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The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) awards its Career Development Awards (CDA), which provide research funding to clinical investigators who have received their first faculty appointment as they work to establish an independent clinical cancer research program.
This is a mentored award, and the research project is conducted under the guidance of a scientific mentor. The research must have a patient-oriented focus, including a clinical research study and/or translational research involving human subjects. Proposals that focus primarily on in vitro or animal studies (even if clinically relevant) are not permitted.
Applications in all areas of cancer research are accepted from U.S. and international applicants.
The grant period runs from July 1, 2027, through July 1, 2030. The funding budget is $66,600 per year.
Requirements:
- Applicants must be physicians (MD, DO, or international equivalent).
- At the time of submission, applicants must be in their first through fourth year of their initial full-time faculty appointment in a clinical department at an academic medical institution. Eligible entry-level positions may include Instructor/Lecturer, Assistant Professor, or Assistant Member.
- Applicants must hold a valid, active medical license in the country where the research will be conducted for the entire duration of the grant.
- Applicants must have completed productive postdoctoral research and demonstrated the ability to conduct independent, investigator-initiated clinical research.
- Applicants must be current ASCO members or have submitted a membership application along with their grant application.
- Applicants must be able to devote at least 50% of their time to research during the grant period. This applies to their total research activity, not just to the proposed project.
- Applicants must have a mentor from the sponsoring institution. If the mentor is not an ASCO member, the application must include a letter of support from an ASCO member at the sponsoring institution.
- Applicants who hold other career development awards or institutional training grants may apply, provided there is no scientific or budgetary overlap.
- Applicants should not have previously served as Principal Investigator on a major project grant, such as an R01 or its international equivalent.
How to apply
The application must be submitted online through the ASCO Application Portal and must follow the instructions set forth in the Request for Proposals (RFP).
The deadline is October 8, 2026.