The Fellows of the AACR Academy Cancer Research Impact Grants represent a newly established AACR funding mechanism intended to provide financial assistance to outstanding early-career investigators who are at a late stage in their postdoctoral or clinical research fellowship training who are in need of funding to support completion of their existing research projects and to facilitate their transition to an independent research career. Through targeted funding and engagement, this exciting new initiative aims to sustain the current pipeline of cancer researchers and scientific innovation that drives progress in cancer research.

Purpose
This critical fundraising initiative seeks to:

• Provide meaningful financial support to early-career investigators who are at a pivotal career inflection point
• Advance innovative and impactful research across the cancer research continuum
• Foster connections between Fellows of the AACR Academy and emerging leaders in the field

Program Overview
Funds raised through this initiative will support research grants that enable early-career investigators, specifically postdoctoral fellows and clinical research fellows nearing the end of their training, to advance their ongoing research projects and facilitate their transition to independent academic research. In addition to financial support, grant recipients will have the opportunity to engage with assigned mentee volunteers who are existing Fellows of the AACR Academy. Further, opportunities will be available for grantees to be involved in ongoing AACR programs and activities dedicated to the professional advancement and development of early career investigators. All funded grants are intended to support high-quality, cutting-edge cancer research, while simultaneously strengthening the broader s cancer research workforce so that scientific discovery, collaboration, and translation to improvements in patient care may continue to thrive.

Significance
The transition to an independent academic research position represents a defining stage in a cancer researcher’s career. Financial support during this period is essential to enable promising investigators to pursue their novel ideas, build sustainable research programs, and contribute meaningfully to advancing cancer science.

Consistently, early-career researchers bring new perspectives and approaches that are essential to addressing the complexity of cancer. Ensuring that such investigators are supported at the early stages of their career helps maintain momentum and continuity across the cancer research landscape.

The Fellows of the AACR Academy, through their collective global experience and leadership, are uniquely positioned to champion this effort and help guide the AACR’s support of the next generation of cancer researchers.

Participation
AACR invites all members and non-members alike to contribute to a shared commitment to advancing cancer research by considering a donation to our new Fellows of the AACR Academy Fundraising Initiative in an effort to underwrite Fellows of the AACR Academy Cancer Research Impact Grants that will change the future of cancer research and patient care. Through this initiative, any generous donations will be directly contributing to the fostering of scientific innovation, and support of emerging early career investigators as well as sustaining progress in the field.