Grants & Funding

Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation

Published Date: March 29, 2010

Program Information

Program Name:

Damon Runyon - Rachleff Innovation Award

Program URL:

http://www.damonrunyon.org/for_scientists/more/innovation_award_overview

Type of Scientists Funded:

Junior Faculty

Program Description:

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 for 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. Awards are made to institutions for support of the Damon Runyon-Rachleff Innovation Investigators.

The award will be for a period of 3 years. Each award will provide a total of $450,000 in direct costs. The award cannot be used for indirect costs or institutional overhead. Awards will be paid in increments of $150,000 per year for 3 years. However, the Innovation Award Committee will consider an accelerated payment schedule if an award recipient can demonstrate compelling need. All awards are approved by the Board of Directors of the Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation acting upon the recommendation of the Innovation Award Committee.

The Damon Runyon-Rachleff Innovation Award is being funded by the generous support of Andrew and Debra Rachleff.

Public Contact Information

Program Award Term and Application Process

• Award Term Fixed or Variable?    Fixed
• If fixed, enter total term?    3  Years
• Award Renewable?    No
• Does an individual or institution apply to the program?    Individual
• Is there an application deadline?    Yes
• Application deadline(s):
  06/01/2010,
  09/03/2010
• Deadline Comments   
  June 1, 2010: Pre-Proposals Due
  July 23, 2010: Notification of Semi-Finalists;
  September 3, 2010: Full Proposals Due from selected Semi-Finalists

Program FUNDS

• Stipend Information:
  
  
• Annual stipend type:    Fixed
• What is the annual or representative stipend amount?    $ 150,000
• Year 2:    $ 150,000
• Year 3:    $ 150,000
• Stipend Details:   
  The awards will provide $450,000 in direct costs over three years. $150,000/year.
• 
  Research Allowance Information:
  
  
• Annual research allowance type:    Not Applicable
• 
  Indirect Costs (Institutional Funds) Information:
  
  
• Indirect costs type:    Not Applicable
• 
  Other Costs Information:
  
  
• Other Costs type:    Not Applicable

Program Eligibility Requirements

Research Areas:

Bioengineering, Bioinformatics, Biology, Biophysics, Biostatistics, Cancer, Cell Biology, Chemistry, Clinical Research, Developmental Biology, Epidemiology, Evolutionary Biology, Genetics, Immunology, Instrumentation, Mathematical and Computational Biology, Microbiology, Molecular Biology, Nanotechnology, Neuroscience, Pharmacology, Physics, Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences, Structural Biology, Toxicology, Virology

Application by invitation or nomination only?

No

Are awards limited to specific groups?

None provided

Must applicants be U.S. citizens and/or permanent residents?

No

U.S. geographic limits?

No

International geographic limits?

Details (specify region, state or other restrictions)?

Research must be conducting independent research at a U.S. research institution.

Institutional limits?

No

Non-research activity allowed for postdoctoral and junior faculty awards?

No

If yes, specify at least one of the following: percentage time and activities allowed

• Other eligibility requirements:   
  Applicants (including non-U.S. citizens) must be working at a U.S. institution. Applicants must belong to one of the following categories:
  
  Tenure-track Assistant Professors within the first 3 years of obtaining their initial Assistant Professor position. (Cut-off date: June 1, 2007.)
  
  Clinical Instructors and Senior Clinical Fellows (in their final year of their sub-specialty training) holding an MD who are pursuing a period of independent research before taking a tenure-track faculty position. Such individuals must have an exceptional record of research accomplishment, dedicated laboratory space and the support of their institution.
  
  Distinguished Fellows with an exceptional record of research accomplishment identified by their institution to pursue an independent research program and who have dedicated laboratory space. These candidates are markedly distinct from traditional postdoctoral fellows. Examples: Whitehead Fellows, UCSF Fellows, Cold Spring Harbor Fellows. [Research Assistant Professors, Research Associate Professors, Research Scientists and Postdoctoral Fellows are not eligible.]
  
  If you are unsure about your eligibility for this award program, please contact the Foundation's Award Programs at 212.455.0520. Basic and translational/clinical projects will be considered. - Individuals with a background in multiple disciplines are especially encouraged to apply. Joint submission from collaborators working in different disciplines will be considered. (The collaborators will share the $450,000 award.) Please see the Web site http://www.damonrunyon.org/for_scientists/more/innovation_award_overview for full eligibility requirements.

Program competition information

• Number of Applicants in Most Recent Competition Year:    93
• Number of Awards in Most Recent Competition Year:    3
• Institutional Award Rates   

  Category	# Applicants	# Awards
  Institutional Awards

• Awardee's subsequent careers/accomplishments tracked after end of term?    Yes
  Publications and Surveys
• Total dollars awarded in the most recent competition year    1350000