Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation
Damon Runyon Clinical Investigator Award
Summary: Limited submission program for physician-scientist Assistant Professors with PI eligibility (those with UTL, UML, and NTLR faculty appointments) who are within the first five years of their first full faculty appointments (cut-off date July 1, 2018). A university-wide internal selection process is required.
Number of nominations permitted per invited institution: 5 nominations per invited institution
Timeline:
Internal Cancer Institute deadline: December 2, 2022
The final 5 applicants selected by the Cancer Institute will be notified to proceed with the full application: December 14, 2022
For the applicants selected to represent Stanford:
Draft letter of commitment to SCI deadline: January 10, 2023
Institutional representative (RPM/RMG or CGO/OSR) deadline: January 25, 2023
Full application deadline: February 1, 2023 via proposalCENTRAL
Program Guidelines:
Damon Runyon Clinical Investigator Award Overview
Application Guidelines
Amount of funding:
The $600,000 award will be for a period of three years. Funding in the amount of $200,000 will be allocated to the awardee’s institution each year for the support of the Clinical Investigator. Funds are intended to be flexible and can be used for a variety of scientific needs including the Investigator’s stipend and/or fringe benefits (up to $130,000 annually), salaries for professional and technical personnel, special equipment, supplies, and other miscellaneous items required to conduct the proposed research. No part of this grant can be used for indirect costs or institutional overhead. The Foundation will also retire up to $100,000 of any medical school debt still owed by the awardee.
Purpose:
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 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.
Eligibility:
- The applicant must apply within the first five (5) years of his/her initial full Assistant Professor faculty appointment (cut-off date: July 1, 2018). Adjunct or acting positions are not eligible. Please use the date the Provost Office approved the formal UTL, UML, NTL-Research faculty appointment.
- The applicant must be a U.S. citizen or permanent legal resident.
- The applicant must have received an MD, DO, or MD/PhD degree(s) from an accredited institution, completed his/her subspecialty training and be U.S. board-eligible.
- The applicant must hold a valid, active U.S. medical license at the time of application.
- The applicant must commit to spending 80% of their time conducting research.
- 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 (including Co-Mentors).
- NOTE: Only ONE application will be accepted by the sponsor from a mentor (including co-mentorships) per review session. Per Dr. Steve Artandi, the Director of the Stanford Cancer Institute, a faculty mentor’s lab may only nominate ONE faculty member for the internal selection process (see the internal submission guidelines below).
- See program guidelines for other funding restrictions.
STANFORD INTERNAL SUBMISSION GUIDELINES:
By December 2, 2022, please submit an internal proposal to the Stanford Cancer Institute HERE. Please upload a single pdf file containing these required documents:
1) Title Page
Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation Clinical Investigator Award
Title of your proposal
PI contact information: (name, title, department, address, email)
Date that the Provost Office approved the PI’s formal UTL, UML, NTL-Research faculty appointment
2) Nomination letter prepared by your mentor printed on your department letterhead addressed to the Stanford Cancer Institute Internal Review Committee. The letter needs to be signed by your mentor, division chief, and your department chair. The nomination letter must confirm that the nominee will commit a minimum of 80% of their professional effort to the conduct of research and research career development.
3) 4 page Research Proposal (figures and references not included in page total)
Font size at least size 11 with half-inch margins (include specific aims, preliminary results, and research design)
4) NIH-format biosketch
5) Other funding
Please include current and pending funding, sponsor, amount of funding, and term.
Selection Process:
Proposals will be reviewed by a Stanford Cancer Institute review committee. That committee will select the applicant to represent Stanford.
Institutional representative: not applicable. You do not need to submit your internal proposal through your institutional official for approval. You may submit your internal proposal directly to SCI via the online submission portal.
Questions? Please contact Gayle White at gwhite5@stanford.edu.
