[American Cancer Society](https://www.cancer.org)

June 1, 2026 | December 1, 2026

Up to $75,000 total costs for a 1-year project; indirect costs are not allowed.

Supports key experiments to validate and de-risk cancer research technologies with a clear commercialization plan.

Applicants must be independent investigators at US nonprofit institutions; projects must have a defined commercialization strategy.

--- ## Description The Extramural Discovery Science (EDS) Accelerator Award from the American Cancer Society funds critical, commercially driven experiments needed to advance ongoing cancer research projects toward commercialization. The award is specifically for validating and de-risking technologies that do not fit traditional grant mechanisms, such as dosing, toxicity, efficacy testing, or the development of healthcare delivery technologies. Projects must already be underway and have a clear plan for licensing the technology to an established company or start-up if successful. Awardees join a collaborative entrepreneurial community and receive mentorship and educational programming from the ACS BrightEdge team. --- ## Due Dates - June 1, 2026: Submission cutoff for summer cycle (applications reviewed in July; grant start in September) - December 1, 2026: Submission cutoff for winter cycle (applications reviewed in December; grant start in April) Applications are accepted on a rolling basis, but these are the key review deadlines. --- ## Funding Amount - Maximum award: $75,000 total costs for a one-year project. - Indirect costs are **not** permitted. - No-cost extensions for up to 6 months may be possible. - Projects must not overlap in scope or budget with other funded projects. --- ## Eligibility - **Applicant:** Must be an independent investigator with a full-time faculty appointment (or equivalent) at a nonprofit US institution; any career stage is eligible. - **Institution:** Must be a US-based nonprofit with adequate research infrastructure. - **Project:** Must be an ongoing cancer research project with a defined plan for commercialization (not for new or exploratory research). - **Other:** Only one Accelerator Award may be held at a time. Concurrent ACS funding is allowed if there is no scientific or budgetary overlap. - **Citizenship:** No specific citizenship requirement, but the institution must confirm legal eligibility to work in the US for the project duration. --- ## Application Process - Applications must be submitted through [ProposalCentral](https://proposalcentral.com/default.asp). - Once started, applications must be completed within one month. - Required materials: - Research plan (3-page limit) - Budget and justification (up to $75,000; no indirect costs) - Letter of institutional support - NIH biosketch (5 pages) - Compliance statements (IRB/IACUC as applicable) - Appendix with any additional support documents - Review occurs in July (for applications submitted by June 1) and December (for applications submitted after June 1). - Applicants are notified of decisions within 12 months. - Award activation requires submission of an activation form and compliance documentation. --- ## Additional Information - Grantees become part of a collaborative entrepreneurial learning community and receive mentorship from the ACS BrightEdge team. - Intellectual property reporting is required; ACS may receive a share of gross income from subsequently commercialized inventions. - Subcontracts with other US institutions are allowed; non-US subcontracts are generally not permitted. - No co-principal investigators; only one PI per application. - See [official policies PDF](https://www.cancer.org/content/dam/cancer-org/research/extramural-grants-documents/grant-policies/eds-accelerator-award-policies.pdf) and [application instructions PDF](https://www.cancer.org/content/dam/cancer-org/research/extramural-grants-documents/grant-instructions/eds-accelerator-award-application-instructions.pdf) for full requirements and details. --- ## External Links - [Program Overview & Application Portal](https://www.cancer.org/research/we-fund-cancer-research/apply-research-grant/grant-types/extramural-discovery-science-accelerator-award.html) - [Application Instructions (PDF)](https://www.cancer.org/content/dam/cancer-org/research/extramural-grants-documents/grant-instructions/eds-accelerator-award-application-instructions.pdf) - [Award Policies (PDF)](https://www.cancer.org/content/dam/cancer-org/research/extramural-grants-documents/grant-policies/eds-accelerator-award-policies.pdf) - [FAQs: Application Submission](https://www.cancer.org/research/we-fund-cancer-research/apply-research-grant/faqs-program-changes-and-application-submission.html) - [ACS Grant Types](https://www.cancer.org/research/we-fund-cancer-research/apply-research-grant/grant-types.html) --- ## Contact Information | Name/Role | Email | Notes | |----------------------------------|----------------------------------------|------------------------------------| | Doug Hurst, PhD (Program Contact)| doug.hurst@cancer.org | Scientific Director | | ACS Grants Office | grants@cancer.org | General inquiries | | ProposalCentral Support | pcsupport@altum.com | Technical/application support | | Annette Jordan (Grants Manager) | annette.jordan@cancer.org | Application management | For additional staff contacts, see the [ACS Extramural Grants Contacts page](https://www.cancer.org/research/we-fund-cancer-research/apply-research-grant/extramural-grants-staff-contacts.html).

RFA: Extramural Discovery Science Accelerator Award

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