Abramson Cancer Center Funding Opportunity

American Cancer Society Institutional Research Grant Pilot Project Program 2023

The Abramson Cancer Center of the University of Pennsylvania will provide research project grants to initiate promising new cancer research projects. Support for these pilot grants comes from an American Cancer Society Institutional Research Grant (ACS IRG). Projects that have relevance across multiple types of cancer are encouraged. Proposals that span basic, translational, clinical, or population science research are welcome. The objective of these grants is to facilitate the collection of preliminary data, which will enable the successful competition for national, peer-reviewed research grants.

• Four ACS IRG pilots will be awarded in the amount of $60,000 each to junior faculty members (within six years of their initial faculty appointment). All ACS IRG pilot applicants must identify a mentor at the time the application is submitted and provide the mentor’s NIH Biosketch and a brief statement describing the mentor’s supervisory experience.

Covered costs include direct costs only, such as laboratory personnel costs (non-faculty), data management or research nursing support, laboratory supplies, animals, and small equipment; no travel or patient costs are allowed.

Eligibility

• Junior-level faculty members (Assistant Professor or equivalent within six years of initial faculty appointment) who do not currently hold nationally peer-reviewed funding are eligible
  • Career development/mentored grants, such as NIH K awards, are allowed
  • Smaller foundation grants are allowed as long as they are not a result of a national peer-reviewed competition and do not have overlapping Aims with the proposed pilot
• Citizens, non-citizen nationals, and permanent residents of the United States and its possessions or territories are eligible
• CHOP-based faculty members are eligible
• Faculty on tenure, clinician-educator, and research tracks are eligible
• Non-faculty (e.g., residents, fellows, instructors) are not eligible
• Past recipients of an ACS IRG Pilot Project are not eligible
• One of the four pilots is reserved for junior faculty who identify as being part of a group that is under-represented in science. The ACS uses the NIH definition of “Populations Underrepresented in the Extramural Scientific Workforce” (https://diversity.nih.gov/about-us/population-underrepresented).  Thus, applicants are asked to review these criteria, which are quite broad, and let us know if they fall into the group as defined.

Funding Level

$60,000 per project, direct costs only

Project Period

July 1, 2023 to June 30, 2024

Application Deadline

April 1, 2023

Link to Forms and Online Submission: https://www.pennmedicine.org/cancer/cancer-research/for-researchers/investigators-only/funding-opportunities

Contact:

Cecilia Scavelli

Associate Director for Research Administration

Abramson Cancer Center of the University of Pennsylvania

Cecilia2@upenn.edu