These research funding opportunities have a submission limit, meaning only a certain number of applications can be submitted. Faculty interested in applying must submit a preliminary proposal for review by an internal selection committee. Below are the available funding opportunities along with their respective internal submission deadlines.<\/p>\n
In addition to research to understand the biology of childhood cancers and discover leads to more effective treatments, topics of interest include, but are not limited to:<\/p>\n
FUNDING INFORMATION: <\/strong>Up to $110,000 per year for three 3 years. Two additional years of funding may be requested based upon the demonstration of significant accomplishment. Applicants can request up to $115,000 per year for those additional two years.<\/p>\n ELIGIBILITY: <\/strong>Applicants do not need to be US citizens, but must be employed at an academic, medical, or non-profit research institution within the US.<\/p>\n All applicants must:<\/p>\n Scholars may receive funding from other sources to support their research. However, no other comparable or higher (monetary value) career development award may be held prior to or at the time the award begins. Scientific or budgetary overlap with other funded projects is not allowed.<\/p>\n Applicants holding or awarded R01s at the time of the LOI are not eligible to apply. Applicants cannot hold a NIH K-award at the time that they apply (institutional K12 funding is allowable).<\/p>\n Limited Submissions Exception<\/strong><\/p>\n BU may submit one additional LOI\/application<\/strong> overall for the cycle if they are focused on one of the following areas of high interest from donors and low numbers of past applications:<\/p>\n INTERNAL SELECTION PROCESS<\/strong><\/p>\n The internal selection process depends on whether your grants are managed by BU (CRC and BUMC) or Boston Medical Center. If you are unsure whether your grants are managed by BU or BMC, please consult the BUMC Home Institution Finder<\/a>. Use that information to guide which process you follow below.<\/p>\n BU Process<\/strong><\/p>\n BU may forward one applicant<\/strong> with the exception noted above. Interested investigators should submit the following materials via InfoReady Review<\/a> by: October 29, 2026.<\/p>\n As necessary, an internal faculty committee will review and recommend a BU applicant. Foundation Relations will assist the applicant to submit their Letter of Intent by December 8, 2026.<\/p>\n BMC Process<\/strong><\/p>\n BMC may forward one applicant.<\/strong><\/p>\n If you are a BUMC faculty member who works in BMC space or you are a fellow whose faculty advisor is a BMC investigator, please contact the Program Manager of Strategic Research Growth, Carolina Giudice (carolina.giudice@bmc.org) by October 23, 2026 to express interest in this opportunity.<\/p>\n BMC investigators do not need to submit applications through InfoReady Review for this LSO. The internal deadlines listed below only apply to investigators who submit grants through BU. BMC investigators should contact Carolina for guidance on next steps.<\/p>\n DEADLINES<\/strong><\/p>\n 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<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n BACK TO TOP\u2191<\/a><\/p>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n Proposals must address at least one of these focus areas:<\/p>\n Public health<\/strong>: Healthcare, disability services, food access, nutrition, and public health systems.<\/p>\n Economic mobility<\/strong>: Connecting residents to jobs, income, skills, and benefits.<\/p>\n Environmental resilience<\/strong>: Preparing for and responding to environmental shocks, including public safety, emergency services, energy infrastructure, and land management.<\/p>\n Civic engagement<\/strong>: Helping governments reach residents and improve services such as digital access, court services, permitting, and regulatory processes. Projects related to voting or elections are excluded.<\/p>\n Projects must be designed to deliver measurable public benefit, address AI-related risks responsibly, and have a credible plan for learning and long-term sustainability. This is a project implementation opportunity, not a research-study grant.<\/p>\n FUNDING INFORMATION<\/strong>: Grants range from $500,000 to $2M. All grants run 24 months, with 50% disbursed at the start and 50% upon a documented mid-term milestone. Grants don\u2019t guarantee follow-on funding.<\/p>\n The call supports projects at two stages:<\/p>\n Indirect costs may not exceed 15% of the total grant<\/p>\n Grant-funded software, models, and documentation must generally be published under an open-source license acceptable to the funders. The requirement does not extend to specified materials such as pre-existing intellectual property, personal or sensitive data, or materials whose release would create a security risk.<\/p>\n ELIGIBILITY<\/strong><\/p>\n Eligible applicants are organizations\u2014not individuals or government entities\u2014including nonprofit organizations, including university departments or labs and fiscally sponsored organizations<\/p>\n Every project must:<\/p>\n Have a committed city-level government partner<\/strong> and submit a letter of intent, or equivalent, from the partner at the Round 1 stage. State, regional, and national partners may participate but cannot replace the city partner.<\/p>\n Serve a charitable purpose, benefiting underserved, poor, or distressed communities or promoting social welfare.<\/p>\n Take place in a qualifying city: a permanently settled, self-governing urban community of at least 50,000 people, with its own municipal government and core public services.<\/p>\n Be legally eligible to receive grant funds and participate in the call. Organizations headquartered, registered, or operating in countries under comprehensive U.S. OFAC sanctions are ineligible.<\/p>\n Cities and other government entities may be partners but may not apply as the lead applicant<\/strong>.<\/p>\n INTERNAL SELECTION PROCESS<\/strong><\/p>\n The internal selection process depends on whether your grants are managed by BU or Boston Medical Center (BMC). Use the steps below to determine this information:<\/p>\n BU Process<\/strong><\/p>\n BU may submit up to two (2) proposals. Interested medical campus faculty should submit the following materials via InfoReady Review<\/a> by October 30, 2026<\/strong>.<\/p>\n As necessary, a review committee drawn from the BU Cancer Research Center will review internal applications and select the institutional nominee(s).<\/p>\n If your primary appointment is BU-CAMED and you have questions about this process or your application, please reach out to Julia Huntsman at jhunts@bu.edu<\/a> or Gahyun Yoo at gyoo0818@bu.edu<\/a>\u00a0in the Proposal Development Office.<\/p>\n BMC Process<\/strong><\/p>\n BMC may submit up to two (2) proposals.<\/p>\n If you are a BUMC faculty member who works in BMC space or you are a fellow whose faculty advisor is a BMC investigator, please contact the Program Manager of Strategic Research Growth, Carolina Giudice at carolina.giudice@bmc.org<\/a> by Friday, October 30 to express interest in this opportunity.<\/p>\n DEADLINES<\/strong><\/p>\n 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<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n BACK TO TOP\u2191<\/a> Through this program, the MLSC is seeking to seed, enhance and\/or expand training programs that address critical skills and talent supply gaps facing the state\u2019s life science industry. Such programs include those focused on biomanufacturing, data science, and regulatory affairs occupations, among others, and have at least one industry partnership.<\/span><\/p>\n FUNDING INFORMATION<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Applicants may request up to $500,000<\/strong>.<\/span><\/p>\n ELIGIBILITY<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Projects must prepare students for high-demand or emerging careers in the life sciences and request funding for equipment, supplies, materials, technology, lab furniture, and\/or lab renovations to support that training.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Applicants must demonstrate input from life sciences industry professionals and include a letter of support from at least one life sciences company<\/strong>.<\/span><\/p>\n INTERNAL SELECTION PROCESS<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n The internal selection process depends on whether your grants are managed by BU (CRC and BUMC) or Boston Medical Center. If you are unsure whether your grants are managed by BU or BMC, please consult the <\/span>BUMC Home Institution Finder<\/span><\/a>. Use that information to guide which process you follow below.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n BU Process<\/u><\/i><\/span><\/p>\n BU may submit up to two proposals for distinct and unrelated projects<\/strong>.<\/span><\/p>\n Interested applicants should submit the following materials via InfoReady Review<\/a> by: 11\/11\/2026<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n As necessary, a faculty review committee will review internal applications and select the institutional nominee(s).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n If your primary appointment is BU-Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine and you have questions about this process or your application, please reach out to Julia Huntsman<\/span><\/p>\n (<\/span><\/a>jhunts@bu.edu<\/span><\/a>) or Gahyun Yoo (<\/span>gyoo0818@bu.edu<\/span><\/a>) in the Proposal Development Office.<\/span><\/p>\n BMC Process<\/u><\/i><\/span><\/p>\n If you are a BUMC faculty member who works in BMC space or you are a fellow whose faculty advisor is a BMC investigator, please contact the Program Manager of Strategic Research Growth, Carolina Giudice (<\/span>carolina.giudice@bmc.org<\/span><\/a>) by Tuesday, November 3, 2026, to express interest in this opportunity.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n DEADLINES<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n BMC expression of interest Due: Tuesday, November 3, 2026<\/span><\/p>\n BU Internal Materials Due: Tuesday, November 11, 2026 by 11:59pm ET<\/span><\/p>\n Anticipated Notification Date: Wednesday, December 2, 2026<\/span><\/p>\n External Materials Due: Thursday, January 28, 2027<\/span><\/p>\n 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<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n BACK TO TOP\u2191<\/a><\/p>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n The National Science Foundation (NSF) X-Labs initiative<\/a> is a flexible, outcomes-driven effort to build and accelerate novel platform technologies capable of unlocking new sectors, advancing use-inspired scientific breakthroughs, and supporting U.S. leadership in science and technology. The X-Labs initiative awards Other Transaction Agreements (OTA) addressing particular topics. Through this OTA, NSF will accept proposals from domestic responsible entities capable of establishing full-time, interdisciplinary R&D teams with the operational autonomy, technical expertise, and organizational flexibility necessary to pursue ambitious missions.<\/p>\n The Computation at the Limit of Physics topic aims to enable advances in computing by developing new technologies and paradigms that overcome the energy-efficiency limits of conventional computing. NSF X-Labs in this topic will narrow the gap between the energy efficiency of complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS)-based computing and the inherent physical limits, enabling new computational capabilities to drive U.S. innovation over the next half-century.<\/p>\n FUNDING INFORMATION<\/strong>: Up to $1.5M for Phase 0 and up to $50M per year for Phase 1.<\/p>\n ELIGIBILITY<\/strong>: Eligible X-Labs must be institutionally independent organizational structures<\/strong>. Thus, to be eligible for an NSF X-Labs Phase 1 award, teams are expected to operate with substantial independence in decision making, staffing, funding, partnerships, and day-to-day operations. Prior to and\/or during Phase 0, NSF anticipates that some teams may not yet have established an independent governance structure required of a Phase 1 NSF X-Lab. In such cases, NSF expects to issue a Phase 0 award to a lead organization that will act as a host for the team.<\/p>\n Consult the X-Labs Autonomy Factor Assessment in the September 16 Amendment (section 6.1.1) available on the opportunity website<\/a>.<\/p>\n INTERNAL SELECTION PROCESS<\/strong>: BU may submit up to two proposals as a lead organization. Interested applicants should submit the following materials via InfoReady Review<\/a> by Nov. 11.<\/p>\n As necessary, a faculty review committee will review internal applications and select the institutional nominee(s).<\/p>\n DEADLINES<\/strong>:<\/p>\n\n
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\nRockefeller Foundation: Cities Deliver: AI Solutions for Public Services \u2502 October 30, 2026<\/h6>
\nThe Rockefeller Foundation: Cities Deliver: AI Solutions for Public Services Cities Deliver<\/a> is an initiative of The Rockefeller Foundation and OpenAI Foundation that supports organizations working with city governments to use artificial intelligence to improve public services, particularly for underserved communities. Projects must address a significant, city-prioritized problem and include a meaningful frontier AI component\u2014such as generative AI capabilities for language, image or document interpretation, reasoning, or multi-step tasks.<\/p>\n\n
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\nMLSC Post-Secondary Education and Training Grant \u2502 November 11, 2026<\/h6>
\nThe Massachusetts Life Sciences Center (MLSC) seeks to further the development and expansion of life sciences education and training programs offered by post-secondary academic institutions and non-profit organizations through capital investment in industry-aligned certificate and degree programs. The MLSC Post-Secondary Education and Training Grants<\/a> will award funding for the purchase and installation of life sciences equipment, renovations, lab furniture, materials, supplies, and\/or technology that will enable them to effectively prepare students for high-demand career opportunities in the life sciences.<\/span><\/p>\n\n
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\nNSF X-Labs: Computation at the Limit of Physics \u2502 November 11, 2026<\/h6>
\nNote<\/strong>: The NSF has not yet released a full solicitation for this topic yet but is expected to in Fall 2026. The internal competition is announced in anticipation to allow prospective applicants sufficient time to prepare their materials. All information in this announcement is subject to change.<\/p>\n\n
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