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Funding callMedicine and clinical research · United States

Damon Runyon Clinical Investigator Award 2027

The Damon Runyon Clinical Investigator Award, offered by the Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation in the United States, supports early-career physician-scientists at the Assistant Professor level conducting patient-oriented cancer research. This guide covers research areas consistent with the award, eligibility and readiness checks, what review panels typically value and how to prepare an application, submitted via Proposal Central with reference letters uploaded, by 19 January 2027.

Pubrica InsightsEditorial team, reviewed by a subject specialist
Next deadline
19 January 2027
Last checked
10 November 2026
Funder
Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation
Sources
1
Apply through the official call

Key dates

Application deadline
19 January 2027
Details last checked
10 November 2026
Apply through the official call

About the call

Funder
Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation
Country
United States
Scheme type
Fellowship
Funding
As stated in the call documents
Eligibility
Early-career physician-scientists at the Assistant Professor level conducting patient-oriented cancer research; applications via Proposal Central with reference letters uploaded by the deadline.
Scope
Medicine and clinical research

Topics consistent with the call

  • Early-phase clinical trials of new cancer therapies
  • Biomarker studies guiding diagnosis, prognosis or treatment selection
  • Translational studies using patient samples to investigate tumour biology
  • Immunotherapy and mechanisms of treatment response or resistance
  • Cancer prevention and early detection in patient populations
  • Studies of treatment toxicity and supportive care in oncology

Based on the published scope; the official page sets out the full themes and requirements.

Is your work a fit? Check before you apply

  1. Confirm that you are a physician-scientist at the Assistant Professor level.
  2. Check that your project is patient-oriented cancer research.
  3. Arrange reference letters early so they are uploaded by the deadline.
  4. Confirm other eligibility rules, protected research time and award terms in the official guidelines.
  5. Submit a complete, institutionally approved application via Proposal Central before 19 January 2027.

Why This Funding Call Matters

Physician-scientists play a distinctive role in moving discoveries into patient care, but the early years of an academic appointment are often when clinical duties compete most strongly with research. Support at this stage helps investigators establish independent programmes in patient-oriented cancer research. The award is directed at this career point, and a successful application can provide the foundation for a sustained clinical research career and for later larger grants.

Who Should Apply

Academic backgrounds

  • Medical oncology
  • Haematology
  • Radiation oncology
  • Surgical oncology
  • Paediatric oncology

Institutions and sectors

  • Academic medical centres in the United States
  • Comprehensive cancer centres
  • University hospitals and medical schools

What Reviewers Typically Value

  1. A patient-oriented research question with clear potential to change cancer care.
  2. A feasible plan that builds on the applicant’s clinical access and preliminary data.
  3. Evidence of the applicant’s potential to become an independent clinical investigator.
  4. Strong mentorship and institutional commitment to protected research time.

Ideas You Could Develop

Biomarker-guided trial in solid tumoursAn early-phase trial testing whether a predictive biomarker identifies patients likely to respond to a targeted therapy.
Resistance to immunotherapyA translational study using serial patient biopsies to characterise mechanisms of acquired resistance to immune checkpoint inhibitors.
Liquid biopsy for minimal residual diseaseA prospective study evaluating circulating tumour DNA to detect residual disease after curative-intent treatment.

Your Plan to the Deadline

A suggested schedule working back from 19 January 2027. Adjust it to the stage your work has reached.

  1. By 24 Nov 2026

    Read the call documents; confirm eligibility, budget limits, assessment criteria and institutional requirements.

  2. By 8 Dec 2026

    Agree the research question, aims, team and partners; contact your research office.

  3. By 22 Dec 2026

    Draft the case for support, methods, impact and budget.

  4. By 5 Jan 2027

    Obtain internal review, letters of support and institutional sign-off.

  5. By 14 Jan 2027

    Final checks against the funder’s guidance and formatting rules.

  6. By 19 Jan 2027

    Submit through the funder’s system before the deadline.

What you gain

  • Funding for the research, team and resources it needs.
  • Recognition from a competitive, peer-reviewed process.
  • Reviewer feedback that strengthens future applications.
  • A track record for larger grants and fellowships.

What happens after you apply

  1. Eligibility check: the funder confirms the application meets the call rules.
  2. Peer review: external reviewers assess the proposal against the published criteria.
  3. Panel: a committee ranks proposals; some schemes include an interview.
  4. Decision: outcomes are released on the funder’s timetable.
  5. Award: successful applicants agree terms and reporting requirements before starting.

What the Funder Are Looking For

The foundation is looking for early-career physician-scientists at the Assistant Professor level who are conducting patient-oriented cancer research. Strong applications typically combine a clinically important question with a feasible research plan, strong mentorship and institutional support for protected time. Eligibility, award terms and submission requirements, including reference letters via Proposal Central, should be confirmed in the official Damon Runyon application guidelines.

Read the official pageThis guide summarises the opportunity. Confirm deadlines, eligibility and requirements on the official page before you plan your work, and record the date you checked it.Open the official page

Expert help

How Pubrica Can Help

Pubrica’s subject specialists can help you prepare a competitive proposal, planned back from the deadline. You remain the author of your work.

Grant writingProposal writing structured to the funder’s guidance and assessment criteria. Literature review and gap analysisThe evidence base and the gap your proposal addresses. Study designStudy design and methods that reviewers can assess. Statistical analysis planSample size and analysis plans for the proposal. Data management planData management and sharing plans to funder requirements. Proposal editingEditing of the full proposal for clarity and consistency.
Go to the official page

FAQs

Questions Researchers Ask

The next published deadline is 19 January 2027. Dates can change, so confirm them on the official page before you plan your work.

The award focuses on patient-oriented cancer research, and the foundation’s guidelines define what this includes. Laboratory work on patient samples may or may not qualify depending on that definition, so read the official guidelines carefully and contact the foundation if unsure.

Early-career physician-scientists at the Assistant Professor level conducting patient-oriented cancer research; applications via Proposal Central with reference letters uploaded by the deadline. Confirm the full eligibility rules in the call documents.

Yes. Pubrica’s specialists can review, write, edit and format your proposal. You remain the author and the person responsible for the submission.

Sources

  1. Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation. (2026). Damon Runyon Clinical Investigator Award 2027. Retrieved 10 November 2026, from https://www.damonrunyon.org/for-scientists/application-guidelines/clinical-investigator

How to cite this page

Pubrica Insights. (2026). Damon Runyon Clinical Investigator Award 2027. Pubrica. https://pubrica.com/insights/calls-and-conferences/damon-runyon-clinical-investigator-award-2027/

  • Damon Runyon
  • Physician-scientist
  • Cancer research
  • Clinical research
  • Early career

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Damon Runyon Clinical Investigator Award 2027Next deadline 19 January 2027

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