AACR-Cancer Research UK Transatlantic Fellowships
The AACR-Cancer Research UK Transatlantic Fellowship is a four-year postdoctoral fellowship programme to support promising early stage postdoctoral researchers to pursue their projects both in the U.K. and the U.S. It represents a joint effort from AACR and CRUK to support exceptional investigators interested in beginning their independent postdoctoral research careers. Funds provided through this mechanism will allow fellows to embark on research projects conducted at the best research environments in either the U.K. or the U.S. and will present a unique opportunity to forge international collaborations that will help these early career investigators to establish their independent research careers.
U.S. to U.K. Successful applicants will receive $400,000 in total.
U.K. to U.S. Successful applicants will receive $300,000 in total.
Fellowship recipients are encouraged to use this funding to leverage their career advancement and are welcome to take the funding with them to multiple institutions, as is necessary to accelerate their entry into an independent research career.
Administering Institutions: This will be the institution in the home country of the applicant (either the U.S. or the U.K.), that will be managing the financial aspects of the award for the duration of the fellowship. Applicants may or may not undertake any research visit in these institutions.
Research Host Institutions: These will be the institutions where the applicant will be undertaking research. The principal investigator with whom the applicants will be working will be the "Research Sponsor" and will be based at the Research Host institutions. Applicants may also undertake "Research Visits" in their home country (either the U.K. or U.S.), although it is expected that the applicant spends the majority of the fellowship in the visiting country. The Research Host Institutions are expected to be world-class research institutions both in the U.K. and in the U.S. The applicant will decide on the duration and frequency of the research visits and number of Research Host Institutions, as per the research project needs.
For U.K. to U.S. Applicants: Both the Administering and Host Institutions should abide by CRUK's terms and conditions.
For U.S. to U.K. Applicants: Both the Administering and Host Institutions should abide by AACR's terms and conditions.
Research Sponsor(s): These will be the principal investigator(s) with whom the fellow will be undertaking research work, based at the Research Host Institution. The Research Sponsor is expected to be a recognized figure in the cancer field. At the Letter of Intent stage, no letters of support will be requested from Research Sponsor(s), although it is expected that the applicant has discussed their intentions and willingness to undertake a research project with their Research Sponsor(s) and the Sponsor has agreed to host them.
Research Visit: This is the time applicants spend at each of the Research Host institutions. This can range from a single research stay for 4 years at a single Research Host Institution in the visiting country, or several shorter research visits at different Research Host Institutions, that may be both in the U.K. and the U.S. The majority of the research visits should be undertaken in the visiting country.
Independent Academic Career Adviser: A senior independent researcher who can advise the fellow about career development, and future research directions, independently of their line-management structure, and ideally based at a different institution. The Independent Academic Career Adviser is someone who takes a special interest in helping the fellow to develop into a successful professional. In the research context, this includes any support for the fellow to develop their research profile and activities. The Independent Academic Career Adviser should not be the fellow's supervisor, line manager, nor any of the Research Sponsors the applicant is going to work with during the fellowship, but someone independent (i.e. a former or current collaborator, etc).
For additional details and examples of qualifying circumstances, please see the FAQ document.
Letter of Intent Guidelines are available in PDF format.
Full Application Guidelines are available in PDF format.
Applications for an AACR-Cancer Research UK Transatlantic Fellowship may be focused on any (or more than one) of the research areas stated below, as long as the research proposal is cancer-relevant, and clearly articulates the cancer-related question(s) the applicant is focusing on. This includes: basic biological research, preclinical studies, imaging, radiotherapy research, engineering & physical sciences applied to cancer, population research, early detection research and drug discovery. Please see program guidelines for more details.
In order to apply for an AACR-Cancer Research UK Transatlantic Fellowship, applicants should be scientists or clinician-scientists who:
Have recently been awarded a doctoral degree (PhD, MD, MD/PhD) in a related field either in the U.S. or the U.K.; or,
Are in the final year of their doctoral studies. Applicants must have their degree conferred (have completed their PhD viva) by the start of the grant term. Grant terms can start between February 1, 2020 and April 1, 2020; or,
Have recently graduated in either the U.S. or U.K. and have already started a postdoctoral position in the visiting country within 6-months of the opening of the scheme (i.e. a recent U.S. doctoral graduate who has already started a postdoctoral position in the U.K. within 6-months of the opening of the scheme and will be intending to be hosted in the U.K., or vice-versa.)
If an applicant does not have a PhD from the U.S. or the U.K.: they should have been in the home country (either the U.K. or U.S.) for at least 6 months at the moment of application and be willing to spend the majority of the fellowship in the visiting country (that is, not remain in the country they are currently residing in). Applicants should also be committed to pursue their scientific career in either the U.K. or in the U.S. following completion of the fellowship.
Applicants should be able to demonstrate that they meet the range of skills and experience as outlined in the 'Develop Independence' career stage in CRUK's Fellowships Competency Framework.
Applicants can't apply for an AACR-Cancer Research UK Transatlantic Fellowship if:
They hold the rank of instructor, adjunct professor, assistant professor, research assistant professor, the equivalent or higher. Qualified researchers are invited to apply for an AACR Career Development Award in the U.S. or review CRUK's Competency Framework to find the suitable scheme in the U.K.
They have previously held another multi-year postdoctoral fellowship e.g., EMBO Long Term fellowships, Marie Sklodowska Curie Actions, NIH Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Awards (NRSAs) for Individual Postdoctoral Fellows (F32), etc. Applicants with previous postdoctoral experience are expected to apply for grants or more senior fellowships as stated above.
U.S. to U.K. Applicants should not be employees or subcontractors of a U.S. government entity or for-profit private industry. Postdoctoral fellows conducting research in a U.S. government laboratory e.g., NIH, CDC, FDA, etc., are not eligible unless they choose a non-U.S. government institution as Administering Institution.
There are no citizenship or geographic requirements. However, by submitting a Letter of Intent for this grant, an applicant applying from an institution located in a country in which they are not a citizen or a permanent resident assures that the visa status will provide sufficient time to complete the project and grant term at the institution from which they applied.
Applicants should be AACR members. Annual dues are not required for early-career researchers interested in Associate membership. Nonmembers interested in this grant opportunity must submit a satisfactory application for AACR membership, and be members in good standing, by the Letter of Intent deadline. Nonmembers can apply for membership using the Official Application for Membership Form submitted to the AACR Membership department with the required documents or apply online. Suspended Members can renew their membership through their myAACR account. Lapsed members should contact the Membership Department at [email protected] for assistance and with any questions.
The AACR-Cancer Research UK Transatlantic Fellowships application process involves three steps:
Letter of Intent: Interested applicants submit Letters of Intent (Preliminary Application). Letter of Intent Guidelines are available for download. The deadline to submit a Letter of Intent: July 25, 2019.
Full Application: Letters of Intent are evaluated by the Scientific Review Committee; the most meritorious Letters of Intent will be invited to submit a full application by the Scientific Review Committee. Full Application Guidelines are available for doenload. Deadline to submit a full application: October 16, 2019.
Interview: Submitted full applications will undergo another round of peer-review by the Committee, and the most meritorious applications will be invited to an on-site interview held at AACR headquarters in Philadelphia, PA, US on December 3 or 4, 2019.