Applications are now closed. Five Fellowships will be presented.
Submission deadline: February 1, 2008
Decision Date: August 4, 2008
Grant term begins: October 1, 2008
Award Summary
The AACR Centennial Pre-doctoral Research Fellowships will provide full-time graduate students a rare opportunity to invest in their future cancer research careers. The grant terms are flexible, allowing applicants to tailor their grant funds to fit their individual research funding and salary needs. Grantees may also transfer their funds to a postdoctoral fellowship position, should they advance in their careers during the grant term.
A grant of $30,000 per year over a maximum period of three years will be awarded for salary support and research funding.
Under this award mechanism, the pre-doctoral trainee is considered the Lead Investigator and should write the proposal independently with appropriate direction from the mentor. Proposals may be submitted in any area of cancer research whether laboratory-based, translational, clinical, epidemiological, behavioral, or other.
For complete fellowship terms, please carefully read the Program Guidelines.
Applicant Eligibility
- Applicants must be full-time graduate students who are pursuing a doctoral degree and engaged in a program of cancer research.
- Applicants must be members of the AACR or must submit an application for membership prior to the fellowship application deadline.
- There are no geographic, national, or residency status restrictions.
- At the time of application, applicants must have completed at least one year of research training at the graduate level or have equivalent research experience. At the time of award acceptance the awardee must have advanced to degree candidacy. Summer student positions and undergraduate summer studentships do not qualify.
- Applicants must be engaged in basic, clinical, translational or epidemiological cancer research.
- Employees, trainees, or subcontractors of a national government or private industry are not eligible. Exceptions apply if an applicant holds a full-time position at a Veterans' Hospital or national laboratory in the United States or is an applicant who resides outside the United States and is the employee of a government agency. In these cases, eligibility is determined on an individual basis.
Program Guidelines & Application Instructions
Applications must be completed online using the proposalCENTRAL website, with one paper copy submitted to the AACR office. Application instructions and program guidelines are available below and on the proposalCENTRAL website.
Inquiries
Ms. Hanna Hopfinger, Program Assistant
Telephone: (267) 646-0665
Fax: (215) 440-9372
E-mail: hanna.hopfinger@aacr.org
SPOTLIGHT
About the Centennial Pre-doctoral Grants
The Associate Member Council is the AACR's leadership body for graduate students, medical students, and postdoctoral and clinical fellows. A major function of the AMC is to act as an advisory body to the AACR leadership on behalf of early-career scientists.
After supporting the AACR's Centennial fundraising initiative by encouraging the Associate membership to participate as donors, the AMC evaluated the existing grants available to early-career cancer researchers through the AACR and other organizations and considered how best to positively impact young researchers. What followed was the creation of formal proposals for the Centennial Fellowships. The Council is extremely gratified and proud to have participated in the development of these new funding vehicles to encourage and sustain early-career cancer scientists and physicians.
Competitive grants help scientists to develop grant writing skills, encourage mentorship, recognize the scientific contributions of trainees, and allow trainees to pursue independent research. Scientists who have received mentored awards are more likely to apply for and receive grants, be published, and achieve higher academic rank. The Associate Member Council feels strongly that competing for grants is a vital career development experience.