Summer 2025 Funding Competition: Cancer Research

Eligibility

Proposals may originate from young or established researchers within their field of expertise or may be inspired by innovations and discoveries from adjacent or non-related areas, including further exploration of collateral findings discovered ‘by accident’, and/or other methods.

We invite applications from Canadian qualified donees, including both single- and multi-investigator teams. Proposals will be evaluated based on novelty and feasibility.

Summary

In 2025, the Lotte & John Hecht Memorial Foundation will hold two rounds of competitions for proof-of-principle basic science/preclinical proposals in the field of cancer research. The Foundation is looking to support non-mainstream hypotheses and non-conservative projects which do not fit traditional funding mechanisms and have not received previous grants/awards. This opportunity is intended to attract emerging ideas which are high risk/-high reward and for which preliminary data is not required. Accordingly, proposal hypotheses must be based on extensive literature review and logical substantiation.

EOI Submission Instructions:

1. Email health@hecht.org to request access to the sponsor online application portal.
2. Complete EOI application and download/save a pdf copy.
3. In RMS, start a new pre-award/Letter of Intent record (**note that you will have to create an LOI record in RMS, although the foundation calls it an EOI). Complete the form and upload a copy of your final and complete EOI application to the RMS Application record, and submit for academic approvals.  Please ensure that you allow enough time for academic approvals prior to the Research Services (RSO) final internal deadline of NOON, April 10, 2025
4. RMS will notify you that institutional approval has been provided. No signatures are required at this stage. You may now submit on or before April 15, 2025 at 9:59PM Mountain time.

Full Application Submission Instructions:

1. Complete Full Application as instructed/invited by the foundation.
2. To initiate internal approvals, complete the Pre-Award/Application record in RMS (https://research.ucalgary.ca/conduct-research/additional-resources/resea...), attach the pdf preview of your completed Application, and submit for approvals from your department head and/or 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 NOON on May 27, 2025.
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 will provide the institutional approval. RSO will provide institutional signature if/when required.
5. Full Applications, including any supplementary documentation, should be submitted to the agency according to their instructions by March 31, 2025 by 9:59PM Mountain Time

Overhead

Not applicable

Pre-application deadlines

RSO internal deadline

Pre-application program deadline

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.