The Robert A Welch Foundation Catalyst for Discovery Program is intended to accelerate progress in fundamental chemistry research by supporting research teams in Texas aimed at significant problems at the leading edge of chemistry. Annually, up to 2 grants of $5,000,000 each will be awarded to highly meritorious proposals. The level of support is calibrated to reduce barriers to discovery and provide flexibility in the manner of experimentation with minimal administrative burden. Catalyst for Discovery Program Grants are intended to support fundamental chemical research at institutions in Texas aimed at solving significant problems for the benefit of humankind.

Budget: $1 million/year for 5 years ($5 million total)
Nominations Allowed: 1

Key Dates

The American Diabetes Association's Pathway to Stop Diabetes provides crucial support to individuals focusing on innovative ideas and transformational approaches that will lead to groundbreaking discoveries in diabetes prevention, management, and cures. The program aims to build a pathway to tackle the toughest questions in diabetes by driving research innovations through 1:1 mentorship and building a brain trust in diabetes. The ideal applicant will propose innovative research that will be an important step toward the eventual goal of improving the lives of people at risk of or living with diabetes.

The Initiator Award is designed to support the transition of scientists from mentored training to independent research.
The Accelerator Award is designed to support promising early career researchers in the beginning stages of establishing successful, sustainable diabetes research programs.

Budget: $1,625,000 total--see Internal RFA for full details
Nominations Allowed: 2--1 focused on Basic through Preclinical Research; and 1 focused on Clinical through Public Health Research

Key Dates

2026 UTMB Internal RFA (EXPIRED)

The purpose of the GCC John S Dunn Foundation Collaborative Research Award Program is to foster new, exemplary inter-disciplinary and inter-institutional engagement in the quantitative biomedical sciences by providing research seed grants. The goal of this program is to fund new projects with high potential for future competitive research funding within 2.5 years of project start and a "best case scenario" plan for transitioning to clinical studies within 5 years. 

Funds will be awarded to NEW collaborative teams in which the PI and co-PI are from different GCC member institutions: Baylor College of Medicine, Rice University, University of Houston, UT Health Science Center at Houston, UTMB, UT MD Anderson Cancer Center, The Texas A&M (TAMU) Institute of Biosciences and Technology (IBT) in Houston, and Houston Methodist Research Institute. 

Budget: $50,000/year for 2 years ($100,000 total; direct costs only)
Nominations Allowed: 3

Key Dates

2026 UTMB Internal RFA (Nominee Selected) 

2026 Sponsor RFA

The Pew Scholars Program in Biomedical Sciences provides funding to young investigators of outstanding promise in science relevant to the advancement of human health. The program makes grants to selected academic institutions to support the independent research of outstanding individuals who are in their first few years of their appointment at the Assistant Professor level. Ideas with the potential to produce an unusually high impact are encouraged. 
As of September 3, 2026, candidates must run an independent lab and hold a full-time appointment at the rank of Assistant Professor. Candidate must not have been appointed as Assistant Professor and run an independent lab at any institution prior to June 10, 2023. Current appointments such as research assistant professor, adjunct assistant professor, assistant professor research track, visiting professor, or instructor are not eligible. 

Budget: $75,000/year for 4 years ($300,000 total; inclusive of up to 8% indirect costs; PI salary coverage limited to $12,500/year or $50,000 total)
Nominations Allowed: 1

Key Dates

2027 UTMB Internal RFA (Nominees Selected)

The Pew-Stewart Scholars for Cancer Research is a national initiative designed to support promising early career scientists whose research will accelerate discovery and advance progress to a cure for cancer. The program is funded by The Alexander and Margaret Stewart Trust and administered by Pew. In line with The Alexander and Margaret Stewart Trust's mission to invest in innovative, cutting-edge cancer research that may accelerate and advance progress toward a cure for cancer. The program is distinct from the Pew Biomedical Scholars Program and follows a different, but parallel set of guidelines and procedures for nominating an applicant whose research is related to cancer. Ideas with the potential to produce an unusually high impact are encouraged.
As of August 27, 2026, candidates must run an independent lab and hold a full-time appointment at the rank of Assistant Professor. Candidate must not have been appointed as Assistant Professor and run an independent lab at any institution prior to June 10, 2023. Current appointments such as research assistant professor, adjunct assistant professor, assistant professor research track, visiting professor, or instructor are not eligible. 

Budget: $75,000/year for 4 years ($300,000 total; inclusive of up to 8% indirect costs; PI salary coverage limited to $12,500/year or $50,000 total)
Nominations Allowed: 1

Key Dates

2027 UTMB Internal RFA (Competition Closed)

The Brain Research Foundation’s Scientific Innovations Award Program provides funding for innovative science in both basic and clinical neuroscience. This funding mechanism is designed to support creative, exploratory, cutting-edge research in well-established research laboratories, under the direction of established (Associate and Full Professor) investigators. The objective of the SIA is to support projects that may be too innovative and speculative for traditional funding sources but still have a high likelihood of producing important findings. It is expected that investigations supported by these grants will yield high impact findings and result in major grant applications and significant publications in high impact journals.

Budget: $75,000/year for 2 years ($150,000 total; direct costs only)
Nominations Allowed: 1

Key Dates

2027 UTMB Internal RFA (Nominee Selected)

The Searle Scholars Program makes grants to selected academic research institutions to support the independent research of outstanding early-career scientists who have recently been appointed as assistant professors on a tenure-track appointment. The Searle Scholars Program supports high risk, high reward research across a broad range of scientific disciplines. Candidates should be currently pursuing an independent research career in biochemistry, cell biology, genetics, immunology, neuroscience, pharmacology, and related areas in chemistry, medicine, and the biological sciences.
Candidates must have started their academic appointment as an independent investigator at the Assistant Professor level on or after May 1, 2024*. The appointment must be their first tenure-track position or its nearest equivalent.
*In past cycles, sponsor eligibility criteria has varied between 1-year and 2-years since appointment as an independent investigator at the assistant professor level--clarification for the 2027 cycle is pending.

Budget: $100,000/year for 3 years ($300,000)
Nominations Allowed: 1

Key Dates

2026 UTMB Internal RFA (EXPIRED)

The purpose of the Brain Research Foundation’s Seed Grant is to provide start-up money for new research projects and innovative programs that have the potential of becoming competitive for an NIH grant or other external funding sources. Our goal is to have this initial effort succeed in opening future opportunities for research, collaboration, and scientific advancement. The BRF Seed Grant Program awards start-up funding for neuroscience research. The Foundation is committed to funding research in all areas of the brain, whether cognitive, neurodegenerative, related to learning and development or diseases. Pi must be a full-time Assistant or Associate Professor working in the field of neuroscience, neurology, neurobiology, physiology, psychiatry, psychology, or related disciplines, proposing scientific projects with a focus on brain health and disease, including cancer.

Budget: $40,000/year for 2 years ($80,000 total; direct costs only)
Nominations Allowed: 1

Key Dates

2026 UTMB Internal RFA (EXPIRED)

The Warren Alpert Distinguished Scholars Fellowship Award enables postdoctoral researchers to advance to become full-time faculty members at the Assistant Professor level or higher, and to promote the development of a laboratory program that will lead to independent funding. The Award will support individual postdoctoral scientists of exceptional creativity in the field of neuroscience.
Candidates must have a minimum of 3 years and no more than 6 year of post-doctoral experience by July 1, 2027.

Budget: $200,000/year for 2 years ($400,000 total; inclusive of up to 15% indirect costs)
Nominations Allowed: 1

Key Dates

2026 UTMB Internal RFA (EXPIRED)

The Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation's Clinical Investigator Award supports independent early career physician-scientists conducting disease-oriented research that demonstrates a high level of innovation and creativity. The goal is to support the best early career physician-scientists doing work aimed at improving the practice of cancer medicine and to increase the number of physicians capable of moving seamlessly between the laboratory and the patient's bedside in search of breakthrough treatments. The applicant mut be involved in patient care and conducting research that has the potential to be translated to impact patients. 

Budget: $200,000/year for 3 years ($600,000 total; direct costs only)
Nominations Allowed: 1

Key Dates

2026 UTMB Internal RFA (EXPIRED)

The Mark Foundation Endeavor Awards support collaborative research projects that bring together investigators with diverse areas of expertise to tackle challenges in the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of cancer. These grants are awarded to teams of 3 or more investigators to generate data from diverse lines of research and transform those insights into advances for cancer patients that could not be achieved by individual efforts. UTMB is allowed 1 submission that addresses any cancer type; and 1 submission that addresses one of the following four cancer types: upper GI, glioblastoma, triple-negative breast cancer, or pancreatic cancer.

Budget: $3 million over 3 years (total; inclusive of 10% indirect costs)
Nominations Allowed: 1

Key Dates

2026 UTMB Internal RFA (EXPIRED)

The Mary Kay Ash Foundation Cancer Research Grant focuses on funding research for innovative grants for translational research of cancers affecting women (ovarian, uterine, breast, endometrial or cervical cancer among others). Translational research is broadly defined as research that will provide a scientific link between laboratory research and the clinic. Ultimately, such research would lead to improvement in diagnosis, prognosis, prevention, or treatment of cancer.

Budget: $50,000/year for 2 years ($100,000 total; inclusive of up to 15% indirect costs)
Nominations Allowed: 1

Key Dates

2026 UTMB Internal RFA (EXPIRED)

The Blavatnik National Awards for Young Scientists recognize the country's most promising faculty-rank researchers in Life Sciences, Physical Sciences & Engineering, and Chemical Sciences. These awards celebrate the past accomplishments and future potential of young faculty members working in the 3 disciplinary categories of Life Sciences, Physical Sciences & Engineering, and Chemical Sciences.

Budget: $250,000 in unrestricted funds
Nominations Allowed: 1

Key Dates

2026 UTMB Internal RFA (EXPIRED)

Limited Submissions funding opportunities available depend on the given cycle, but are typically released in August each year.

Check back after August 6, 2026 for upcoming CPRIT Limited Submissions funding opportunities.

May 20, 2026: At the Oversight Committee meeting, CPRIT announced that the High-Impact/High-Risk (HIHR) Research Awards will be modified to the Catalyst Pilot Research Award (CPRA). This will be a more general pilot as the Institute has found that the 'high-risk' part of the HIHR has been difficult to define and navigate for both applicants and reviewers.

Catalyst Pilot Research Award (CPRA; *formerly High-Impact/High-Risk Research Awards): Supports applications that initiate innovative projects in cancer research or sustain previously funded innovative lines of investigation. Using this mechanism, CPRIT seeks to provide short-term funding to sustain exceptional projects for investigators to start new directions of investigation. Topics include all aspects of cancer research and are expected to contribute to major new insights into etiology, diagnosis, treatment, or prevention of cancer. CPRIT intends to support innovative projects that focus on exceptionally promising topics to ensure they remain competitive for more conventional and longer-term funding. Award: up to $250,000 in total costs over 2 years.

Core Facility Support Awards (CFSA): Supports applications that facilitate the development or improvement of core facilities that will provide valuable services to support and enhance scientifically meritorious cancer research projects. CPRIT will look with special favor on applications that propose a facility that will serve cancer researchers at multiple Texas institutions, in particular TREC-eligible institutions. Award: up to $2,000,000 in total costs for a period of up to 5 years.

Clinical Investigator Award (CIA): Supports mid-career clinician scientists with specialty training relevant to delivery of cancer care to devote more time to augment their capabilities in clinical cancer research, and to provide mentoring to early-stage investigators in the conduct of clinical research. Award: up to $1,500,000 in total costs for a period of up to 5 years.