"Science" & SciLifeLab Prize for Young Scientists

Science/AAAS and SciLifeLab, a coordinated effort of four universities, have joined forces in creating the Science & SciLifeLab Prize for Young Scientists. Both Science/AAAS and SciLifeLab recognize that global economic health is dependent upon a vibrant research community and we need to incent our best and brightest to continue in their chosen fields of research. The grand prize winning essay will be published in Science, and essays from the each of the category winners will be published online.

The topic of the entrant's thesis research must be in one of the following categories: Cell and Molecular Biology; Genomics, Proteomics, and Systems Biology approaches; Ecology and​ Environment; Molecular Medicine.

Eligible entrants must have been awarded their doctoral degree in 2019 or 2020. The prize will only recognize work that was performed while the entrant was a graduate student.

Award details and award period: Award Amount: $30,000 grand prize, $10,000 category prizes

11Th Hour Racing

Seeks to advance innovative projects that improve the health of our oceans and address the dynamic environmental challenges facing the sailing and marine communities. Eligibility conditions: Proposals should advance one or more of the program’s focus areas:

• - Reduce Ocean Pollution
• - Ocean Literacy and Stewardship
• - Advance Clean Technologies and Best Practices
• - Climate Change and Water Quality Issues

You will be called upon to select one of the following categories that your project addresses:

• Advancing Clean Technologies & Best Practices
• Ocean Literacy & Stewardship
• Ecosystem Restoration

Award details and award period: $10,000-$100,000 for 1 year

Amazon Research Awards

Amazon Research Awards (ARA) offer unrestricted funds and AWS Promotional Credits to support research at academic institutions and non-profit organizations in areas that align with our mission to advance customer-obsessed science. ARA funds proposals in a variety of research areas relevant to Amazon such as robotics, machine learning, security, and more.

Funds projects conducted primarily by PhD students or post docs, under the supervision of the faculty member awarded the funds. Eligibility conditions: Awarded funds will support 1-2 graduate student or post-doc researchers conducting the research under the guidance of this PI (proposal submitted by faculty member); Refer to website for list of preferred topics

Typical award: $80,000

Click the link to see the latest calls for proposal.

American Association for Cancer Research

The AACR, in collaboration with its scientific and funding partners, offers a variety of research grant mechanisms for researchers worldwide at all career levels.

Award details vary by opportunity. Click Read More below for open RFPs.

View upcoming opportunities: For upcoming opportunities, visit the AACR site.

American Cancer Society - Research Professor Grants

The American Cancer Society offers a limited number of grants to investigators who have had the rank of full professor for 15 years or less and made seminal contributions that have changed the direction of basic cancer research. 

It is expected that these investigators will continue to provide leadership in their research area. Up to 2 awards are made annually for a 5-year term that can be renewed once. The award of up to $80,000 per year (direct costs only) may be used for salary or research project support.

American Cancer Society - Research Scholar Grants

The Research Scholar Grant (RSG) supports investigator-initiated projects across the cancer research continuum. 

Independent investigators in the first 8 years of an independent research career or faculty appointment are eligible to apply. Eligibility is extended for 10 years for clinician scientists who remain active in clinical care. Applicants typically must be within 14 years of receiving a terminal (doctorate) degree and cannot have more than one R01/R01-like grant (>$100,000/year direct costs for more than 3 years) as principal investigator at the time of application.  

Funding: Up to 4 years at $165K/year (direct costs), plus 20% allowable indirect costs 
 

American Council of Learned Societies - Fellowship Program

ACLS invites research proposals from scholars in all disciplines of the humanities and related social sciences.

ACLS invites applications from scholars pursuing research on topics grounded in any time period, world region, or humanistic methodology.

The ultimate goal of the project should be a major piece of scholarly work by the applicant, which can take the form of a monograph, articles, digital publication(s), critical edition, or other scholarly resources.

ACLS aims to select fellows who are broadly representative of the variety of humanistic scholarship across all fields of study. We also believe that diversity enhances scholarship and seek to recognize academic excellence from all sectors of higher education and beyond. In ACLS’s peer review, funding packages, and engagement with fellows, we aspire to enact our values of equity and inclusion.

2021 award maximum: $60,000 over 1 year

Please click Read More to find updates about the latest award eligibility requirements and deadlines.

American Diabetes Association - Targeted Research Awards

Targeted Awards provide support for research focused on a specific topic area. Targeted Requests for Applications (RFAs) can be any award type (research, development or training award). Applicants cannot hold or apply for more than one Targeted Award at a time. Eligibility requirements vary per award; refer to the specific RFA or Application Instructions PDF for details.

• - Health Disparities Innovative Clinical or Translational Science (ICTSHD) - These awards support research with novel and innovative hypotheses, performed in human subjects, or research approaches to accelerate the transition of scientific discoveries into clinical application.
• - Health Disparities Junior Faculty Development (JDFHD) - These awards support early investigators as they establish independence as diabetes researchers with a focus on health disparities.

American Heart Association - Career Development Award

Supports highly promising healthcare and academic professionals, in the early years of one’s first professional appointment, to explore innovative questions or pilot studies that will provide preliminary data and training necessary to assure the applicant’s future success as a research scientist.

The award will develop the research skills to support and greatly enhance the awardee’s chances to obtain and retain a high-quality career position. An awardee must hold a faculty/staff position up to and including the rank of assistant professor (or equivalent). No more than five years may have elapsed since the first faculty/staff appointment (after receipt of doctoral degree) at the assistant professor level or equivalent (including, but not limited to, instructor, research assistant professor, research scientist, staff scientist, etc.).

Award details and award period: $231,000 over 3 years, including 10% institutional indirect costs.

American Heart Association - Institutional Award for Undergraduate Student Training

This is an institutional award, made to qualified institutions that can offer a meaningful research experience that supports the mission of the American Heart Association to undergraduate college students.

A program director applies on behalf of the institution, with an internal selection process outlined, in which the sponsor/student pairs apply together for one of the awards from the institution.

The institution must include a student recruitment plan that is open to students at any school. A sponsor/student team may be located at any non-research undergraduate institution, if there is a letter from the sponsoring institution assuring support for the project and responsibility for the student’s work; and to recruit students from racial and ethnic groups that are underrepresented in science (Black/African-American, Hispanic/Latino, Native American, Pacific Islander). The institution may apply for support for two to five students per year. The request must be justified by the institution, based on how many students they can effectively manage.

This is a three-year award that supports two to five students per institution, per year. Renewal is based on satisfactory interim reporting from students, sponsors, and the program director.

Award details and award period: $165,000 per year.

American Legion - Child Welfare Foundation

The American Legion Child Welfare Foundation accepts proposals from nonprofit organizations for projects which meet one of the foundation’s two basic purposes:

•     - To contribute to the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual welfare of children through the dissemination of knowledge about new and innovative organizations and/or their programs designed to benefit youth; and
•     - To contribute to the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual welfare of children through the dissemination of knowledge already possessed by well-established organizations, to the end that such information can be more adequately used by society.

Award details and award period: Grants are not awarded for more than one year. All grants awarded must be started and completed between the period of Jan. 1 and Dec. 31.

American Philosophical Society - Franklin Research Grants

The Franklin program is particularly designed to help meet the costs of travel to libraries and archives for research purposes; the purchase of microfilm, photocopies, or equivalent research materials; and the costs associated with fieldwork; or laboratory research expenses.

Franklin grants are made for noncommercial research. They are not intended to meet the expenses of attending conferences or the costs of publication. The Society does not pay overhead or indirect costs to any institution, and grant funds are not to be used to pay income tax on the award. Grants will not be made to replace salary during a leave of absence or earnings from summer teaching; pay living expenses while working at home; cover the costs of consultants or research assistants; or purchase permanent equipment such as computers, cameras, tape recorders, or laboratory apparatus.

Award amount: Up to $6,000

Antonio Pizzigati Prize for Software in the Public Interest

The Antonio Pizzigati Prize for Software in the Public Interest annually awards a $10,000 cash grant to one individual who has created or led an effort to create an open source software product of significant value to the nonprofit sector and movements for social change. The prize welcomes applications from—and nominations of—single individuals.

Arnold Ventures

Building Rigorous Evidence on Effective Student Support Strategies in Online Postsecondary Education

From Arnold Ventures:

"Our ultimate goal in this RFP is to build a base of credible evidence about 'what works' for students enrolled in online higher education programs. Online enrollment has steadily grown over the past decade: in fall 2018, 5.7 million students ‐ more than a third of undergraduates ‐ enrolled in at least one online education course, while 2.3 million enrolled exclusively online. If done effectively, online options could expand access for students who require flexible scheduling or lack in‐person options, such as adult students and rural students. But much of the evidence suggests that many students who enroll online are less likely to complete college and earn lower grades, and particularly those students who are traditionally underserved and less academically‐prepared.

"There is also relatively limited evidence on effective supports for online students ‐ such as advising or other wraparound services ‐ to help improve outcomes, even as institutions and other stakeholders have begun to develop promising strategies.

"This RFP is intended to support efforts to refine or adapt programs to support students enrolled in online in advance of rigorous evaluation, as opposed to foundational research to study online learning patterns or to design interventions from the ground up."

Deadline for applicants to submit letter of interest (maximum 3 pages): Oct. 21, 2021

Baxter's Easy-to-use technologies for detecting endotoxins in aqueous solutions

Baxter is seeking simplified methods for detecting endotoxin contamination in aqueous solutions

Background

The production of sterile, injectable fluids is the foundation of several core areas of our business. For example, saline solutions are critical to our hospital products business and dialysis solutions are used for continuous renal replacement therapy, hemodialysis, and peritoneal dialysis.

Today, our aqueous solutions are produced and terminally sterilized in large manufacturing facilities. At Baxter, we envision a future where solutions are produced at smaller scale and closer to the point-of-use. To realize this vision, we must ensure that the final solutions delivered to patients are free from endotoxins.

Bacterial endotoxins are structural parts of gram-negative bacteria cell walls. When released during cell lysis, endotoxins can create a fever-inducing response in humans. All major manufacturing processes prescribe bacterial endotoxin testing (BET) and/or pyrogen testing to ensure pharmaceutical products are safe for use. However, there are challenges with these methods that prevent their use in small-scale manufacturing operations where the end user is less skilled and may even be the patient. These methods are also expensive, labor intensive, and not conducive to point-of-use production.

What we’re looking for

We are seeking simplified methods for detecting endotoxin contamination in aqueous solutions that can be performed by untrained operators, such as patients. The project should result in a demonstrated proof-of-concept or prototype.

Our must-have requirements are:

• Total projected cost per test < $20
• Does not require reagents to perform measurement
• Sensitivity – Able to detect endotoxin levels in the fluid > 0.25 EU/ ml
• Test is no more complex than existing home medical tests (e.g. pregnancy, COVID)

Our preferred requirements are:

• Total projected cost per test < $1.00
• Does not require user interaction (e.g. can be fully integrated into the manufacturing equipment or a medical device).
• Sensitivity – Able to detect endotoxin levels > 0.03 EU/ ml
• Enables continuous measurements

What's our of scope:

• Technologies/methods requiring advanced training or prior laboratory experience
• Technologies/methods requiring significant capital equipment

Award details and award period: Award Amount: $150,000 to $300,000 depending on proposal

Baxter's Novel methods for detecting microbial contamination in aqueous solutions

Baxter is seeking novel methods for detecting microbial contamination in aqueous solutions that can be performed by unskilled operators such as patients. The project should result in a demonstrated proof-of-concept or prototype.

Our must-have requirements are:

• Total projected cost per test < $20.00
• Does not require reagents to perform measurement
• Sensitivity – Able to detect bacterial levels in the fluid >= 100 CFU/ ml
• Test is no more complex than existing home medical tests (e.g. pregnancy, COVID)

Our preferred requirements are:

• Total projected cost per test < $1.00
• Sensitivity – Able to detect bacterial levels >0.1 CFU/ ml
• Detects fungi in addition to bacteria
• Differentiates between viable and non-viable microorganisms
• Differentiates between gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria
• Does not require any user interaction (e.g. can be fully integrated into the medical device)

What's out of scope:

• Technologies/methods requiring advanced training or prior laboratory experience
• Technologies/methods requiring significant capital equipment

Award details and award period: Award Amount: $150,000 to $300,000 depending on proposal

Beckman Young Investigator Program

The Beckman Young Investigator (BYI) Program provides research support to the most promising young faculty members in the early stages of their academic careers in the chemical and life sciences, particularly to foster the invention of methods, instruments and materials that will open up new avenues of research in science.

The program is open to those within the first three years of a tenure-track position, or an equivalent independent research appointment, at a United States academic or non-profit institution that conducts research in chemical and life sciences.

No individual may apply for a Beckman Young Investigator award more than two times (includes submitting a Letter of Intent).

Award details and award period: $600,000 over four years

Binational Industrial Research and Development Foundation

Focuses on commercializing sustainable energy technologies that improve economic competitiveness, create jobs, and increase energy security. Eligibility conditions: R&D cooperation between two companies or cooperation between a company and a university/research institution (one from the United States and one from Israel); Innovation in any areas of renewable energy and energy efficiency; Significant commercial potential; the project outcome should lead to commercialization.

Award details and award period: Award Amount: Max $1M

Blavatnik Awards for Young Scientists

The Blavatnik Awards seek to identify and honor exceptional young scientists and engineers 42 years of age and younger. Honorees are selected based on the quality, novelty, and impact of their research and their potential for further significant contributions to in Life Sciences, Physical Sciences & Engineering, and Chemistry. There are regional and national subcategories.

Every year, one Blavatnik National Awards Laureate in each disciplinary category will receive $250,000 in unrestricted funds, and additional nominees will be recognized as Finalists.

Brain Research Foundation - Scientific Innovations Award

BRF’s annual Scientific Innovations Award supports creative, cutting edge research in well-established research laboratories, under the direction of distinguished investigators. The program invites institutions to select one senior faculty for nomination, funding the most innovative and high-impact brain research projects. The objective is to support projects that may be too innovative and speculative for traditional funding sources but still have a high likelihood of producing important findings.

The nominated candidate must be a full-time associateprofessor or full professor, working in the area of studies of brain function in health and disease. Current major NIH or other peer-reviewed funding is preferred but evidence of such funding in the past three years is essential. Studies should be related to either normal human brain development or specifically identified disease states. This includes molecular and clinical neuroscience as well as studies of neural, sensory, motor, cognitive, behavioral and emotional functioning in health and disease. The grant proposal must detail a new research project that is not funded by other sources. This grant is not to be used asbridge funding.

Award details and award period: $150,000 over two years

This is a limited opportunity, please refer to limitedsubs.rice.edu to apply.

Brain Research Foundation - Seed Grant Program

BRF is looking to fund the most innovative and high-impact brain research projects.

Institutions may nominate one full-time junior faculty member working in the areas of brain function. The purpose of this program is to provide start-up monies for new research projects in the field of Neuroscience that will likely lead to extramural funding from the National Institute of Health.

To be eligible, the PI must be a full-time assistant or associate professor working in the area of studies of brain function. This includes molecular and clinical neuroscience as well as studies of neural, sensory, motor, cognitive, behavioral and emotional functioning in health and disease. The grant proposal must detail a new research project that is not funded by other sources. This grant is not to be used as bridge funding.

Award details and award period: $80,000 (direct costs) over two years

BrightFocus Foundation Research Grants

BrightFocus offers several research grants to support research in Alzheimer's disease research, macular degeneration research, and glaucoma research.

Click Read More for details on these various grants.

Burroughs Wellcome Fund

Explore the range of funding opportunities from the Burroughs Wellcome Fund, in the following areas:

• - Infectious Disease
• - Innovation in Regulatory Science
• - Pregnancy

Click Read More for details.

Cancer Research Institute - Clinic & Laboratory Integration Program

From the Cancer Research Institute:

"CLIP Grants provide funding for qualified scientists who are working to explore clinically relevant questions aimed at improving the effectiveness of cancer immunotherapies. The grant will support pre-clinical and translational research, which will provide information that can be directly applied to optimizing cancer immunotherapy in the clinic."

The first stage of the application is a letter of intent.

Award details and award period: Up to $200,000 over 2 years

Cancer Research Institute - Impact Grants

From the Cancer Research Institute:

"Through its Impact Grants, the Cancer Research Institute funds projects that aim to advance defined scientific and technological goals. These awards stem from ongoing collaborations with individual donors and nonprofit organizations, and aim to address major challenges that would otherwise limit progress in cancer immunotherapy research and drug development."

Click Read More to review the numerous impact grant RFPs.

Cancer Research Institute - Lloyd J. Old STAR Program

From the Cancer Research Institute:

"The CRI Lloyd J. Old STAR Program — Scientists Taking Risks — provides long-term funding to mid-career scientists, giving them the freedom and flexibility to pursue high-risk, high-reward research at the forefront of discovery and innovation in cancer immunotherapy.

Rooted in CRI’s exceptional track record of identifying and supporting people who have had a major impact in immunotherapy, these grants are not tied to a specific research project, but rather support outstanding researchers based on the quality and promise of their overall work. The Lloyd J. Old STAR program provides up to $1.25 million over a five-year period to tenure-track assistant professors (minimum 3 years) and associate professors (maximum 3 years)."

Award details and award period: Up to $1.25 million over a five-year period

Cancer Research Institute Technology Impact Award

From the Cancer Research Institute:

"The Cancer Research Institute Technology Impact Award provides seed funding of up to $200,000 to be used over 12-24 months to address the gap between technology development and clinical application of cancer immunotherapies. These grants aim to encourage collaboration between technology developers and clinical cancer immunologists and to generate the proof-of-principle of a novel platform technology in bioinformatics, ex vivo or in silico modeling systems, immunological or tumor profiling instrumentation, methods, reagents and assays, or other relevant technologies that can enable clinician scientists to generate deeper insights into the mechanisms of action of effective or ineffective cancer immunotherapies.

"Award winners will be selected based on the novelty, creativity, technical sophistication, and transformative potential of the technology to impact cancer immunotherapy research around the world. The ultimate aim of this program is to advance technologies that can speed up the entire field’s efforts in addressing one of the most defining challenges of our time—developing immunotherapies that are effective for all cancer patients."

Award details and award period: Up to $200,000 used over 1-2 years

Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation - Damon Runyon-Rachleff Innovation Award

The Damon Runyon-Rachleff Innovation Award is designed to provide support for the next generation of exceptionally creative thinkers with “high-risk/high-reward” ideas that have the potential to significantly impact our understanding of and/or approaches to the prevention, diagnosis or treatment of cancer.

This is not a limited submission, more than one application per department or institution is permitted. The Innovation Award is specifically designed to provide funding to extraordinary early career researchers who have an innovative new idea but lack sufficient preliminary data to obtain traditional funding. It is not designed to fund incremental advances. The research supported by the award must be novel, exceptionally creative and, if successful, have the strong potential for high impact in the cancer field.

Applicants with a background in multiple disciplines are especially encouraged to apply.

Award details and award period: The Stage 1 award will be for two years, $200,000 per year, with the opportunity for up to two additional years of funding (up to four years total for $800,000). Stage 2 support for years three and four will be granted to awardees who demonstrate progress on proposed research during years one and two of the award. The award cannot be used for indirect costs or institutional overhead.

Durham University - Institute of Advanced Study Fellowships

The IAS Distinguished Fellowship scheme brings together world-leading researchers from all disciplines to work with Durham colleagues in developing collaborative projects of major intellectual, scientific, political and practical significance. Up to twenty visiting IAS Fellows will come to Durham each year to work with its scholars to spark new investigations and participate in a varied programme of activities. 

Applicants from any disciplinary area(s) are eligible to apply, but they are required to have at least five years’ experience following the completion of a PhD, or – if a non-academic practitioner – at least five years equivalent professional experience. Applications from early career researchers will only be considered if they demonstrate exceptional promise. Previous recipients of an IAS Fellowship are not eligible for a further Fellowship either by nomination or application. 

2022/23 projects: Politics of Credibility; Opportunities in Pollution; and Risks to Youth and Studenthood in Digital Spaces

Engineering Information Foundation

The Engineering Information Foundation has the mission to improve worldwide engineering education and practice through information technology and the recruitment of women.

Grants support developmental projects, instructional projects, and training programs in engineering education and research that fit our fields of interest:

• - Enhancing Communication and Use of Information in Engineering
• - Women in Engineering - Projects Directed by Engineering Educators

Award details and award period: Between $5,000-$25,000

Eppley Foundation for Research - Support for Advanced Scientific Research

The Eppley Foundation for Research has areas of interest that include innovative medical investigations, climate change, whole ecosystem studies, as well as research on single species if they are of particular significance in their environments, in the U.S. and abroad.

The Foundation does not fund work that can qualify for funding from conventional sources such as the National Science Foundation or the National Institutes of Health, or similar agencies at the state level.

Click read more below for a link to RFP details and recent grants.

Facebook Research

Facebook invites academics to propose research in specific areas that align with their mission of making the world more open and connected. Awards vary in nature and Facebook may solicit proposals from individual researchers addressing a well-defined problem or may require multiple university departments to collaborate with a diverse set of skills to solve a more complex multi-disciplinary challenge.

This is not a limited submission, more than one application per department or institution is permitted.

Google Faculty Engagement

The Faculty Research Awards Program supports academic research in computer science, engineering, and related fields. Through the program, Google funds world-class research at top universities, facilitates interaction between Google and academia, and supports projects whose output will be made openly available to the research community.

Spotlight: the Award for Inclusion Research Program recognizes and supports academic research in computing and technology that addresses the needs of underrepresented populations globally.

Awards are structured as unrestricted gifts to universities and are designed to support roughly the cost of one graduate student for one year of work. This is not a limited submission, more than one application per department or institution is permitted.

Past Rice awardees: Chris Jermaine, Swarat Chaudhuri (2015); Lin Zhong (2014); James McLurkin (2013); Richard Baraniuk, Lin Zhong, Hadley Wickham (2011); Dan Wallach (2009)

Graham Foundation for Advanced Studies in the Fine Arts

The Graham Foundation for Advanced Studies in the Fine Arts fosters the development and exchange of diverse and challenging ideas about architecture and its role in the arts, culture, and society. The foundation realizes this vision through making project-based grants to individuals and organizations and producing exhibitions, events, and publications.

The Graham Foundation offers two types of grants to individuals:

• - Production and Presentation Grants assist individuals with production-related expenses to take a project from conceptualization to realization and public presentation.
• - Research and Development Grants assist individuals with seed money for research-related expenses.

Production and Presentation Grants to organizations do not exceed $30,000 and are likely to be much less.

Greenwall Foundation - Faculty Scholars Program in Bioethics

The Greenwall Foundation seeks to make bioethics integral to decisions in health care, policy, and research.

The Greenwall Faculty Scholars Program in Bioethics is a career development award to enable junior faculty members to carry out innovative bioethics research. It supports research that goes beyond current work in bioethics to help resolve pressing ethical issues in clinical, biomedical, and public health decision-making, policy, and practice, and creates a community that enhances future bioethics research by Scholars and Alumni/ae.

The program allows for an institution to submit one nominee per cycle for a junior faculty member conducting research in ethics and life sciences. Priority will be given to applicants who have not yet been considered for tenure or an equivalent promotion; whose research will have an impact on clinical, biomedical, and public health decision-making, policy, and practice; and who will make important contributions to the field of bioethics over their careers.

Letters of intent are due by September 20, 2021, 10:59 pm CT.

Award details and award period: 50 percent salary support for three years

Greenwall Foundation - Making A Difference Program

The Making a Difference program supports research to help resolve an important emerging or unanswered bioethics problem in clinical, biomedical, or public health decision-making, policy, or practice.

The Foundation’s vision is to make bioethics integral to decisions in health care, policy, and research. Our mission is to expand bioethics knowledge to improve clinical, biomedical, and public health decision-making, policy, and practice. Projects funded under the Making a Difference program should promote the Foundation’s vision and mission through innovative bioethics research that will have a real-world, practical impact.

Award details and award period: ~$200,000 for two years

Harry Frank Guggenheim Foundation - Distinguished Scholar Awards

The foundation welcomes proposals from any of the natural and social sciences and aligned disciplines that promise to increase understanding of the causes, manifestations, and control of violence and aggression. Highest priority is given to research that addresses urgent, present-day problems of violence—what produces it, how it operates, and what prevents or reduces it.  

Most awards fall within the range of $15,000 to $45,000 per year for periods of one or two years.

Howard Hughes Medical Institute

From the Howard Hughes Medical Institute: "As one of the world's largest philanthropies, HHMI's chartered purpose is the advancement of knowledge within the basic sciences and the effective application of that knowledge for the benefit of humanity. We carry out this mission in laboratories and classrooms at private and public institutions across the United States... In 2017, HHMI committed to four guiding priorities, which we call: Discovery Science; Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the Scientific Workforce; Public Engagement; and Healthy Academic Ecosystem. We’re using these priorities to guide decisions about our resources and to experiment with new approaches, sharing what we learn along the way."

To learn about open competitions, click Read More below.

James S. McDonnell Foundation - Collaborative Activity Award

The foundation offers Collaborative Activity Awards to initiate interdisciplinary discussions on problems or issues, to help launch interdisciplinary research networks, or to fund communities of researchers/practitioners dedicated to developing new methods, tools, and applications of basic research to applied problems. In each case the focus of the collaborative activity must meet the program guidelines for one of the following program areas:

• Studying Complex Systems
• Understanding Human Cognition

This is not a limited submission, more than one application per department or institution is permitted.

Award details and award period: $250,000 over four years

John Templeton Foundation

Proposals for small and large grants are due Aug. 20, 2021.

"The John Templeton Foundation serves as a philanthropic catalyst for discoveries relating to the deepest and most perplexing questions facing humankind. We support research on subjects ranging from complexity, evolution, and emergence to creativity, forgiveness, and free will."

Funding areas are:

• - Science and the Big Questions
• - Character Virtue Development
• - Individual Freedom and Free Markets
• - Exceptional Cognitive Talent and Genius
• - Genetics
• - Voluntary Family Planning

Grant consideration begins with an initial online funding inquiry (OFI) and, if invited, a detailed full proposal.

Click Read More below to learn more and to apply for a grant.

Award details and award period: Small Grants: $234,800 or less; Large Grants: $234,800 or more

Keck Foundation research program

The Keck Foundation strives to fund collaborative endeavors that are distinctive and novel in their approach. Projects are typically team-based. Keck encourages projects that are high-risk with the potential for transformative impact. "High-risk" comprises a number of factors, including questions that push the edge of the field, present unconventional approaches to intractable problems, or challenge the prevailing paradigm. In all programs, "transformative" may mean creation of a new field of research, development of new instrumentation enabling observations not previously possible, or discovery of knowledge that challenges prevailing perspectives.

Prior to Phase I written submission to the Foundation, the Vice Provost for Research is invited to conduct a concept conference call with Foundation program officers regarding Rice’s potential project(s). This process will serve to select project(s) to be discussed on that call. The Foundation requests that PIs not participate in the initial screening phone call.

Given the foundation’s stated priorities, the Office of Research and OCFR have determined that, to be eligible for the internal competition, applicants must have a federal rejection for the project in-hand to submit to the Keck Foundation. These rejection notices should, ideally, identify a proposal as “too high-risk” or “too ambitious” for federal funding.

Two cycles per year; PIs must provide a rejected federal funding proposal.

This is a limited submission opportunity. Click Read More to enter the internal competition.

Award details and award period: $1 million

Leakey Foundation - Research Grants

The Leakey Foundation exclusively funds research related to human origins. Priority of funding is commonly given to exploratory phases of promising new research projects that meet the stated purpose of the Foundation. Grants to senior scientists and post-doctoral researchers may be funded up to $25,000.

Investigators may only submit one proposal as a principle investigator (PI) per granting cycle. This policy does not apply to co-investigators.

Click Read More for more information.

Lever for Change

Lever for Change is a John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation affiliate, whose mission is to unlock significant philanthropic capital and accelerate social change around the world’s most pressing challenges. Lever for Change helps philanthropists source vetted, high-impact opportunities in two ways: by designing and managing customized competitions and by matching them with the top vetted proposals from all of its competitions in the Bold Solutions Network, a searchable online database.

Click Read More to see the latest competitions and news from Lever for Change.

March of Dimes - Basil O’Connor Starter Scholar Research Award

Basil O’Connor Starter Scholar Research Awards support young physicians/scientists committed to March of Dimes’ mission to fight for the health of all moms and babies. This award includes a $150,000 grant for outstanding investigators just embarking on their independent research careers.

March of Dimes invites request for proposals of impactful research that will advance our translational understanding of, or lead to improved clinical treatment of any serious medical conditions that affect the health of pregnancies and/or moms and newborns within the first year postpartum. Applications focused on preterm birth, developmental origins of health and disease, and health equity are prioritized. All applications must have a direct link to clinical translation. The eventual goal to cure or greatly mitigate conditions that adversely impact the health of pregnant people and newborns is required.

The award is $150,000 for 2 years, including 10 percent indirect costs to sponsoring institutions.

Click Read More for detailed eligibility requirements.

Mellon Foundation - New Directions Fellowships

New Directions Fellowships assist faculty members in the humanities who seek to acquire systematic training outside their own areas of special interest to pursue a specific research agenda. Applicants must have been awarded their doctorate within the last six to twelve years and have a research interest that calls for formal training in a discipline beyond their current field of expertise.

This is a limited submission competition. Refer to limitedsubs.rice.edu for more information when the RFP is announced: limitedsubs.rice.edu

Award details and award period: Final budgets commonly range from $175,000 to $250,000; the maximum is $300,000.  The term of the grant should cover a minimum of two years.

Past Rice Awardees: Kirsten Ostherr – 2012; Aysha Pollnitz – 2019; Andrea Ballestero – 2021

Mellon Foundation - Sawyer Seminars Program

The Mellon Foundation's Sawyer Seminars were established in 1994 to provide support for comparative research on the historical and cultural sources of contemporary developments. Foundation support aims to engage productive scholars in comparative inquiry that would (in ordinary university circumstances) be difficult to pursue, while at the same time avoiding the institutionalization of such work in new centers, departments, or programs.  Sawyer Seminars are, in effect, temporary research centers.

Rice is invited to submit one nominee per cycle.

This is a limited submission competition. Refer to limitedsubs.rice.edu for more information when the RFP is announced: limitedsubs.rice.edu

Award details and award period: $150,000 over one year

Read more from the Mellon Foundation.

Merck Family Fund - Conserving Ecologically Valuable Land

The fund welcomes proposals that:

• - Advocate for and secure public financial resources and commitments to land protection.

• - Demonstrate community engagement and certified sustainable management of land particularly concerning forestry and farming.

• - Provide leadership to existing and emerging coalitions that build a multi-stakeholder voice.

The geographic focus of this area will be the southeastern United States, with priority given to the Southern Appalachians and the states of Tennessee, North Carolina, Kentucky, South Carolina, Georgia, and Virginia.

Award details and award period: Unspecified

Merck Family Fund - Reducing CO2 Emissions through Energy Efficiency and Carbon Pricing

The fund will support the development of political and economic drivers at the state and federal level to establish or expand carbon pricing mechanisms.

Specifically, the Fund welcomes proposals that:

• - Advocate for residential and commercial utility programs that result in measurable energy efficiencies.

• - Demonstrate financing models that create affordable capital for investments in efficiency.

• - Provide incentives or mandates that result in utility-based efficiency programs.

• - Engender bi-partisan study, design and acceptance of carbon pricing alternatives.

Microsoft Corporation - AI for Earth Grants

AI for Earth grants provide access to Microsoft resources to support projects that change the way people and organizations monitor, model, and manage Earth’s natural systems.

Visit microsoft.com for open RFPs: Link

Packard Fellowship for Science and Engineering

The Packard Fellowships for Science and Engineering program invests in future leaders who have the freedom to take risks, explore new frontiers in their fields of study, and follow uncharted paths that may lead to groundbreaking discoveries. 

The Fellowship Program provides support for highly creative researchers early in their careers; faculty members who are well established and well-funded are less likely to receive the award. Packard Fellows are inquisitive, passionate scientists and engineers who take a creative approach to their research, dare to think big, and follow new ideas wherever they lead. The Foundation emphasizes support for innovative individual research that involves the Fellows, their students, and junior colleagues, rather than extensions or components of large-scale, ongoing research programs.

This is a limited opportunity. Please visit limitedsubs.rice.edu after the RFP is announced to see the internal competition steps: link

Visit OCFR Presents... for a webinar with our Rice Packard Fellows (you will need to log in to your Rice Google account to see the site): link

Award details and award period: $875,000 over five years

Pew Scholars Program in the Biomedical Sciences

The Pew Scholars Program in the Biomedical Sciences provides funding to young investigators of outstanding promise in science relevant to the advancement of human health. The program makes grants to selected academic institutions to support the independent research of outstanding individuals who are in their first few years of their appointment at the assistant professor level.

This is a limited submission opportunity with a required internal review competition. Please visit the Limited Submission page when the RFP is announced: link

Award details and award period: $3000,000 over four years

Rita Allen Foundation - Scholars Award

The Rita Allen Foundation Scholars Program provides grants to the leading biomedical research institutions in the fields of cancer, immunology, and neuroscience. The program funds early career scientist who embrace innovative research with above-average risk and groundbreaking possibilities.

Individuals chosen will be designated Rita Allen Foundation Scholars and the affiliated institutions will receive financial support from the Rita Allen Foundation of up to $110,000 annually, for a period of up to five years.

This is a limited submission opportunity requiring application to an internal review process. Please visit the Limited Submissions site when the RFP is announced: link

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation is "dedicated to building a Culture of Health that provides everyone in America a fair and just opportunity for health and well-being. RWJF's signature research programs are helping to identify the root causes of health disparities in America, and potential solutions to improve health, equity and well-being."

The foundation releases numerous "open calls for ideas and different types of challenges and prize competitions, as well as direct solicitations for projects in support of specific programmatic objectives."

Click Read More below for a list of active RFPs from RWJF.

Russel Sage Foundation

The Russel Sage Foundation is dedicated to programs of social science research. The foundation is especially interested in research at the intersection of behavioral economics and behavioral sciences and its other programs — Future of Work; Race, Ethnicity and Immigration; Social, Political and Economic Inequality.

The foundation "seeks investigator-initiated research proposals that will broaden understanding of the social, economic and political consequences of actual behaviors and decisions. Eligibility conditions: Priority given to field experiments (as opposed to lab experiments); Areas of Interests: choice architecture; time preferences; poverty, inequality, and mobility; labor markets; racial and ethnic bias; public finance."

Samsung Global Research Outreach (GRO) Program

Through the SAMSUNG Global Research Outreach (GRO) Program, Samsung invites world-class university researchers to propose novel research ideas and to work with our R&D teams to foster technological innovation.

This is not a limited submission, more than one application per department or institution is permitted. There are 24 Research Themes, but additional proposals outside the topics are welcome because innovation knows no boundaries.

Award details and award period: Up to $100,000 per year with the opportunity to renew up to three years

Searle Scholars Program

The Searle Scholars Program makes grants to selected universities and research centers to support the independent research of exceptional young faculty in the biomedical sciences and chemistry.

Applicants are expected to be pursuing independent research careers in biochemistry, cell biology, genetics, immunology, neuroscience, pharmacology, and related areas in chemistry, medicine, and the biological sciences.

This is a limited opportunity: please visit limitedsubs.rice.edu when the application is announced to take part in the internal selection process.

Award details and award period: $300,000 over three years

Semiconductor Research Corporation - Nanoelectric Computing Research (nCORE) Program

Explore fundamental materials, devices, and interconnect solutions to enable future high-performance computing/storage paradigms beyond conventional CMOS technology, beyond von Neumann architecture, or beyond classical information processing/storage.

Award details and award period: Larger center funded at $2 million per year for 3 years; Smaller center funded at $1 million per year for 3 years

Sepmeyer Research Grant Program

IERF’s mission is to research and share information on world educational systems and to facilitate the integration of individuals educated outside the United States into the U.S. educational environment and work force.

IERF accomplishes this by:

• - conducting comprehensive, quality research on world educational systems
• - sharing its research findings with the international community
• - providing research-based credentials evaluations and related services

The purpose of the research grant program is to aid IERF in carrying out this mission. Therefore, IERF invites individuals and organizations to submit appropriate research project proposals for funding. Research grants are awarded for research only and not for study.

Award details and award period: Up to $1,000

Simons Collaborations in Mathematics and the Physical Sciences

The Simons Foundation’s Mathematics and Physical Sciences division invites applications for Collaboration Grants for Mathematicians to stimulate collaboration in the field primarily through the funding of travel and related expenditures.

The goal of the program is to support the “mathematical marketplace” by substantially increasing collaborative contacts between mathematicians. The foundation will make a large number of collaboration grants to accomplished, active researchers in the United States who do not otherwise have access to funding that allows support for travel and visitors.

Each collaboration grant provides $8,400 per year for up to five years: $6,000 per year for collaboration, travel and research funds for the awardee; $1,000 per year in discretionary funds for the awardee’s department to enhance the research atmosphere of the department; and 20 percent ($1,400) per year in indirect costs.

Simons Early Career Investigator in Marine Microbial Ecology and Evolution Awards

Microbes inhabit and sustain all habitats on Earth. In the oceans, microbes capture solar energy, catalyze biogeochemical transformations of important elements, produce and consume greenhouse gases, and provide the base of the food web.

The purpose of these awards is to help launch the careers of outstanding investigators who use quantitative approaches to advance our understanding of marine microbial ecology and evolution. Investigators with backgrounds in different fields or with an interest in modeling or theory are encouraged to apply.

Award details and award period: $180,000 per year including indirect costs for 3 years

Simons Fellows in Mathematics

The Simons Foundation’s Mathematics and Physical Sciences division invites applications for Collaboration Grants for Mathematicians to stimulate collaboration in the field primarily through the funding of travel and related expenditures.

The goal of the program is to support the “mathematical marketplace” by substantially increasing collaborative contacts between mathematicians. The foundation will make a large number of collaboration grants to accomplished, active researchers in the United States who do not otherwise have access to funding that allows support for travel and visitors.

A Simons Fellowship in Mathematics provides salary replacement for up to 50 percent (up to a maximum of $100,000) of the Fellow’s current academic-year salary, whether normally paid over 9 or 12 months, and up to $10,000 for expenses related to the leave.

Simons Fellows in Theoretical Physics

The Simons Foundation’s Mathematics and Physical Sciences (MPS) division invites applications for the Simons Fellows in Theoretical Physics program, to make sabbatical research leaves more productive by extending them from a single term to a full academic year.

Rationale: Research leaves from classroom teaching and administrative obligations can provide strong intellectual stimulation and lead to increased creativity and productivity in research.

Basis for Awards: The MPS division’s Scientific Advisory Board will advise the foundation on the selection of awardees. Awards will be based on the applicant’s scientific accomplishments in the five-year period preceding the application and on the potential scientific impact of the work to be done during the leave period.

Award details and award period: 50% of academic salary (up to $100,000) and $10,000 for expenses

Simons Foundation - Targeted Grants in Mathematics and Physical Sciences

The Simons Foundation’s Mathematics and Physical Sciences (MPS) division invites applications for its new Targeted Grants in MPS program. The program supports high-risk projects of exceptional promise and scientific importance with a primary focus on mathematics, theoretical computer science and theoretical physics.

This is not a limited submission, more than one application per department or institution is permitted.

Award details and award period: funding is for up to five years and is based on the support requested in the proposal

Sloan Research Fellowships

The Sloan Research Fellowships seek to stimulate fundamental research by early-career scientists and scholars of outstanding promise in the fields of chemistry, computer science, economics, mathematics, molecular biology, neuroscience, ocean science, physics, or related field. These two year fellowships are awarded yearly to 126 researchers in recognition of distinguished performance and a unique potential to make substantial contributions to their field.

Candidates must be nominated by a department head or other senior researcher. Submissions unaccompanied by a nomination from a senior researcher are not accepted. More than one candidate from a department may be nominated, but no more than three.

Fellowships are for a two-year term beginning on September 15th of the award year. The 2021 fellowships amount will be $75,000.

Sociological Initiatives Foundation

The Sociological Initiatives Foundation supports social change by linking research to social action. It funds research projects that investigate laws, policies, institutions, regulations, and normative practices that may limit equality in the United States and Puerto Rico. It gives priority to projects that seek to address racism, xenophobia, classism, gender bias, exploitation, or the violation of human rights and freedoms. It also supports research that furthers language learning and behavior and its intersection with social and policy questions.

Grant sizes normally range from $10,000 to $20,000.

St. Baldrick’s Scholars Awards

Rice may submit one nominee. St. Baldrick's Scholar Awards are meant to help develop the independent research of highly qualified individuals still early in their careers who are working in pediatric cancer research. Research projects must have direct applicability and relevance to pediatric cancer. They may be in any discipline of basic, clinical, translational or epidemiological research. Applicants must be within the first five years of appointment and should hold a Ph.D., M.D., or D.O., by the date the award begins.

Award details and award period: awards are up to $110,000 per year for three years to be used entirely for the Scholar’s salary at the applicant institution, including up to 30% of the salary amount for fringe benefits. Scholars have an opportunity to apply for an additional two years of funding based upon the demonstration of significant accomplishment. If funded, Years 4-5 will be up to $115,000 per year.

St. Baldrick’s Supportive Care Research Grants

St. Baldrick's supportive care research grants are for specific one-year research projects which are hypothesis driven and focus on areas related to the supportive care of children and adolescents with cancer. Examples include but are not limited to: studies related to symptom clusters, patient-reported outcomes/quality of life, health communication, health promotion, and psychosocial support across the trajectory from diagnosis to survivorship or end-of-life care. Applicants should hold an M.D./D.O. or a Ph.D. Applicants may only serve as lead PI on one proposal to St. Baldrick's Foundation during each grant cycle.

Rice may submit one proposal. Please contact OCFR if you are interested in applying.

Award details and award period: average grant is $50,000 or less.

The Moore Foundation

From the foundation: "We believe that evidence and the types of rigorous inquiry that guide scientific explorations are key to achieving the outcomes we want in the areas we support. With this in mind, we support efforts with measurable impact. To gain valuable perspective and to adapt and learn, we conduct regular reviews of our work – from independent assessments to strategy reviews. We also convene grantees and other experts to share lessons learned."

Areas of investment include science, environmental conservation, and patient care.

For more about the foundation's program areas: Link

Wenner-Gren Foundation for Anthropological Research

Global Initiatives Grants

Each year, the Wenner-Gren Foundation funds a small number of one-time projects designed to meet a need not addressed by our other programs.  Global Initiatives Grants can be as small as $5,000 and as large as $20,000 and support initiatives in which a small amount of money can have a wide and lasting impact in creating the conditions that allow the discipline to survive and thrive.

Engaged Research Grants

Engaged Research Grants provide grants up to a maximum of $20,000 to support research partnerships that promise to make a significant contribution to anthropological conversations through collaborations in which engagement is a central feature of a project from the very start. 

William T. Grant Scholars

The William T. Grant Scholars Program supports career development for promising early-career researchers. The foundation funds research ideas that significantly expand researcher’s expertise in new disciplines, methods, and content areas. Applicants must have a track record of conducting high-quality research and an interest in pursuing a significant shift in their trajectories as researchers.

This is a limited opportunity; please visit limitedsubs.rice.edu when the RFP is announced.

Award details and award period: $350,000 for five years