Opportunity profile: Big money for international networks

The chief scientific officer of the Leducq Foundation explains what he looks for in applications

As far as grant-writing goes, applying for multimillion-dollar international research networks lies at the more stressful end of the spectrum. One funder that exclusively supports research through network calls is the Leducq Foundation, a French-American organisation that has a yearly call for collaborative research on cardiovascular and neurovascular disease.

Leducq funds four or five networks a year to the tune of $7 million (€6.2m). The funding lasts for five years and networks are required to have one coordinator in Europe and one in North America, though research groups in other countries can come on board as partners. The most recent call opened in June, with letters of intent due by 3 September.