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

June 1, 2026 | December 1, 2026

Up to $75,000 total costs for a 1-year project; no indirect costs allowed.

Supports commercialization of ongoing cancer research by funding key experiments to validate and de-risk technologies.

Proposals must be commercially driven and focused on advancing existing projects toward licensing or start-up formation.

--- ## Description The Extramural Discovery Science (EDS) Accelerator Award from the American Cancer Society is designed to help researchers commercialize ongoing cancer research projects by supporting pivotal experiments that validate and de-risk technologies. This award specifically funds work that is necessary for moving research findings toward commercialization but does not fit within traditional grant mechanisms. Projects should already be in progress and have a clear commercialization plan, such as licensing to a company or forming a start-up if successful. Awardees join an entrepreneurial learning community and receive support from the ACS BrightEdge team, including educational programming focused on technology commercialization. --- ## Due Dates - June 1, 2026: Annual full application submission deadline (applications reviewed in July; funding typically starts in September) - December 1, 2026: Annual full application submission deadline (applications reviewed in December; funding typically starts in April) If a deadline falls on a weekend or holiday, applications are accepted the next business day. --- ## Funding Amount - Maximum award: $75,000 total costs for a one-year project - Indirect costs are not permitted - No-cost extensions of up to 6 months may be requested, but no additional funds will be provided --- ## Eligibility - Applicants must be independent investigators with a full-time faculty appointment (or equivalent) at a nonprofit US institution. - All career stages are eligible. - Applicants must be motivated to commercialize their technology and have a clear plan for licensing or start-up formation. - Only one individual may be designated as Principal Investigator (no co-PIs). - Applicants may hold the Accelerator Award concurrently with other ACS funding, but cannot hold multiple Accelerator Awards at the same time. - Proposed projects must not overlap scientifically or budgetarily with other funded projects. - Eligible institutions must be nonprofit organizations physically located in the US or its territories with sufficient research infrastructure. - For-profit institutions and federal agencies are not eligible. --- ## Application Process - Applications must be submitted through [ProposalCentral](https://proposalcentral.com/default.asp). - Once started, applications must be completed and submitted within 1 month. - Required materials include: - Research plan (up to 3 pages) - Detailed budget and justification - Institutional support letter from the Department Chair - Applicant’s NIH biosketch (up to 5 pages) - Compliance statements (IRB/IACUC as applicable) - Appendix with supporting documentation as needed - Applications are reviewed for scientific merit, commercialization potential, and alignment with ACS priorities. - Awardees will be notified of funding decisions within 12 months. - Resubmissions are not allowed unless specifically requested by ACS. --- ## Additional Information - Indirect costs are not allowed. - Intellectual property developed under this award is subject to ACS reporting and revenue-sharing policies. - Awardees must submit a final progress report (including commercialization status) and a financial report after the project ends. - Grantees are encouraged to meet with the ACS BrightEdge team at project completion to discuss next steps. --- ## External Links - [Program Page & Full Guidelines](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) - [ProposalCentral Application Portal](https://proposalcentral.com/default.asp) - [FAQs on Grant Application Process](https://www.cancer.org/research/we-fund-cancer-research/apply-research-grant/faqs-program-changes-and-application-submission.html) - [ACS Grant Types Overview](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 questions | | ACS Grants Office | grants@cancer.org | General inquiries | | ProposalCentral Support | pcsupport@altum.com | Technical/application support | | ACS Main Phone | +1 800-227-2345 | General ACS contact | For additional staff contacts, see the [ACS Extramural Grants Staff 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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