Applications due May 4
This is a joint competition for VU and VUMC investigators. All investigators should follow these instructions.
Vanderbilt (VU and VUMC, collaboratively) has been invited to participate in the V Foundation 2023 Pediatric Cancer Research Grant Program, with special focus topic “Therapeutic Resistance.” Vanderbilt may choose one nominee for the Pediatric Cancer Research Grant Program. The single nominee may apply in either the V Scholar or the Translational program type for support.
Please review each award type below and submit internal proposals for either program by May 4. Note that internal competitions for the V Foundation awards (V Scholar, Translational) focused on adult cancers have already closed for 2023.
Pediatric Cancer Translational Research Award
The V Foundation seeks to support translational research projects within the scope of pediatric cancer research. The Translational Research Award is an $800,000 grant awarded in four annual installments of $200,000. Indirect costs up to a maximum of 10 percent within the total award are permitted.
Definition of a translational research project: Translational projects should move a novel strategy from the laboratory into a human clinical trial or use specimens from a clinical trial to develop biomarkers or mechanisms. The research should apply in some direct way to human beings within the time frame of less than three years from the end of the grant. If biomarker research is undertaken, a validation set or independent clinical trial is essential. A plan for biomarker validation, if applicable, must be included in any proposal. The endpoint of the project should be the planning or initiation of a new clinical trial.
Special focus area
This award is specifically for pediatric cancer research that falls into preclinical/translational research as described above. This year, the foundation has special interest and funding for therapeutic resistance research projects. Please note that research areas not included in this scope are epidemiology, behavioral science and health services research.
Applicant eligibility: By May 17, 2023, applicants who will lead this research team must have all of the following:
- Be scientists who hold a tenure-track faculty position (any level) at their cancer research institution. Non-promotable, adjunct, affiliated, temporary, part-time or acting faculty positions are not eligible for principal investigator.
- Applicants must be either U.S. citizens or permanent legal residents in the U.S.
Pediatric Cancer V Scholar Award
The Pediatric Cancer V Scholar Award supports young tenure-track faculty early in their cancer research career by funding projects that are either laboratory-based fundamental research or translational research. The total amount of the grant is $600,000 awarded in three annual installments of $200,000 each. No indirect costs are permitted.
Special focus area
This award is specifically for pediatric cancer research. This year, the foundation has special interest and funding for therapeutic resistance research projects. Please note that research areas not included in this scope are epidemiology, behavioral science and health services research.
Applicant eligibility: By May 17, 2023, applicants must meet all of the following:
- 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 the Scholar award.
- 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, start-up funds, dedicated research time). Possess at least two years postdoctoral (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 their specialty.
- Applicant must be a U.S. citizen or permanent legal resident
- Applicants must NOT have accepted or received notification of an R01 award by this nomination due date.
- Applicants must NOT have accepted or received award notification of any peer-reviewed, non-mentored single grant that totals or exceeds $750,000 in total direct funding at ANY point in their professional career. This calculation should exclude indirect costs.
- Applicants must NOT have accepted or received award notification of any peer-reviewed, non-mentored funding that exceeds $1 million in aggregated (total) direct funding at ANY point in their professional career. This calculation should exclude indirect costs.
- The V Scholar award is intended to support research to leverage these larger awards; so, the nominee should not have already received such awards.
View the 2023 V Scholar Eligibility: Are they Eligible handout for additional guidance.
Internal selection process
Anyone interested in being considered as Vanderbilt’s nominee for either of the pediatric awards above must submit the following (in PDF format) to LSO@vanderbilt.edu by 11:59 p.m. on May 4, 2023. Late applications will not be considered.
- Brief (2-page maximum) research plan including summary budget;
- Letter of support from department chair/center director;
- V Scholar award does not allow indirect costs. V Scholar letters must acknowledge that this grant does not allow indirect costs. This statement can be used/modified within the letter: “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.
- Translational award allows 10 percent indirect costs; indirect cost statement is not required.
- NIH Biosketch or 5-page CV
- Financial worksheet (download template here)
- Please fill out the Grant Awards table and any “Notes and Remarks.” Other information and signatures not required.
Submissions should reference the award type (Translational Research Award or V Scholar) in the subject line of the email.
A short nomination package for Vanderbilt’s selected candidate will be submitted to the V Foundation by May 17, 2023. The candidate will then receive an invitation to submit a full application, due June 27, 2023.
Please contact us at LSO@vanderbilt.edu if you have any questions about the program, foundation or internal review process.