The Fondation Jérôme Lejeune supports fundamental, translational and clinical research on Down syndrome and intellectual disabilities of genetic origin. The Autumn 2026 Call is exclusively focused on Trisomy 21 (Down syndrome) and will fund innovative projects that improve understanding of the condition or contribute to new diagnostic, therapeutic or rehabilitation approaches. Eligible work may include fundamental, translational, clinical, epidemiological and neuropsychological research, as well as research into conditions associated with Down syndrome, such as cardiopathies, leukaemia, sleep apnoea or Alzheimer's disease. Projects must be led by a single research team and may last 12 or 24 months.

Objective: To advance knowledge of Trisomy 21 and support the development of clinically relevant therapies and treatments.

• The applicant must be the project's principal investigator.
• Applicants of any nationality may apply.
• The principal investigator must hold a permanent position at an academic institution, such as a university, hospital or research centre, and cannot be employed under a postdoctoral contract.
• The applicant must hold a PhD, MD, PsyD or equivalent qualification when applying.
• Applicants must have the scientific or medical expertise required to conduct the project, or demonstrate that suitable collaborations are in place.
• The proposal must focus exclusively on Trisomy 21. Projects addressing other genetic intellectual disabilities are not eligible under this Autumn call.
• Conferences and events are not eligible under the research grant scheme.
• Applicants cannot hold an ongoing Fondation Jérôme Lejeune grant. An application may be accepted when the previous grant is at its final stage, the final report has been submitted and the latest assessment was favourable.
• Only one application per applicant and one submission per research team are permitted.
• The principal investigator and the institution's legal grant officer must both sign the Certificate of Compliance.
• Applications must be written in English and submitted through the online application platform.
• The research proposal must follow the official template and may not exceed seven pages, including figures, ethical statements and references. Resubmissions may include one additional page to address reviewers' comments.
• Research must comply with the Foundation's ethical research conditions. In particular, funding cannot be used for research involving human embryos, human embryonic stem cells, biological material obtained through abortion or in vitro fertilisation, human cloning or genetic modification of the human germline.
• Applications that do not comply with the eligibility, budget, formatting or documentation requirements will be considered ineligible

In case of interest, please click on 'm'interessa' and we will contact you.