Emerging Leader Award

About this program

Bay Area Lyme Foundation will award two 2026 Emerging Leader Awards of $150,000 each to support innovative proof-of-concept projects that advance diagnostics, therapeutics, or other research for patients with Lyme disease and other tick-borne infections; one award continues the foundation’s Lyme diagnostics legacy and the other (sponsored by an anonymous donor) targets non‑Borrelia tick‑borne pathogens or co‑infections. Projects should be designed to achieve initial proof‑of‑concept within 12–24 months; use of Lyme Disease Biobank samples is encouraged but not required. Eligible applicants are researchers at the postdoctoral through associate professor level (or equivalent) in academia or the private sector who are affiliated with a U.S. institution or corporate equivalent, and applications must include a viable proof‑of‑concept proposal plus a supporting letter from the applicant’s supervising manager/PI. Selection will emphasize strong scientific rationale, potential to generate novel diagnostics or therapies, applicant track record, institutional support, and feasibility; co‑investigators may receive at most 33% of the grant.