2027 Tauopathy Challenge Workshop

Established in 2023 by the Rainwater Charitable Foundation, the Tauopathy Challenge Workshop is a funding program that convenes interdisciplinary experts around a single topic to address unmet needs in the primary tauopathies. Tauopathies, a class of neurodegenerative diseases characterized by the abnormal accumulation of pathologic forms of the tau protein, represent a significant health challenge. While the pathological role of tau protein aggregates in neurodegeneration is well-established, the precise molecular mechanisms driving their formation and neurotoxicity remain elusive.

Learn more about our 2025 winners and 2026 workshop

2027 Topic

Each year a new topic is selected as the focus for the workshop which invites original ideas to explore primary tauopathies like progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), corticobasal degeneration (CBD), Pick’s disease (PiD), and other frontotemporal lobar degeneration-tau (FTLD-tau) disorders.

The 2027 Tauopathy Challenge Workshop seeks to uncover the mechanisms by which intrinsic biological context including sex, age, metabolism, and cell identity can shape cellular vulnerability, resilience, and organelle crosstalk in the pathogenesis of primary tauopathies. Below is a non-exhaustive list of research topics that may guide one’s thinking. Note: broad screening approaches-alone without mechanism connection are not encouraged to apply.

• Biophysical and metabolic properties that define cell-type susceptibility to tau aggregation and stress;
• The role of misfolded tau to perturb phase separation, chromatin organization, or stress granule dynamics;
• Influence of hormonal, lipid, and energy metabolism pathways on proteostasis and cellular recovery;
• How upstream stresses from tau aggregation alter post-translational control of key metabolic and degradation enzymes;
• Do copathologies effect hormonal signaling and stress-adaptations;
• New molecular or imaging markers of cellular resilience that track disease severity.

Applications are Now Open

To submit an LOI to the 2027 Tauopathy Challenge Workshop:

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NOTE: Please only click the hyperlinks provided in this section when applying. The “Grantee Portal” link at the top of our website should not be used for the Tauopathy Challenge Workshop.

1. Once logged in, click Apply at the top left of the screen next to the Home icon.
2. Click the Apply button at the bottom right of the LOI description.
3. Answer questions in application.
4. Click Save if you’d like to return to the LOI later.
5. Click Submit when you have completed the form. Once you’ve submitted the LOI, you’ll receive an automated email confirmation.

Who Can Apply

Our aim is to convene leaders across disciplines spanning structural biology, epigenomics, metabolomics, proteomics, lipidomics, and cell physiology to generate integrative insights into how biological variables recalibrate proteostasis, immune tone, and energy metabolism in tauopathies. To be eligible for consideration, applicants must:

• Hold a faculty appointment at the rank of Assistant Professor or above.
• Have an independent laboratory space and be able to hold independent funding as confirmed by their institution.
• Work at an academic, medical, or research institution anywhere in the world.

Special consideration will be given to junior scientists (Assistant professor-level).

Process

The RCF uses a letter of interest (LOI) process to solicit novel proposals from the research community. Through the LOI process, up to 12 participants are selected to move forward and invited to attend the 2-day in person workshop and then to apply for research grants providing up to $500,000 in direct costs over two years (indirects will not be granted); up to four awards will be funded, pending budget availability.

Important Dates