MBI Spatial Transcriptomics Pilot Awards

Timeline

RFA Launch: Oct. 24, 2025
Application Deadline: Nov. 21, 2025
Notice of Award: Dec. 12, 2025

Award Overview

The McKnight Brain Institute (MBI) is pleased to announce the MBI Spatial Transcriptomics Pilot Awards designed to promote innovative research using spatial transcriptomics in mouse and human models through our new Cellular and Molecular Core. This program offers $10,000 in-kind support to help MBI researchers advance their projects using the 10x Genomics Visium HD spatial transcriptomics platform. Awardees will receive end-to-end support for all resources needed for these applications, including reagents, expertise, and sequencing. Awardees will also receive bioinformatics analysis to provide actionable data for use in manuscripts and grant applications. All pilot experiments will be done in collaboration with the Cellular and Molecular Core led by Drs. Eduardo Candelario-Jalil and Freddyson Martinez-Rivera (sequencing) and Associate Director of Bioinformatics for CASBR, Dr. Li Chen (bioinformatics analysis).

Note: This call is specifically for mouse and human models; a future call will focus on other animal models. 

Total Available Awards

We anticipate funding up to 8 pilot awards for mouse models and up to 4 pilot awards for human models. 

Eligibility

• PI is a UF faculty member eligible or postdoctoral associate.
• PI is a member of the MBI or in the lab of a member (postdocs). Click here to join the MBI..  
• Proposal aligns with the MBI’s mission. 

Review Process and Criteria 

Proposals will be evaluated by a Scientific Review Committee composed of MBI core leadership. The primary criteria for evaluation will be: 

• Quality and feasibility of the proposed project. 
• Potential of spatial transcriptomics to advance the research project’s objectives and generate meaningful preliminary data.
• How well the proposed work aligns with the applicant’s long-term research program and potential for future funding.

Application Instructions

All applications must be submitted as a single PDF by 11:59 p.m. on Nov. 21 at: bit.ly/MBI-SpatialTranscriptomics. Applications should follow NIH formatting guidelines (Arial 11-point font, single-spaced, with 0.5-inch margins) and include the following:

• One-Page Summary:
  • Provide an abstract describing the research project, its goals, and the rationale for utilizing spatial transcriptomics. Summaries must highlight the disease model, gene and pathways of interest, and nature of research.
  • Briefly explain why spatial transcriptomics is critical for the project and its potential impact.
• Letter of Support (human only): Any studies that propose to utilize human samples from the UF Health Neuromedicine Human Brain and Tissue Bank must include a letter of support from Dr. Stefan Prokop. 
• Letter of Support (postdocs only): Any postdoctoral associate who applies must submit a Letter of Support from their PI. 
• Biosketch: Include a standard NIH biosketch (5 pages maximum).

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