SPARK-BIH/NeuroCure
Call for Proposals 2026 is now OPEN
SPARK/NeuroCure Call for Proposals 2026 is now OPEN.
NeuroCure is a Cluster of Excellence in the neurosciences at the Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin. The primary aim of this interdisciplinary network is to explore and understand the mechanisms of diseases of the central nervous system in order to find potential new therapies for neurological and psychiatric disorders.
The SPARK-BIH program supports early-stage academic inventions with education, mentorship and funding.
For the third time, NeuroCure and SPARK-BIH join forces to find the best teams from the NeuroCure network to be part of the translational program of SPARK-BIH.
Submission deadline: Monday, July 6, 2026 at 14:00 CEST
Call Scope
- Are you working on a new technology, therapy, medical solution, or diagnostic assay?
- Do you want to validate your research findings to translate them into therapies, products, or services that can reach patients?
Let SPARK-BIH and NeuroCure help you on the translational pathway of your innovative solution!
We support the development of novel therapies and preventives (such as small molecules, drug repurposing, ATMPs, vaccines, and biologicals), medical devices and diagnostics, as well as the repurposing of existing drugs for new indications in the fields of neuroscience.
For more information attend our online info events:
- April 29th | 17:00 CEST
- June 8th | 12:00 CEST
Link to Microsoft Teams (both sessions)
Applicant Eligibility
Researchers or clinicians from NeuroCure groups are invited to apply for funding, including principal investigators (PIs), postdoctoral researchers, and PhD students.
Each application must be signed or co-signed by a NeuroCure PI who will hold financial responsibility. Each NeuroCure PI is allowed to submit only one application!
Projects must be developed within an academic setting.
Our Offer
Translational projects from the fields of neurology and psychiatry are welcome. We support you in overcoming the challenges of translation with funding, education, mentoring, expert advice, and entrepreneurship support.
Funding and Duration
The selected teams will receive up to 50,000€ of funding for one year. After the first year, the projects will have the opportunity to apply for additional 50,000€ for an additional year.
Project funding is milestone-based, with funds released in stages following the successful completion of predefined goals (milestones).
Selection Criteria
All project proposals must demonstrate translational relevance, including:
- Scope of unmet medical need
- Novelty of approach
- Fit of the proposed solution to the unmet medical need
- Feasibility (budget and timeline)
- Data quality
- Team expertise
- Marketability/probability of commercialization
Application Submission & Selection Process
- To apply, please submit your SPARK/NeuroCure project proposal in English via the online BIH application portal.
- The submission deadline is Monday, July 6, 2026 at 14:00 CEST.
- Applicants of selected projects will be invited to pitch their proposals on September 23 in front of an external expert committee. Detailed information will be communicated directly to the selected project teams.
- The selected teams will draft a project plan in the form of a milestone agreement.
- Selected projects are expected to start latest in January 2027.
Applicants who are unsure about the suitability of their project or which track to apply for are encouraged to contact the SPARK/NeuroCure project manager before submitting a proposal.
BIH and NeuroCure seek to increase the diversity of their funding portfolio. Women, individuals from underrepresented minority groups, as well as individuals with disabilities are especially encouraged to apply.
BIH Application Portal
Please click here for the online BIH application portal. In case of technical problems with the online portal, please contact portal@bih-charite.de.
Downloads & Further Information
SPARK-BIH Information Package 2026
Guide for Applicants SPARK/NeuroCure
Application Questions SPARK/NeuroCure
Contact
Dr. Alexander Stumpf
Project Manager SPARK/NeuroCure
Previously funded projects
In 2020, NeuroCure and SPARK-BIH joined forces to find the best teams from the neuroscience community to be part in the translational program of SPARK-BIH. This call enabled a further focus on neuroscience projects and a widening of the SPARK-BIH network by also including NeuroCure affiliated teams that are not associated with the Charité. The four selected teams received funding from NeuroCure and mentoring as well as support from the SPARK-BIH program to accelerate their translational projects into outstanding medical solutions.
The funding of these four teams has been renewed for a second funding period in 2022. After the successful implementation of the SPARK-BIH/NeuroCure program, NeuroCure and SPARK-BIH prolonged their collaboration and organized a second call for projects in 2022.
These five teams have been selected for funding:
NeuroCure Innovation program
Besides the funding-program, NeuroCure and SPARK-BIH have developed and established a medical Design thinking workshop series, which takes place approximately once a year.
Building on the experience from the Inventors for Health Program (I4H, supported by Stiftung Charité), NeuroCure and SPARK-BIH further developed the concept of medical design thinking and organized a condensed Design Thinking workshop in order to identify and develop promising innovative project ideas.
Together, more than 20 project ideas were presented and more than 50 participants with various backgrounds joined the workshops. In each round, the participants voted for the three best projects and grouped themselves in interdisciplinary teams to go through a Design Thinking journey in order to look at the medical problems from different perspectives.
“Design Thinking can show you ideas, you never would have thought of. The user is in the center of everything!” (participant from NCI 2023)
Based on the experience of the previous workshops and the feedback from participants, we expanded our support and offered additional online lectures and information on product development after the workshop.
More information of upcoming NeuroCure Innovation programs will come soon!
Impressions from the Workshops:
NeuroCure Idea night
In 2024, Neurocure and SPARK-BIH initiated a new format, aiming to promote interdisciplinary collaboration and the development of translational project ideas: Idea Night. During the event, participants present their project ideas and medical needs, varying from brain stimulation to nutrition. Participants at different career stages and from different scientific and medical disciplines are welcome to discuss new innovative ideas.
We are looking forward to more meetings in the near future.
