BioMed X and Boehringer Ingelheim started their partnership in 2014 and since then have initiated three preclinical research projects in the fields of respiratory diseases, neuroscience and immunology. The new project will focus on new concepts and approaches for early intervention of psychiatric diseases, one of the key focus areas of Boehringer Ingelheim.

Adolescence is a critical developmental phase in the emergence of psychiatric diseases. Therapeutic pharmacological intervention during this period of change in brain structure and function could normalize brain maturation and improve the disease trajectory. Boehringer Ingelheim is seeking proposals that provide innovative ideas for exploring the complex neurobiology of early childhood to reveal new opportunities to prevent the development of psychiatric pathologies. Successful proposals should incorporate truly novel mechanisms as well as in-vivo and in-vitro models to identify and validate potential new targets for early intervention in the development of psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia. Proposals building on very original ideas supported by first experimental findings are particularly encouraged.