CEND Catalyst Grant Program

Program Overview

The Henry Wheeler Center for Emerging and Neglected Diseases (CEND) invites applications for the inaugural CEND Catalyst Grant Program. This program funds collaborative research projects led by a UC Berkeley faculty member and a UC Berkeley graduate student. 

These grants are intended to catalyze new or existing collaborative research aligned with CEND's mission to advance scientific contributions to the global response to infectious, emerging, and neglected diseases knowledge base. 

Awards

• Award amount: $50,000 per award
• Number of awards: Two
• Project period: 18 months, with an optional no-cost extension of up to 6 months available upon written request with justification, submitted before the original end date
• Funding: Funding guidelines stipulate that at least 50% of the award must be directed for the benefit of  a graduate student project. More details on eligible expenses are below.

Eligibility 

Eligible applicants are:

• A two-person, UC Berkeley-affiliated team. 

  The faculty member must hold a faculty appointment at UC Berkeley. The graduate student must be enrolled in a UC Berkeley graduate program (master's or PhD). Students in joint Berkeley–UCSF graduate programs whose primary academic home is UC Berkeley are eligible.

• CEND affiliates. 

  The faculty member must be a CEND affiliate at the time of application. Applicants who are not currently affiliated may request affiliation as part of the application process. Email cend@berkeley.edu.

• Allowed to appear on one application per grant cycle.

  Postdoctoral researchers, staff scientists, project scientists, and visiting scholars may contribute to a project, but may not serve as the PI or graduate student.

Program Priorities

All applications must demonstrate alignment with CEND's mission. 
The Henry Wheeler Center for Emerging and Neglected Diseases exists to transform UC Berkeley's exceptional research potential into tangible solutions for neglected and emerging infectious diseases, supporting research and training that cross disciplines and borders. We aim to:

• Build a community of practice around infectious, neglected, and emerging diseases at Berkeley.
• Connect researchers and trainees across disciplines and continents.
• Educate the next generation of science and global health innovators.
• Co-create breakthrough solutions with global partners and ensure they reach the communities that need them most.

The following are welcomed but not required:

• Multidisciplinary collaboration. 

  Projects that bring together expertise across disciplines, departments, or schools.

• International collaboration. 

  Projects that involve partnerships with institutions outside the United States, particularly in lower- and middle-income countries.

Application Components

Applications must include the following sections. Suggested length is in parentheses; total application narrative should not exceed four single-spaced pages, excluding budget and references. 

1. Existing Research Portfolio (½ page)

• Describe the research this project builds on.
• What work have the faculty member and student already done in this area?
• What capabilities, datasets, samples, or partnerships are already in place that this project will draw on?

2. Proposed Project (1 page)

• Describe the proposed research. Include the question, approach, methods, and a brief timeline. Be specific about what will be accomplished within 18 months.
• Include a timeline of when major activities will occur throughout the project.
• What will these funds allow the team to do that they could not otherwise do? Be specific. Reviewers want to understand the genuine difference this funding will make.
• What are the concrete outcomes you expect from this project (publications, preliminary data, grant submissions, partnerships, products)?
• What is the anticipated impact of this work on the field, on affected populations, or on the broader research community?
• How will you disseminate findings?

3. Professional Development (½ page per team member)

Describe how this project will support the professional development of the faculty member and the graduate student. 

4. Budget and Justification (1 page)

Provide a budget showing major expected expense categories, with brief justification for each line. See the Allowable Expenses section below for guidance. It should be clear that at least $25,000 will go to student salary support, project expenses, or travel.

5. CEND Mission Alignment (½ page)

• Describe how this project aligns with CEND's mission to advance research, training, and solutions infectious, neglected, and emerging infectious diseases
• Projects without a focus on infectious, neglected, or emerging diseases will not be reviewed

6. CV or Biosketch

NIH-format biosketch or CV for the faculty member and graduate student. 

7. External Partner Letter of Support

If your application includes a collaboration with an organization or university outside of Berkeley, please include a brief, signed statement from the partner to confirm they are an active participant and will support the outlined activities. Not counted towards the page limit.

Expenses Guidelines

All expenses must be consistent with UC Berkeley policy and the approved budget. 

Allowable expenses

• Graduate Student Researcher (GSR) appointment tied to project work
• Research supplies, reagents, and consumables
• Core facility and shared equipment fees (sequencing, imaging, computing, etc.)
• Software licenses and computational resources required for the project
• Data collection costs, including participant incentives, survey platforms, and transcription
• IRB fees, biosample acquisition and shipping (including international cold chain), and biobank or specimen repository access fees
• Fieldwork travel and lodging at project sites away from the home institution
• Research exchange travel and lodging (e.g., to a partner institution)
• Conference travel to present project results (one conference maximum)
• Publication and open access fees for project-related manuscripts
• Project-specific training (short courses or workshops directly tied to project methods)

Not allowable

• Living expenses while at Berkeley (allowable only during research exchange or fieldwork travel)
• General stipend supplements not tied to project work
• Personal equipment (laptops, phones) unless project-specific and designated as belonging to Berkeley
• Indirect costs

Awardee Requirements

By accepting an award, you agree to the following:

• Work plan and budget. Maintain an up-to-date work plan and budget. The original draft is submitted with the application. Any major adjustments should be submitted to CEND for approval.
• Check-ins. Awardees will attend a 30-minute check in within a month of the award, and every 4 months thereafter to ensure the project is moving forward and identify any changes or support needed to complete the project.
• Engagement with CEND. Awardees are encouraged to participate in CEND events throughout the year, including seminars, and the CEND It! lunchtime series.
• Showcase presentation. Present at the annual CEND Fellows and Grantees Research Showcase.
• Branding and acknowledgment. Please acknowledge CEND support in outputs related to this funding, for example: "Funded by the Henry Wheeler Center for Emerging and Neglected Diseases at UC Berkeley." We will share our logo.

End-of-award close-out package

All awardees deliver the following at the end of the award period:

• Showcase presentation during the CEND Grantees and Fellows Research Showcase.
• A brief report summarizing project outcomes, resulting publications, subsequent funding pursued or secured to support expanded or extended projects, and outcomes, such as policy changes or ongoing collaboration. A brief additional progress report covering the same elements is required one year after project completion.
• One blog post with photos suitable for the CEND website and communications channels about the experience and research.
• Fellowship experience report: The student must submit a short written piece on the project, the experience, and the impact of the award, for use in donor stewardship. Details here.

Review Process

Applications will be reviewed by a panel of expert reviewers who are not applicants in this funding cycle. The panel will be convened based on the applicant pool. Reviewers will score applications using the following criteria:

• Alignment with CEND mission and objectives. Does the project advance CEND's mission to address infectious, emerging, and neglected diseases?
• Quality and feasibility of the proposed work. Are the problems and questions important? Can the work be accomplished in 18 months with the proposed budget?
• Strength of the faculty-student collaboration and professional development plans. Is this a substantive collaboration? Will the student gain meaningful skills and experience?
• Additive value. Does Catalyst funding enable something new?
• Potential impact. Has the application identified the anticipated impact of the project?

Submission and Timeline

Applications should be submitted to the Google Forms link by 5 PM (PDT) on October 1, 2026.

Questions

For questions about the RFA, eligibility, or submission process, please attend one of the info sessions listed above. If you are unable to attend, please email cend@berkeley.edu.

Click below to apply