The FY26 Spinal Cord Injury Research Program offers investigator-initiated awards to support research that can advance spinal cord injury science, improve patient care, and/or enhance quality of life. Projects may span basic through translational phases, but efforts focused only on finding intervention targets are discouraged. The opportunity also includes an early-career partnership option that can involve two principal investigators, with at least one being early-career.

Summary: The fiscal year 2026 (FY26) Spinal Cord Injury Research Program (SCIRP) Investigator-Initiated Research Award (IIRA) supports studies that have the potential to make an important contribution to spinal cord injury (SCI) research, patient care and/or quality of life. May focus on any phase of research from basic through translational science, though studies that focus solely on identifying intervention targets are discouraged.

Distinctive Features:

• This funding opportunity contains an Early-Career Partnership Option, which allows for two Principal Investigators (PIs). If this option is selected, at least one of the named PIs must be an early-career investigator. Only the initiating PI will submit a pre-application, but all PIs will need to submit full applications. The partnering PI’s application is an abbreviated package specific to their distinct portion of the research project. If recommended for funding, each PI will be named on a separate award to the recipient organization(s). Be advised, all associated applications for a research project may be withdrawn if the initiating or partnering application is rejected or administratively withdrawn.