Biomedical, Clinical & Life Sciences

Apply to Internal Competition // Limit: 1 // Tickets Available: 1 

The University of Arizona Cancer Center (UACC) is coordinating this limited submission. For more information please contact: UACC-PreAward.

Limiting Language 
Each invited institution may submit one nomination: either a Translational or a V Scholar nominee.

Overview
Varied perspectives fuel innovation in cancer research. The objective of this Request for Applications (RFA) is to support exceptional, creative researchers who have navigated unique challenges to establish their careers. All scientists have personal journeys shaped by their unique experiences and perspectives, which bring valuable and potentially overlooked insights to cancer research. Applicants will be asked to describe how their unique experiences have influenced their career paths and research focus. 

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Limiting Language 
Organizations may only submit a total of two applications during a community grant cycle and there cannot be any overlap in the budget items requested.

Program Overview
The Parkinson’s Foundation funds community grants that further the health, wellness and education of people with Parkinson's disease (PD) across the U.S.

The Foundation recognizes the unprecedented need for community-related programs and events. In the last three years the Foundation has awarded over $3 million in community grants to support programs providing services for people living with and affected by Parkinson's disease. These programs benefit communities in 39 states across the country.

Since 2011, the Foundation has invested more than $12.7 million in 969 community-based programs that improve life for people living with PD.

The 2026 Community Grant cycle will be supported by the estate of Stanley and Gloria Brams, members of the PD community from Brooklyn, New York.  Stanley was diagnosed at the age of 52. Following Stanley’s passing, his wife Gloria decided to dedicate a significant portion of their estate to the Foundation’s commitment to making an impact on local PD communities. In keeping with the Brams’ personal values, this generous donation will make a lasting impact for so many across the country.

Programs for the 2026 grant cycle should be geared towards expanding or creating access for populations of focus and must incorporate at least one of the following focus areas: 

1. Address mental health and PD
2. Reach and support care partners of individuals with PD
3. Educate and deliver exercise programs specifically designed for people with PD

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M. Zhang (COM-P)

Limiting Language
Each Nominating Institution may nominate up to two (2) applicants in Chemical Biology Research. 

Program Overview
Annually, the Ono Pharma Foundation considers proposals from PIs for research that could ultimately transform human health. Although additional areas of research may be added in future years, the Ono Pharma Foundation is only considering proposals for scientific research addressing Chemical Biology at this time.

Chemical Biology is defined as research that deals with the interface between chemistry and biology. The criteria for this field are deliberately broad so as not to disqualify potentially innovative and groundbreaking projects.

The goals of the Ono Initiative are to:

• Identify and develop innovative research proposals and results that could lead to the development of breakthrough treatment solutions for patients.
• Support academic research and the career development of promising young and established scientists.
• Build strong relationships within the community in order to lead to transformative research aligned with Ono Initiative's interest.

Eligibility:

• Applicants must meet the following requirements. LOIs and final Proposals from applicants not meeting the requirements listed below will not be considered.
  1. PIs applying must be working at one of the nominating institutions. Nominating institutions might be replaced or added to in subsequent years. For the list of nominating institutions, please see the FAQ.
  2. The PI must have an MD and/or a PhD degree.
  3. The PI must be a new applicant to the Ono Initiative, or, if they are a returning applicant, must be applying for a project different from the one they previously proposed.
  4. The PI must be a young and/or mid-career scientist (15 years or less of experience since starting an independent academic position).
  5. The PI must not have been, nor currently be, engaged in other sponsored research and/or collaborative research with Ono Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. and/or grant program with Ono Pharma Foundation.
  6. The PI may not apply for funding to amplify current work. However, PIs may research a new idea based on a prior finding of the PI.
  7. The PI must not be a healthcare professional (defined as individuals currently holding an active state license for which they are (a) qualified to prescribe, administer, use or supply any medicinal or medical products or (b) perform any professional clinical services). A PI with an MD but without an active state medical license is still eligible.
  8. PIs serving on a healthcare formulary or similar committee are not eligible.

Limit: 4* (see below) // Tickets Available: 3

Cancer Data Science // Limit: 1 // Tickets Available: 1

Cancer Control Science // Limit: 1 // Tickets Available: 0
​J. Llavona-Ortiz (Cancer Center) 

Molecular Precision/Cancer Prevention // Limit: 1 // Tickets Available: 1 

Other Cancer Research // Limit: 1 // Tickets Available: 1

Number of Applications
Each eligible institution (defined as having a unique UEI number or NIH IPF number) may submit up to a combined total of four applications (one in Cancer Data Science, one in Cancer Control Science, one in Molecular/Precision Cancer Prevention, and one in Other Cancer Research) to any companion NOFO or any combination of companion NOFOs (PAR-23-286, PAR-23-287, and/or PAR-23-288).

Scientific Areas

Institutionally Coordinated - Please contact RDS for more information // Limit: 1 // Tickets Available: 1

Limiting Language
Institutions may submit only one Camille Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Award nomination annually. Renominations are accepted.

Program Overview
The Camille Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Awards Program supports the research and teaching careers of talented early career faculty in the chemical sciences. The Award, which requires an institutional nomination, is based on an independent body of scholarship attained in the early years of their appointment, as well as a demonstrated commitment to education, and provides an unrestricted research grant of $100,000.

Eligibility
The Camille Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Awards Program is open to faculty who meet all of the following criteria:

• From academic institutions in the States, Districts, and Territories of the United States of America that grant a bachelor’s or higher degree in the chemical sciences, including chemistry, biochemistry, materials chemistry, and chemical engineering.
• Hold a full-time tenure-track academic appointment focused on the chemical sciences.
• From Ph.D. granting departments in which scholarly research is a principal activity and undergraduate education is an important component.
• Are within the first six years of their independent academic careers at the time of submission of the nomination. Experience has shown that awardees tend to be close to the end of their eligibility window, but all eligible candidates are welcome to apply.

The Foundation will consider extensions to the window of eligibility for official tenure clock stops, for reasons including but not limited to parental leave, military leave, medical leave, and the pandemic. Any exceptions should be clearly discussed at the beginning of the letter of nomination. We encourage you to reach out to programs@dreyfus.org to discuss these exceptions prior to nomination submissions.

If you feel that there are special circumstances that may apply to your nomination, please contact the Foundation office at programs@dreyfus.org.

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Limiting Language
Institutions may submit only one (1) new Summer Fellow application per year. 

Program Overview
St. Baldrick's offers Summer Fellowship Awards, funding stipends for undergraduate, graduate, or medical school students to work in a pediatric oncology setting for a summer. The total award, paid to the mentor's institution, is $5,000.

Limit: 3 // Tickets Available: 0

M. Bhattacharya (Neuroscience)
P. Arunachalam (Immunobiology)
N. Lee (Pharmacology)

The mission of The G. Harold and Leila Y. Mathers Foundation is to advance knowledge in the life sciences by sponsoring scientific research that will benefit mankind. The foundation’s grants program seeks to support basic science, ideally with potential translational applications. Immunology, microbiome, genomics, structural biology, cellular physiology, neuroscience, etc., are some noteworthy examples of current research support.

For many years the Foundation has enjoyed special recognition in the research community for supporting “basic” scientific research, realizing that true transformative breakthroughs usually occur after a thorough understanding of the fundamental mechanisms underlying natural phenomena. More recently, and with the advent of newer investigative methodologies, technology, and tools, the Foundation now embraces innovative translational research proposals.

The grant duration must be three years. The budget should be reasonable based on the aims of the project. Indirect costs may not exceed 10%. Preliminary Budgets are required during the LOI phase. A detailed budget justification is not required until the proposal phase. The Foundation’s grant award is not intended to be utilized for purchasing capital equipment (“bricks-and-mortar”) for the lab and is intended only to support the actual investigation. The Foundation assumes and expects that capital equipment must be provided by the research institution or university.

Application Guidance:

• Grant budgets cannot exceed $600-750K
• The Foundation primarily supports basic science, ideally with potential translational applications.
• Immunology, microbiome, genomics, structural biology, cellular physiology, neuroscience, etc., are some noteworthy examples of current research support.
• Covid-19-related research projects (aims or sub-aims) will not be considered for support.
• Medical imaging technology-related projects and/or electrical engineering technology development projects will not be considered for support.
• Plant Biology Research, Oceanography, Space Exploration. and Global warming-related research will not be considered for support.
• As technology continues to advance, it is apparent that investigations in the area of basic science and translational research may become more and more reliant on collaborative, interdisciplinary projects. It is important to note that any interdisciplinary project proposals may require additional information regarding the collaborator(s)’ achievements and relevant expertise.
• Feedback for declined LOI Requests will not be provided; LOIs or Formal Proposals that have been declined should not be resubmitted at a later date for consideration.
• Renewal applications for the same or related research will not be accorded priority consideration. It is strongly advised that any re-application for grant renewal consider a new direction based on prior research or emphasize some new potential translational aspects and not merely an extension of previously funded research.
• Requests for funding previously federally supported research and/or applications pending federal approval will not be accorded priority consideration.
• Requests for support of clinical trials or drug discovery will not be approved. The Foundation will not support projects which we consider pre-clinical drug development.
  
   

Please note, while RDS will manage submitting the institutional nomination, it is the responsibility of the selected faculty members to complete the portal registration by the January 30, 2026 at 8pm EST deadline.

Apply to Internal Competition // Limit: 1 // Tickets Available: 1

The University of Arizona Cancer Center (UACC) is coordinating this limited submission. For more information please contact: UACC-PreAward.

Limiting Language
Each invited institution may submit one application for consideration. Institutions are responsible for conducting an internal selection process to identify their designated applicant. No exceptions will be made.

Program Overview
The Mary Kay Ash Foundation®, a committed funding source for innovative cancer research, invites applications for translational research grants focused on cancers affecting women, including but not limited to breast, cervical, endometrial, ovarian, uterine, and other cancers that predominantly affect women.

Grants will be awarded in the amount of $100,000 total over a two-year period to support projects with strong potential to advance the understanding, prevention, diagnosis, or treatment of cancers affecting women.

Limit: 2 // Tickets Available: 1

Translational Research Grant - C. Curiel (Dermatology)

The University of Arizona Cancer Center (UACC) is coordinating this limited submission. For more information please contact: UACC-PreAward. If you have any question concerning eligibility and details regarding the opportunity, please contact the Grants Team at Grants@v.org.

Limiting Language
The University of Arizona Cancer Center (UACC) can nominate up to two proposals: one Translational nominee and one All-Star Translational nominee (if eligible) for the V Foundation Adult Translational Cancer Research Award 2026.

Purpose of Award:

The UACC is seeking nominations for the Translational Adult Cancer Research Grant which advances basic laboratory discoveries towards clinical use, ultimately improving human health.

This grant is restricted to adult cancer research in the preclinical or translational space, with a focus on bench-to-bedside strategies. Research on ANY adult cancer type is eligible. Applicants may propose cancer research projects that:

• Move a novel strategy from the laboratory into a human clinical trial, or
• Use specimens from a clinical trial to test hypotheses, develop biomarkers, or establish mechanisms.

The research must apply in a direct way to human beings within 3 years of the grant’s completion. If biomarker research is undertaken, a validation set or independent clinical trial is essential. Proposals must include a plan for biomarker validation, if applicable. The endpoint of the project should be the planning or initiation of a new clinical trial or conducting an investigator-initiated trial with laboratory correlates that test hypotheses. Research areas not included in this scope are epidemiology, behavioral science, and health services research.

Applicant Eligibility

Nominee must meet all of the following criteria by the nomination due date:

• Be nominated by their Cancer Center Director or similar high ranking research official.
• Be employed at a non-profit research institution (e.g., 501c3, Section 170).
• Be a US Citizen or have a legal permit (temporary or permanent) to work in the US.
• Hold a full-time faculty appointment at the Assistant Professor or Assistant Professor-equivalent level or above. Non-promotable, adjunct, affiliated, temporary, part-time or acting faculty positions are not eligible for Principal Investigator nomination.
• Additional criteria for All Star eligibility:
  • Must have previously been awarded a V Foundation research grant as the lead PI and must meet at least ONE of the following criteria by the nomination deadline:
    1. Have a completed V Foundation research grant or
    2. Be in the final year of an active V Foundation grant (received final payment and on track to finish by grant end date).
    • Must have been the lead PI on the V Foundation research grant from start to finish.
    • Must have all financial and progress reports up to date.
    • Must not have a current V Foundation All-Star grant.
    • Must not have only received V Foundation non-research/Mission grant(s).

Funding Information:

A four-year, $800,000 grant, paid in $200,000 annual installments. Indirect costs up to 10% of direct costs allowed. For All Star: the total grant award is $1,000,000 over a five-year period, with annual payments of $200,000.

The V Foundation follows NIH salary cap guidelines. Institutions may supplement a grant recipient’s salary with institutional funds, if desired.

Limit: 3 // Tickets Available: 2

K. Huntoon (Neurosurgery)

The University of Arizona Cancer Center (UACC) is coordinating this limited submission. For more information please contact: UACC-PreAward.

Limiting Language
Each applicant must be nominated by their institution. Applications will only be accepted from institutions that have been invited to submit them by the Foundation (See list). Three (3) nominations per institution, including its affiliated schools, will be accepted. 

Purpose of Award

• The Damon Runyon Clinical Investigator Award supports independent young physician-scientists conducting disease-oriented research that demonstrates a high level of innovation and creativity. The goal is to support the best young physician-scientists doing work aimed at improving the practice of cancer medicine.

  The Clinical Investigator Award responds to three recognized realities:

  • Though there has never been a more pressing need or more promising time for clinical cancer research, fewer young physicians enter this area of investigation every year.
  • The number of institutions committed to training young physicians in the scientific discipline and methodologies of clinical investigation is critically low.
  • The burden of medical school debt (averaging over $100,000) discourages many physicians from pursuing clinical investigation.

  The Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation’s award offers solutions to these realities. The awardee will receive financial support for three years, as well as assistance with certain research costs such as the purchase of equipment. The Foundation will also retire up to $100,000 of any medical school debt still owed by the awardee.

  The Clinical Investigator Award program is specifically intended to provide outstanding young physicians with the resources and training structure essential to becoming successful clinical investigators. The goal is to increase the number of physicians capable of moving seamlessly between the laboratory and the patient’s bedside in search of breakthrough treatments.

Eligibility

• The applicant must hold an independent Assistant Professor position or equivalent at a U.S. institution and is expected to demonstrate significant support from the home institution through a comprehensive start-up package, ample laboratory space, and protected research time, for example.
• The applicant must have received an MD, DO, or MD/PhD degree(s) from an accredited institution, completed their subspecialty training and be U.S. Board eligible.
• The applicant must hold a valid, active U.S. medical license at the time of application.
• The applicant must apply within the first four (4) years of their Assistant Professor or equivalent full-time faculty appointment (Cut-off date: July 1, 2022). Instructor, Adjunct and/or acting positions are not eligible.
• Candidates holding or awarded R01s (or R01-equivalent grants such as the DP2 and DP5) at the time of application are not eligible to apply.
• The applicant must commit to spending 80% of their time conducting research. [In rare unique circumstances, the CIA Committee may consider an applicant with a very modest reduction of 80% protected time if their Department Chair can provide a compelling reason explaining why a waiver of the 80% requirement should be granted, what percentage of effort will be guaranteed, and what safeguards will be put in place to make sure the individual’s research will not be compromised by their clinical/administrative activities.]
• The applicant is required to apply in conjunction with a Mentor who is established in the field of clinical translational cancer research, cancer prevention and/or epidemiology and can provide the critical guidance needed during the period of the award. No more than two Damon Runyon Clinical Investigators will be funded to work with the same Mentor at any given time (including Co-Mentors).
• Candidates may apply up to two times during this eligibility period.
• Only one application will be accepted from a Mentor per review session (including Co-Mentors).