FACT SHEET 

 

Open Call for 5th Annual $50,000 Research Grant to be Awarded to a US-Based 

Researcher Studying Gut Microbiota and Its Impact Beyond the Digestive System  

 

2021 Biocodex Microbiota Foundation US Grant Theme: 

 

Gut Microbiota and Its Impact beyond the Digestive System 

 

Grant Amount: 

 

$50,000 USD (this grant may be applied to a new or an existing study) 

 

Grant Candidates: 

 

Applicants must be an advanced degree holder and the grant must be applied to 

research in a USA institution. 

 

Applicants may have no more than 10 years of research experience post-terminal 

degree (time spent in clinical training is excluded). Applicants who have 5 years or less 

of previous postdoc training at the time of application (time spent in clinical training is 

excluded) are favored. 

 

The successful candidate is an early career researcher with 5 or less years of research 

experience seeking to establish themselves apart from their supervisor/program and 

become independent. The grant is intended as a bridging grant, to help investigators 

initiate a project to become independent. 

 

Submission Deadline: 

 

Deadline to submit application is October 15, 2021, 5PM EST. 

 

How to Apply: 

 

Application consists of completed application form and the standard NIH biosketch. 

Click to download the application form. 

 

All completed applications must be sent to USAFoundation@biocodex.com by the 

deadline. 

 

Late and/or incomplete application forms or applications regarding research that doesn’t 

meet the criteria (research topic, US research location) will not be considered for this 

grant. 

 

Jury & Selection Announcement Timing: 

 

Projects awarded the grant are selected annually by a committee of independent 

medical and scientific experts. The 2021 US Biocodex Microbiota Foundation scientific 

board, comprised of Dr. Ruth Ann Luna from Texas Children’s Hospital and Baylor 

College of Medicine, Dr. Emeran Mayer from University of California Los Angeles 

(UCLA), and Dr. Erica Sonnenburg from Stanford University will review the applications 

and select this year’s grant recipient. The scientific board’s decision is final and will not 

be contested. 

 

The jury will award the grant to one (1) project. Applicants will be informed of the 

decision on or before December 1st, 2021. 

 

Previous BMF Grant Recipients: 

 

·       2019: Dr. Arpana Gupta: Dr. Gupta, Adjunct Assistant Professor, Division of 

Digestive Diseases, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, was the most 

recent US grant recipient in 2019 for her research on the prevalence of Metabolic 

Syndrome (MetS) and how its complications continue to rise in the US and 

around the world. 

·       2018: Dr. Tao Yang: Associate in the University of Florida's physiology and 

functional genomics department was awarded the 2018 grant to advance his 

theory that a unique gut microbiota associated with hypertension hinders 

communication between the gut and the brain plays a key role in the efficacy of 

antihypertension drugs 

·       2017: Dr. Rashim Singh: Dr. Singh, postdoctoral fellow with the University of 

Houston’s pharmacological and pharmaceutical sciences, was awarded the 2017 

grant to investigate the role of the gut microbiome and its constitution in the 

increased risk of colorectal cancer (CRC) 

 

About the Biocodex Microbiota Foundation: 

 

The Biocodex Microbiota Foundation, founded by Biocodex, is a non-profit, general 

interest organization committed to inspiring scientific projects that investigate the 

implication of microbiota in human health. The Foundation’s mission is to support early 

career researchers in the microbiota field and their interaction with various pathologies. 

This research is supported through an annual grant program – now in its fourth year – 

and are given to projects that investigate the implication of microbiota in human health 

based on annual topics. The Biocodex Microbiota Foundation supports both 

fundamental and applied research projects that explore the functions of the microbiota, 

the impact of microbiota imbalance, known as dysbiosis, on the occurrence or evolution of various pathologies. 

 

 

 

For more information about Biocodex Microbiota Foundation, visit www.biocodexmicrobiotafoundation.com.