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ListFriends: I realize that most of our members are patients, families and well-wishers, not scientists, but I do want to issue a brief bulletin on a fast-approaching deadline for research grant applications in case you know a friendly Parkinson's scientist who is looking for support for his/her important work. Deity and donors permitting (and armed with a generous challenge grant from the New Jersey-based Tuchman Foundation), PDF's International Research Grants Program will have a lot more money this year than last to spend on research grants. We are budgeting up to $600,000 for grants of up to $35,000 each and we want to have the opportunity to spend every penny of it, and well. The deadline for 1999 applications is November 15. We have, of course, circulated word of the program to major research institutions in North America and overseas but individual scientists often fall through this kind of net and we want to take every opportunity to prevent this happening. The criteria used by our scientific selection committee are simple but firm: good science; clear and focussed relevance to the quest to finding a cause and cure of Parkinson's disease; and potential for developing into later (and larger) applications to the National Institutes of Health (freshly infused with additional funds in the 1998-99 appropriations bill). It is also helpful (though not required) if the scientist is junior rather than senior (in other words, he/she does not yet have major support from the NIH). To get word on the application process (it's not terribly onerous) scientists should e-mail, call (212-923-4792) or fax (212-923-4778) me immediately. I also welcome calls or e-mails for information from non-scientists and will see that they are all answered promptly. Thanks for your help, guys! Let's get the money (YOUR money, in many cases) to the labs where it belongs and get on with beating this damned disease. Robin Elliott, Executive Director, Parkinson's Disease Foundation