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To move closer toward a world free of MS, the National MS Society provides a broad spectrum of financial support for research to prevent, treat and cure multiple sclerosis. Our funding programs fuel novel ideas, foster collaborations and provide training opportunities in these and other areas of research emphasis:

• Immunologic basis of MS
• CNS repair and neuroprotection
• Biology of glia/myelin
• Genetics and gender differences
• Understanding and preventing disease progression
• Infectious triggers and risk factors
• Cognitive and psychosocial issues
• Patient management, care and rehabilitation
• Pathology of MS
• Clinical trials
• Health care delivery and policy
• Measures of disease activity, imaging, surrogate and biomarkers

The Society also emphasizes industry partnerships by providing milestone-driven drug development funding to private companies. Read more about our Fast Forward initiative.

Research Funding Policies and Procedures Manual

• Download our complete manual of Policies and Procedures: Research Funding Programs and Other Awards (.pdf) or find details and links below to individual research award opportunities and other policy sections.
   
• Summary and overview of the National MS Society’s guidelines on award administration and policies governing research awards, including the Society’s patent, intellectual property and technology transfer policies, our standards on scientific misconduct, and deadlines.

Apply Online

Log in to begin the online application. Only those applicants who have obtained a password and invitation code may gain access to the Apply Online facility. Consult individual program descriptions below for further information.  

FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES

• Research Grants
  Multi-year investigations by university-based scientists and clinicians for basic, clinical and rehabilitation research
  Deadline: Early February and early August
  
• Pilot Research
  Funding for one year to test innovative, cutting-edge ideas or untested methods and gather sufficient preliminary data to apply for longer-term funding
  Deadline: Please contact the National MS Society
  
• Training Grants and Fellowships
  To attract and train promising young investigators and doctors and help more established investigators learn new techniques, we offer the following research training programs. For training related to patient care, refer to clinical training opportunities.)

• Health Care Delivery And Policy Research Contracts
  Multi-year projects to investigate aspects of health-care delivery and health policy issues related to people with MS 
  Deadline: Letter of intent due September, application due early January
  
• Collaborative MS Research Centers
  Five-year grants to interdisciplinary teams of researchers to stimulate cross-pollination of ideas and attract new minds to the field of MS
  Deadline: Early September
  
• Patient Management, Care And Rehabilitation Research Grants
  Support for research projects in the areas related to clinical care and management of people with MS (See individual programs for deadlines)

Other Awards and Prizes

• The John Dystel Prize for MS Research (annual cash prize awarded for outstanding contributions to MS research)
• The Ralph I. Straus Award for MS (a $1 million cash prize to any scientist(s) whose research leads to the development of a way to prevent or arrest MS).