Funder: American Cancer Society
Due Dates: June 1, 2025 | December 1, 2025
Funding Amounts: $135,000/year direct costs + 8% indirect costs; 3–5 years; up to ~$729,000 total
Summary: Supports full-time clinician faculty in becoming independent cancer researchers while maintaining clinical practice.
Key Information: Minimum 50% research effort required; strong mentoring and training plan is essential.
Description
The Clinician Scientist Development Grant (CSDG) is designed to help early-career clinicians transition to independent research careers in cancer while maintaining their clinical responsibilities. The grant provides mentored support for full-time faculty who are primarily trained as clinicians and wish to develop as clinician scientists, enabling them to balance clinical practice with impactful cancer research.
Due Dates
- June 1, 2025
- December 1, 2025
If a deadline falls on a weekend or holiday, applications are accepted the next business day.
Funding Amount
- Direct costs: $135,000 per year
- Indirect costs: Up to 8% of direct costs (maximum $10,800/year)
- Duration: 3 to 5 years (total up to ~$729,000)
- Mentor support: Up to $10,000/year for mentor(s) included in the budget
- Travel: Budget for $1,500/year for ACS-designated conferences
Eligibility
- Position: Full-time faculty at a US academic institution or eligible non-profit
- Degree: Doctoral degree (e.g., MD, DO, or equivalent)
- Clinical status: Active clinical license and participation in clinical care
- Research status: Not a current/former PI of an individual mentored training grant (e.g., NIH K-series)
- No prior R-level (or equivalent) independent research grant as PI
- Citizenship: US citizens and eligible non-citizens (see ACS guidelines)
- Effort: Minimum 50% of full-time professional effort must be devoted to research and training activities supported by the grant
Application Process
- Submission platform: ProposalCentral
- Application materials: Download and complete all required templates from ProposalCentral after starting an application
- Mentoring: A strong, structured mentoring and training plan is required; primary mentor(s) must provide biosketches and commitment letters
- Letters of recommendation: Three required, from individuals other than the mentor(s)
- Institutional support: Department chair letter required, detailing protected time, resources, and long-term commitment
- Budget: Justify all costs; include mentor and travel support as appropriate
- Compliance: IRB/IACUC approvals required if applicable; see ACS guidelines for details
Additional Information
- Resubmissions: Allowed; must address prior critiques and include previous review summary
- Protected time: Institutional commitment to protected research time is critical
- No requirement for start-up funds or independent lab space
- Review criteria: Candidate’s potential, research plan, mentoring/training plan, environment, and alignment with ACS research priorities
External Links
Contact Information