Funder Introduction:
The Concern Foundation is a US-based nonprofit that has funded over 1,000 early-career cancer researchers worldwide since 1968. Its mission is to support innovative basic research in cancer, especially in genetics, cell biology, and immunology.

Call Overview:
This call supports hypothesis-driven basic cancer research in the fields of cancer genetics, cell biology, and immunology. It specifically targets early-career independent investigators seeking seed funding to generate preliminary data and grow their research programs.

Applicants must first submit a Letter of Intent (LOI) via an online form. If the LOI is accepted, applicants will be invited to submit a full proposal. Full instructions and templates will be provided to those selected after the LOI review

Objectives:
The goal is to accelerate cancer discoveries by funding promising early-career researchers focused on fundamental aspects of cancer biology, excluding clinical trials or epidemiological studies.

Deadline

• LOI opens: May 5, 2025

• LOI deadline: July 25, 2025 (11:59 PM local time)

• LOI decision notification: September 2025

• Full proposal deadline: To be announced

• Award notifications: May 2026

• Project start date: July 2026

• Year 1 ends: June 2027

• Year 2 ends: June 2028

• Applicants must be early-career independent investigators at the level of Assistant Professor (or equivalent), who have led their own lab for 1-7 years.

• The proposed project must be hypothesis-driven and focused on basic cancer research.

• Applicants must not hold significant external funding (e.g., NIH R01 or similar).

• A letter of institutional/departmental support is required.

• The program is open internationally, and researchers from nonprofit academic or research institutions are eligible.

In case of interest, please click on "m'interessa" and we will contact you.