The Bonnie J. Addario Lung Cancer Foundation, in collaboration with the Van Auken Private Foundation, announced the 2018 Young Innovators Team Award to fund and support teams of young investigators conducting innovative research with a potential of delivering meaningful and measurable results in the field of lung cancer.
The 2018 Young Innovators Team Award will provide up to a total of $250,000 to teams of two or more young investigators over two to three years. The awardees must be within five years of their first faculty appointment.
The YITA Scientific Review Committee will evaluate all submissions on the following four main criteria:
Out-of-the-box: High-risk, high-impact research that will typically not be selected for federal funding, is creative and has potential for near-term benefit to lung cancer patients
Collaborative: Research that fosters collaboration among young researchers who have not worked together in the past, preferably across-institutions
Translational: Research with outcomes that can be quickly moved from the lab to the clinic, or from the bench to bedside
Multi-Disciplinary: Projects that involve multiple academic disciplines/specializations in their approach to solve a problem in the field of lung cancer
The funding mechanism is designed so that young investigators work together in cross-disciplinary teams. The teams drive the projects with guidance from mentors at their own institution. The 2018 YITA Scientific Review Committee also guides and steers their progress, and makes final decisions on continued funding.
ALCF prefers lung cancer patient-oriented research in the following topic areas (however, the 2018 YITA Scientific Review Committee will evaluate all submissions):
Early detection and screening using novel, validated biomarkers
Targeting the tumor microenvironment-combination strategies
Biomarkers for response to immunotherapies
Small Cell Lung Cancer: identifying and targeting specific underlying genomic abnormalities
Causative factors in non-smokers
Key Dates
May 31, 2018 – RFA announcement
May 31, 2018 – Online application submission portal opens
July 1, 2018 – Optional pre-application counseling deadline
July 15, 2018 – Application submission deadline
Aug. 15, 2018 – Peer review round 1October 15, 2018 – Peer review round 2: Top 3-5 applicants present to the Scientific
Review Committee/in-person review
Oct. 31, 2018 – Award announcements
Nov. 1, 2018 – Award start date
Nov. 1, 2020 or Nov. 1, 2021 – Award end date (depending on the proposal)
For more information, visit www.lungcancerfoundation.org/yita-2018. The website also has information on the award, guidelines for submission, FAQs and the online submission portal. ALCF will accept online applications during May 31 – July 15, 2018. ALCF and the Van Auken Private Foundation provide funding for this award.