Deadline: 26-Mar-25
The Ovarian Cancer Research Alliance is inviting Letters of Intent for the Early Career Investigator Grant.
The Early Career Investigator Grant (ECIG) is for junior faculty with a strong commitment to an investigative career in the field of ovarian cancer and/or related gynecologic cancers research on a path towards independence. The intent of these grants is to support a substantial time commitment to research and academic endeavors in ovarian cancer.
Funding Information
- Support of up to $150,000 USD per year ($450,000USD total) will be granted to the institution of the Principal Investigator. Early Career Investigator Grants have an anticipated start date of February 1, 2026.
Eligibility Criteria
- Applicants (Principal Investigator) must be working in institutions with strong existing ovarian cancer research programs, in a school of medicine or public health, or a recognized non-profit scientific research facility.
- Funding is only available to accredited non-profit universities/colleges, non-profit research hospitals, or a recognized non-profit scientific research facility. OCRA does not offer funding to any for-profit entities, consulting companies, or non-profits who are not conducting the research themselves.
- Applicants should have strong training in preparation for an investigative career in ovarian cancer research and prior academic accomplishments, this grant is intended to help the applicant reach independence in their career.
- The selection committee will consider most favorably applications that are creative, original, and hold the most promise in the areas of early detection, prevention, treatment, and translational research.
- The proposed research plan should have sufficient scientific depth to allow the Early Career Investigator grantee to compete for additional funding after the period of this grant. Proposed projects should focus on ovarian cancer and/or related gynecologic cancers.
- Candidates must have an MD/DO and/or PhD degree and should be in the first seven years of their first academic appointment after having completed their fellowship or post-doctoral training (Assistant Professor or equivalent). Individuals who will begin such a position by July 2025 are eligible for this grant.
- This year OCRA intends to prioritize funding for at least one clinician scientist for an Early Career Investigator Grant.
- For MDs/DOs or MD/DO-PhDs with clinical responsibilities, at least 50% of the time must be dedicated to ovarian cancer and/or related gynecologic cancers research.
- For applicants without clinical responsibilities, at least 75% of the time must be dedicated to ovarian cancer and/or related gynecologic cancers research.
- Early Career Investigator Grants will not be granted to individuals who hold or have had similar early career investigator awards from other funding agencies or foundations.
- There are no citizenship requirements for OCRA Grants, International applicants are welcome to apply.
- Each applicant may submit only one LOI per grant cycle.
Applications Requirements
- Beyond basic contact information about yourself, your mentor, and key personnel, LOIs must include the following:
- Scientific Abstract – Provide a summary of the proposed research. The abstract should clearly outline your proposed research project and aims to allow the reviewers a clear understanding of your proposed project. The abstract should be presented in 6,000 characters or less (including spaces). Text only; figures, images, and graphs are not permitted.
- PI BioSketch — A current NIH biosketch for the PI is required. Please use the NIH Biosketch template available for download in SmartSimple and adhere to its instructions and space limitations. The PI’s biosketch is uploaded in the PI biosketch Section.
- Mentor’s Biosketch – A current NIH biosketch for the mentor is required. Please use the NIH Biosketch template available for download in SmartSimple and adhere to its instructions and space limitations. The mentor’s biosketch is uploaded in the mentor biosketch section.
- Key Personnel Biosketches — NIH biosketches should be provided for anyone you listed in SmartSimple as Key Personnel. All key personnel biosketches should be combined into one document and uploaded as a single PDF. Please use the biosketch template available for download in SmartSimple, and adhere to its instructions and space limitations.
- Budget — Requested total budget amount in USD for the entire grant. A detailed budget is not required during the LOI.
For more information, visit OCRA.