RARE Grant Program – Research Accelerating RUNX1 Exploration

Eligibility

Must be met at the time of application :

• Applicant institutions may be based in the U.S. or outside of the U.S. Applicants need not be United States citizens. Funds must be granted to non-profit institutions or organizations. 
• Applicants must have an MD, PhD, or MD/PhD (DO, MBBS or equivalent) 
• Applicants may have research grants from other funding sources during the award period, but there must be clear documentation of mechanisms to avoid scientific and budgetary overlap. 
• Applicants must have research experience working in, and a deep understanding of, normal or malignant hematopoiesis and/or immunology.

Summary

The RARE Grant is a two-year award designed to fund research that will lead to the development of therapies for patients with RUNX1-FPD that will either intercept the transition from a precancer state (clonal hematopoiesis) to MDS/AML or prevent blood cancer (before clonal hematopoiesis). The RUNX1 Research Program hosts an annual scientific conference and patient meeting that brings together grant recipients and other scientists. Grant recipients are expected to present their progress as part of the annual review.

Scope of Proposal 

• Aims of research proposals must be relevant to the goal of preventing hematologic malignancies in RUNX1-FPD. Proposals that seek to translate from bench to bedside will receive priority. 
• While RRP and ALSF remain open to novel and compelling ideas across the research continuum, we are especially interested in proposals that demonstrate clear translational potential from bench to bedside. 
• The following research areas have been identified as high-priority topics for funding consideration, based on recent discussions with our Scientific Advisory Board (SAB). These are not listed in order of importance. While we highlight these areas to provide transparency around current priorities, we also welcome and strongly encourage innovative proposals that fall outside the scope of these topics.

1. Clonal Hematopoiesis in the Context of Germline RUNX1 Mutations Investigating how specific somatic mutation combinations interact with germline RUNX1 variants to influence clonal expansion and hematologic malignancy (HM) development. This work is essential to uncover therapeutic vulnerabilities. 

2. Adaptive vs. Maladaptive Clones Defining the functional role of emerging clones—whether protective, harmful, or contextdependent is critical to guiding targeted interventions and avoiding unintended harm.

3. Mechanisms of Inflammation Resistance Elucidating how clones evade or adapt to inflammatory pressures can inform therapeutic strategies aimed at modulating the inflammatory microenvironment to delay or prevent disease progression.

Overhead

Indirect costs are not supported. 

Application deadlines

RSO detailed review deadline

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.

Please see full grant RFP for complete application details. 

Additional Resources

Using RMS:

RMS: Creating a Pre-Award LOI

RMS: Creating a Pre-Award Application

Support for projects involving Indigenous Research:

Support with the development of your grant application is available internally through the Indigenous Research Support Team (IRST). Applicants can reach out by email to IRST at IRST@ucalgary.ca in advance of the RSO internal deadline. For more information about IRST, please visit the IRST webpage.

Support for Knowledge Engagement:

Support for knowledge mobilization/engagement/translation is available internally through the Knowledge to Impact Team. Applicants can reach out by email to the KTI team at knowledge.impact@ucalgary.ca in advance of the RSO internal deadline. For more information, please visit the KTI team webpage.

Support for Research Data Management:

For information on research data management plans, processes, or best practices for your research program, please contact research.data@libanswers.ucalgary.com and/or visit https://libguides.ucalgary.ca/researchdatamanagement.

Support for EDI in Research:

RSO can provide resources and support to research teams on the integration of equitable and inclusive practices in research design and research practice. Contact Erin.OToole@ucalgary.ca for more information.