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The Longitude Prize on ALS is a £7.5m prize, of which the MND Association is the principal funder, that aims to identify, prioritise and validate high-potential drug targets for ALS. The international programme seeks to incentivise the use of AI-based approaches to transform therapeutic discovery for the treatment of ALS, the most common form of MND.

The five-year Prize will see global multidisciplinary teams collaborate and compete in a three-phased programme. These phases are: 

1. Discover- this stage will see 20 teams use AI-based methods to analyse datasets over 9 months to identify novel therapeutic targets for ALS, or provide new evidence for known but unvalidated targets. The award for this stage is £100,000.
2. Prioritise- Ten of the teams from the first stage will then spend 12 months using computational and lab analysis to strengthen confidence in, and expand the evidence base for, the proposed therapeutic targets. Teams may continue to develop up to 10 targets submitted from Stage 1 and will further narrow this list based on emerging evidence. The award for this stage is £200,000.
3. Validate- Five of the teams from stage 2 will carry out comprehensive wet lab validation of the most promising therapeutic target(s) for 24 months. This stage is predominantly lab-based and aims to generate high-confidence data that can move targets closer to clinical application. The award for this stage is £500,000.

The Prize will award one winner who has demonstrated exceptional progress in validating therapeutic target(s) with the highest potential impact on ALS treatment. The winner will receive a £1 million award. 

Challenge Works are are looking for the brightest minds to bring AI to the fight against ALS.

The Prize will award applicants from across medical research, biotechnology, computational biology and AI with bold ideas on how to harness the power of AI to identify and validate high-potential therapeutic targets for the discovery of transformative ALS therapeutics.

They are looking for:

• AI experts

• Computational biologists and bioinformaticians

• Neurodegenerative disease researchers and ALS researchers

• Biotechnology, techbio and pharmaceutical companies

• Data scientists and engineers

• Clinical experts and medical researchers.

Deadline to register a team: 3 December 2025

Find out more and register as a team

FightMND are accepting international applications for their clinical trial, drug development and IMPACT (IMProving and ACcelerating Translation) Grants.

The clinical trial grants support Phase II/III clinical trials of novel, high-potential treatments for MND/ALS. These grants are awarded for up to AUD $1,800,000 (Phase II/III trial) for up to 3 years. Applications are open to MND/ALS researchers globally. Australian trial sites and participants are mandatory.

The drug development grants support preclinical research, development and assessment of therapeutics for MND/ALS through to (and including) completion of Phase I clinical trials. These grants are split into two stages. Stage one grants are awarded up to AUD $550,000 for up to 3 years. Projects must focus on the development of drug candidates, including candidates for which little or no preliminary data has been obtained. Outcomes should provide solid evidence on whether or not a candidate drug is suitable and worthy of progressing further through the MND drug development pipeline. Stage two grants are awarded for up to AUD $1,200,000 in support for 3-year projects. Projects should focus on the further development of a candidate drug through to completion of Phase I clinical trials. There should already be solid preclinical evidence in one or more models of MND that demonstrates the candidate drug has strong potential as a therapeutic for MND and data that provides considerable merit for further development and generating IND-enabling data, and a clinical trial for MND. 

The IMPACT grants support research which focuses on overcoming challenges in MND research relating to the lack of translation of effective treatments for MND, including failed drug development and clinical trials. These grants are for 2-year projects up to the value of AUD $300,000. Applications need to address one of the 6 key areas to be considered: 

1. Disease heterogeneity
2. Lack of relevant preclinical models
3. A lack of reliable disease biomarkers
4. The challenge of drug delivery into the brain
5. A lack of effective targeted gene therapies

6. The untapped potential of stem cell therapy 

    

Deadline for letters of intent: 12 December 2025 (Clinical trials and drug development grants only)

Minimum data deadline: 23 February 2026

Find out more and apply 

The 2025 Annual Stephen Hawking MND Lecture will focus on the topic of the genetics of MND and be delivered by Professor Ammar Al-Chalabi. 

The session will explore the role of genes in MND, including:

• the relevance of genetics for anyone living with MND, and their family members, including unaffected relatives
• how genetic testing may help predict or diagnose MND
• how genetic knowledge is shaping treatments
• how to discuss genetics in your practice and how to support people with and affected by MND with genetics-related decisions

The lecture is open to both health and social care professionals and people with MND.

It is a hybrid event, taking place on the 4 November at the Royal Society of Medicine in London and online.

Find out more and register

Hosted by St Christopher’s and King’s MND Care and Research Centre, this popular annual one day conference will focus on topics including  genetics, communication technology and ethical issues. Gain invaluable insights from those living with MND and their caregivers, and learn about the pivotal role of palliative care in managing this challenging condition.

The conference is aimed at healthcare professionals involved in the care of people with MND.

This meeting is taking place on the 7 November at St Christopher's CARE in London and online. 

Find out more and register
 

The key to defeating MND lies in fostering strong collaboration between leading researchers around the world, and sharing new understanding of the disease as rapidly as possible. This was the MND Association’s rationale behind the creation of the International Symposium on ALS/MND.

Each year, the Symposium attracts over 1,000 delegates, representing the energy and dynamism of the global MND research community. It is the largest medical and scientific conference specific to MND/ALS and is the premier event in the MND research calendar for discussion on the latest advances in research and clinical management. 

The 36th Symposium will be held in San Diego, USA in December.

Abstract submission closes: 10 July

Find out more