The Career Development Award (CDA) supports early-career, independent investigators and/or the transition of established investigators from other research fields to conduct innovative, highimpact ideas or early-phase, proof-of-principle clinical trials with the potential to have a major impact on autism.
Areas of interest for 2026:
- Assessment of novel therapeutics using valid preclinical models
- Create tools and strategies to increase the speed of the dissemination/implementation of evidence-based practices and interventions in community-based settings
- Determinates of diagnosis, treatment efficacy and service delivery
- Health care provider-focused training or tools to improve health care delivery for Autistic individuals across the lifespan and the continuum of care
- Environmental risk factors
- Factors impacting quality of life for current and former military Families
- Factors promoting success in key transitions of Autistic individuals over their lifespan
- Improve diagnosis and access to services across the lifespan
- Interventions to support Autistic individuals and their families, including key transitions into adulthood and across their lifespan
- Long-term treatment outcomes from previous clinical trials for the core symptoms of autism or to alleviate co-occurring conditions
- Mechanistic studies focused on heterogeneous clinical expression of autism, underlying conditions co-occurring with autism, sex differences in autism
- Mental health issues
- Non-pharmacological therapies for the core symptoms of autism or to alleviate co-occurring conditions
- Pharmacological, genetic, and other biological treatments for the core symptoms of autism or to alleviate co-occurring conditions
- (New for FY26) Physical health, mental health, and related quality of life issues in aging Autistic adults
- New for FY26) Sexual health, sexual education, and reproductive health for Autistic individuals
- Uncovering new advances using a strength-based model
- Understanding heterogeneity in treatment response, including identification of psychosocial or biological factors that (1) impact treatment outcomes or (2) can be used to prospectively identify treatments that are most likely to benefit particular subgroups of individuals
It is expected that 2 awards will be granted.
Funding: $750,000 total
Duration: 3 years
Research Authority due date: 20.7.26
Pre application (required) due date: 27.7.26
Full application due date: 22.10.26
