Saint Paul, MN – Over 300,000 people in the U.S. live with a spinal cord injury, while over 5 million people live with the long-term impacts of a traumatic brain injury. In an effort to advance research that might lead to new and innovative treatments and rehabilitative efforts for people living with these injuries, the Minnesota Office of Higher Education (OHE) awarded 15 research projects with a 2025 Spinal Cord Injury and Traumatic Brain Injury (SCI-TBI) research grant, totaling $2.9 million.
“Minnesota is home to some of the best medical research institutions in the world,” OHE Commissioner Dennis Olson said. “These grants allow us to invest in those institutions as well as their incredible research scientists. My hope is that these grants result in new treatments that can change the lives of those living with spinal cord and traumatic brain injuries.”
The SCI-TBI grant was established in 2015 by the Minnesota Legislature. Primary Investigators working with Minnesota-based research institutions submit proposals that are reviewed by subject-matter experts, those with lived-experience, and members of the state’s Spinal Cord and Traumatic Brain Injury Advisory Council. Members of the council are selected through the open appointments process of the Minnesota Secretary of State’s office. They represent an array of professionals working to treat SCI-TBI, conduct medical research, as well as people who are impacted by SCI-TBI.
Applicants may apply for three tiers of funding:
Tier 1: Pilot Project Grant
- Max Request: $125,000.
- Project Time: 2 years + 1 year no-cost extension.
- Project Details: Reflects early investment as the researcher prepares to seek a larger grant award from a federal program or nonprofit organization. Preliminary data is not required but encouraged.
Tier 2: Standard Research Grant
- Max Request: $250,000.
- Project Time: 2 years + 1 year no-cost extension.
- Project Details: Primarily for research with strong supporting/preliminary data. If the budget is justifiable, the Standard Research Grant may also fund pilot projects. Applicants are encouraged to attach papers; in-press, pre-published drafts, and accepted papers may be cited or submitted separately as an appendix.
Tier 3: Clinical/Translational Research Grant
- Max request: $500,000.
- Project Time: 3 years + 2 year no-cost extension.
- Project Details: Projects must have concurrent application for, or funding from federal or industry sources. Preliminary data must be published or in press in a scientific journal and cited or submitted separately as an appendix.
More information on the SCI-TBI research grants, including past recipients, is available on the OHE website.
2025 Spinal Cord Injury and Traumatic Brain Injury Research Grant Recipients
- Recipient: Anders Asp, Mayo Clinic
- Amount Awarded: $125,000
- Research Proposal Title: Optimizing spinal cord stimulation using neurophysiological biomarkers for chronic pain in spinal cord injury
- Recipient: David Darrow, Hennepin Healthcare
- Amount Awarded: $124,910
- Research Proposal Title: Early noninvasive spinal cord stimulation to enhance lower extremity recovery in acute cervical spinal cord injury: A feasibility pilot
- Recipient: James Dutton, University of Minnesota
- Amount Awarded: $99,781
- Research Proposal Title: Optimizing non-viral delivery methods to support the manufacture of clinical grade oligodendrocyte progenitor cells
- Recipient: Casey Gilmore, Center for Veterans Research and Education
- Amount Awarded: $247,482
- Research Proposal Title: Remote stimulation and training to advance recovery from traumatic brain injury in seniors (ReSTART)
- Recipient: Peter Grahn, Mayo Clinic
- Amount Awarded: $125,000
- Research Proposal Title: Transcutaneous spinal stimulation after spinal cord injury-related lower motor neuron damage
- Recipient: Alexander Herman, University of Minnesota
- Amount Awarded: $231,795
- Research Proposal Title: Psilocybin for recovery from spinal cord injury
- Recipient: Kevin Lim, University of Minnesota
- Amount Awarded: $250,000
- Research Proposal Title: Targeting neuroplasticity for persistent post-concussive cognitive symptoms: A Trial of tDCS and Cognitive Training 3-12 Months Post-mTBI
- Recipient: Igor Nestrasil, University of Minnesota
- Amount Awarded: $460,056
- Research Proposal Title: Noninvasive recording of intracranial pressure from the optic nerve head in traumatic brain injuries
- Recipient: Ann Parr, University of Minnesota
- Amount Awarded: $250,000
- Research Proposal Title: The interplay between clinically relevant ventral and dorsal human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC)-derived regionally specific spinal neural progenitor cells (sNPCs)
- Recipient: Ann Parr and Manda Keller-Ross
- Amount Awarded: $249,983
- Research Proposal Title: CE-STAND: Cervical epidural stimulation after neurological damage
- Recipient: Sandipan Pati Bankim Behari Pati, University of Minnesota
- Amount Awarded: $125,000
- Research Proposal Title: Electrophysiological biomarkers of epileptogenesis after severe traumatic brain injury
- Recipient: Isobel Scarisbrick, Mayo Clinic
- Amount Awarded: $123,532
- Research Proposal Title: Senolytics to enhance stem cell regenerative therapies in chronic spinal cord injury
- Recipient: Amar Singh, University of Minnesota
- Amount Awarded: $124,999
- Research Proposal Title: Harnessing amphiregulin-coated EVs for spinal cord injury recovery via immune modulation
- Recipient: Alik Widge, University of Minnesota
- Amount Awarded: $250,000
- Research Proposal Title: Cognitive flexibility in traumatic brain injuries
- Recipient: Kitty Wu, Mayo Clinic
- Amount Awarded: $122,461
- Research Proposal Title: Use of hyperselective and selective neurectomies for the treatment of spastic knee and ankle deformities following traumatic brain injury
Total Awarded: $2.9 Million