Research News

Limited Submission Opportunity: 2020 V Scholar Award for Black/African American Cancer Researchers

Applications are due Nov. 11. This is a joint competition for VU and VUMC investigators. All investigators should follow these instructions.

Vanderbilt (VU and VUMC, collaboratively) may choose one nominee for the  V Scholar Award for Black/African American Cancer Researchers program, which is open to research in all adult cancer types.

This grant opportunity is specifically for researchers who come from the Black/African American community, a minority group that is underrepresented in the scientific community. The V Scholar Award supports early tenure-track faculty by funding a range of projects from laboratory-based fundamental research through bench to bedside research. The total amount of the grant is $200,000 over two years. Only direct costs of the research are supported by this award. This new grant opportunity was made available due to additional funds being donated to the Stuart Scott Memorial Cancer Research Fund.

Eligibility

This call for applications is specifically for adult cancer research. By Jan. 6, 2021, all of the following must apply:

  • Nominees must self-identify as Black/African American
  • Applicants must hold a tenure-track faculty position as an assistant professor. Non-promotable, adjunct, affiliated, temporary, part-time or acting faculty positions are not eligible for this grant competition.
  • Applicants must have been appointed to their first full-time assistant professor position within the last five years and not yet been promoted to associate professor.
  • Clinical scientists are eligible if their department can demonstrate that it will fully support the research applicant (e.g., dedicated lab space, startup funds, dedicated research time).
  • Applicants must have at least two years’ post-doctoral (M.D. or Ph.D.) fellowship training. For M.D.s, a minimum of one year is acceptable if only one year is required for the specialty.
  • Applicant must be a U.S. citizen or permanent legal resident.
  • Applicants may NOT already have an R01 or R01-equivalent grant as P.I. or co-leader. Applicants may not be co-leaders on projects such as SPORE or NIH grant mechanisms like U01, DP1, DP2, R37 and R23. The V Scholar award is intended to support research to leverage these larger awards, so the nominee should not have already received such awards.

Internal selection process

Anyone interested in being considered as Vanderbilt’s nominee must submit the following (in PDF format) to LSO@vanderbilt.edu  by 5 p.m. on Nov. 11, 2020:

  • Brief (two-page maximum) research plan including summary budget;
  • Letter of support from department chair/center director;
  • Letters must acknowledge that this grant does not allow indirect costs. This statement can be used/modified: “The department recognizes that this grant does not allow indirect costs and will commit to covering any associated indirect costs per applicable institutional/school policy.” Consult LSO@vanderbilt.edu for further guidance.
  • NIH Biosketch or five-page CV.

Submissions should reference the program name in the subject line of the email.

Please contact us at LSO@vanderbilt.edu if you have any questions about the program, foundation or internal review process.