These programs are intended for late postdoctoral investigators and new faculty, usually those at or below the rank of Assistant Professor. Consult each program’s web page for more detailed information and current deadlines. Find more opportunities by using SPIN and including “New Investigator” in your search or you can select “Junior Faculty” under Applicant Types/Individual Applicant/Academia/Faculty Member.
Federal Agencies
Department of Agriculture
| Program | Deadline | Program Synopsis |
| Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI), National Institute of Food and Agriculture | varies by program area | The Food and Agricultural Science Enhancement (FASE) Grants component of this program includes funding for new investigators. A new investigator is defined as an individual who is beginning his/her career, does not have an extensive scientific publication record, and has less than five years postgraduate, career-track experience. The new investigator may not have received competitively awarded Federal research funds with the exception of pre- or postdoctoral research grants or USDA NRI or AFRI Seed Grants. |
Department of Defense
| Program | Deadline | Program Synopsis |
| Young Investigator Program, Office of Naval Research | early January | ONR’s Young Investigator Program (YIP) seeks to identify and support academic scientists and engineers who are in their first or second full-time tenure-track or tenure-track-equivalent academic appointment and who show exceptional promise for doing creative research. The objectives are to attract outstanding faculty members to the Department of the Navy’s research program, to support their research, and to encourage their teaching and research careers. Proposals may request up to $170,000 per year for three years. |
| Young Investigator Program, Air Force Office of Scientific Research | June | The Air Force YIP supports scientists and engineers who have received Ph.D. or equivalent degrees in the last five years and show exceptional ability and promise for conducting basic research. The objective of this program is to foster creative basic research in science and engineering; enhance early career development of outstanding young investigators; and increase opportunities for the young investigator to recognize the Air Force mission and related challenges in science and engineering. Each award will be funded at the $120,000 level for three years. Exceptional proposals will be considered individually for higher funding levels and longer duration. Grant Announcement typically posted on Grants.gov in April and proposals due in June. |
| Young Faculty Award, DARPA | January | The objective of the DARPA Young Faculty Award (YFA) program is to identify and engage rising research stars in junior faculty positions at U.S. academic institutions and expose them to Department of Defense needs as well as DARPA’s program development process. The YFA program provides funding, mentoring, and industry and DoD contacts to awardees early in their careers so they may develop their research ideas in the context of DoD needs. The program focuses on untenured faculty, emphasizing those without prior DARPA funding. The long-term goal is to develop the next generation of academic scientists, engineers and mathematicians in key disciplines who will focus a significant portion of their career on DoD and national security issues. The annual announcement seeking YFA applications is typically posted to the Grants.gov website between November and February. |
| Broad Agency Announcement – Young Investigator Program, Army Research Office | open | The ARO Young Investigator Program is included in the ARO Section of the ARL Core Broad Agency Announcement for Basic and Applied Scientific Research. The objective of the YIP is to attract to Army research outstanding young university faculty members, to support their research, and to encourage their teaching and research careers. This program is open to U.S. citizens, Nationals, and resident aliens holding tenure-track positions at U.S. universities and colleges, who have held their graduate degrees (Ph.D. or equivalent) for fewer than five years at the time of application. YIP awards are up to $120,000 per year for three years. |
Department of Energy
| Program | Deadline | Program Synopsis |
| Early Career Research Program, Office of Science | September for required preapplication, November for application | Supports the development of individual research programs of outstanding scientists early in their careers and stimulates research careers in the disciplines supported by the DOE Office of Science: Advanced Scientific Computing Research; Biological and Environmental Research; Basic Energy Sciences, Fusion Energy Sciences; High Energy Physics, and Nuclear Physics. Applicants must be no more than ten years beyond the Ph.D. at the deadline for the application. |
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
| Program | Deadline | Program Synopsis |
| New (Early Career) Investigator Program in Earth Science (ROSES program element), NASA | varies; applications are solicited every two years to three years | The NIP in Earth Science is designed to support outstanding scientific research and career development of scientists and engineers at the early stage of their professional careers. The program aims to encourage innovative research initiatives and cultivate scientific leadership in Earth system science. A NIP proposal PI must be a U.S. citizen or have lawful status of permanent residency, and be a recent Ph.D. recipient, defined as having graduated on or after January 1 of the year that is no more than five years before the issuance date of the ROSES NRA. |
| Nancy Grace Roman Technology (RTF) Fellowships for Early Career Researchers | varies | The goals of the RTF program in Astrophysics are to provide early-career researchers the opportunity to develop the skills necessary to lead astrophysics flight instrument development projects; to develop innovative technologies for space astrophysics that have the potential to enable major scientific breakthroughs; and to foster new talent by putting early career instrument builders on a trajectory towards long-term positions. To be eligible, PIs must have received a Ph.D. on or after January 1 of a year that is no more than eight years before the issuance date of the ROSES NRA. |
| Early Career Faculty (ECF)(SpaceTech-REDDI) | varies |
Through the Early Career Faculty (ECF) solicitation, the Space Technology Research Grants program awards grants to accredited U.S. universities on behalf of outstanding faculty researchers early in their careers. The grants sponsor research in specific high-priority areas of interest to America’s space program. |
National Institutes of Health
| Resource | Synopsis |
| New and Early Stage Investigator Policies, NIH |
In general, a Program Director/Principal Investigator (PD/PI) is considered a New Investigator if he/she has not previously competed successfully as PD/PI for a substantial NIH independent research award. A PD/PI who qualifies as a New Investigator is considered an Early Stage Investigator if he/she is within 10 years of completing his/her terminal research degree or is within 10 years of completing medical residency (or the equivalent). The NIH New and Early Stage Investigator page includes Frequently Asked Questions. |
| Research Training and Career Development | Funding opportunities for early career investigators include: MIRA Awards for Early Stage Investigators and Early Research Career Development Awards |
National Science Foundation
| Program | Deadline | Program Synopsis |
| Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Program, NSF | July | The Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Program is a Foundation-wide activity that offers the National Science Foundation’s most prestigious awards in support of early-career faculty who have the potential to serve as academic role models in research and education and to lead advances in the mission of their department or organization. Activities pursued by early-career faculty should build a firm foundation for a lifetime of leadership in integrating education and research. The minimum award is $400,000 total for the five-year duration, except for the Directorate for Biological Sciences (BIO), the Directorate for Engineering (ENG), or the Office of Polar Programs (OPP), with a minimum total of $500,000 for the five-year duration. |
| Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CISE) Research Initiation Initiative (CRII) | August | It is expected that funds will be used to support untenured faculty or research scientists (or equivalent) in their first three years in a primary academic position after the PhD, but not more than a total of five years after completion of their PhD. One may not yet have received any other grants or contracts in the Principal Investigator role from any department, agency, or institution of the federal government, including from the CAREER program or any other program, post-PhD, with certain exceptions. |
| EHR Core Research: Building Capacity in STEM Education Research (ECR: BCSER) | February | ECR’s Building Capacity in STEM Education Research (ECR: BCSER) supports projects that build investigators’ capacity to carry out high-quality STEM education research that will enhance the nation’s STEM education enterprise. The Individual Investigator Development (IID) track now includes Investigators New to STEM Education Research. |
Nonfederal Agencies
</tr
| Young Investigator Grants, Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation for Childhood Cancer | December | The Young Investigator grant is a three-year award designed to support early careerresearchers, such as postdoctoral fellows, clinical fellows or instructors, pursuing promisingchildhood cancer research ideas. These grants aim to cultivate the best and brightestresearchers of the future who demonstrate a commitment to a research career in pediatriccancer. A mentor is required, and a career development plan must be included. The YoungInvestigator grant offers up to $50,000 in direct costs per year for three years. |
| Alzheimer’s Association Research Grant, Alzheimer’s Association | September for Letter of Intent | Supports early-career investigators who are less than 18 years past their doctoral degree or post-residency (M.D. or D.O.) with funding that will allow them to develop preliminary or pilot data, to test procedures and to develop hypotheses. |
| Doctoral New Investigator Grants, American Chemical Society Petroleum Research Fund | March | Provides $110,000 over 2 years for scientists and engineers in the United States who are within the first three years of their first academic appointment at the level of Assistant Professor or the equivalent. |
| ACLS Fellowship Program, American Council of Learned Societies | September | Supports untenured scholars in all disciplines of humanities for 6-12 months dedicated research. Fellowship provides support up to $60,000 |
| Pathway to Stop Diabetes Accelerator Award, American Diabetes Association | Dependent on GMU nomination process | Awards are available to early-career diabetes investigators proposing innovative and ambitious diabetes-related research programs. Applicants must hold faculty positions and have demonstrated independent productivity in diabetes research. Applicants may currently hold independent NIH funding (K, U or R awards, including an initial R01/U01) but must not have applied for (regardless of outcome), or received, an R01/U01 renewal or a second R01/U01 award. Candidates must be identified through institutional nomination. The award provides $325,000 a year support for up to 5 years. |
| Glenn Foundation for Medical Research and AFAR Grants for Junior Faculty, American Federation for Aging Research | December for Letter of Intent | The Glenn Foundation for Medical Research (GFMR) and AFAR provide up to $150,000 for a one- to two-year award to junior faculty (MDs and PhDs) to conduct research that will serve as the basis for longer term research efforts on the biology of aging. |
| Early Career Researcher Innovation Grants, American Foundation for Suicide Prevention | December | Provides up to $110,00 over 2 years of support for investigators at or below the level of assistant professor working on enhancing understanding of suicide or testing treatments and other interventions that save lives. |
| Career Development Award, American Heart Association | December | Provides $77,000 a year for up to 3 years for promising healthcare and academic professionals, in the early years of one’s first professional appointment, to explore innovative questions or pilot studies that will provide preliminary data and training necessary to assure the applicant’s future success as a research scientist studying cardiovascular health. |
| Centennial Fellowship, American Mathematical Society | December | The AMS Centennial Research Fellowship Program makes an award annually to an outstanding mathematician to help further their career in research. The primary selection criterion for the Centennial Fellowship is the excellence of the candidate’s research. A recipient of the fellowship shall have held their doctoral degree for at least three years and not more than twelve years at the awarding of the Fellowship. |
| Congressional Fellowship Program, American Political Science Association | January | Provides an intensive 9 month experience of Congress at work through fellowship placements on congressional staffs. Open to Political Scientists who have completed a PhD in the last 15 years or will have defended a dissertation in political science by November of the fellowship year. |
| Faculty Development Research Grants, American Society of Transplantation | December | Support of up to $75,000 a year for one or two years for early career independent investigators within the first five (5) years of their first faculty appointment. Research should relate to the field of solid organ transplantation (and/or immunology relating to solid organ transplant). |
| ESI Seed Grants, Antibacterial Resistance Leadership Group | Rolling | Up to $50,000 in direct costs will be provided to ESI Seed Grant recipients for one year for research in areas related to AR within the ARLG scope. Individuals who are MD, PhD, or Pharm D students, graduate or post-graduate trainees, or those with a faculty appointment of less than five years are eligible to apply. |
| Beckman Young Investigator Award, Arnold and Mabel Beckman Foundation | August for Letter of Intent | The Beckman Young Investigator Program provides research support to the most promising young faculty members in the early stages of their academic careers in the chemical and life sciences, particularly to foster the invention of methods, instruments and materials that will open up new avenues of research in science. Projects are normally funded for a period of four years. Grants are in the range of $600,000 over the term of the project. |
| BBRF Young Investigator Grant, Brain and Behavior Research Foundation | March | Provides up to $35,000 per year for two years totaling $70,000 to enable promising investigators studying psychiatric brain and behavior disorder research to either extend research fellowship training or begin careers as independent research faculty. |
| New Investigator Grant Program, Bright Focus Foundation | July for Letter of Intent | This research grant is intended to support investigators during their early years as an independent investigator involved in studies that have an impact on the causes and/or treatment of macular degeneration. |
| Investigators in the Pathogenesis of Infectious Disease, Burroughs Wellcome Fund | July for Pre-Proposal | Provides up to $500,000 over 5 years for assistant professors to bring multidisciplinary approaches to the study of human infectious diseases. The goal of the program is to provide opportunities for accomplished investigators at the assistant professor level to study what happens at the points where the systems of humans and potentially infectious agents connect. |
| Camille Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Awards Program, Camille and Henry Dreyfus Foundation | February, GMU nomination required | Provides $100,000 over 5 years to support research and teaching careers of talented young faculty in the chemical sciences. |
| New Investigator Research Grant Program, Leukemia Research Foundation | February for letter of intent | The Foundation provides one year grants of $100,000 to selected New Investigator researchers to allow innovative scientists to act on their ideas and try new procedures and experiments that will hopefully lead to significant breakthroughs. New Investigators are considered to be within seven years of their first independent position. |
| Young Investigator Grants, Lymphoma Research Foundation | August or September | Young Investigator Grants attract and train early career scientists for lymphoma research through three programs: Postdoctoral Fellowships, Clinical Investigator Career Development Awards, and the Lymphoma Clinical Research Mentoring Program. |
| Basil O’Connor Starter Scholar Research Awards, March of Dimes | June | This award is designed to support young scientists just embarking on their independent research careers on topics related to the March of Dimes mission to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth and infant mortality. $150,000 for 2 years. |
| Scholar Awards, McKnight Endowment Fund for Neuroscience | January | The McKnight Scholar Awards are given to exceptional young scientists who are in the early stages of establishing an independent laboratory and research career. The intent of the program is to foster the commitment by these scientists to research careers that will have an important impact on the study of the brain. The program seeks to support scientists committed to mentoring neuroscientists from underrepresented groups at all levels of training. |
| Request For Proposals: Young Investigator Awards, Melanoma Research Alliance | October | Applicants must be within four years of their first independent, full time academic faculty appointment at the time of application at the level of Assistant Professor (or equivalent position). Up to $75,000 per year for 3 years. |
| MQ Fellows Award, MQ: Transforming Mental Health Through Research | April or May for statement of intent | The award supports early career scientists who are asking challenging questions that will contribute to transformative advances in mental health research. Awards are up to £75,000 per year for three years. Must be able to travel to the UK for an interview and annual meetings. |
| Early Career Investigator Award, National Ataxia Foundation | September for letter of intent, October for application | Early Career Investigator Awards provide one-year grants of $50,000 in the field of ataxia research. |
| Career Development Award, National Hemophilia Foundation | April for letter of intent; May for full application | NHF is interested in funding innovative research studies in the area of bleeding disorders to be carried out at the sub cellular, cellular, animal or human/patient levels. Candidates must hold an MD, PhD, or equivalent degree, with no more than six years of postdoctoral years of experience in hematology, nor more than six years since completion of medical training. |
| Career Development Award, National Marfan Foundation | October | The program supports early investigators studying any or all disciplines involved in Marfan syndrome or a related disorder. Applicants must have less than seven years of experience in a faculty position and have never received an NIH R01 grant award. |
| Harry Weaver Neuroscience Scholar Awards, National Multiple Sclerosis Society | August | The awards support candidates who have concluded their research training and begun academic careers as independent investigators in an area related to multiple sclerosis. |
| New Investigator Grant, National Sclerodoma Foundation | September | Up to 200,000 over 3 years for new investigators who hold faculty or equivalent positions and who wish to pursue a career in research related to scleroderma. This grant supports promising research that is likely to lead to individual research project grants. |
| Spinal Cord Injury Research on the Translational Spectrum, Craig H. Neilsen Foundation | June for letter of intent | Two-year Pilot Research Grants help to establish new investigators in the field of spinal cord injury research and support studies by established investigators who are undertaking new directions in their work. |
| Faculty Starter Grants, Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America Foundation | February 1 for Health Outcomes, Translational Medicine; September 1 for Drug Delivery and Drug Discovery | PhRMA Foundation Research Starter Grants offer financial support to individuals beginning independent research careers at the faculty level. |
| I.M. Rosenzweig Junior Investigator Awards, Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation | November | Awards support projects that offer a high likelihood of improving the understanding of pulmonary fibrosis in the following areas: basic science, transnational research, clinical medicine/research, and social science/quality of life. Open to researchers who have completed their formal training within the past five years. |
| Cottrell Scholars, Research Corporation for Science Advancement | May for preproposal, July for invited proposal | Eligible applicants are tenure-track faculty members whose primary appointment is in a department of astronomy, chemistry or physics. Eligibility is limited to faculty in the third year after their first tenure-track appointment. |
| Scialog, Research Corporation for Science Advancement | varies | Scialog is intended to: 1) support early career faculty to expand research in a focused area of high scientific importance; 2) encourage scientists to form multidisciplinary teams to tackle these critical challenges, and; 3) help transition awardees to obtain further funding for their innovative ideas. |
| Innovation Award, Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation | July | The Damon Runyon-Rachleff Innovation Award is designed to provide support for the next generation of exceptionally creative thinkers with “high risk/high reward” ideas that have the potential to significantly impact our understanding of and/or approaches to the prevention, diagnosis or treatment of cancer. Open to tenure-track Assistant Professors within the first four years of obtaining their initial Assistant Professor position. |
| Small Awards in Behavioral Economics, Russell Sage Foundation | open | Applicants must be advanced doctoral students or post-docs/junior (non-tenured) faculty members who have been out of graduate school for two or fewer years. Small awards of up to $7,500. |
| New Investigator Grant, Scoliosis Research Society | March for Letter of Intent | New Investigator Grant is targeted towards new investigators, defined as either a fellow or within 10 years of completion of fellowship or equivalent specialist training, not previously awarded funding from a major funding organization. |
| Sloan Research Fellowships, Alfred P. Sloan Foundation | September | Fellowships support fundamental research by early-career scientists and scholars. Candidates must hold a Ph.D. (or equivalent) in chemistry, computational or evolutionary molecular biology, computer science, economics, mathematics, neuroscience, ocean sciences, physics, or a related field. Letter of recommendation from Department Head or other senior researcher required. |
| Strategy and Policy Fellows Program, Smith Richardson Foundation | June | The annual Strategy and Policy Fellows grant competition to support young scholars and policy thinkers on American foreign policy, international relations, international security, military policy, and diplomatic and military history. Grants enable the recipients to research and write a book. Within the academic community, this program supports junior or adjunct faculty, research associates, and post-docs who are engaged in policy-relevant research and writing. |
| Mitzi & William Blahd Pilot Research Grant, Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging | February | The pilot research grant is designed to help a basic or clinical scientist in the early stages of their career conduct research that may lead to further funding. |
| Distinguished Scientist Award, Sontag Foundation | March | The award provides career and research support to early career scientists who demonstrate outstanding promise for making scientific and medical breakthroughs in the field of brain cancer research. |
| Start-Up Research Grant, U.S.-Israel Binational Science Foundation | November | Projects must have a strong element of cooperation between an Israeli and an American scientist(s), and fall within the areas of research supported in that year by the BSF. At least one of the principal investigators should have attained his/her Ph.D., M.D. degree or equivalent, no more than ten years prior to submitting the proposal. |
| Grants-in-Aid, Whitehall Foundation | January 15, April 15, and October 1 for letter of intent | Grants-in-Aid program is designed for researchers at the assistant professor level who experience difficulty in competing for research funds because they have not yet become firmly established. The Foundation is currently interested in basic research in neurobiology. Awards are up to $30,000 for one year. |