Young Investigator Grant

Eligibility

• Applicants must have an MD, PhD, or MD/PhD or equivalent.
• Applicants must not have achieved an appointment higher than Instructor. Assistant Professors, including adjuncts at this level, will not be considered.
• Applicants from accredited clinical fellowship programs are automatically eligible for the duration of their training and during their first three years at the Instructor level. For all other applicants in 2022, they must be within six years from the granting of the last doctoral degree.
• A minimum of 75% of the applicant’s time during the Young Investigator period must be allocated as protected time for all research activities (includes both Young Investigator activities and the applicant’s other research responsibilities).
• At the time of application or successful award, the applicant must not hold an NIH independent (R or P Award) or individual training (F or K Award) grant.  Institutional training grants (KL2, K12, T32) are permitted. Funding from other foundations is also permitted provided there are no overlapping aims or budgetary overlap.
• Research mentor(s) must be identified and have a track record in pediatric cancer research. If no such record exists, a co-mentor with such a record must be identified.
• Applicant institutions must be based in the United States or Canada; however, applicants need not be United States citizens.
• Funds must be granted to non-profit institutions or organizations.

Summary

The Young Investigator grant is a three-year award designed to support early career researchers, such as postdoctoral fellows, clinical fellows or instructors, pursuing promising childhood cancer research ideas. These grants aim to cultivate the best and brightest researchers of the future who demonstrate a commitment to a research career in pediatric cancer. A mentor is required, and a career development plan must be included. 

Submission Process

All applications are submitted through the Research Management System (RMS) to initiate internal approvals. Please note that when the RMS record finally reaches Research Services by the internal deadline, it should contain all the relevant Department and Faculty approvals. Please allow additional time for these approval steps. Late applications will only be accepted in cases of medical or family emergencies or other exceptional circumstances. If you submit your RMS record to Research Services after the internal deadline has passed, you will need to secure additional late approvals from your Faculty Associate Dean (Research) and the Executive Director, Research Services. Training resources are available on the RMS website.

1. Complete the full application according to the agency's guidelines.
2. To initiate internal approvals, complete the Pre-Award/Letter of Intent record in RMS, attach your completed application, and submit for approvals from your Department Head and faculty Associate Dean (Research).  Important: When submitting in RMS, please ensure that you allow time for academic approvals prior to the Research Services review deadline of December 7, 2022 at 12:00 pm. Please also note that approvers do not routinely receive notifications that an LOI is awaiting their approval. We suggest that you reach out to your approvers to let them know you have submitted an application for their review.
3. Once these approvals are obtained, RMS will automatically forward the application record to Research Services for institutional review and approval.
4. Research Services will review, provide feedback (by email) if necessary, and secure the institutional approval. If digital or wet-ink signatures are required, we will provide the capping institutional signature and will advise when ready.
5. The applicant must submit the application to the agency by December 12, 2022 at 8:00 pm (ET) via the ALSF online portal (https://alsfapps.force.com/).

Resources

• ALSF Resources for Grant Applicants
• 2023 Young Investigator Grant Guidelines

Relevant Documents

2023_young_investigator_guidelines_final.pdf

Application deadlines

RSO final internal review deadline

Program application deadline

NOTE: Consult your Faculty Associate Dean (Research) (ADR) regarding Faculty-specific deadlines and submission processes.

Principal Investigators: Complete a Research Management System (RMS) record, including a copy of your complete application, and submit this for approvals in RMS.

Postdocs, students, and trainees: For fellowships and externally-sponsored research training awards or opportunities, you must complete the Research Funding Application Approval (RFAA) Trainee PDF form, and submit it, along with a complete copy of the application, to Research Services at rsotrainee@ucalgary.ca. Trainees should not use RMS at this time.

Approvals: The University of Calgary requires that all funding applications be approved prior to submission. Approval requires signatures via either RMS or the RFAA Trainee form, in the following order:

• Principal Investigator
• Department Head
• Faculty ADR/Dean
• Research Services (on behalf of the Vice-President Research)

Read the Meaning of Grant Signatures policy to understand what your approval means. Please see the agency guidelines for details about which signatures are required on your application, as it may differ from internal requirements.

Late submissions: Late submissions will only be accepted in cases of medical or family emergencies, or other exceptional circumstances. If you submit your RMS record to Research Services after the internal deadline has passed, you must secure additional approvals. Please read: Late Applications Process.

• If an applicant would like to work with the Childhood Cancer Data Lab, requests to collaborate must be submitted not later than 4 weeks before the grant application deadline.
• One resubmission of a full application previously reviewed by ALSF's Review Board is permitted.
• ALSF does not fund proposals for research utilizing human embryonic stem cells or nonhuman primates. Research with human induced pluripotent stem cells is permissible.
• ALSF will not consider Young Investigator grant applications in psychosocial aspects of pediatric cancer in this category.
• The Young Investigator grant is not transferrable to another investigator or to the mentor. Transfer of the Young Investigator grant to another institution will be considered on a case-by-case basis.