The Johns Hopkins University Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center (SKCCC) announces the request for applications (RFA) for the new SKCCC Cancer Research Pilot Fund. The Pilot Fund will support one year project proposals up to $100,000 direct costs. The expectation is that SKCCC Cancer Research Pilot Fund will spark synergistic interactions among investigators and catalyze scientific achievements of the highest quality and impact. Applications are welcomed from across the spectrum of fundamental, translational, clinical, and epidemiologic research. Applications are similarly free to focus on specific organ sites or on issues that span multiple cancer types. Applications will be evaluated based on their potential to influence our scientific understanding of cancer and our clinical, operational, and financial management of the disease.

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 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 essential to becoming successful 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 BFore PC Center, a PreCancer Atlas Center funded by the NCI Human Tumor Atlas Network, announces its inaugural request for applications (RFA) for pilot research funds. This Center is focused on 3D multi-omic characterization of pancreatic precancer in the setting of defective DNA repair. These pilot awards will fund research projects for a single year at the level of $50,000 direct costs. We anticipate making 2 awards in 2025 and issuing new RFAs on an annual basis for 3 additional years. Applications must focus on approaches that can deepen our understanding of precancers in the pancreas, including experimental approaches to human tissue analysis, computational tools to derive insights from multi-omic data, and model systems for mechanistic interrogation. Applications will be evaluated by reviewers from the BFore PC Center and will be scored based on their potential to impact our scientific understanding of pancreatic precancer in keeping with the goals of the Center.