AACR-Lustgarten Foundation Career Development Award for Pancreatic Cancer Research, in honor of Ruth Bader Ginsburg
The AACR-Lustgarten Foundation Career Development Award for Pancreatic Cancer Research, in Honor of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, has been established to honor the life and legacy of Justice Ginsburg, who worked tirelessly to advance gender equality, even while battling pancreatic cancer. The intent of this program is to support the development and diversity of promising talent working in pancreatic cancer research, particularly female investigators. Selection is competitive and will be based on outstanding accomplishments in scientific research, quality of the research proposal, and fit with the goals and mission of the Lustgarten Foundation.
Program Guidelines and Application Instructions are available for download. Please read all guidelines and instructions carefully before submitting an application.
This Award represents a joint effort to encourage and support early career scientists engaged in pancreatic cancer research relevant to the goals and mission of the Lustgarten Foundation. The proposed project may be basic, translational, clinical, or population sciences related research and must have direct applicability and relevance to the understanding, detection, diagnosis, or treatment of pancreatic cancer. Applications are invited from researchers currently in the field as well as investigators with experience in other areas of cancer or biomedical research who have promising ideas and approaches that can be applied to pancreatic cancer research.
Grantees supported through this Program will have the opportunity to interact and/or collaborate with other investigators from the network of Lustgarten Foundation-funded investigators and laboratories as well as leading investigators in the AACR’s grantee community.
At the start of the grant term (July 1, 2027), applicants must:
- Have a doctoral degree (PhD, MD, MD/PhD, or equivalent) in a related field.
- Hold a faculty position with the title of assistant professor, instructor, research assistant professor, or the equivalent.
- If eligibility is based on a future position, the position must be confirmed at the time of submission and CANNOT be contingent upon receiving this grant. Applicants are advised to contact the AACR’s Research and Grants Administration (RGA) at [email protected] before submission to confirm they will hold an eligible position.
- Have started their first independent faculty position within the past 6 years from the start of the grant term (i.e., employment start date of July 1, 2027, or later, as indicated on the employment offer letter). Exceptions to the 6-year window may be granted for up to 12 months of parental or justified personal/family leave. Applicants exceeding the 6-year limit who believe they are eligible must contact the AACR’s RGA before submitting their application.
- Have independent laboratory space as confirmed by their institution.
- Work at an academic, medical, or research institution anywhere in the world.
At the start of the grant term (July 1, 2027), applicants cannot:
- Be a candidate for a further doctoral degree.
- Be an employee or subcontractor of a U.S. federal government entity or for-profit private industry. They may serve as collaborators, but no grant funds may be directed toward these individuals.
- Concurrently hold another AACR grant.
- Current AACR grantees may apply only if their current grant ends before the start of the grant term for this funding opportunity (i.e., July 1, 2027). Also, the terms of their current grant must stipulate that the final progress reports be approved by the AACR before July 1, 2027.
- Be, or have been, a Principal Investigator on a substantial independent research award (e.g., an NIH R01 award, DP2 award, DP5 award, MIRA award, or the equivalent). These individuals are invited to apply for AACR grants for independent investigators.
- For the purposes of this grant, a substantial independent research award is defined as a grant that offers at least $250,000 (direct) per year for more than three years and must have undergone a peer-review process by active researchers and physician-scientists.
There are no citizenship or geographic requirements. However, by submitting an Application 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.
By the submission deadline, applicants must be AACR members in the Active Membership category in good standing (dues paid for the current year):
- Information on AACR membership, including membership categories, due rates, and steps for lapsed or nonmembers, can be accessed on our membership website.
- Assistance with membership can be requested by submitting a myAACR help form or by contacting our Membership Department at [email protected]
- Applicants whose membership is not in good standing or nonmembers who do not apply for membership by the submission deadline will be considered ineligible.
By the submission deadline, applicants must be a member of the Women in Cancer Research (WICR)constituency group.
- AACR members who wish to join WICR should log in to the AACR Membership Portal and navigate to the “Groups” tab. Before selecting a constituency group, members should ensure that their profile information including name, degree, research interests, and other relevant details is accurate and up to date. Once the profile is complete, members can select their desired constituency group. Please note that membership in these groups must be renewed annually, in conjunction with AACR membership renewal.
The AACR requires applicants to complete an online Application submission by 1 p.m. U.S. Eastern Time on Friday, November 20, 2026, using the ProposalCentral website.
Program Guidelines and Application Instructions are available for download. Please read all guidelines and instructions carefully before submitting an application.