The Medical University of South Carolina is delighted to announce the American Cancer Society Institutional Research Grant. The competition is open to the applicants who have within six years of their first independent research or faculty appointment.

The purpose of the Grant (ACS IRG) is to support the initiation of promising new cancer research projects by junior faculty members so they can obtain results that will enable them to compete successfully for peer-reviewed extramural cancer research grants.

Awards will be up to $35,000 each and upon competitive review can be renewed for a second year. The award is exempt from indirect costs, so all funds are used for cancer research as direct costs. Grant awards are for a 12-month period.

Who May Eligible:

To eligible, the candidates must be following all the eligibility criteria:

• Must be within six years of their first independent research or faculty appointment.
• Although applicants may apply for multiple awards, a grantee may not be the principal investigator on more than one ACS Grant at any time.
• Must not currently hold any national peer-reviewed project grant funding (e.g., K99/R00, R01, R03, R21, national ACS award, national DOD award).
• An exception will be made for faculty members who hold national peer-reviewed grants in non-cancer related areas.
• However, these proposals must have a direct, unquestionable cancer focus and include a cancer scientist as a mentor.
• Individuals with career development awards (NIH K awards and other career development awards from national foundations) are eligible.
• Individuals who have received national peer-reviewed research grants that were not renewed and who are still at the level of assistant professor may apply for an individual IRG—provided they are within the first six years of their independent faculty (or equivalent) appointment and have not received funds from the ACS IRG before.
• Must at the time of application have U.S. residency status or hold a visa that will allow time for full completion of the project.
• Must have a primary academic appointment at MUSC.

How to Apply & Competition Rules:

To participate, the applicants must submit an online application form through the given link: http://www.hollingscancercenter.org/research/funding/ACS/app.html

Rules:

• Application Format: Use standard Arial 11-point font, single space, and half-inch margins throughout the application. Consecutively number all pages.
• Progress Report(for resubmissions only): do not exceed the two-page limit for the progress report.
• If you are resubmitting an application, you must include a one-page document detailing your responses to the critiques from the previous application.
• Note that this only applies to resubmitted applications, not projects being submitted for the first time.
• Table of Contents: Provide page number for each category listed in the Table of Contents.
• Number pages consecutively at the bottom of each page throughout the application.
• NIH Biosketch
• Research Plan(PDF)
• Detailed Budget: Use the detailed budget form to complete the 12-month budget. refer to the budget guidelines (PDF).
• Budget Justification: On a separate page, clearly justify each item requested in the budget. Describe mentors and collaborators and their roles on the project.
• Facilities and Resources:Describe resources and facilities available to support proposed research.
• Letters of Support:  Research Assistant Professors must include a letter of support from their Department Chair or Division Director confirming their independent research status.
• In addition, all applicants must include a letter of support from their Chairperson and primary mentors indicating their endorsement of the proposed research and their commitment to mentoring the applicant through the award year.
• If the applicant’s research is thematically similar to that of his or her primary mentor, the mentor must clarify the distinction between the mentor’s research and the applicant’s proposal.

Benefits:

• Awards will be up to $35,000 each and upon competitive review can be renewed for a second year.
• The award is exempt from indirect costs, so all funds are used for cancer research as direct costs.
• Grant awards are for a 12-month period, from January 1, 2019, through December 31, 2019.

Application Deadline:

Applications are due on October 29, 2018, by 3 p.m.

Apply Now

Contact Andie Edwards, Assistant Director of Research Development at adelman@musc.edu with questions about your eligibility.