Mark Foundation Emerging Leader Awards 2026 (up to $1,000,000) – YOA

Deadline: April 30, 2026

Applications are open for the Mark Foundation Emerging Leader Awards 2026. The Mark Foundation Emerging Leader Awards help progressive most cancers analysis from the following era of leaders. These grants are awarded to excellent early profession investigators to help excessive-affect, excessive-danger initiatives which can be distinct from their present analysis portfolio.

The Mark Foundation for Cancer Research actively companions with scientists to speed up analysis that can rework the prevention, prognosis, and remedy of most cancers. They fulfill their mission by supporting groundbreaking science carried out by particular person investigators, multi-disciplinary groups, and early-stage firms within the United States and throughout the globe. Recognizing the obstacles that stop scientific advances from enhancing affected person outcomes, they keep a nimble, excessive-affect strategy to funding fundamental and translational most cancers analysis that bridges the hole between bench and bedside by way of grants and enterprise investments.

Award

• The grant quantity totals $1,000,000 (USD) distributed evenly over 4 (4) years ($250,000 USD per 12 months).
• Budget limits are inclusive of each direct and oblique prices, with oblique prices allowed up to 10% of the direct prices and included within the whole grant quantity.

Eligibility

• MD, PhD, or an equal diploma is required.
• New in 2026: Emerging Leader Awards help scientists worldwide. There aren’t any eligibility restrictions based mostly on geography or citizenship for this program.
• Open to non-revenue educational/analysis establishments worldwide.
• Applicants will need to have established their impartial laboratories three to eight years prior to December 31, 2026 (i.e., the official begin date of the impartial appointment should fall inside the calendar years 2018-2023). Exceptions due to extended medical or household go away can be thought-about on a case-by-case foundation. To be thought-about “independent”, candidates will need to have their very own devoted laboratory house, the flexibility to independently rent personnel, and institutional permission to apply to grants as principal investigator. Research observe, adjunct school, and impartial fellow positions usually are not eligible.
• This award shouldn’t be supposed to be the principle supply of funding for the applicant’s laboratory. Applicants should reveal multi-12 months impartial funding, lively in 2027, that sustains the central actions of the laboratory (for instance, for US-based mostly candidates, this needs to be not less than one or two NIH/R01).
• The Mark Foundation will assess the eligibility of particular person candidates in the course of the evaluation course of – due to the quantity of purposes acquired, we can’t present eligibility determinations prior to submission of the application.
• Projects for this award have to be centered on proof-based mostly laboratory knowledge and/or medical science.
• Proposed initiatives should not be supported by different sources of funding. Finalists can be requested to focus on any potential overlap with different present or pending awards in the course of the interview.
• Only one submission per applicant is permitted per cycle.
• Institutions might submit a number of purposes, however no multiple award can be made per establishment in every funding cycle.
• If chosen, finalists have to be obtainable for digital interviews in October 2026.
• The Mark Foundation for Cancer Research doesn’t discriminate based mostly on race, shade, faith, nationwide origin, intercourse, gender identification, sexual orientation, age, incapacity, or every other legally protected traits.

Application

• Letters of Intent have to be submitted by way of the on-line application system no later than 5 PM Eastern Time on April 30, 2026. Registration and e-mail handle verification are required. Notifications can be despatched from the application system, so make sure these emails usually are not caught in spam filters.
• The preliminary Letter of Intent ought to embrace:
  • Project Title
  • Project Summary: description of the proposed undertaking, together with a concise dialogue of the rationale, experimental strategy, innovation, and potential affect (350 phrases).
  • Statement of Project Distinction: a short paragraph describing how the proposed undertaking is exclusive from the principle focus of the lab and prior analysis actions.
• Applicants may even be requested to present a biosketch (NIH format or related) and an inventory of present grants and different funding supporting the lab.
• To guarantee equity, the preliminary evaluation strategy of the Letters of Intent will conceal the applicant’s title and establishment. Avoid citations and references to the applicant and establishment title within the Project Summary and Statement of Project Distinction. Letters of Intent that comprise figuring out data such because the applicant’s title, establishment title, or quotation of articles authored by the applicant might lead to disqualification.
• All application supplies, together with Letter of Intent, biosketch, and letters of help, have to be submitted in English.
• After the Letters of Intent have been evaluated, full purposes can be accepted by invitation solely.

Click here to apply

For extra data, go to Mark Foundation Emerging Leader Awards.