USHER SYNDROME SOCIETY RESEARCH
2026 USS Translational Research Grant Request for Applications
The Usher Syndrome Society (USS) is a non-profit organization whose mission is to raise public awareness and research funds for every type of Usher syndrome, to find treatments and ultimately a cure for Usher syndrome (USH).
In 2022, The Usher Syndrome Society established our Scientific Advisory Board and founded the USS Translational Research Grants. These grants are intended to support translational research on Usher syndrome in either Preclinical Research and/or Mechanism-based Therapeutic Development. The research projects include well-documented research collaborations across sensory modalities and across scientific disciplines. All approaches are collaborative, designed to target cells in the eye and the ear.
USS has secured commitments to fund another round of USS Translational Research Grants. Please see below for more details about the application process.
Important dates
Applications Due: October 24, 2025
Notification of Award: December 15, 2025
Funds Available: January 1, 2026
Please submit grant materials as a single PDF file to
[email protected]
For questions regarding these instructions, please contact
[email protected]
To fulfill the goal of “timely and efficient translation”, USS Translational Research Grants are intended to support translational research on Usher syndrome within the domains of:
- Preclinical Research, encompassing basic science research with a direct link to the clinical population (human genetics, patient tissue, iPSC, humanized animal models).
- Mechanism-based Therapeutic Development, focused on novel disease modifying therapeutic modalities utilizing in vitro or in vivo preclinical models.
1. Purpose of Grants
Proposed research projects must be related to the mission of the USS. The USS focus is on the discovery pipeline including identification of therapeutic strategies and development of novel therapeutic agents. Emphasis is placed on collaborative efforts that extend across sensory modalities as well as platform technologies that may advance therapeutic development for multiple forms of USH. Highly promising proposals that address specific USH genes or mutations are also encouraged.
2. Description of grants:
1. New research proposals: These grants offer up to two years of support, contingent upon adequate progress. The maximum allowable budget (direct costs only, no indirect costs allowed) is $100,000 per year. The number of awardees will be determined by the quality of the proposals, the total amount of the requested budgets of sufficiently meritorious proposals, and available funds. The second year of funding will be based on adequate progress and milestone achievements and will be reviewed on a non-competitive basis.
2. Research projects that include well-documented collaborations that merge research efforts across sensory modalities and across scientific disciplines will be prioritized. Further priority will be assigned to applications that may offer the greatest benefit for the largest patient population or targeted approaches that hold great promise for select USH genes or mutations.
3. Principle investigators selected for funding will have biannual collaborative consultations with USS scientific advisors for feedback and progress updates.
3. Eligibility
Applications will be accepted from research scientists at qualified U.S. and international research institutions. Collaborative projects between U.S. and international scientists are also acceptable. Applicant principal investigators must hold a tenure-track faculty position with an M.D., Ph.D., M.D.-Ph.D., or equivalent.
4. Application Format
Applications must be submitted in single-spaced text, one-half inch margins, and 12-point Arial or Helvetica font. The primary applicant’s name must appear in the upper right-hand corner of each page. Proposal text is limited to five pages (including figures, excluding references). Use standard PHS 398 forms for biosketch and other support.
5. Application Submission
Submit applications electronically as a single PDF file to [email protected] by 5 pm EDT on October 24, 2025.
6. Composition of research proposal
1. Cover Letter
2. Abstracts, scientific (250 words) and lay summary (100 words)
3. Budget & Budget Justification (~1 page limit)
4. Biosketch(es) (include PI and co-investigators; NIH format)
5. Other support page (list pending and current support only)
6. Research Plan (5-page limit, not including references)
a. Hypothesis and Specific Aims
b. Background and Significance
c. Preliminary Results / Progress Report
d. Research Design and Methods
e. Statement of how proposal supports USS mission and research priorities.
7. Literature cited
8. *Letters of support from collaborators or consultants (1 page limit/letter) *optional
7. Grant Review
Applications will be reviewed and prioritized for funding by a multidisciplinary scientific advisory committee composed of established hearing/vision scientists. The committee will be chaired by Jeffrey R. Holt, Ph.D., Professor of Otolaryngology and Neurology, Boston Children’s Hospital / Harvard Medical School.
Help us find treatments and a cure.