Research

• G. Sutphin (Molecular and Cellular Biology)  - Medical Research Track
• The physical Sciences and Engineering slot is available

UA may submit one concept paper in Physical Sciences and Engineering and one concept paper in Medical Sciences in this cycle.
The selected projects must participate in the concept counseling session with the W.M. Keck Foundation between July 1 and August 15 to determine if they can proceed to the Phase I submission.

The W.M. Keck Foundation Research Program uses a three-step process for this opportunity. The first step is a Concept paper. The Undergraduate Education program is currently not accepting concept papers. The next steps are by the foundation’s invitation. UArizona review criteria reflect previous interactions with the W.M. Keck Foundation. Proposals should focus on basic, fundamental science with broad applications.

The proposed work should show a significant leap forward rather than an extension of existing work.  

To be considered by Keck, applicants must have a statement from a federal program officer expressing that the project is not a good fit due to risk (rather than technical or theoretical fit) or a decline from a federal program where the summary statement or individual reviews highlight the incredible novelty, but the high-risk nature that makes it difficult to fund at the federal level.

S. Song (Biomedical Engineering)

UA may submit one nomination. 

The Pew Scholars Program in the Biomedical Sciences provides funding to young investigators of outstanding promise in science relevant to the advancement of human health. The program makes grants to selected academic institutions to support the independent research of outstanding individuals who are in their first few years of their appointment at the assistant professor level. The current grant level is $300,000; $75,000 per year for a four-year period.

Candidates must hold a doctorate in biomedical sciences, medicine, or a related field, including engineering or the physical sciences.

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

S. Song (Biomedical Engineering)

The internal deadline has been extended to June 07, 2023.

Due to the competitive nature of this funding program, this selection process is running with an anticipated deadline.
We will keep all applicants informed of relevant updates in the guidelines, submission deadlines, and eligibility as soon as more information becomes available.

The Searle Scholars Program supports research of outstanding individuals who have recently begun their appointment at the assistant professor level, and whose appointment is their first tenure-track position at a participating academic or research institution. Today, 168 institutions are invited to participate in the Program.

The Program was established at The Chicago Community Trust in 1980 and has been administered by Kinship Foundation since 1996. The Program is funded from the estates of Mr. and Mrs. John G. Searle. Mr. Searle was the grandson of the founder of the world-wide pharmaceutical company, G.D. Searle & Company. It was Mr. Searle's wish that certain funds be used to support "...research in medicine, chemistry, and the biological sciences."

Each year 15 new individuals are named Searle Scholars. Awards are currently set at $100,000 per year for three years. Since its inception, 617 Scholars have been named and over $174 million has been awarded.

The Searle Scholars Program Scientific Advisory Board is primarily interested in the potential of applicants to make innovative and high-impact contributions to research over an extended period of time. 

Applicants for the 2024 competition (awards which will be activated on July 1, 2024) are expected to be pursuing independent research careers in biochemistry, cell biology, genetics, immunology, neuroscience, pharmacology, and related areas in chemistry, medicine, and the biological sciences. 

Applicants should have begun their appointment as an independent investigator at the assistant professor level on or after July 1, 2022. The appointment must be their first tenure-track position (or its nearest equivalent) at an invited institution. 

Institutions which do not have tenure-track appointments should consult with the Scientific Director of the Program regarding eligibility of selected applicants PRIOR to nominating such individuals. 

The Searle Scholars Program does not ordinarily support purely clinical research but has supported research programs that include both clinical and basic components. Potential applicants who are unsure if their research is appropriate for our Program are encouraged to examine the research interests of present and former Searle Scholars on this website. 

Applicants who were nominated for awards in the previous competition year but were not awarded may still meet the eligibility criteria for the current competition. Institutions should consult with the Scientific Director of the Program regarding renomination of such individuals.

The Searle Scholars Program Scientific Advisory Board is primarily interested in the potential of applicants to make innovative and high-impact contributions to research over an extended period of time.

Amount per Award: $300,000
Duration of Award: 3 Years

V. Yurkiv ( Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering)

The DOE SC program in Basic Energy Sciences (BES) hereby announces its interest in receiving new applications for Energy Innovation Hub projects pursuing multi-investigator, crossdisciplinary fundamental research to address emerging new directions as well as long-standing challenges for the next generation of rechargeable batteries and related electrochemical energy storage technologies. Electrochemical energy storage is typically viewed as the bidirectional interconversion of electricity and chemical potential energy using electrochemistry for the purpose of storing electrical energy for later use, with lithium (Li)-ion and lead acid batteries being representative of the current generation of electrochemical energy storage. Discovery and scientific exploration of new battery chemistries, materials, and architectures for energy storage are encouraged. Research on electrolyzer/fuel cell combinations using hydrogen or hydrocarbons as the chemical storage media are supported elsewhere within DOE programs and are specifically excluded from this FOA. Regardless of materials and electrochemical processes involved, the focus must be on fundamental scientific concepts and understanding for the next generation of batteries and electrochemical energy storage. 

1. A.  Jalilzadeh (Systems and Industrial Engineering)
2. M. Chertkov (Applied Mathematics)
3. S. Missoum ( Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering)

4. D. Moore (Natural Resources & the Environment)

UA may submit four pre-applications as the lead institution in a single- or multi-institutional team. No more than two pre-applications for each PI at the applicant institution are allowed. 

The DOE SC program in Advanced Scientific Computing Research (ASCR) hereby announces its interest in research applications to explore potentially high-impact approaches in the development and use of scientific machine learning (SciML) and artificial intelligence (AI) in the predictive modeling, simulation and analysis of complex systems and processes.

High-performance computational models, simulations, algorithms, data from experiments and observations, and automation are being used to accelerate scientific discovery and innovation. Recent workshops, report, and strategic plans across the DOE have highlighted the research, development, and use of artificial intelligence and machine learning for science, energy, and security. Relevant domains include materials, environmental, and life sciences; high-energy, nuclear, and plasma physics; and the DOE Energy Earthshots Initiative, for examples. A 2018 Basic Research Needs workshop and report on scientific machine learning (SciML) and AI1 identified six Priority Research Directions (PRDs) for the development of the broad foundations and research capabilities needed to address such DOE mission priorities. The first three PRDs for foundational research are a set of themes common to all SciML approaches and correspond to the need for domain-awareness, interpretability, and robustness and scalability, respectively. Of the other three PRDs for capability research, PRD #5 (Machine Learning-Enhanced Modeling and Simulation) and uncertainty quantification are the subject of this FOA. 

1. S. Song ( Biomedical engineering)
2. M. Latypot (Materials Science and Engineering)
    

The Packard Fellowships for Science and Engineering allow the nation's most promising early career professors to pursue their science and engineering research with few funding restrictions and limited paperwork requirements. The Foundation invites the presidents of 50 universities to nominate two early-career professors each from their institutions. Nominations are carefully reviewed by the Fellowship Advisory Panel, comprised of distinguished scientists and engineers. 20 recipients will receive individual grants of $875,000 distributed over five years. Of the $175,000 paid each year, $17,500 is available to the university as compensation for administrative costs.

Packard Fellows are inquisitive, passionate scientists and engineers who take a creative approach to their research, dare to think big, and follow new ideas wherever they lead. The Fellowships for Science and Engineering program invests in future leaders who have the freedom to take risks, explore new frontiers in their fields of study, and follow uncharted paths that may lead to groundbreaking discoveries.The Foundation emphasizes support for innovative individual research that involves the Fellows, their students, and junior colleagues, rather than extensions or components of large-scale, ongoing research program.
 

Eligibility: 

• Candidates must be faculty members who are eligible to serve as principal investigators engaged in research in the natural and physical sciences or engineering and must be in the first three years of their faculty careers, that is, whose initial faculty appointments began no earlier than May 31, 2020, and no later than May 31, 2023.
• Disciplines that will be considered include physics, chemistry, mathematics, biology, astronomy, computer science, earth science, ocean science, and all branches of engineering. Candidates engaged in research in the social sciences will not be considered.

Ineligible areas

The Foundation recognizes that certain areas of contemporary science and engineering already have access to relatively generous funding (for example, clinical research, research associated with the design and construction of large national facilities such as accelerators and space stations and applied research of direct relevance to national security), the Packard Fellowships are directed to other, less generously supported fields.

• C.Lim (College of Health Sciences)

UArizona may submit one nomination per major division/ College. 

The Foundation’s mission is to support research to improve the lives of young people ages 5-25 in the United States. We pursue this mission by supporting research within two focus areas. Researchers interested in applying for a William T. Grant Scholars Award must select one focus area:

Reducing Inequality
In this focus area, we support studies that aim to build, test, or increase understanding of programs, policies, or practices to reduce inequality in the academic, social, behavioral, or economic outcomes of young people, especially on the basis of race, ethnicity, economic standing, language minority status, or immigrant origins.

Improving the Use of Research Evidence
In this focus area, we support research to identify, build, and test strategies to ensure that research evidence is used in ways that benefit youth. We are particularly interested in research on improving the use of research evidence by state and local decision makers, mid-level managers, and intermediaries.

Eligibility:

• 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 be employed in career-ladder positions. For many applicants, this means holding a tenure-track position in a university. 
• Applicants propose one to two mentors for the first two years of the award. Each proposed mentor must submit a letter. Mentor letters are not recommendations, and applicants should discourage cursory letters of support. 
• Three letters of recommendation must be submitted from colleagues, supervisors, or the department/division chairperson who nominates the applicant, respectively. Proposed mentors may not submit recommendation letters.

T. Newton (College of Nursing)
S. Patel (College of Medicine ​​​ - ​​​​Tucson Campus)

UArizona may submit a total of three nominations:

• one nomination from the College of Nursing
• one nomination from the College of Medicine ​​​ - ​​​​Tucson Campus
• one nomination from the College of Medicine -  Phoenix Campus

Application portal will open in April 01, 2023

The Macy Faculty Scholars Program, now in its second decade, aims to identify and nurture promising early career educators in medicine and nursing. The program will help develop the next generation of national leaders in medical and nursing education by identifying outstanding educators, physicians, nurses, and role models—individuals who represent the breadth of diversity seen in learners, patient populations, and health care settings around the country. By providing the Scholars with resources—especially protected time, mentorship, and a professional network of colleagues—the program aims to accelerate Scholars’ careers, to turn their teaching practice into scholarship, and to help them become impactful leaders locally, nationally, and beyond.

Eligibility: 

1. Be a faculty member in a United States accredited nursing
   school, allopathic medical
   school, or osteopathic medical school. Candidates should have approximately three to eight years of full-time faculty experience at the time of application.

2. Be nominated by the dean of the nursing or medical school. There can be only one nominee per nursing or medical school.

3. Have a faculty mentor who will advise the candidate on the candidate’s educational project and career development.

4. Be a citizen or permanent resident of the United States or its territories.

This is a career development award. The Foundation is interested in candidates for whom the program will have the maximum impact at this point in their career and who also have the greatest possibility for future impact at their home institutions and beyond. Macy Faculty Scholars will participate in the Macy Faculty Scholars Annual Meeting and will be part of the family of Macy Faculty Scholars for the remainder of their careers.

In order to develop the careers of educators who are future leaders, the Macy Faculty Scholars Program will provide salary support for each Scholar up to $100,000 per year, which will protect 50% of the Scholar’s time over two years. The Scholar will devote this time to a mentored educational scholarly project and other appropriate career development activities.

No applicants // Limit: 1 // Tickets Available: 1 

The intent of the HHOW pediatric cancer research grants is to provide funding for principal investigators (herein referred to as “PI”), whose research projects are likely to have a significant impact on improving the understanding of the biology of childhood cancer and/or developing novel diagnostic, prognostic, and therapeutic approaches for pediatric malignancies. The grants are awarded to the institution for the benefit of the research of the approved projects. Projects eligible to be funded by this program will be those that pursue innovative research that is translational in nature, that is, has the potential to impact childhood cancer diagnosis and treatment. Proposals requesting support for clinical trials are not eligible for consideration.

Funding for the Grants is awarded to the applying institution (herein referred to as the applicant) for the purpose of supporting the PI and the research specified in the proposal. Submitting PIs must include a letter of support from the division chief of pediatric oncology at the applicant institution, and concurrence of the development office. With the submission of the Grant application(s), the PI(s) confirm(s) that each is authorized by the officers of the institution to submit the application and the institution agrees to abide by all terms and conditions of the grant.

The funds of awarded grants may not be transferred to a different institution under any circumstance, should the designated PI leave the institution for any reason.However, the institution may nominate a new qualified candidate to serve as the PI, subject to the new candidate meeting all guidelines and with no substantive changes to the approved project.

2023 HYUNDAI YOUNG INVESTIGATOR GRANT
The Hyundai Young Investigator’s Grant is a $200,000 grant, which will be provided as $100,000 per year grant for years 1 and 2.
Eligible Criteria for Young Investigator:

1. PI must be an MD or MD/PhD who is currently in his/her 3rd or 4th year of an accredited pediatric hematology-oncology fellowship training program and involved in pediatric cancer research; or
2. Must be a pediatric oncologist/MD, or MD/PhD in his/her initial academic appointment, within 6 years from completion of fellowship training, and involved in pediatric cancer research.
3. A PhD is not eligible to be a PI, for the purposes of the award, but may participate as a member of a research team.

Research proposals will be evaluated based on:

1. Relevance to pediatric cancer
2. Quality of science
3. Innovation
4. Potential for success
5. Potential impact on the field
6. Quality of applicant
7. Quality of institutional environment
8. Demonstrated need for funding

• Only ONE proposal in each category (i.e. one Young Investigator and one Scholar Hope may be submitted from any individual Applicant), for a total of TWO per institution.
• A PI may apply in either category, but not both. An applying PI may not have two HHOW grants at the same time. If the PI is a current HHOW grant awardee, they may not apply for a second HHOW grant award until the second year of their current award.
• Grant funds may be used to support bench or translational research and must have a direct relevance to pediatric cancer. 
• Less than 10% of funds can be used for indirect costs and no funds can be used for fringe benefits through the Scholar Hope or Young Investigator Grants.
• Applicants may use funds in conjunction with another award on the same topic. However, the difference has to be clearly identified in the budget.
• If Applicant has submitted multiple applications to other foundations or granting agencies, for funding the same project  concurrently, HHOW must be notified in the written application (Section VII below)
• The PI for either the Young Investigator or Hope Scholar award may not have more than 1 RO1 or RO1-equivalent at the time of application. K awards or equivalent are permitted for Young Investigator and Scholar PIs.

E. Katsanis ( College of Medicine - Pediatric Hematology / Oncology)

UA may submit one proposal. 

The intent of the HHOW pediatric cancer research grants is to provide funding for principal investigators (herein referred to as “PI”), whose research projects are likely to have a significant impact on improving the understanding of the biology of childhood cancer and/or developing novel diagnostic, prognostic, and therapeutic approaches for pediatric malignancies. The grants are awarded to the institution for the benefit of the research of the approved projects. Projects eligible to be funded by this program will be those that pursue innovative research that is translational in nature, that is, has the potential to impact childhood cancer diagnosis and treatment. Proposals requesting support for clinical trials are not eligible for consideration.

Funding for the Grants is awarded to the applying institution (herein referred to as the applicant) for the purpose of supporting the PI and the research specified in the proposal. Submitting PIs must include a letter of support from the division chief of pediatric oncology at the applicant institution, and concurrence of the development office. With the submission of the Grant application(s), the PI(s) confirm(s) that each is authorized by the officers of the institution to submit the application and the institution agrees to abide by all terms and conditions of the grant.

The funds of awarded grants may not be transferred to a different institution under any circumstance, should the designated PI leave the institution for any reason. However, the institution may nominate a new qualified candidate to serve as the PI, subject to the new candidate meeting all guidelines and with no substantive changes to the approved project.
 

2023 SCHOLAR HOPE GRANT

The Scholar Hope Grant is a $300,000 award (paid $150,000 per year), which may be used for up to two years. Approved funding may be used only for the purposes expressly set forth in the applicant’s proposal and specifically performed under the auspices of the PI identified in the proposal.

Applicant eligibility for Scholar Hope Grant:

1. PI must be an MD or MD/PhD whose research is focused on pediatric oncology.
2. A PhD is not eligible to be a PI, for the purposes of the award, but may participate as a member of a research team.
3. PIs must have completed their fellowship sub-specialty training at the time of the award.
4. Applicant may have no more than 1 R01 or R01-equivalent grant, at the time of application.
5. Applicants must be based in and research is focused on projects within the U.S. market.
6. Clinical research studies or medical trials are not eligible for consideration.
7. Applicant may not have concurrent HHOW funding, but may apply during the second year of funding for a second HHOW grant (i.e. consecutive funding).

Research proposals will be evaluated based on:

1. Relevance to pediatric cancer
2. Quality of science
3. Innovation
4. Potential for success
5. Potential impact on the field
6. Quality of applicant
7. Quality of institutional environment
8. Demonstrated need for funding

• Only ONE proposal in each category (i.e. one Young Investigator and one Scholar Hope may be submitted from any individual Applicant), for a total of TWO per institution.
• A PI may apply in either category, but not both. An applying PI may not have two HHOW grants at the same time. If the PI is a current HHOW grant awardee, they may not apply for a second HHOW grant award until the second year of their current award.
• Grant funds may be used to support bench or translational research and must have a direct relevance to pediatric cancer. 
• Less than 10% of funds can be used for indirect costs and no funds can be used for fringe benefits through the Scholar Hope or Young Investigator Grants.
• Applicants may use funds in conjunction with another award on the same topic. However, the difference has to be clearly identified in the budget.
• If Applicant has submitted multiple applications to other foundations or granting agencies, for funding the same project  concurrently, HHOW must be notified in the written application (Section VII below)
• The PI for either the Young Investigator or Hope Scholar award may not have more than 1 RO1 or RO1-equivalent at the time of application. K awards or equivalent are permitted for Young Investigator and Scholar PIs.