Deadline:  June 1, 2012; pre-proposals

The Damon Runyon-Rachleff Innovation Award provides 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 and treatment of cancer. This award is specifically designed to provide funding for extraordinary early career researchers who have an innovative, new idea but lack sufficient preliminary data to obtain traditional funding. 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.

Eligible applicants (including non-U.S. citizens) must be conducting independent research at a U.S. institution. Institutional nominations are not required and there is no limit to the number of applications that can be received from a particular institution. Basic and translational/clinical projects will be considered and individuals with a background in multiple disciplines are especially encouraged to apply. The awards will provide $450,000 in direct costs during a three year award term. A complete award program description and application guidelines are available on our website (www.damonrunyon.org). Pre-proposals are due June 1, 2012.

Please feel free to contact the Foundation at 212.455.0520 or awards@damonrunyon.org with any questions.

The Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation wants to emphasize that applications for the Innovation Award will be accepted from all scientific disciplines (e.g., Chemistry, Computer Sciences, Mathematics, Engineering, Physics–not just biomedical) provided that the proposed research meets the selection criteria. Please distribute this notice to all appropriate departments in your Institution and encourage eligible candidates to apply.

Deadline: May 31, 2012

Amount:  up to $300,000

The Lupus Research Institute (LRI) invites applications for financial support for idea-driven, novel research projects relevant to basic, translational or clinical investigation in lupus. The Novel Research Grant program will run in parallel with the LRI’s new global Distinguished Innovator Award program.

Research applications will be judged principally on novelty of the hypotheses, scientific quality, strength of approach, relevance to lupus, and likelihood of success. Creativity will be valued.  Rationale for the hypotheses proposed rather than amount of preliminary data will be emphasized.  Direct Link to RFA

Deadline:  August 31, 2012

Amount:  $250,000

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is pleased to announce that we are now accepting nominations for the second annual Gates Vaccine Innovation Award to celebrate and spur transformative ideas for achieving impact through immunization.  More information is available at:  http://www.gatesfoundation.org/vaccines/Pages/vaccine-innovation-award.aspx

Deadline:  June 1, 2012

Amount:  $25,000

 Link to RFP

The goal of this pilot project funding is to help initiate new research collaborations in the field of free radical biology and medicine, which will ultimately enhance investigators’ competitiveness for multi-PI/joint-PI extramural funding.

The Free Radicals in Medicine Program (FRMP) seeks to promote the development of new multi-PI collaborative research projects focusing on the role of free radicals, oxidants, and/or antioxidants in the pathogenesis of human disease. The overall mission of the FRMP is to:

1. Promote and stimulate the development of collaborative research programs between clinical and basic scientists with a focus on free radicals in biology and disease

2. Use interdisciplinary approaches to advance the scientific knowledge of how oxidants and antioxidants contribute to the pathogenesis of human disease

3. Provide expertise and training in the use of these interdisciplinary approaches to the University’s biomedical trainees, including medical students, graduate students, residents, and postdoctoral fellows