Damon Runyon Clinical Investigator Award

Limited Submission Funding Opportunity for Texas A&M Health Science Center Faculty and PIs

Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation

Clinical Investigator Award

http://www.damonrunyon.org/for_scientists/more/clinical_investigator_award_overview

Limited Submission Program (LSP): This funding opportunity and the Limited Submission Program (LSP) is open to all Texas A&M University faculty and principal investigators who meet the eligibility requirements. Texas A&M and The Texas A&M University System agencies jointly administer this process to select the proposal(s) that will be submitted to the sponsor in response to this solicitation.

Institutional Eligibility:  Texas A&M University System Health Science Center, College Station.

PI Eligibility: 

• The applicant must be a U.S. citizen or permanent legal resident.
• Each applicant must be nominated by his/her institution. Applications will only be accepted from institutions that have been invited to submit them by the Foundation (See list). Five (5) nominations per institution, including its affiliated schools, will be accepted. Because of its number of affiliated hospitals, Harvard Medical School may submit up to six (6) nominations.
• The applicant must have received an MD or MD/PhD degree(s) from an accredited institution, completed his/her subspecialty training and be board-eligible.
• The applicant must hold a valid, active U.S. medical license at the time of application.
• The applicant must apply within the first four (4) years of his/her initial full faculty appointment (cut-off July 2011). Adjunct or acting positions are not eligible.
• Candidates holding or awarded R01s at the time of application are not eligible to apply.
• The applicant must commit to spending 80% of their time conducting research. [In rare unique circumstances, the CIA Review Committee may consider an applicant with a very modest reduction of 80% protected time if their Department Chair can provide a compelling reason explaining why a waiver of the 80% requirement should be granted, what percentage of effort will be guaranteed, and what safeguards will be put in place to make sure the individual’s research will not be compromised by their clinical/administrative activities.]
• The applicant is required to apply in conjunction with a Mentor who is established in the field of clinical translational cancer research, cancer prevention and/or epidemiology and can provide the critical guidance needed during the period of the award.  No more than two Damon Runyon Clinical Investigators will be funded to work with the same Mentor at any given time.
• Candidates may apply up to three times during this eligibility period. 

The proposal will be prepared and submitted by Sponsored Research Services (SRS).

Proposal Limit: 5

Summary:  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.

Dates:

Internal Selection Procedures:

Texas A&M has established a procedure to identify limited submission opportunities and internally select proposals for Texas A&M submissions.  Please contact us if you have any questions about the limited submission process.