Upcoming

Internal Competition Undergoing Peer Review // Limit: 8 Concept Papers, 2 Phase I Proposals (1 Medical Research, 1 Science and Engineering)

 Program Description

Full sponsor guidelines: https://www.wmkeck.org/research-overview/

The mandate of the W.M. Keck Research Program is to support pioneering discoveries in Science, Engineering, and Medical Research.  The Foundation funds the high-risk and high-impact work of leading researchers to lay the groundwork for new paradigms, technologies, and discoveries that will save lives, provide innovative solutions and add to our understanding of the world.

Keck funded projects are distinctive and novel in their approach, question the prevailing paradigm, or have the potential to break open new territory in their field.  We prioritize grants that pioneer biological and physical science research and engineering, including the development of promising new technologies, instrumentation or methodologies.

Fit Self-Test: A Keck-ready idea can answer “yes” to most of the following questions:

• Does it discover how something works?
• Does it challenge an existing assumption?
• Is failure still scientifically valuable?
• Would federal agencies likely say, “too early”?

Keck Prioritizes:

• Work that is paradigm shifting, or challenges a prevailing hypothesis
• Work that creates a new field, or bridges disparate fields
• Work that departs from current approaches or challenges existing assumptions or frameworks
• Fundamental basic science questions focused on how systems work and the underlying mechanisms that govern them
• Discovery-driven logic
• Research where failure is informative

Keck Disfavors:

• Clinical or translational research (i.e., development of therapeutics)
• Outcome or patient impact framing
• Biomarkers as endpoints
• Engineering for its own sake
• Large mammal studies when they function as clinical or validation trials
• Already funded or derivative work

Important notes:

• Keck seeks to fund basic science that advances fundamental understanding
• Keck funds science, not engineering – unless engineering is essential to answer a scientific question
• Keck funds medical research, not clinical research
• Federal rejection is not required, but Keck fills gaps where federal agencies are too risk adverse.
• Keck does not consider tools, platforms, or methods as the primary idea. Tools, AI, and engineering may be supported only if required to answer a basic scientific question. 

Internal Competition Undergoing Peer Review // Limit: 1 // Tickets Available: 1

Limiting Language
For the 2027 award, one nomination will be invited from each of the participating institutions listed at the bottom of this page.

Program Overview
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.

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.

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 National Advisory Committee gives considerable weight to both the project proposal and the researcher, including evidence that the candidate is a successful independent investigator and has the skill set needed to carry out their high-impact proposal.

Funding from the NIH, other government sources, and project grants from nonprofit associations do not pose a conflict with the Pew scholars program. If you have questions concerning eligibility, please contact Pew Biomedical Programs (scholarsapp@pewtrusts.org) in advance of applying.

Eligibility

• Hold a doctorate in biomedical sciences, medicine, or a related field, including engineering or the physical sciences.
• As of Sept. 3, 2026, run an independent lab and hold a full-time appointment at the rank of assistant professor. (Appointments such as research assistant professor, adjunct assistant professor, assistant professor research track, visiting professor, or instructor are not eligible).
• Current appointments such as research assistant professor, adjunct assistant professor, assistant professor research track, visiting professor, or instructor are not eligible to apply.
• Must not have been appointed as an assistant professor and run an independent lab at any institution prior to June 10, 2023, 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 need an exception on the three-year limit should contact Pew’s program office to ensure that application reviewers are aware an exception has been given.
• May apply to the program a maximum of two times. All applicants must be nominated by their institution and must complete the 2027 online application.
• If applicants have appointments at more than one eligible nominating institution or affiliate, they may not reapply in a subsequent year from a different nominating entity.
• May not be nominated for the Pew Scholars Program and the Pew-Stewart Scholars Program for Cancer Research in the same year.

Limit: 1 // Tickets Available: 0

K. Huntoon (Neurosurgery)

For the V Foundation V Scholar Grant 2025 funding opportunity, the University of Arizona Cancer Center (UACC) can nominate one applicant.

For more information please contact: UACC-PreAward.

Purpose of Award:

The UACC is seeking nominations for the V Scholar Grant call which supports adult cancer research. This award supports tenure-track faculty early in their cancer research career by funding projects that are either laboratory-based fundamental research or translational research. Emphasis for this grant mechanism is on supporting exceptional early career investigators at the Assistant Professor stage to be better positioned to leverage large R01 or similar sustaining grants.

Research on ANY adult cancer type will be funded in this call. 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:

• Nominated by their Cancer Center Director or similar high ranking research official.
• Employed at a non-profit research institution (e.g., 501c3, Section 170).
• Either a US Citizen or a permanent legal resident in the US.
• Possess at least 2 years post-doctoral (MD or PhD) fellowship training. For MDs, a minimum of one year is acceptable if only one year is required for their specialty.
• Clinical scientists are eligible if the research institution demonstrates that it will fully support the research applicant (e.g., dedicated lab space, committed research time, start-up funds).
• Must be in a full-time tenure track or tenured faculty position (for e.g., must be eligible to
  apply for PI status on an R01 at your institution). Non-promotable adjunct, affiliated, temporary, part-time, or acting faculty positions are not eligible for Principal Investigator nomination.
• V Scholar applicants must have been appointed to their first full-time tenure track Assistant Professor position no more than 5 years prior to the nomination due date, and not yet promoted to Associate Professor.
  • Extensions to the 5-year limit may be given on a case-by-case basis to nominees who took parental leave (or other types of leave) during this window. Please contact grants@v.org with the following to obtain approval BEFORE submitting the nomination form:
    • Appointment start date
    • Length of leave
    • Institutional tenure clock stoppages/extensions, if applicable