Funder: PhRMA Foundation
Due Dates: April 15, 2025 (LOI) | August 28, 2025 (Full Application, by invitation) | December 15, 2025 (Award Notification)
Funding Amounts: $60,000/year for up to 2 years (maximum $120,000 total); stipend only
Summary: Supports postdoctoral researchers at accredited U.S. universities advancing multidisciplinary drug delivery research, including technology, formulation, and predictive approaches.
Key Information: Only one postdoc per lab may apply; applicants must not have received their doctorate before Jan 1, 2023.
Description
This fellowship supports postdoctoral researchers engaged in multidisciplinary, collaborative research training in drug delivery at accredited U.S. universities. The program aims to advance innovative approaches in drug delivery, including formulation, manufacturing, and predictive modeling, to address the challenges of delivering complex drugs to patients. Research areas of interest include enabling desired pharmacokinetics/pharmacodynamics, improving product quality for challenging chemical entities, and developing predictive approaches (e.g., modeling, simulation, machine learning) to bridge in vitro and in vivo performance.
Proposals involving artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), or deep learning (DL) must clearly document methodologies, data curation, and validation processes. Projects that develop delivery technologies applicable to multiple drug modalities are prioritized.
Due Dates
- March 3, 2025: Application portal opens for Letters of Intent (LOI)
- April 15, 2025 (12:00 p.m. ET): LOI deadline
- July 1, 2025: Notification to selected candidates to submit full application
- August 28, 2025 (12:00 p.m. ET): Full application deadline (by invitation only)
- December 15, 2025: Award notification
Funding Amount
- $60,000 per year for up to 2 years (12, 18, or 24 months; maximum $120,000 total)
- Stipend only; funds may not be used for tuition, fringe benefits, or indirect costs
- Payments made to the university on behalf of the awardee
- Continued funding beyond 12 months requires a satisfactory progress report
Eligibility
- Open to U.S. and non-U.S. citizens
- Must be based at a PhD and/or MS degree-granting accredited U.S. university
- Must have a firm commitment from a research supervisor/sponsor
- Must hold (or expect to hold before funding begins) a PhD, PharmD, MD, or equivalent terminal research doctorate
- Doctoral degree must not have been granted before January 1, 2023
- Exceptions for career leave (e.g., parental, health) may be considered—contact the Foundation in advance
- Not eligible if recipient of NIH K99/R00 or NIH-F awards
- May not hold another stipend-supporting fellowship concurrently
- Applicants currently on institutional training grants (e.g., NIH T32) may apply if they will forgo that slot if funded
- Lower preference for applicants remaining in the same lab as their graduate work
- Only one postdoctoral applicant per lab may apply; multiple applicants from the same lab are ineligible
- Efforts must be distinct if multiple applications from the same lab (e.g., predoc, postdoc, faculty) are submitted
Application Process
Step 1: Letter of Intent (LOI)
- Submit via ProposalCentral
- Required materials:
- NIH Biosketch
- Project abstract
- 600-word LOI describing the research project and aims
- Responses to research impact questions (template provided in ProposalCentral)
- LOI deadline: April 15, 2025, 12:00 p.m. ET
Step 2: Full Application (by invitation)
- Selected applicants will be notified by July 1, 2025
- Full application deadline: August 28, 2025, 12:00 p.m. ET
- Detailed requirements will be provided upon invitation
Additional Requirements
- Awardees must submit progress and financial reports as specified
- Funding may begin as early as January 1, 2026, or as late as August 1, 2026
Additional Information
- This award is intended solely as a stipend and is non-transferable
- Unspent funds must be returned to the PhRMA Foundation
- Any changes to the proposed project require Foundation approval
- If your project does not align with the Drug Delivery Program, consider the Foundation’s Drug Discovery or Translational Medicine programs
External Links
Contact Information