Limited Submission Funding Announcements
These are research funding opportunities where there is a limit to the number of applications that can be submitted. Faculty interested in applying are asked to provide a preliminary proposal for an internal selection committee. Please see below the current available funding opportunities and their internal submission deadlines.
Pew Biomedical Scholars Program │ April 15
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 evidence that the candidate is a successful independent investigator and has published significant work.
FUNDING INFORMATION: $300,000 over four years; not more than 8% ($24,000) of the total award value may be allocated for facilities and administration (F&A) charges or indirect costs (IDCs).
ELIGIBILITY RESTRICTIONS: Candidates must meet all of the following eligibility requirements:
- Hold a doctorate in biomedical sciences, medicine, or a related field, including engineering or the physical sciences.
- As of Sept. 5, 2024, 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).
- Must not have been appointed as an assistant professor at any institution prior to June 10, 2020, 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 four-year limit. Candidates who need an exception on the four-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 2025 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.
INTERNAL SELECTION PROCESS: Interested BUMC faculty should submit the following materials listed below via InforReady Review by April 15, 2024. If you are a BMC investigator and wish to apply for this opportunity, please contact Jess Howard, associate director of Foundation Relations and Government Grants at Jessica.Howard@bmc.org by Feb. 9, 2024.
- Questions outlined in InfoReady Review application;
- A brief statement (up to 2 pages) by the candidate describing their scientific achievements and the proposed project;
- Up-to-date CV or biosketch;
- A brief budget overview for the proposed project.
A faculty committee drawn from both campuses will review the internal proposals and select nominees. Foundation Relations will work with the nominees to develop and submit the institutional nomination letter and applicant materials by May 15, 2024. Once selected, the nominee will have an option of participating in an internal mock review that will include past recipients of this award.
DEADLINES: Internal Materials Due: Monday, April 15, 2023 ⃒ Sponsor Deadline for nominations: Wednesday, May 15, 2024 ⃒ Applications submission deadline: Sept. 5, 2024
In requesting to be considered for this limited submission funding opportunity, you are making a commitment, if selected, to submit your proposal to the sponsor in a timely manner and to Sponsored Programs in accordance with the Proposal Submission Policy.
Pew-Stewart Scholars for Cancer Research │ April 22
FUNDING INFORMATION: $300,000 in flexible support, $75,000 per year for a four-year period.
ELIGIBILITY RESTRICTIONS: Candidates must meet all of the following eligibility requirements:
- Hold a doctorate in biomedical sciences, medicine, or a related field, including engineering or the physical sciences.
- As of Aug. 28, 2024, 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.)
- Must not have been appointed as an assistant professor at any institution prior to June 10, 2020, 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 four-year limit. Candidates who need an exception on the four-year limit should contact Pew’s program office to ensure that application reviewers are aware an exception has been given.
- May not be nominated for the Pew Scholars Program and the Pew-Stewart Scholars Program for Cancer Research in the same year.
- Based on their performance during their education and training, candidates should demonstrate outstanding promise as contributors in science relevant to the field of cancer. This program does not fund clinical trials research. 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.
- It is expected that Pew-Stewart scholars will spend at least 80% 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). However, Pew provides flexible support to the general research aims of the Pew-Stewart scholar and does not require effort reporting.
For more information about eligibility please read the eligibility page.
INTERNAL SELECTION PROCESS: Only BU faculty interested should submit the following materials listed below combined into a single pdf to Diana Lehman at dlehman@bu.edu by Monday, April 22.
- Letter of recommendation from the appropriate Department Chair or Dean
- One-page summary of proposed project
- CV should be in the current NIH biosketch format
A medical campus faculty committee will review internal proposals and select nominees.
DEADLINES: Internal Deadline: Monday, April 22│Nomination Deadline: Wed., May 15.
After the Pew program office has received the nomination from the University, application information will be emailed directly to the selected applicant on or around June 10, 2024. The online application website will open on June 12, and the submission deadline is Aug. 28, 2024.
In requesting to be considered for this limited submission funding opportunity, you are making a commitment, if selected, to submit your proposal to the sponsor in a timely manner and to Sponsored Programs in accordance with the Proposal Submission Policy.
NIH-Director's Early Independence Award │ April 24
FUNDING INFORMATION: $250,000 in direct costs per year for five years, plus applicable Facilities and Administrative (F&A) costs.
ELIGIBILITY RESTRICTIONS: Only up to two applications per institution are allowed. The receipt date of the terminal doctoral degree or end of post-graduate clinical training of the PD/PI must be between May 1, 2023, and September 30, 2025. The degree receipt date is that which appears on the official transcript for the degree. The end of post-graduate clinical training includes residency and fellowship periods. The PD/PI must not have served as a post-doctoral fellow for more than 12 months following a previous, non-terminal doctoral degree (i.e., a post-doctoral fellowship served before June 1, 2022).
The investigator must have received a PhD, MD, DO, DC, DDS, DVM, OD, DPM, ScD, EngD, DrPH, DNSc, ND (Doctor of Naturopathy), PharmD, DSW, PsyD, or equivalent doctoral degree.
Please read the full announcement at this link for further eligibility details.
INTERNAL SELECTION PROCESS: Interested BUMC investigators should submit the following materials listed below via InfoReady Review by Wednesday, April 24, 2024. If you are a BMC investigator and wish to apply for this opportunity, please contact Jess Howard, associate director of Foundation Relations and Government Grants at Jessica.Howard@bmc.org by Wednesday, April 3, 2024.
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- Questions outlined in InfoReady Review application;
- A letter of recommendation from the appropriate department chair or research mentor;
- A brief statement (up to 2 pages) by the candidate outlining early scientific achievements (if applicable) and the proposed project including a rationale for omitting/abbreviating the typical post-doctoral training period;
- A brief budget outline for the proposed research;
A faculty committee drawn from both campuses will review the internal proposals and select the nominees.
DEADLINES: Internal Materials Due: Wednesday, April 24, 2024 | Sponsor Deadline: Friday, Sept. 6, 2024
In requesting to be considered for this limited submission funding opportunity, you are making a commitment, if selected, to submit your proposal to the sponsor in a timely manner and to Sponsored Programs in accordance with the Proposal Submission Policy.
Brain Research Foundation-Scientific Innovations Award │ April 29
The Brain Research Foundation Scientific Innovations Award (SIA) program 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 funding as well as significant publications in high impact journals.
FUNDING INFORMATION: $150,000 (direct costs) for a two-year grant period. The first grant payment of $75,000 will be made upon completion of the SIA Acceptance Form. The final payment of $75,000 will be made contingent upon receipt of a Preliminary Progress and Financial Report. Funds must be utilized within the grant period.
ELIGIBILITY RESTRICTIONS: To be eligible, the nominee must be a full-time associate professor/full professor working in the area of neuroscience and brain function in health and disease. Current major NIH or other peer-reviewed funding is preferred but evidence of such funding in the past three years is essential.
INTERNAL SELECTION PROCESS: Interested BUMC faculty should submit the following materials listed below via InfoReady Review by Monday, April 29, 2024. If you are a BMC investigator and wish to apply for this opportunity, please contact Jess Howard, associate director of Foundation Relations and Government Grants at Jessica.Howard@bmc.org by Wed., April 11, 2024.
- Questions outlined in InfoReady Review application;
- A brief statement (up to 2 pages) by the candidate describing their scientific achievements and proposed project including mention of relevant NIH/peer-reviewed funding;
- A brief budget outline for the proposed research;
- Up-to-date CV or biosketch.
A faculty committee drawn from both campuses will review the internal proposals and select nominees. Foundation Relations will work with the nominees to develop and submit the institutional nomination letter and applicant materials by Tuesday, June 25, 2024.
DEADLINES: Internal Materials Due: Monday, April 29, 2024 |Sponsor Deadline for Letter of Intent: Tuesday, June 25, 2024 |Sponsor’s Deadline for Full Application: Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2024
NIH-Diagnostic Centers of Excellence Program│ April 29
The purpose of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Diagnostic Centers of Excellence (X01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) funding program is to solicit proposals from highly qualified clinical sites in the US to join the Network through an X01 Resource Access Program award. Accepted sites will be designated as a “Diagnostic Center of Excellence (DCoE)” and will be responsible for generating participant clinical, phenotypic and sequencing data to be submitted to the Data Management Coordinating Center (DMCC) through a Data Use Agreement with the Center. The X01 award recipients will have access to DMCC resources and infrastructure including access to high-quality phenotypic and genotypic data and collaboration with highly skilled physicians, researchers, and bioinformaticians. Using team science, DCoEs will be able to collaborate with Network members to implement strategies that will expand equity and access to health disparity populations and increase the discovery of new disease-associated genes and genomic variants, immunologic and metabolic abnormalities, as well as environmental insults that are causative in previously undiagnosed patients. DCoEs will be invited to submit their most challenging, unsolved cases for acceptance into the Network, and partner in their evaluation with the Network’s virtual case review committee(s), which will be coordinated by the DMCC.
FUNDING INFORMATION: The DMCC will provide at least $500,000 Direct Costs (DC) in year 1 and $1M DC per year in years 2-5 to support Network research activities.
INTERNAL SELECTION PROCESS: BUMC interested investigators should submit the following materials listed below combined into a single pdf file to Diana Lehman at dlehman@bu.edu by Monday, April 29, 2024. If you are a BMC investigator and wish to apply for this opportunity, please contact Jess Howard, associate director of foundation relations and government grants at Jessica.Howard@bmc.org by Thursday, April 18, 2024.
- Two-page summary of your proposed research activity
- A letter of support from the departmental chair
- Up-to-date CV or NIH biosketch
A medical campus faculty committee will review the internal proposals and select the nominees.
DEADLINES: Internal Materials Due: April 29, 2024 | NIH Deadline: May 15, 2024
2024 Keck Foundation Research Program │ May 15
The W. M. Keck Research Program seeks to benefit humanity by supporting medical research and science & engineering projects that are distinctive and novel in their approach, question the prevailing paradigm, or have the potential to break open new territory in their field. View abstracts from recent successful proposals.
Past grants have supported pioneering biological and physical science research and engineering, including the development of promising new technologies, instrumentation and methodologies.
FUNDING INFORMATION: Requests can be $1-1.5M over three years, but larger grants will require stronger justification from applicants
ELIGIBILITY RESTRICTIONS: BU may submit one Phase I application per grant cycle to each of the applicable grant areas: medical research and science & engineering research.
Funding is awarded to universities and institutions nationwide for projects that:
- Focus on important and emerging areas of research;
- Have the potential to develop breakthrough technologies, instrumentation or methodologies;
- Are innovative, distinctive and interdisciplinary;
- Demonstrate a high level of risk due to unconventional approaches, or by challenging the prevailing paradigm;
- Have the potential for transformative impact, such as the founding of a new field of research, the enabling of observations not previously possible, or the altered perception of a previously intractable problem;
- Fall outside the mission of public funding agencies;
- Have been recently denied funding by a federal funding agency expressly because the project was judged too high risk or early stage. The foundation prefers to see the rejection in writing.
- Keck does not fund clinical or translational research, treatment trials or research for the sole purpose of drug development. They also do not fund disease-specific research, environmental conservation or monitoring, purely theoretical projects, follow-on funding, device development or public health.
INTERNAL SELECTION PROCESS: Interested BUMC faculty should submit the following materials listed below via InfoReady Review by Wednesday, May 15, 2024. If you are a BMC investigator and wish to apply for this opportunity, please contact Jess Howard, associate director of foundation relations and government grants at Jessica.Howard@bmc.org by Wednesday, April 24, 2024.
- Questions outlined in InfoReady Review application (one paragraph each);
- Up-to-date CV;
- One page single-spaced concept paper*, which includes:
- An overview of the proposed project emphasizing any unique aspects and pilot studies (indicate area of emphasis for project) and background to put the research into perspective.
- A description of the methodologies – please be specific about how the project will be conducted and how the PI will achieve their goals. Focus on the What and the How. For example, highlight project challenges and innovative ways the PI will overcome them.
- Key personnel.
- Impact – how will this project be a scientific leap forward? How is this project transformational? What makes this project distinctive?
- Brief justification of the need for Keck support (demonstrate a federal rejection of the project on the grounds that it is too high risk or early stage and that Keck is the funder of last resort).
- Funding amount request along with breakdown – personnel, supplies, etc.
For more information on drafting a compelling application, refer also to the foundation’s guidelines: https://www.wmkeck.org/research-application-process/#concept and https://www.wmkeck.org/research-overview/. BU’s Proposal Library contains sample materials from a previous successful application, https://bushare.sharepoint.com/sites/Proposal-Library.
*Please avoid illustrations.
CONTACT: Keck requests one university liaison; therefore, please do not contact the Foundation directly. For any questions, please contact Joe Loftus, director of foundation relations at joloftus@bu.edu.
DEADLINES: Internal Materials Due: Wednesday, May 15, 2024
Sponsor’s Phase One Application Deadline: Friday, Nov. 1, 2024 4:30 p.m., PT
In requesting to be considered for this limited submission funding opportunity, you are making a commitment, if selected, to submit your proposal to the sponsor in a timely manner and to Sponsored Programs in accordance with the Proposal Submission Policy.
Hartwell 2024 Individual Biomedical Research Awards │ May 22
The Hartwell Foundation 2024 Individual Biomedical Research Award supports innovative, early-stage biomedical research that has not qualified for funding from traditional sources and has the potential to benefit children in the United States. The award funds two kinds of research:
- Translational research that targets an unmet medical need in areas such as diagnosis, intervention, or prevention, and has the potential to directly impact healthcare outcomes;
- Strategic research that has the potential to resolve a complex technical problem and accelerate clinical discovery and translational research.
Preliminary data is not required, and proposals should involve significant risk. The Foundation will not fund basic research, research intended to advance a commercial venture, or research that has already received or will receive significant extramural funding.
FUNDING INFORMATION: $100,000 per year for three years. No indirects allowed.
ELIGIBILITY RESTRICTIONS: This is a career development award intended to have a positive effect on the career of the nominee. Mid- and late-career nominees will not be competitive. Possession of an MD is recommended but not required. If the nominee is not an MD, then they must have a collaborator who is a practicing physician, preferably in pediatric medicine.
All nominees must: hold U.S. citizenship; maintain a full-time appointment; have adequate committed laboratory and office space to conduct the proposed research; and agree to the Foundation’s terms and conditions.
View previously funded research on the website.
INTERNAL SELECTION PROCESS: Interested BUMC faculty should submit the following materials listed below via InfoReady Review by Wednesday, May 22, 2024. If you are a BMC investigator and wish to apply for this opportunity, please contact Jess Howard, associate director of Foundation Relations and Government Grants at Jessica.Howard@bmc.org by Wednesday, April 24, 2024.
- Questions outlined in InfoReady Review application;
- A brief statement (up to 2 pages) by the candidate describing their scientific achievements and proposed project;
- A brief budget outline for the proposed research;
- Up-to-date CV or NIH biosketch.
A faculty committee drawn from both campuses will review the internal proposals and select the nominees. BU may nominate two applicants. Foundation Relations will work with the nominees to develop and submit the institutional nomination letter and applicant materials by Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024.
DEADLINES: Internal Materials Due: Wednesday, May 22, 2024 | Sponsor Deadline: Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024
In requesting to be considered for this limited submission funding opportunity, you are making a commitment, if selected, to submit your proposal to the sponsor in a timely manner and to Sponsored Programs in accordance with the Proposal Submission Policy.
Macy Faculty Scholars Program │ July 15
OBJECTIVES: The Josiah Macy Foundation seeks nursing and medical school junior faculty who are committed to careers in health professional education, have three to eight years of full-time faculty experience, are innovators, and have shown promise as educators, clinicians, and role models.
Macy Faculty Scholars explore many areas of possible innovations in health professions education. The Foundation has particular interest in innovative projects that involve the learning environments where clinical care is delivered. Within these clinical learning environments, the Foundation is interested in the projects that:
- Advance equity, diversity, and belonging.
- Enhance collaboration among health professionals, educators and learners.
- Prepare future health professionals to navigate and address ethical dilemmas that arise when the principles of the health professions are in conflict with barriers imposed by the health delivery system.
It is required that projects address one or more of the Foundation’s above priority areas.
Full details about the program, the eligibility and selection criteria, and the application process are available on the website.
FUNDING INFORMATION: Up to five scholars will receive $125,000 salary support, project support and professional development activities per year for two years. Scholars also receive funding to participate in a Harvard Macy Institute course and travel to the Macy Faculty Scholars Annual Meeting.
ELIGIBILITY: There can be only one nominee per nursing or medical school. Candidates must:
- Be a doctorally prepared faculty member in good standing at the sponsoring school
- Have served for three to eight years as a full-time faculty member
- Have an identified faculty mentor who will provide advice on the candidate’s project and career development
- Have an educational innovation project with the appropriate institutional support
- Have an institutional commitment for the protection of at least 50% of the candidate’s time
INTERNAL SELECTION PROCESS: BUMC interested faculty should submit the following materials listed below combined into a single pdf to Diana Lehman at dlehman@bu.edu by Monday, July 15, 2024. If you are a BMC investigator and wish to apply for this opportunity, please contact Jess Howard, associate director of foundation relations and government grants at Jessica.Howard@bmc.org by Friday, April 19, 2024.
- Statement by the candidate of career objectives and personal goals for this program, no more than 1 page
- Description by the candidate of the educational innovation project to be undertaken, no more than 2 pages
- Letter from the candidate’s department chair indicating the chair’s commitment to protecting the time of the candidate, describing the role of the candidate in the department, identifying who will be the mentor, and names of 1-2 senior faculty members who will write a letter of support
- Current curriculum vitae of the candidate and mentor
A faculty committee drawn from the medical campus will review the internal proposals and select the nominee.
DEADLINES: Internal Deadline: Monday, July 15, 2024│Sponsor Deadline: Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024
In requesting to be considered for this limited submission funding opportunity, you are making a commitment, if selected, to submit your proposal to the sponsor in a timely manner and to Sponsored Programs in accordance with the Proposal Submission Policy.
If you have any questions about these funding opportunities contact us.
View the list of annually recurring limited submission opportunities sorted by anticipated internal deadline.