded up some of the best early career neuroscience prizes to apply for throughout the year, complete with key dates, eligibility info, and more.
So grab your planner and get ready to map out your year of neuroscience award opportunities!
January to March
Flux Society Young Investigator Award
The Flux Society offers an annual award for young investigators working in Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience. Applications are invited from scientists working for 7 years or less since completion of their PhD, and the prize recognises their outstanding contributions in areas such as science communication and outreach, diversity and inclusion, and originality of work. The winning scientist has the opportunity to deliver a 30-minute presentation at the next Flux Congress event.
Nominations open: Early January to end February
Organization for Human Brain Mapping Awards
The OHBM recognizes the outstanding contributions of members in the field of human brain imaging through a number of annual awards. Award categories include the Early Career Investigator Award, the Diversity and Inclusivity Champion Award, the Open Science Award, the Karl Zilles Award in Integrative Neuroscience, and the Education in Neuroimaging Award. The winners are announced at the OHBM Annual Meeting, which this year takes place in Brisbane, Australia. Find out more about this and other neuroscience conferences in our blog ‘Ten Neuroscience Conferences to Attend in 2025’.
Nomination deadline: Early February
Each year the European College of Neuropsychopharmacology honours two early career scientists whose research in applied and translational neuroscience has the potential to advance the science, treatment and prevention of disorders of the brain. The winners collect €2,000 and are presented with a certificate at the ECNP Congress. Candidates must be residents of a European country and between 2-7 years beyond their PhD qualification.
Nomination deadline: Mid February
Society for Neuroscience Early Career Awards
The Society for Neuroscience offers a number of awards for students, postdocs and scientists who have worked in neuroscience for a decade or less and who have contributed remarkable research to their field. The awards include a $5,000 prize for an outstanding PhD thesis in behavioral neuroscience, three $25,000 prizes for outstanding research in an international setting, and the prestigious Young Investigator Award. Nominations must be made or endorsed by an SfN member, however nominees themselves do not need to be members.
Submission dates: 24th March to 8th May 2025
April to June
IBRO Neuroscience Training Grants
The International Brain Research Organization offers twice-yearly career development grants to support early career neuroscientists from under-resourced regions in covering the costs of attending neuroscience training courses. Grant amounts vary between $3,000 and $6,000 depending on the applicant’s region of residence, and the program is open to PhDs and postdocs who are within 5 years of the start of their first postdoctoral fellowship.
Application dates: 1st April to 31st May 2025 (and again from 1st October to 15th November)
Brainbox Initiative Young Investigator Award
Each year the Brainbox Initiative offers a £500 prize to an early career academic who has undertaken notable neuroscience research using non-invasive brain stimulation or imaging techniques. The winner of the Young Investigator Award will also have the chance to present their research at the Brainbox Initiative Conference in London.
Submission deadline: 1st June 2025
July to September
Hello Bio Early Career Scientist Grant
Here at Hello Bio we’ve been supporting early career life scientists for several years with our monthly Early Career Scientist Grant. Each month we choose one PhD or postdoc working in life science to receive a $500 grant to use in any way that will support their career development. Many of our previous winners have used the money to fund conference trips, cover publishing costs, and purchase lab supplies.
Applications: Monthly awards - available all-year round
Brain Research UK Early Career Project Grant
Brain Research UK invites applications for their Project Grant from early career neuroscientists working on three priority themes: headache and facial pain, neuro-oncology, and acquired brain and spinal cord injury. Up to £300,000 is available for successful applicants with no more than 10 years of postdoctoral research.
Applications: Opening in autumn 2025, with deadline Spring 2026
October to December
British Neuroscience Association Awards
The BNA offers a number of annual awards for excellence in neuroscience, including a postgraduate and undergraduate awards, plus an award for scientists who make an outstanding contribution to engaging the public in neuroscience via outreach and science communication.
Submission deadline: 31st October each year
The Cognitive Neuroscience Society YIA Award
The Cognitive Neuroscience Society accepts nominations on a biennial basis for their Young Investigator Award. Two awardees are chosen for their outstanding contributions to neuroscience, and are given the opportunity to deliver a special lecture at the next CNS international conference. Winners for the 2025 event have already been chosen, but nominations for 2027 will open in November next year.
Submission dates: November to December 2026
Our annual Lab Heroes Awards take place in November and are designed to recognise and celebrate the unsung heroes of the science lab. Each year we invite nominations from colleagues who want to say thank you to their supportive and inspirational lab colleagues, with last year’s top prize being $3,000 of Hello Bio vouchers and a $1,000 career development grant!
Nomination dates: Early November to early December
British Neuroscience Association Awards
The BNA welcomes nominations for the Credibility Prizes and the Green Neuroscience Prize from 1st December until the end of February. The Credibility Prizes include three categories - the Student Researcher Prize, the Individual Researcher Prize, and the Team Prize - which champion efforts to ensure that neuroscience research is as robust, reliable, replicable, and reproducible as possible. The Green Neuroscience Prize offers a £500 prize to a researcher who is making positive steps to reduce the environmental impact of their research.
Nomination dates: 1st December to 28th February
American Physiological Society - Beverly Petterson Bishop Award
The American Physiological Society offers an award for members who have demonstrated outstanding promise in neuroscience and neurophysiology research. The winner of the annual Beverly Petterson Bishop Award for Excellence in Neuroscience will collect $20,000 and must hold a rank no higher than assistant professor.
Application deadline: 16th December
Advice on grant-writing from Hello Bio
For advice on grant-writing and funding applications for life scientists, take a look at these other great resources from the Hello Bio blog:
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The Life Scientists’ Guide to Applying for Grants and Funding
- Funding Your Future: Grant-Writing Tips for Life Scientists - guest article by Nicolás Velasco Saragoni
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Writing Successful Funding Applications - expert panel discussion from the LabLife Conference 2022
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Crafting a Statement of Purpose for Funding Applications - guest article by Dr Jazmine I Benjamin
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Writing a Winning Travel Grant Application - guest article by Kate Secombe
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