Potential U.S. Federal Government Shutdown: Research Continuity Guidance

The Research Development team has compiled a list of funding and engagement opportunities intended for new tenure-track faculty and includes 12-month downloadable calendars featuring a selection of recurring research grants geared toward early career faculty.



Learn about federal agency opportunities:

NIH Early Stage Investigator (ESI) Status

NIH defines an Early Stage Investigator (ESI) as a Program Director/Principal Investigator (PD/PI) who has completed their terminal research degree or end of post-graduate clinical training, whichever date is later, within the past 10 years and who has not previously competed successfully as PD/PI for a substantial NIH independent research award. Click here to learn more about NIH ESI Policies.

USDA New Investigator Grants

The Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) is the nation’s leading competitive grants program for the food and agricultural sciences. Within AFRI there are specific opportunities for early career professionals that meet the USDA's eligibility criteria for New Investigators. Starting in FY 2021, there are two types of New Investigator Grants available: Standard Grants and Seed Grants. To learn more about USDA New Investigator grants, click here.

Early career researchers are eligible (and encouraged!) to compete for NSF core grants and special initiatives as well as many other funding mechanisms. The article NSF 101: Funding opportunities for early career researchers describes several of these funding opportunities.

Become a Reviewer:

NIH Center for Scientific Review's (CSR) Early Career Reviewer (ECR) Program

The ECR Program aims to help early-career scientists (Assistant Professor level or equivalent) become more competitive as grant applicants through first-hand experience with peer review and to enrich and diversify the CSR's pool of trained reviewers. Learn more about the CSR Early Career Reviewer Program here.

Serve as an NSF Reviewer

In addition to providing a great service to NSF and the science and engineering community, reviewers benefit from reviewing and serving on panels. For example, reviewers gain first-hand knowledge of the peer review process; learn about common problems with proposals; discover strategies to write strong proposals; and, through serving on a panel, meet colleagues and NSF program officers managing programs related to your interests. To become an NSF reviewer, send an e-mail to the NSF program officer(s) of the program(s) that fits your expertise. Introduce yourself and identify your areas of expertise, and let them know that you are interested in becoming a peer reviewer. It is most helpful if you also attach a 2-page CV with current contact information. Learn more about the NSF Reviewer Program here.

USDA NIFA (National Institute of Food and Agriculture)

NIFA convenes peer review panels comprised of research, education, extension, and other subject matter experts to review competitive grant proposals. Panelist duties include reviewing proposals; drafting and submitting individual ratings and written reviews; and attending and participating in a panel meeting. Peer review panelists are selected based on their expertise, credentials, and NIFA panel needs. For more information, contact the program staff listed in the Request for Applications for the program you are interested in serving on. Learn more about USDA NIFA reviewer opportunities.


 

Email us

Join the CU-RES-ADMIN mailing list to receive funding opportunities and other research-related announcements. 
Contact the Research Development team to learn more about opportunities, proposal assistance, and more.

 

Summaries of Research Funding Opportunities (multiple fields)

Note to PIs: The following summaries are intended for informational purposes and do not replace the sponsor's actual funding opportunity announcement. Always review the sponsor's full announcement to verify program guidelines, requirements, and deadlines. 

The Sloan Research Fellowships seek to stimulate fundamental research by early-career scientists and scholars of outstanding promise. Candidates must hold a Ph.D. (or equivalent) in chemistry, computational or evolutionary molecular biology, computer science, economics, mathematics, neuroscience, ocean sciences, physics, or a related field.

September

Sloan Research Fellowships

$75,000 over 2 years

 

ACGT is the only public charity in the nation exclusively funding cancer cell and gene therapy research. By supporting both discovery and translational research, we stimulate innovation and progress. ACGT awards Clinical Translation grants of $250,000-500,000 over 2-3 years, inclusive of a maximum of 10% indirect costs. Candidates must hold an MD, PhD, or equivalent degree and be a tenure-track or tenured faculty. The investigator must be conducting original research as an independent faculty member.

September

Investigator Award

$350,000 - $500,000 for 2-3 years

The ALS Association Research INVESTIGATOR-INITIATED RESEARCH GRANT PROGRAM supports INNOVATIVE research of high scientific merit and relevance to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Starter Grants are one-year awards for independent investigators entering the field of ALS or senior fellows about to set up independently. Applicants can include pilot studies by experienced investigators of any field or discipline. These applications do not require strong preliminary data but must emphasize innovation, scientific merit, feasibility and relevance to ALS. 

September ALS Investigator-Inititated Research Grant Program $75,000 over 2 years

The AARG aims to fund investigators who are less than 15 years past their doctoral or post-residency (M.D. or D.O.). The purpose of this program is to provide newly independent investigators with funding that will allow them to develop preliminary or pilot data, to test procedures and to develop hypotheses. The intent is to support early-career development that will lay the groundwork for future research grant applications to federal or other funding entities, like the National Institutes of Health, including future proposals to the Alzheimer's Association. 

May Alzheimer's Association Research Grant (AARG) $150,000 over 2 - 3 years
Since 1993, the AACR has awarded more than $460 million in grants to more than 800 scientists for research projects that aim to advance the understanding and treatment of cancer. Our grants support researchers domestically and abroad at every stage of their careers, representing a global commitment to cancer prevention, early detection, interception, and cure. Various Research Funding Varies

RSGs support investigator initiated projects across the cancer research continuum. Independent investigators in the first six years of an independent research career or faculty appointment are eligible to apply. 

April and October Research Scholar Grants (RSG) $165,000 per year up to 4 years

DNI grants provide start-up funding for scientists and engineers in the United States who are within the first three years of their first academic appointment at the level of Assistant Professor or the equivalent. Applicants may have limited or no preliminary results for a research project they wish to pursue, with the intention of using the preliminary results obtained to seek continuation funding from other agencies. DNI grants are to be used to illustrate proof of principle or concept, to test a hypothesis, or to demonstrate feasibility of an approach.

October

Doctoral New Investigator Grants (DNI)

$110,000 over 2 years

The AERA Fellowship Program on the Study of Deeper Learning (AERA-SDL) supports postdoctoral and early career scholars in education research and thereby fosters excellence and rigor in the next generation of faculty members, research scientists, and scholars examining education topics and issues.

March

Fellowship Study of Deeper Learning

$25,000 over 20 months

The Glenn Foundation for Medical Research and AFAR provide this award to junior faculty (MDs and PhDs) to conduct research that will serve as the basis for longer term research efforts on the biology of aging. These investigators study a broad range of biomedical and clinical topics related to aging. The major goal of this program is to assist in the development of the careers of junior investigators committed to pursuing careers in the field of aging research. It supports research projects concerned with understanding the basic mechanisms of aging rather than disease-specific research. 

December

AFAR Research Grants for Junior Faculty 

$100,000 over 1- 2 years

AHA is the largest not-for-profit funding source for cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease research next to the federal government. This award supports highly promising healthcare and academic professionals, in the early years of an awardee’s first professional appointment, to explore innovative questions or pilot studies that will provide preliminary data and training necessary to assure future success as a research scientist. The AHA funds basic, clinical, behavioral, translational and population research, bioengineering/biotechnology and public health problems broadly related to fulfilling our mission to be a relentless force for a world of longer, healthier lives.

December

Career Development Award

$77,000 per year for 3 years

The Liver Scholar Award provides early career scientists with support for their research to bridge the gap between completion of research training and attainment of status as an independent research scientist. The additional research experience provided by this award is intended to enable early career scientists to successfully compete for research awards from national sources, particularly the NIH. Applicants must apply within the first three years of their first faculty appointment.

December

Liver Scholar Award

$225,000 over 3 years

The Catalyst Award is a mentored award meant to support outstanding investigators on the path to independence for research into the mechanisms of lung disease and general lung biology. Preference is given to projects that are novel; innovative in design/approach; utilize modern technologies; and incorporate a multidisciplinary collaborative training plan.

December

Catalyst Award

$50,000 over 2 years

The AMS Centennial Research Fellowship Program make an award annually to an outstanding mathematician to help further their career in research. The primary selection criterion for the Centennial Fellowship is the excellence of the candidate's research. Eligible applicants shall have held their doctoral degree for at least three years and not more than twelve years at the inception of the award. Applications will be accepted from those currently holding a tenured, tenure track, post-doctoral, or comparable position at an institution in North America.

December

AMS Centennial Fellowships

$50,000 

Political Science Fellows have completed a PhD in the last 15 years or will have defended a dissertation in political science by November of the fellowship year. The program is open to scholars in all fields of study within political science who can show a scholarly interest in Congress and the legislative process. U.S. citizenship or permanent residency is required.

December

Congressional Fellowship Program

$52,500 for 9.5 months

Research awards promote the research of academic scientists within the first four years of joining the tenure track or research faculty of a North American University at the time the award is conferred. Applicants may not have previously received an award under this program. Applicants must be members of ASMS.

November

Research Awards

$35,000

AFSP research grants support studies that will increase our understanding of suicide or test treatments and other interventions that save lives. Young Investigator Innovation Grants are awarded to investigators at or below the level of assistant professor. These grants must allocate $10,000 ($5,000 per year) of their award for an established suicide researcher to mentor the Young Investigator. AFSP is available to assist you in identifying a suitable mentor.

November

Young Investigator Innovation Grants

$90,000 over 2 years

The ASHFoundation supports priority research in communication sciences and disorders, which leads to advances in treatment and new developments, such as the use of technology in assessment and intervention. ASHFoundation grants help launch research careers and are often instrumental in securing additional funding from other sources for continued research efforts. This grant is designed to help further new investigators' research activities by funding preliminary studies that could launch larger-scale research studies. Research, while not limited in topic, should be focused to match a one-year scope and should have clinical relevance to audiology and/or speech-language pathology.

March

New Investigators Research Grants

$10,000 

This award is intended to facilitate the development of clinical and research expertise in the field of hemophilia for applicants who have completed medical training and have an interest in pursuing a career as a hemophilia clinician. The award will support a mentored physician for one year, who will be expected to undertake a research project as well as clinical training. The applicant should have earned their medical degree within the previous eight years. The applicant may not have received previous funding from this award category.

Rolling

Fellowship Project Award

$80,000 for 1 year

The Beckman Young Investigator (BYI) Program provides research support to the most promising young faculty members in the early stages of their academic careers in the chemical and life sciences, particularly to foster the invention of methods, instruments and materials that will open up new avenues of research in science.

August

Beckman Young Investigators Program

$600,000 over 4 years

The Start-Up Grant Program is meant to help newly appointed researchers who are beginning their research careers and may not yet have initial results to show for their work. Projects must have a strong element of cooperation between an Israeli and an American scientist(s), and fall within the areas of research supported in that year by the BSF. In addition, at least one of the principal investigators should have attained their Ph.D., M.D. degree or equivalent, no more than ten years prior to submitting the proposal.

November

Start-Up Research Grant

$75,000 per PI over 2 years (cost match required in Year 2)

The goal of the Young Investigator Grants program is to help researchers launch careers in neuroscience and psychiatry and gather pilot data to apply for larger federal and university grants. The program is intended to facilitate innovative research opportunities and supports basic, as well as translational and/or clinical investigators. All research must be relevant to our understanding, treatment and prevention of serious psychiatric disorders such as: schizophrenia; bipolar; mood and anxiety disorders; or early onset brain and behavior disorders.

February

Young Investigator Grants

$125,000 for 2 years

*Limited Submission* The BCA YIG is meant for those at an early stage in their research career to help provide seed funding for the research required to apply for larger, longer term grants, often with the NIH. Clinical doctors and research scientists with a primary focus in breast cancer-and who, following completion of their training, will not have held a faculty position for more than four years at the start date of the grant-are invited to apply. 

February

Young Investigator Grants

$35,000 per year for 2 years

*Limited Submission* The Camille Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Awards Program supports the research and teaching careers of talented young faculty in the chemical sciences. Based on institutional nominations, the program provides discretionary funding to faculty at an early stage in their careers. *Limted Submission*

February

Camille Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Awards Program

$35,000 per year for 2 years

*Limited Submission* The Searle Scholars Program makes grants to selected universities and research centers to support the independent research of exceptional young faculty in the biomedical sciences and chemistry who have recently been appointed as assistant professors on a tenure-track appointment. Applicants 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. 

September

Searle Scholars Program

$300,000 over 3 years

Affinito-Stewart grants support non-tenured Cornell women faculty in completing research already underway or in initiating new research projects that will provide the evidence of scholarship necessary for successful tenure submission.

 

Affinito-Stewart Grants

$1,000-$10,000

Career Development Awards are mentored awards intended to facilitate the development of individuals with research potential to prepare for a career of independent basic and/or clinical investigation in the area of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).

November

Career Development Awards

$90,000 per year for 1 to 3 years

The Damon Runyon-Rachleff Innovation Award is designed to provide support for the next generation of exceptionally creative thinkers with “high-risk/high-reward” ideas that have the potential to significantly impact our understanding of and/or approaches to the prevention, diagnosis or treatment of cancer. The Innovation Award is specifically designed to provide funding to extraordinary early career researchers who have an innovative new idea but lack sufficient preliminary data to obtain traditional funding. It is not designed to fund incremental advances. The research supported by the award must be novel, exceptionally creative and, if successful, have the strong potential for high impact in the cancer field.

July

Innovation Award

$200,000 per year for 2-4 years

The Department of Energy Office of Science Early Career Research Program supports the development of individual research programs of outstanding scientists early in their careers and stimulates research careers in the disciplines supported by the DoE Office of Science. Opportunities exist in the following program areas: Advanced Scientific Computing Research (ASCR); Biological and Environmental Research (BER); Basic Energy Sciences (BES), Fusion Energy Sciences (FES); High Energy Physics (HEP), and Nuclear Physics (NP).

September-November

Early Career Research Program

At least $150,000 per year for 5 years

The purpose of this program is to fund early stage research that will explore new approaches to advance the current scientific knowledge about desmoid tumors, resulting in the development of new treatment options and bringing us closer to our ultimate goal - a cure. The program seeks applications from young investigators (at the rank of Associate Professor or below) who are new to desmoid tumor research and need seed funding to gather preliminary data to enable the applicant to apply for funding to support a more fully developed line of research in the future. 

December

New Investigator Grants

$30,000 per year for a minimum 1 year

The Air Force YIP supports young in career scientists and engineers who have received Ph.D. or equivalent degrees within the last seven years and show exceptional ability and promise for conducting basic research. The program objectives are to foster creative basic research in science and engineering; enhance early career development of outstanding young investigators; and increase opportunities for the young investigator to recognize the Air Force mission and related challenges in science and engineering.

May/July

Young Investigator Program (YIP)

$150,000 per year for 3 years

Army Research Office YIP awards are one of the most prestigious honors bestowed by the Army on outstanding scientists beginning their independent careers. The objective of the YIP is to attract outstanding young university faculty members to pursue fundamental research in areas relevant to the Army, to support their research in these areas, and to encourage their teaching and research careers. Research areas of interest are mechanical sciences, mathematical sciences, electronics, computing science, physics, chemistry, life sciences, materials science, network science, and environmental sciences. Outstanding YIP projects may be considered for a Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE).

Rolling

Young Investigator Research Program (YIP)

$120,000 per year for 3 years

The objective of the DARPA Young Faculty Award (YFA) program is to identify and engage rising stars in junior research positions, emphasizing those without prior DARPA funding, and expose them to DoD needs and DARPA’s program development process. The YFA program provides funding, mentoring and industry and DoD contacts to awardees early in their careers so they may develop their research ideas in the context of national security needs.

September/November

Young Faculty Award (YFA)

$500,000 for 24-month base period and up to $500,000 in additional 12-month optional period

The Office of Naval Research YIP seeks to identify and support academic scientists and engineers who are in their first or second full-time tenure-track or tenure-track-equivalent academic appointment, and who show exceptional promise for doing creative research. The program objectives are to attract outstanding faculty members of Institutions of Higher Education to the Department of the Navy's Science and Technology (S&T) research program, to support their research, and to encourage their teaching and research careers.

August

Young Investigator Program (YIP)

$510,000 over 3 years

The awards are among the nation's oldest and most illustrious fellowships for young investigators in neuroscience research. Aimed at advancing cutting-edge investigations, the awards are presented to highly promising, early career scientists. At this critical juncture in young investigators’ careers, when funding can be a challenge, the fellowship awards promote higher-risk, and potentially higher-reward, projects. The candidate must be an independent investigator at a university, medical center or research institute and be within 4 years of completing postdoctoral training and the start of their tenure track or equivalent appointment.

February 

Klingenstein-Simons Fellowship Awards in the Neurosciences

$225,000 for 3 years

The Young Scholars Program (YSP) supports scholarship for early career researchers. The program funds implementation research that is policy and practice-relevant and that examines the preparation, competency, compensation, well-being, and on-going professional learning of the early care and education workforce. Scholars will become part of a growing network of the next generation of researchers whose work has the potential to strengthen the ECE workforce and improve the quality of services provided to young children and their families.

June 

Young Scholars Program

$225,000 for 2-3 years

The purpose of the Young Investigator Grant for Probiotics Research (YIGPRO) is to contribute to the advancement of probiotics and gastrointestinal microbiota research in the United States for human health applications. This program seeks to support the best science that addresses the grant objectives. Attempts will be made to support young investigators who do not yet have independent funding (such as NIH R series awards that are likely to progress to RO1 research awards). Young investigators who are senior fellows with a committed faculty appointment, or early faculty members within a maximum of 5 consecutive years of their first faculty appointment are eligible. Applicants must be interested in understanding the health benefits of probiotics or microbiota and the relationship between probiotics, gastrointestinal microbiota and the body.

February

Young Investigator Grant

$50,000

Grass Fellowships at the Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL) in Woods Hole, Massachusetts, USA, support investigator-designed, independent research projects by scientists early in their career. Supported approaches include neurophysiology, biophysics, integrative neurobiology, neuroethology, neuroanatomy, neuropharmacology, systems neuroscience, cellular and developmental neurobiology, and computational approaches to neural systems. The Foundation also has a longstanding interest in epilepsy-related research. Early investigators (late stage predoctoral trainees and beyond) are eligible to apply. 

December

Grass Fellowship

Varies

*Limited Submission* The Greenwall Faculty Scholars Program in Bioethics is a career development award to enable junior faculty members to carry out innovative bioethics research. Priority will be given to applicants who have not yet been considered for tenure, who have not received a comparable career development award, and whose work will have an impact on public policy, biomedical research, or clinical practice.

September 

Greenwall Faculty Scholars Program

 

See Guidelines

 

The purpose of this award is to bring new, creative investigators into active research on the health effects of air pollution. It provides three years of funding for a small project relevant to HEI’s research interests to a new investigator with outstanding promise at the Assistant Professor or equivalent level. At the time of application the candidate should have two to seven years of research experience after obtaining the highest degree and must be at the Assistant Professor level or equivalent at an academic or research institution.

April 

Rosenblith New Investigator Award

 

Up to $500,000 for 3 years

The Hanna H. Gray Fellows  Program supports early career life scientists in academic labs across the U.S., and seeks to increase diversity in the biomedical research community by recruitment and retention of individuals from groups underrepresented in the life sciences. Fellows will receive funding through their academic institution for postdoctoral training and may continue to receive funding during their early career years as independent faculty.

January 

Hanna H. Gray Fellows Program

$70,000 for 2-4 years in postdoc phase; $250,000 for 4 years in faculty phase

The Freeman Hrabowski Scholars Program aims to support creative and innovative early career faculty conducting research in basic biomedical science disciplines, as well as plant biology, evolutionary biology, biophysics, chemical biology, biomedical engineering, and computational biology. outstanding basic researchers, including physician-scientists, who have strong potential to become leaders in their fields and to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion through their mentorship and understanding of the experiences of trainees from races and ethnicities underrepresented in US science. Scholars will prioritize scientific excellence in their own research while creating an equitable and inclusive lab climate that values diversity and serves as a model within their own institutions and beyond.

September

Freeman Hrabowski Scholars Program

5-year appointment with option to renew. Full salary and benefits, $2M research budget over first 5 years. Eligible for HHMI capital equipment program.

This award provides funding for outstanding research in vaccine development, either through clinical or laboratory investigation. The candidate must have a demonstrated commitment to vaccinology as a career, and must be conducting research or working in a recognized and accredited US institution of higher learning or in a government agency. Candidates for Young Investigator Awards must have a medical or equivalent doctoral level degree, and should have completed an accredited infectious diseases fellowship within the last four years.

July

Pfizer Young Investigator Award in Vaccine Development

$60,000 over 2 years

The primary purpose of the Career Development Award is to attract qualified and promising scientists early in their faculty careers and to give them the opportunity to establish themselves in areas that reflect the JDRF research emphasis areas.  Awardees will focus their research efforts on a subject directly related to JDRF mission goals and research priorities, and position themselves to work at the leading edge of type 1 diabetes research. These awards are designed to assist exceptionally promising investigators. Although JDRF is especially interested in fostering careers in clinical investigation, Career Development Awards may emphasize either basic or clinical topics.

January

Career Development Award

$150,000 per year for 5 years

LLS offers career development awards to postdoctoral fellows and instructors, as well as early-career independent investigators, engaging in basic, clinical, or translational research to help understand and treat hematologic malignancies and relevant premalignant condicitons. The Scholar award supports rising stars in the blood cancer research field. Candidates must be highly qualified investigators who have shown a capacity for independent, sustained, original investigation in the field of hematologic malignancies. They should hold an independent faculty-level position and should have obtained substantial support for their research from a national agency.

September

Scholar Award

$120,000 per year for 5 years

The Leukemia Research Foundation exclusively funds New Investigators - individuals beginning to establish their own laboratories that are no longer under the tutelage of a senior scientist mentor. The Foundation is unique in the level of support it provides to highly promising scientists in this absolutely critical research niche and allows innovative scientists to act on their ideas, and try new procedures and experiments that will hopefully lead to significant breakthroughs.

February

Hollis Brownstein Research Grants Program

$100,000 for 1 year

Basil O’Connor Starter Scholar Research Awards (BOC) support young physicians/scientists committed to the mission of the March of Dimes. The BOC is intended to be an early career grant to young investigators who are just embarking on an independent research career. Impactful research that will advance our translational understanding of, or lead to improved clinical treatment of any serious medical conditions that afflict mothers during pregnancies or newborns within the first year of life is invited. Applications focused on preterm birth and birth defects are prioritized. All applications are mandated to have a direct link to clinical translation. The eventual goal to cure or greatly mitigate conditions that adversely impact the health of pregnant women and newborns is required.

July

Basil O’Connor Starter Scholar Research Awards

$150,000 for 2 year

The Early Investigator Grant Program provides financial support for early investigators studying any or all disciplines involved in Marfan syndrome, Ehlers Danlos syndrome, Loeys Dietz syndrome and other related disorders. Grants are awarded for basic or clinical research. Applicants must have less than seven years experience in a faculty position and have never received an NIH R-01 grant award. 

February 

Early Investigator Grant Program

$37,500 per year for 2 years

The McKnight Scholar Awards encourage neuroscientists in the early stages of their careers to focus on disorders of learning and memory. The awards support young scientists who hold an M.D. and/or Ph.D. degree, have completed formal postdoctoral training, and demonstrate a commitment to neuroscience. The Endowment Fund especially seeks applicants working on problems that, if solved at the basic level, would have immediate and significant impact on clinically relevant issues.

May 

Scholar Award

$75,000 per year for 3 years

METAvivor funds research that specifically addresses the mechanistic understanding, diagnosis, and/or treatment of metastatic breast cancer. Investigators must have a clinical doctoral degree or doctoral degree, be within 10 years of their degree award date and within 6 years of starting their first non-tenured position (if started), and be actively engaged in areas of metastatic breast cancer research and treatment.

February/March

Early Career Investigator Award

$100,000 over 2 years

The Michelson Prizes are scientific awards of $150,000 given annually to young investigators who are applying disruptive research concepts and inventive processes to advance vaccine and immunotherapy research for major global diseases. The program is open to early-career researchers under 35 at the time of application. The Michelson Prizes are intended to draw young investigators from a wide range of disciplines, including computer science, artificial intelligence/machine learning, protein engineering, nanotechnology, genomics, parasitology and tropical medicine, neurodegenerative diseases, gene editing and others. Applications from the full spectrum of scientific disciplines related to immunology, vaccine, and immunotherapy research are encouraged.

October 

Michelson Prizes for Vaccine Research

$150,000

The Fellows Award supports the best and brightest early career scientists who are asking challenging questions that will contribute to transformative advances in mental health research. MQ seeks to fund a diverse research portfolio that reflects a bio-psycho-social approach to mental health. Research may involve theoretical, experimental, social sciences or medical humanities approaches. 

April

Fellows Award

$75,000 per year for 3 years

The New (Early Career) Investigator Program (NIP) in Earth Science is designed to support outstanding scientific research and career development of scientists and engineers at the early stage of their professional careers. The program aims to encourage innovative research initiatives and cultivate scientific leadership in Earth system science. The Earth Science Division (ESD) places particular emphasis on the investigators' ability to promote and increase the use of space-based remote sensing through the proposed research. The NIP supports all aspects of scientific and technological research aimed to advance
NASA’s mission in Earth system science. 

Varies; offered every 3 years

New Investigator Program in Earth Science

$80,000-$90,000 per year for 3 years

Through the Early Career Faculty (ECF) solicitation, NASA’s Space Technology Research Grants program awards grants to accredited U.S. universities on behalf of outstanding faculty researchers early in their careers. The grants sponsor research in specific high-priority areas of interest to America's space program. Only accredited U.S. universities are eligible to submit proposals on behalf of their outstanding new faculty members who intend to develop academic careers related to space technology.

February

Early Career Faculty

$200,000 per year for up to 3 years

The goals of the Nancy Grace Roman Technology Fellowship in Astrophysics (typically referred to as the Roman Technology Fellowship) program are to give early career researchers the opportunity to develop the skills necessary to lead astrophysics flight instrumentation development projects and become principal investigators (PIs) of future astrophysics missions; to develop innovative technologies that have the potential to enable major scientific breakthroughs; and to foster new talent by putting early-career instrument builders on a trajectory towards long-term positions. Note: The RTF is a 2-phased process; see solicitation.

Varies; offered every 2 years

Roman Technology Fellowship (RTF)

$300,000 over 3 years

The Young Investigator Award was created to encourage young clinical and scientific investigators to pursue a career in the field of ataxia research. Applications for any form of ataxia, including the SCAs, are accepted for this award. Candidates must have attained an MD or PhD degree, and have an appointment as a junior faculty member, senior post-doc, or clinical fellow. Individuals at the Associate Professor level are not eligible. Clinicians must have finished their residency no more than five (5) years prior to applying. 

September

Young Investigator Award

$50,000 for 1 year

As part of its overarching goals of stopping MS progression, restoring function, and ending MS forever, the National MS Society offers a limited number of Harry Weaver awards to highly qualified candidates who have concluded their research training and begun academic careers as independent investigators in an area related to multiple sclerosis. The awards are designed to provide salary and grant support for a five year period, thus permitting the awardee to establish competence in his/her chosen research area. Application must be made jointly by a candidate and the institution in which an appointment is held.

August

Harry Weaver Neuroscience Scholar Awards

See guidelines

The Genetics or Epigenetics of Substance Use Disorders Avenir Award program supports early stage investigators proposing highly innovative studies that open new areas of research for the genetics or epigenetics of addiction. These may be novel methods or approaches that can potentially be applied to the analysis of the genetics or epigenetics of addiction. Investigators outside the field of addiction interested in applying their novel approaches to the genetics or epigenetics of addiction are encouraged to apply. The award will support those in an early stage of their career who may lack the preliminary data required for an R01 grant, but who propose high impact research and who show promise of being tomorrow's leaders in the field of genetics or epigenetics of substance use disorders.

October

Avenir Award Program for Genetics or Epigenetics of Substance Use Disorders (DP1)

$300,000 per year for 5 years

The National Institute on Aging is pursuing this initiative to recruit talented new investigators who have begun to establish research programs and through this award will be ready to assume leadership roles in their field of expertise and well poised to change theory, practice and health outcomes related to the health of older individuals. Unlike other mentored K awards candidates for this award must have received competitively awarded research support as a PD/PI at the faculty level and have had prior leadership responsibilities in the clinical or research domain.

January

The Paul B. Beeson Emerging Leaders Career Development Award in Aging (K76)

$225,000 per year for 5 years

The NIH Director’s New Innovator Award Program supports early stage investigators of exceptional creativity who propose highly innovative research projects with the potential to produce a major impact on broad, important areas relevant to the mission of NIH. Applications are sought which reflect the full diversity of the research workforce. Individuals from diverse backgrounds and from the full spectrum of eligible institutions in all geographic locations are strongly encouraged to apply. Applications in all topics relevant to the broad mission of NIH are welcome, including, but not limited to, topics in the behavioral, social, biomedical, applied, and formal sciences and topics that may involve basic, translational, or clinical research. 

August

NIH Director's New Innovator Award Program (DP2)

$300,000 per year for 5 years

*Limited Submission* The NIH Director's Early Independence Award supports exceptional junior investigators who wish to pursue independent research soon after completion of their terminal doctoral degree or post-graduate clinical training, thereby forgoing the traditional post-doctoral training period and accelerating their entry into an independent research career. Applications are sought which reflect the full diversity of the research workforce. Individuals from diverse backgrounds and from the full spectrum of eligible institutions in all geographic locations are strongly encouraged to apply. In addition, applications in all topics relevant to the broad mission of NIH are welcome, including, but not limited to, topics in the behavioral, social, biomedical, applied, and formal sciences and topics that may involve basic, translational, or clinical research. 

August

NIH Director's Early Independence Awards (DP5)

$250,000 per year for 5 years

The NIH Pathway to Independence Award provides an opportunity for promising postdoctoral scientists to receive both mentored and independent research support from the same award. The award provides up to 5 years of support consisting of two phases. The initial, or mentored phase (K99) provides 1-2 years of mentored support to promising postdoctoral research scientists. The K99 phase is followed by up to 3 years of independent support (R00) contingent on the scientist securing an independent research position. Award recipients are expected to compete successfully for independent NIH Research Project Grant support (e.g., R01 or R35 MIRA for early stage investigators) during the career transition award (R00) period. The Pathway to Independence Award is limited to postdoctoral trainees who propose research relevant to the mission of one or more of the participating NIH institutes and centers.

Standard NIH Due Dates

NIH Pathway to Independence Award (Parent K99/R00)

See guidelines

NIGMS supports basic research that increases our understanding of biological processes and lays the foundation for advances in disease diagnosis, treatment, and prevention. The MIRA provides support for the research in an early stage investigator's laboratory that falls within the mission of NIGMS. The goal of MIRA is to increase the efficiency of NIGMS funding by providing investigators with greater stability and flexibility, thereby enhancing scientific productivity and the chances for important breakthroughs. The program will also help distribute funding more widely among the nation's highly talented and promising investigators. MIRA grants will generally be for 5 years, for both established investigators and early stage investigators. 

October

Maximizing Investigators' Research Award (MIRA) for Early Stage Investigators (R35)

$250,000 per year for 5 years

The Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Program is a Foundation-wide activity that offers the National Science Foundation's most prestigious awards in support of early-career faculty who have the potential to serve as academic role models in research and education and to lead advances in the mission of their department or organization. Activities pursued by early-career faculty should build a firm foundation for a lifetime of leadership in integrating education and research. NSF encourages submission of CAREER proposals from early-career faculty at all CAREER-eligible organizations and especially encourages women, members of underrepresented minority groups, and persons with disabilities to apply.

July

CAREER

Minimum $400,000 for 5 years; some Directorates minimum $500,000 - see solicitation

The NSF Directorate for Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CISE) seeks to award grants intended to support research independence among early-career academicians who specifically lack access to adequate organizational or other resources. Funds obtained through this program will be used to support untenured faculty or research scientists (or equivalent) in their first three years in a primary academic position after the PhD, but not more than five years after completion of their PhD. The CRII program is part of CISE's strategy to increase its investments in the development and growth of the research capabilities of future generations of computer and information scientists and engineers, including computational and data scientists and engineers. The CRII program seeks to provide essential resources to enable early-career PIs to launch their research careers. For the purposes of this program, CISE defines “essential resources” as those that (a) the PI does not otherwise have, including through organizational or other funding; and (b) are critical for the PI to conduct early-career research that will enable research independence. 

November 2020, then annually in September beginning in 2021

Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CISE) Research Initiation Initiative (CRII)

$175,000 for 2 years

The annual award recognizes an outstanding young researcher in any field of science or engineering supported by the National Science Foundation. In addition to a medal, the awardee receives a grant of $1,000,000 over a five year period for scientific research or advanced study in the mathematical, physical, biological, engineering, social, or other sciences at the institution of the recipient's choice. A candidate should have demonstrated exceptional individual achievement in scientific or engineering research of sufficient quality, originality, innovation, and significant impact on the field so as to situate them as a leader among peers. 

October

Alan T. Waterman Award

$1,000,000 over 5 years

The PGRP supports genome-scale research that addresses challenging questions of biological, societal and economic importance. PGRP encourages the development of innovative tools, technologies and resources that empower a broad plant research community to answer scientific questions on a genome-wide scale. Emphasis is placed on the scale and depth of the question being addressed and the creativity of the approach.  Data produced by plant genomics should be usable, accessible, integrated across scales and of high impact across biology. Training, broadening participation, and career development are essential to scientific progress and should be integrated in all PGRP-funded projects. 

Rolling

Plant Genome Research Program (PGRP)

Maximum budget of $5M over 5 years

NYSCF is soliciting applications from early career investigators for Innovator awards in neuroscience. The goal of this initiative is to foster truly bold, innovative scientists with the potential to transform the field of neuroscience. Applicants are encouraged in all areas of neuroscience, and NYSCF is committed to supporting the field as broadly as possible through these awards. Applicants need not be working in areas related to stem cells or related areas. Candidates must be within 5 years of starting a faculty (professorship) or comparable position.

February

Neuroscience Investigator Award

$1.5M over 5 years

NYSCF is soliciting applications from early career investigators for Innovator Awards to be used for exploring the basic biology and translational potential of stem cells. The goal of this initiative is to foster bold and innovative scientists with the potential to transform the field of stem cell research, and advance understanding and use of stem cells in the development of treatments for human disease. In addition to providing funding, NYSCF partners with investigators to advance and translate their research.  Candidates must be within 5 years of starting a faculty (professorship) or comparable position.

February

Stem Cell Investigator Awards

$1.5M over 5 years

*Limited Submission* The Program provides support for highly creative researchers early in their careers. Candidates must be faculty members in the first three years of their faculty careers. 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. Candidates must be engaged in research in the natural sciences or engineering. 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. 

March

Packard Fellowships for Science and Engineering

$875,000 over 5 years

The Pershing Square Sohn Prize for Young Investigators in Cancer Research provides New York area-based early career scientists the freedom to take risks and pursue their boldest research at a stage when traditional funding is lacking. PSSCRA is dedicated to accelerating cures for cancer by advancing the pursuit of innovative cancer research and by facilitating collaborations between the science and business communities. PSSCRA seeks to guide philanthropic funds to feed critical scientific discoveries, attracting like-minded investors to the cause of fighting cancer and creating a pipeline for early-stage biomedical investments.

October

Prize for Young Investigators

$200,000 per year for up to 3 years

*Limited Submission* The Pew Biomedical Scholars Program supports young investigators of outstanding promise in basic and clinical sciences relevant to human health. Strong proposals will demonstrate particularly creative and innovative approaches. Candidates whose work is based on biomedical principles, but brings 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. 

May

Biomedical Scholars Program

$300,000 over 4 years

The Research Start Grant aims to assist individuals beginning independent research careers in health outcomes at the faculty level. Applicants attending U.S. schools of medicine, pharmacy, public health, nursing, and dentistry are eligible for this award. Those holding academic rank of instructor or assistant professor, and investigators at the doctoral level with equivalent positions, are eligible to apply, provided the proposed research is neither directly nor indirectly subsidized to any significant degree by an extramural support mechanism.

February

Research Starter Grant in Health Outcomes Research

$100,000 for 1 year

The I.M. Rosenzweig Junior Investigator Award was established to encourage researchers to maintain and enhance their interest in PF research during the early stages of their academic career. Researchers who have completed their formal training within the past five years are eligible for this award. 

November

I.M. Rosenzweig Junior Investigator Awards

$50,000 over 2 years

The Cottrell Scholar (CS) program champions the very best early career teacher-scholars in chemistry, physics, and astronomy by providing significant discretionary awards for research. As Scholars progress in their academic careers, the CS program supports them with a number of competitive Cottrell Plus awards. Post-tenure Cottrell Scholars may compete for the prestigious Cottrell FRED Award supporting early stage, potentially transformative research.

July

Cottrell Scholars

$100,000 over 3 years

*Limited Submission* The Scleroderma Foundation seeks applications from promising new investigators who hold faculty or equivalent positions and who wish to pursue a career in research related to scleroderma. This grant supports promising research that is likely to lead to individual research project grants. Applicants must have a doctoral degree in Medicine, Osteopathy, Veterinary Medicine or one of the sciences; and must have completed a postdoctoral fellowship by the grant award date. Applicants who have been a principal investigator on grants from the Scleroderma Foundation or other national, private or government agencies other than fellowship grants are not eligible for this award.

September

New Investigator Grant

$50,000 per year for 3 years

New investigator research grants are meant to stimulate younger members into a career of investigation in spinal deformity. Open to SRS Candidate Fellows or investigators who have not previously received an SRS Standard Grant, ORS, OREF, USA Federal grant (or OUS equivalent) and have completed 10 years or less of practice or at the committee’s discretion. Applicants do not need to be members of the SRS but do need to have at least one SRS member as a co-investigator. Preliminary data is not required nor is it expected.

March

New Investigator Grant

$30,000 for up to 2 years

Applicants must hold a doctoral degree in a discipline which can be brought to bear on the intractable disease, brain cancer. At the time of application, applicants must hold their first independent full-time faculty appointment at the level of assistant professor, independent researcher or equivalent position at a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) academic, research or medical institution within the United States or an equivalent institution in Canada.

March

Distinguished Scientist Awards

$600,000 over 4 years

External fellowships are intended primarily for individuals currently teaching in or affiliated with an academic institution, but independent scholars may apply. Faculty fellowships are awarded across the spectrum of academic ranks (assistant, associate, and full professor) and a goal of the selection process is to create a diverse community of scholars. Research projects must be in the humanities; creative arts projects are not eligible. The Center is open to projects employing information technology in humanities research.

October

Fellowships

$110,000 for 1 year

CCR Grants provide unique opportunities for scientists who have held faculty positions for no more than eight years by the Application due date. CCR Grants provide support for hypothesis-driven research projects that have significant potential to advance our understanding of breast cancer, lead to reductions in breast cancer incidence and/or mortality, and move us toward the goal of a world without breast cancer.

July

Career Catalyst Research Grants (CCR)

$150,000 per year for up to 3 years

The Grants-in-Aid program is designed for researchers at the assistant professor level who experience difficulty in competing for research funds because they have not yet become firmly established. Grants-in-Aid can also be made to senior scientists. All applications will be judged on the scientific merit and innovative aspects of the proposal, as well as on past performance and evidence of the applicant’s continued productivity.

January, April, October

Grants-in-Aid

$30,000 for 1 year

*Limited Submission* The William T. Grant Scholars Program supports career development for promising early-career researchers. The program funds five-year research and mentoring plans that significantly expand researchers’ expertise in new disciplines, methods, and content areas. Applicants should have a track record of conducting high quality research and an interest in pursuing a significant shift in their trajectories as researchers. This award includes a mentoring component, as well as a supportive academic community. Proposed research plans must address questions that are relevant to policy and practice in the Foundation’s focus areas.

July

William T. Grant Scholar's Program

$350,000 over 5 years

Beginning in FY2021, NIFA will offer two types of New Investigator Grants: Standard Grants and Seed Grants. To qualify for the program, applicants must meet prescribed criteria as a New Investigator. An individual who is beginning their career, does not have an extensive scientific publication record, and has fewer than five years postgraduate career-track experience can apply for a New Investigator Grant for research, education and/or extension activities.

  • New Investigator Standard Grant: an AFRI Standard Grant in all respects except that the PD meets the eligibility criteria for New Investigators.
  • New Investigator Seed Grant: available under each program area priority within NIFA. Applications from New Investigators will be reviewed with other Seed Grant applications, with special consideration given to funding New Investigator Seed Grant applications. AFRI Seed Grants provide funds to help investigators collect preliminary data through either domestic or international collaborations or to complete other preliminary activities to prepare for applying for future AFRI grants. They are not intended to fund stand-alone projects, but rather projects that will lead to further research in one of the AFRI-funded priority areas. 

Go to USDA-AFRI website for deadlines

USDA NIFA New Investigator Grants

Standard Grants: varies. Seed Grants: up to $300,000 total costs for up to 2 years