- Guidelines
PLEASE REVIEW ALL OF THE INFORMATION BELOW. INCLUDING THE LINKS TO THE DAMON RUNYON WEBSITE WITH FULL ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS.
Each applicant must be nominated by their institution. Five (5) nominations per institution, including its affiliated schools, will be accepted.
After this internal review cycle, we will select up to five nominees to complete a full application to Damon Runyon due in January 2026.
Documents Required for Internal Selection Requirements:
1. Biosketch
2. Personal Statement
- What do you anticipate gaining from this award with respect to its impact and your career development?
- Optional: personal background (for DR, applicants may choose to indicate if they identify as an individual underrepresented in the life sciences.*)
3. Accomplishments
- List and describe three most important professional accomplishments.
4. Research Proposal (5 pages including figures, tables and legends. Single-spaced, 12-point type with at least 0.5-inch margins.)
- the aim(s) of the proposed research project(s)
- the significance of the research goals
- the plan of research proposed and the experimental designs, strategies, and methods to be used in the conduct of the research
- (where applicable) biostatistical methods used for design and analysis
- (if any part of the research proposal falls outside of your or your Mentor’s research expertise) please explain and identify the expert consultant who will guide you.
- References not included in 5-pages.
5. Letter of Support from Mentor (Only one application will be accepted from a Mentor per review session (including Co-Mentors)).
- evaluate the applicant’s qualifications for the proposed research project
- assess the applicant's potential for successful independent research
- describe independence of applicant from the Mentor.
Overview: The Damon Runyon Clinical Investigator Award supports independent young physician-scientists conducting disease-oriented research that demonstrates a high level of innovation and creativity. The goal is to support the best young physician-scientists doing work aimed at improving the practice of cancer medicine.
The Clinical Investigator Award responds to three recognized realities:
- Though there has never been a more pressing need or more promising time for clinical cancer research, fewer young physicians enter this area of investigation every year.
- The number of institutions committed to training young physicians in the scientific discipline and methodologies of clinical investigation is critically low.
- The burden of medical school debt (averaging over $100,000) discourages many physicians from pursuing clinical investigation.
The Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation’s award offers solutions to these realities. The awardee will receive financial support for three years, as well as assistance with certain research costs such as the purchase of equipment. The Foundation will also retire up to $100,000 of any medical school debt still owed by the awardee. The Clinical Investigator Award program is specifically intended to provide outstanding young physicians with the resources and training structure essential to becoming successful clinical investigators. The goal is to increase the number of physicians capable of moving seamlessly between the laboratory and the patient’s bedside in search of breakthrough treatments.
The applicant must be involved in patient care and be conducting research that has the potential to be translated to impact patients.
Preference will be given to research that adheres to the “Handshake Rule,” meaning that the physician will conduct research studies that directly involve patients. (This rule does not apply to pathologist candidates.)
During each award year, the applicant must commit a minimum of 80% of their full-time professional effort to the conduct of research and research career development.
The Mentor’s role is to foster the development of the applicant’s knowledge, technical and analytical skills, and capacity for scientific inquiry in the field of human disease-oriented clinical and translational research. The Mentor also acts as an advocate for the applicant at the departmental, institutional, and professional levels. Only one application will be accepted from a Mentor per review session (including Co-Mentors).
Funding: The $600,000 award will be for a period of three years. Funding in the amount of $200,000 will be allocated to the awardee’s institution each year, for a period of three years, for the support of the Clinical Investigator. Funds are intended to be flexible and can be used for a variety of scientific needs including the Investigator’s stipend and/or fringe benefits (up to $130,000 annually), salaries for professional and technical personnel, special equipment, supplies, and other miscellaneous items required to conduct the proposed research. No part of this grant can be used for indirect costs or institutional overhead.
For full eligibility and additional details, please visit:
Overview/Eligibility: https://www.damonrunyon.org/for-scientists/application-guidelines/clinical-investigator#overview
Guidelines: https://www.damonrunyon.org/for-scientists/application-guidelines/clinical-investigator/forms
*Please read the full eligibility requirements carefully.