Limited and External Funding Opportunities

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Active Internal Calls for Limited Submission Nominations
Active Calls for NON-Limited External Opportunities

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Email LSO@vanderbilt.edu if you are interested in an opportunity not listed below or have questions regarding the LSO submission process.

Active Internal Calls for Limited Submission Nominations

Internal review process required to choose institutional nominees

Limited Submission Eligibility Guidelines

The following tags serve as a guide for submission instructions.

Vanderbilt (VU + VUMC):

VU and VUMC submit collaboratively to this LSO. ALL investigators should follow the guidelines posted on this site.

VUMC :

VU and VUMC submit separately to this LSO. VUMC investigators should follow the guidelines posted on this site. VU investigators should apply through InfoReady and address any questions to VU-LSO@vanderbilt.edu.

FEATURED OPPORTUNITY

High-profile or prestigious awards of particular interest to Vanderbilt investigators

2021 Pew Biomedical Scholars Program

Applications due April 2

VUMC: These instructions are for VUMC investigators. VU investigators should apply through InfoReady and address any questions to VU-LSO@vanderbilt.edu.

Overview:

VUMC may nominate one candidate for the Pew Charitable Trusts' 2021 Pew Biomedical Scholars Award. The award supports Assistant Professors of outstanding promise in science relevant to human health. The award provides $300,000 in flexible support—$75,000 per year for a four-year period. Not more than 8 percent of the total award may be allocated for overhead costs.

Strong proposals will incorporate particularly creative and pioneering approaches. Candidates whose work is based on biomedical principles, but brings in concepts and theories from more diverse fields, are encouraged to apply. Risk-taking is encouraged. Successful applications should not look like typical R01 grant applications with incremental research steps and safe hypotheses supported by existing data.

Selection of candidates will be based on a detailed description of the work that the applicant proposes to undertake, evaluations of the candidate’s performance, and notable past accomplishments, including honors, awards, and publications. The Committee gives considerable weight to evidence that the candidate is a successful independent investigator and has published significant work.

This program is distinct from the Pew-Stewart Scholars Program, but candidates may apply to both internal competitions.

Eligibility:

Must have doctorate in biomedical sciences, medicine or a related field
As of Sept. 10, 2020, must hold full-time appointments at the rank of Assistant Professor. (Associate Professors are not eligible. Appointments such as Research Assistant Professor, Adjunct Assistant Professor, Assistant Professor Research Track, Visiting Professor or Instructor are not eligible.)
Must not have been appointed as an assistant professor at any institution prior to June 15, 2017, whether or not such an appointment was on a tenure track. Time spent in clinical internships, residencies, in work toward board certification, or on parental leave does not count as part of this three-year limit. (Candidates who took parental leave should note this on their internal application to make their eligibility clear.)
It is expected that Pew scholars will spend at least 80 percent of their time in work or activities related to the accomplishment of their overall research goals (which are not restricted to the specific aims proposed for this award).
The selected candidate may not be nominated more than two times in total, regardless of institution.

Scope of Research:

Public health projects and those that are solely clinical research are not within the scope of Pew-funded research
Candidates conducting original basic and/or translational research related to the biomedical sciences are encouraged to apply
- This includes “traditional” fields like genetics, immunology, neuroscience, cancer biology etc. However, candidates from areas such as computational science, chemistry, engineering, and physics are also strongly encouraged to apply
- For examples of Pew scholar projects, a directory of past scholars can be found here, including previous Vanderbilt awardees (John Karijolich ’18, Lauren Parker Jackson ‘16; Ethan Lee ‘04; David Cortez ‘03).

Internal Application Process:

Anyone interested in being considered as Vanderbilt’s nominee must submit the following (in PDF format) to LSO@vanderbilt.edu by 5 p.m. on April 2:

Brief research plan including summary budget (2 page max);
Letter of support from department chair/center director;
NIH Biosketch

Submissions should reference "PEW BIOMEDICAL SCHOLARS" in the subject line of the email.

Following the internal review, the nominee’s name will be submitted to the Pew Charitable Trusts by May 18 and complete application will be due September 10.

Any questions about this opportunity or the LSO process may be directed to LSO@vanderbilt.edu.

2021 Pew-Stewart Scholars for Cancer Research Program

Applications due April 2

Vanderbilt (VU + VUMC): This is a joint competition for VU and VUMC investigators. All investigators should follow these instructions.

Overview:

Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center may nominate one candidate for the Pew Charitable Trusts' 2021 Pew-Stewart Scholars for Cancer Research Program. This program supports Assistant Professors of outstanding promise in science relevant to the advancement of a cure for cancer. The award provides $300,000 in flexible support—$75,000 per year for a four-year period. Not more than 8 percent of the total award may be allocated for overhead costs.

Candidates should demonstrate outstanding promise as contributors in science relevant to the field of cancer. Strong proposals will incorporate particularly creative and pioneering approaches to basic, translational, and applied cancer research. Candidates whose work is based on biomedical principles but who bring in concepts and theories from more diverse fields are encouraged to apply. This program does not fund clinical trials research.

Ideas with the potential to produce an unusually high impact are encouraged. Selection of the successful candidates will be based on a detailed description of the work that the applicant proposes to undertake, evaluations of the candidate’s performance, and notable past accomplishments, including honors, awards, and publications. In evaluating the candidates, the Committee gives considerable weight to evidence that the candidate is a successful independent investigator and has published significant work.

This program is distinct from the Pew Biomedical Scholars Program, but candidates may apply to both internal competitions.

Eligibility Criteria:

Candidates must have been awarded a doctorate in a field related to biomedical sciences or medicine.
As of September 3, 2020, candidates must hold full-time appointments at the rank of Assistant Professor. (Associate Professors are not eligible. Appointments such as Research Assistant Professor, Adjunct Assistant Professor, Assistant Professor Research Track, Visiting Professor or Instructor are not eligible.)
Must not have been appointed as an assistant professor at any institution prior to June 15, 2017, whether or not such an appointment was on a tenure track. Time spent in clinical internships, residencies, in work toward board certification, or on parental leave does not count as part of this three-year limit. (Candidates who took parental leave should note this on their internal application to make their eligibility clear.)
Qualified candidates should be conducting creative, interdisciplinary, basic, or translational cancer research. Public health projects and those that are solely clinical research are not within the scope of Pew-funded research.
The selected candidate may not be nominated more than two times in total, regardless of institution.
Funding from the NIH, other government sources, and project grants from non-profit associations do not pose a conflict.

Internal Application Process:

Anyone interested in being considered as Vanderbilt’s nominee must submit the following (in PDF format) to LSO@vanderbilt.edu by 5 p.m. on April 2:

Brief research plan including summary budget (2 page max);
Letter of support from department chair/center director;
NIH Biosketch or abbreviated CV (5 page max)

Submissions should reference "PEW-STEWART SCHOLARS" in the subject line of the email.

Following the internal review, the nominee’s name will be submitted to the Pew Charitable Trusts by May 18 and complete application will be due September 3.

Any questions about this opportunity or the LSO process may be directed to LSO@vanderbilt.edu.

2020 William T. Grant Foundation Scholars Award

Applications due April 6

VUMC: These instructions are for VUMC investigators. VU investigators should apply through InfoReady and address any questions to VU-LSO@vanderbilt.edu.

Overview:

VUMC may select one nominee for the William T. Grant Foundation Scholars Program. The award amount is $350,000, distributed over five years, and the goal of the program is to support career development for promising early-career researchers in one of two focus areas: 1) programs, policies, and practices that reduce inequality in youth outcomes and 2) strategies to improve the use of research evidence in ways that benefit youth.

The program funds research and mentoring plans that significantly expand junior researchers’ expertise in new disciplines, methods, and content areas. The foundation recognizes that early-career researchers are rarely given incentives or support to take such risks, so this award includes a mentoring component, as well as an emphasis on community and collaboration. A list of previous awardees can be found here.

Eligibility Criteria:

Applicants must have received their terminal degree within seven years of submitting their application. We calculate this by adding seven years to the date the doctoral degree was conferred. In medicine, the seven-year maximum is dated from the completion of the first residency.
Applicants must hold a tenure-track position.
Applicants should have a track record of conducting high-quality research and an interest in pursuing a significant shift in their trajectories as researchers.

Internal Selection Process:

Anyone interested in being considered as VUMC’s nominee must submit the following (in a single PDF) to LSO@vanderbilt.edu by 5 p.m. on April 6:

See the program website for recommended components of the Research Plan and Mentoring Plan.

Research plan (1-2 pages);
Mentoring plan (1-2 pages);
Statement of support from department chair/center director;
NIH Biosketch

Submissions should reference “William T. Grant Foundation Scholars Award” in the subject line of the email. Please contact us at LSO@vanderbilt.edu if you have any questions.

2020 Conservation, Food & Health Grants

Applications due April 20

VUMC: These instructions are for VUMC investigators. VU investigators should apply through InfoReady and address any questions to VU-LSO@vanderbilt.edu.

Overview:

VUMC may submit one application to the Conservation, Food and Health Foundation (CFH) Grants program. The CFH seeks to protect natural resources, improve the production and distribution of food, and promote public health in Asia, Africa, Latin America, and the Middle East. The Foundation supports projects that demonstrate local leadership and promote professional development in the conservation, agricultural, and health sciences; develop the capacity of local organizations; and address a particular problem or question in the field. Grants are made on a one-time basis for up to $30,000 (average grant is $20,000.) No indirect costs are allowed.

The foundation prefers to support projects that address under-funded issues and geographic areas. It favors research, training, and technical assistance projects that:

employ and/or train personnel from developing countries
are led by organizations with strong records of accomplishments in a particular field and have potential for replication
focus on regional or cross-boundary issues and opportunities
feature collaborative partnerships embedded in strong networks
strengthen local leadership and scientific capacity
influence public discourse and policy
focus on prevention rather than remediation
attract additional support and hold promise for continuation or impact beyond the period of foundation support

See the guidelines for more information. The CFH does not fund direct medical care or treatment at hospitals or clinics; medical equipment for hospitals or clinics; or several other exclusions.

Internal Application Process:

Anyone interested in being considered as VUMC’s nominee must submit the following (in a single PDF) to LSO@vanderbilt.edu by 5 p.m. on April 20.

Brief (2 page maximum) research plan including summary budget;
Statement of support from department chair/center director;
NIH Biosketch

VUMC’s nominee will submit a concept application to the foundation by July 1. Any questions about this opportunity or the LSO process may be directed to LSO@vanderbilt.edu.

2021 Brain Research Foundation Scientific Innovations Award

Applications due April 30

Vanderbilt (VU + VUMC): This is a joint competition for VU and VUMC investigators. All investigators should follow these instructions.

Overview:

Vanderbilt (VU + VUMC, collaboratively) may nominate one associate or full professor to submit a Letter of Intent for the 2021 Brain Research Foundation Scientific Innovations Award (SIA). The SIA program provides $150,000 over two years for innovative science in both basic and clinical neuroscience. This funding mechanism is designed to support creative, exploratory, cutting edge research in well-established research laboratories, under the direction of established investigators.

The SIA supports projects that may be too innovative and speculative for traditional funding sources but still have a high likelihood of producing important findings. It is expected that investigations supported by these grants will yield high impact findings and result in major grant applications and significant publications in high impact journals. Please note that indirect costs are prohibited.

Eligibility:

Nominee must be a full-time associate professor or full professor working in the area of studies of brain function in health and disease. Assistant professors and research associate professors are ineligible.
Current major NIH or other peer-reviewed funding is preferred. Evidence of such funding in the past three years is essential.
Studies should be related to either normal human brain development or specifically identified disease states. This includes molecular and clinical neuroscience as well as studies of neural, sensory, motor, cognitive, behavioral and emotional functioning in health and disease.
The grant proposal must detail a new research project that is not funded by other sources. This grant is not to be used as bridge funding.
PI is ineligible if they have BRF funding that will overlap this grant period. Scientists who have previously received a BRF Scientific Innovations Award may not receive the award for a second time until five years have elapsed since the beginning date of the prior award.
Collaboration is allowed but the application may only list a single PI.

Internal Application Process:

Anyone interested in being considered as Vanderbilt’s nominee must submit the following (in PDF format) to LSO@vanderbilt.edu by 5 p.m. on April 30:

Brief summary of program project/research plan (2 page maximum). Please include a closing paragraph that explains how this research will develop (next steps).
Statement of support from department chair/center director
1. Letters must acknowledge that this grant does not allow indirect costs. This statement can be used/modified: “The Department recognizes that this grant does not allow indirect costs and will commit to covering any associated indirect costs per applicable institutional/school policy.” Consult LSO@vanderbilt.edu for further guidance.
NIH Biosketch (5 page maximum; should include list of support)

Submissions should reference the program name in the subject line of the email. If you have any questions about the sponsor or the application process, please contact LSO@vanderbilt.edu.

Active Calls for NON-Limited External Opportunities

Internal review process NOT required- Submit directly to Sponsor

The VUMC Corporate & Foundation Relations team provides hands-on proposal development assistance for non-federal awards. Contact cfr@vumc.org for more information.

American Cancer Society Research Scholar Grants

Applications due April 1

Who's Eligible: Independent investigators in the first 6 years of an independent research career or faculty appointment are eligible to apply. Eligibility is extended for 8 years for clinician scientists who remain active in clinical care. Applicants typically must be within 12 years of receiving a terminal (doctorate) degree and cannot have more than one R01/R01-like grant (>$100,000/year direct costs for more than 3 years) as principal investigator at the time of application.

Exception for Cancer Control and Prevention Research: RSG applicants to ONLY the Cancer Control and Prevention Research Program may be at any career stage provided that the focus of their project is either: 1) Health Policy/Health Services research or 2) Achieving Cancer Health Equity

Grant Term and Budget: Awards are for up to 4 years, for up to $165,000 a year for direct costs, plus 20% allowable indirect costs.

Exception for psychosocial/behavioral studies or health policy/health services: RSG applicants to the Cancer Control and Prevention Research Program for psychosocial and behavioral studies or health policy and health services research that are population based and focused on achieving health equity may be up to 5 years with a maximum budget of $400,000 a year for direct costs, plus 20% allowable indirect costs.

American Heart Association Rapid Response Grant: COVID-19 and its Cardiovascular Impact

Applications due April 6

The American Heart Association (AHA) invites cardiovascular-focused applications that will contribute to understanding the cardiovascular and cerebrovascular pathogenesis, diagnosis, prevention, clinical manifestations, clinical management (including critical care management) and social behaviors which can lead to dissemination, containment, and complications of COVID-19. Because of the urgency of this issue, innovative, highly impactful short-term proposals (9-12 months), which can show progress within the period of this award, are sought.

Grant amounts will be up to $100,000, including up to 10 percent institutional indirect costs. The AHA anticipates funding at least 10 awards and a nationwide Coordinating Center.

The need to move quickly is similarly driving the AHA’s timeline and process for submission and peer review (April 2020). Activation of the awards is planned to occur as early as six weeks after grant submission (subject to receipt of required assurances). Applications for funding are due by Monday, April 6, 2020 at 5 p.m. Central Time.

COVID-19 is a global disease. Whereas awardee institutions must be based in the United States, international partners may be included as part of the proposal and subcontracting to these sites is allowable.

Learn more on the program website: https://professional.heart.org/professional/ResearchPrograms/UCM_505867_AHA-Rapid-Response-Grant-COVID-19-and-its-Cardiovascular-Impact.jsp

Cancer Research Institute (CRI) Irvington Postdoctoral Fellowship Program

Applications due April 15

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION: The CRI Irvington Postdoctoral Fellowship Program supports qualified young scientists at leading universities and research centers around the world who wish to receive training in fundamental immunology or cancer immunology. A panel of scientists drawn from our Scientific Advisory Council rigorously evaluates each candidate, the intended sponsor and training environment, and the nature and feasibility of the proposed project. The Institute seeks hypothesis-driven, mechanistic studies in both immunology and tumor immunology. The applicant and sponsor should make every effort to demonstrate the potential of the proposed studies to directly impact our understanding of the immune system’s role in cancer.

AWARD DETAILS: Newly awarded fellowships provide a stipend of $55,000 for the first year, $57,000 for the second year, and $59,000 for the third year. In addition, an allowance of $1,500 per year is allotted to the host institution for use at the sponsor’s discretion to help pay for the fellow’s research supplies, travel to scientific meetings, and/or health insurance.

ELIGIBILITY

Applicants for the CRI Irvington Postdoctoral Fellowship Program must be working in areas directly related to immunology or cancer immunology. An eligible project must fall into the broad field of immunology with relevance to solving the cancer problem.
Applicants must have a doctoral degree by the date of award activation and must conduct their proposed research under a sponsor who holds a formal appointment at the host institution.
Applicants with 5 or more years of relevant postdoctoral experience at the time of award activation are not eligible, with the exception of M.D. applicants, who should not include years of residency in this calculation.
Only in exceptional circumstances will applicants who have already spent 3 or more years in a sponsor’s laboratory by the start date of fellowship be considered for a fellowship award.
The fellowship can be performed in the United States or abroad, but must take place at a non-profit institution. There are no citizenship restrictions.
Only one fellow per sponsor may apply per application round, and faculty sponsors may not have more than three CRI-supported fellows at any time.

2020 SFARI Collaboration on Sex Differences in Autism

Letters of Intent due April 21

Interested applicants are strongly encouraged to contact susan.e.reeves@vumc.org for more information about this opportunity.

FARI Collaborations are a new funding mechanism which will provide substantive and stable funding support to multi-disciplinary teams of investigators tackling critical issues in the autism research field. Collaborations will be led by a director who oversees interdisciplinary, synergistic research efforts across multiple laboratories. Investigative groups within a Collaboration will focus on the same conceptually unified topic but will incorporate different scientific disciplines, multiple levels of analysis, and will include a robust data-sharing infrastructure.

SFARI Collaborations have a maximum budget of up to $8,000,000, including 20 percent indirect costs, over an initial period of four years, with a possible three-year extension.

For their first Collaboration RFA, SFARI solicits applications to investigate sex differences in autism. They welcome proposals that will use an array of modern technologies to examine sex differences in brain function, within and across species, including humans, to identify key differences in gene, cell and circuit function that account for the observed differential sensitivities of the two sexes to ASD. A successful Collaboration must enhance our understanding of the biological bases for sex-specific differences in ASD and set the stage for development of novel interventions.

Collaborations will be led by a director who oversees interdisciplinary, synergistic research efforts across multiple laboratories. Investigative groups within a Collaboration will focus on the same conceptually unified topic but will incorporate different scientific disciplines and multiple levels of analysis, and will include a robust data-sharing infrastructure.

National Institute on Aging- Leadership Award for Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias Research (R35 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)

Letters of Intent due May 19

NIA is seeking applications from investigators looking to enhance their research programs to address selected NIH Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias Research Implementation Milestones. Investigators will be provided protected time to produce a program of investigation specific to selected goals/milestones. Investigators and their institutions will also be expected to advance more junior researchers' capacity to address selected goals/milestones.

Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias Research Implementation Milestones

These milestones represent a framework guide for the scientific field and are an opportunity to build multidisciplinary programs with them as their focus. The milestones can be found in NIA's online database. They span basic, translational, clinical, and health services research. The milestones were developed based on recommendations from over 350 leading academic and industry experts, innovators, and public advocates participating in strategic research summits over the last eight years. Applicants should select one milestone or a set of milestones on which to focus. The choice of milestones should reflect the competencies and research experiences of the award recipient. Applicants must demonstrate how their expertise, institution, and research program will address the specific milestones.

Mentoring

This leadership award will provide resources to foster outstanding scientists to expand their potential to make significant contributions to the goals/milestones of the NIH Alzheimer's Disease and Alzheimer's Disease Related Dementias (AD/ADRD) Summits. Applicants are required to serve as research mentors for New Investigators and Early Stage Investigators (NI/ESI).

NIH Notice of Special Interest: Repurposing Existing Therapeutics to Address the 2019 Novel Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) - Multiple Award Types

Applications due in June 2020 and later; See specific RFA for deadline

National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS) is issuing this Notice of Special Interest (NOSI) to highlight the urgent need for research on the 2019 novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) and the disease it causes, i.e., “coronavirus disease 2019” (COVID-19). NCATS is particularly interested in projects that repurpose existing drugs or biologics (existing therapeutics) that have already begun or completed a Phase I clinical trial.

The hypothesis for proposed studies must be developed using innovative processes to identify the therapeutic/indication pair. Examples include the following:

Testing a publicly posted therapeutic candidate for use to treat COVID-19. Examples include clinical candidate therapeutics in documents publicly posted by the World Health Organization (types/classes of candidate therapeutics) and (candidates for clinical evaluation).

Testing a candidate therapy to treat COVID-19 that was already identified with a publicly available computational approach.

Testing of existing therapeutic candidates that work on mechanistic targets shared among other viruses that may be relevant to SARS-CoV-2.

NCATS is soliciting applications to PAR-17-465, PAR-18-462, and PAR-18-332:

Activity Codes	FOA Title	Applicable Dates
UG3/UH3	PAR-17-465: Bench Testing Therapeutic/Indication Paring Strategies (UG3/UH3)	Applicable Receipt Date: June 26, 2020
U34	PA-18-462:Clinical Trial Planning: Therapeutic/Indication Pairing Strategies (U34) (Clinical Trial Not Allowed)	Applicable Receipt Date: June 16, 2020 October 16, 2020
U01	PAR-18-332: Clinic Testing Therapeutic/Indications Pairing Strategies (U01 Clinical Trial Required)	Applicable Receipt Dates: June 5, 2020 October 5, 2020

The Mark Foundation for Cancer Research Emerging Leader Award

Letters of Intent due June 4

Program Overview: The Mark Foundation Emerging Leader Awards support innovative research from the next generation of leaders in cancer research. These grants are awarded to outstanding early career investigators to support high-impact, high-risk projects that are distinct from their current research portfolio.

Award Details:

$250,000 per year for three (3) years totaling $750,000
Indirect costs are not to exceed $25,000 per year and are included in total
In Year 3, at The Mark Foundation’s discretion, select Awardees may be invited to apply for up to two (2) years of additional funding depending on project progress.
Award start date will be February 1, 2021.
The Mark Foundation’s Emerging Leader Awards Policies will apply to all awards.

Eligibility:

An MD, PhD, or equivalent is required.
Applicants need not be U.S. citizens but must be employed by a U.S. non-profit academic institution.
Applicant must be three to eight years from the start of an independent faculty research appointment as of December 31, 2020 (i.e., the official start date of the appointment must fall within the calendar years 2012-2017). Exceptions due to prolonged medical or family leave will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
This award is not intended to be the main source of funding for the applicant’s laboratory. Applicants must therefore demonstrate multi-year independent funding that sustains the central activities of the laboratory (e.g., at least one or two grants such as NIH/R01, NSF/CAREER, or equivalently substantial multi-year awards). Individual eligibility will be determined during the review stage.
Projects for this award must be centered on evidence-based laboratory, data, and/or medical science.
Proposed projects must not be supported by other sources of funding. Finalists will be asked to discuss any potential overlap with other current or pending awards during the in-person interviews.
Only one submission per applicant is permitted.
If selected, finalists must be available to travel to New York City for in-person interviews the week of November 16, 2020.
The Mark Foundation for Cancer Research does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, disability or any other legally protected characteristics.