Funder: Medical University of South Carolina
Due Dates: November 3, 2026 (Applications open) | February 26, 2027 (Application deadline)
Funding Amounts: Up to $50,000 for 12 months; nonrenewable
Summary: Supports high-risk, high-reward cancer research that can generate preliminary results for future extramural funding.
Key Information: Open to all MUSC faculty; research and expenditures must remain at MUSC.
Description
The Idea Award, administered by MUSC Hollings Cancer Center, provides early support for innovative cancer research that may not yet be competitive for traditional external grants. It aims to stimulate high-quality, high-risk, high-payoff projects with the potential to transform oncology practice and outcomes and progress toward extramurally funded awards. Junior investigators receive priority.
The award is part of Hollings’ intramural funding opportunities, which foster interdisciplinary collaboration, innovative thinking, translational research, and academic medicine. These opportunities support promising cancer research aligned with the center’s strategic priority focus areas and demonstrating strong potential for future external support. Idea Award applicants must explain how the funding will generate data critical to future extramural grant applications.
