University of Florida word mark
Strategic Research Development > Find Funding > External Funding > Early Career Funding Opportunities

Early Career Funding Opportunities

In a competitive funding environment, opportunities exist to help researchers at the beginning stages of their careers. Examples of federal and non-federal funding opportunities specifically geared toward early career investigators working at the University of Florida are available in the tables below. As with all funding opportunities, it is essential to review the sponsor guidelines to confirm eligibility, deadlines and research priorities.

For a calendar of select Early Career Faculty Awards, please visit the Provost’s Award Page.

Federal Opportunities

Air Force Young Investigator Research Program (YIP)

Award Description Award Amount & Duration
The Air Force Young Investigator Research Program (YIP) intends to support young in career scientists and engineers showing exceptional ability and promise for conducting basic research. Investigators must have received Ph.D. or equivalent degrees by 1 April 2015 or later.  Up to $150,000/year,
over 3 years

Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Defense Sciences Office (DSO) Young Faculty Award

Award Description Award Amount & Duration
The objective of the DARPA Young Faculty Award (YFA) program is to identify and engage rising stars in junior research positions, emphasizing those without prior DARPA funding, and expose them to DoD needs and DARPA’s program development process. $500,000 over 2 years, with a 1-year option period

Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI)

Award Description Award Amount & Duration
The Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) is the nation’s leading competitive grants program for agricultural sciences. The National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) awards AFRI research, education, and extension grants to improve rural economies, increase food production, stimulate the bioeconomy, mitigate impacts of climate variability, address water availability issues, ensure food safety and security, enhance human nutrition, and train the next generation of the agricultural workforce. Varies: Multiple grants

Army Young Investigator Program (YIP)

Award Description Award Amount & Duration
YIP awards are one of the most prestigious honors bestowed by the Army on scientists beginning their independent careers. The objective is to attract outstanding young university faculty members to pursue fundamental research in areas relevant to the Army, to support their research in these areas, and to encourage their teaching and research careers. Maximum of $120,000/year over 3 years

Navy Young Investigator Research Program (YIP)

Award Description Award Amount & Duration
The Office of Naval Research (ONR) Young Investigator Program 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, who have received their doctorate or equivalent degree in the past seven years, and who show exceptional promise for doing creative research. $510,000 over a 36- month period of performance. May request up to $170,000 for each 12-month interval

Department of Energy (DOE) Early Career Research Program

Award Description Award Amount & Duration
The DOE Office of Science Early Career Research Program provides an annual funding opportunity for researchers in universities and DOE national laboratories. Established in 2010, this program supports the individual research programs of outstanding scientists early in their careers and stimulates research careers in the disciplines supported by the DOE Office of Science. $750,000 over 5 years

Department of Energy – Nuclear Energy (DOE-NE) Distinguished Early Career Program (DECP)

Award Description Award Amount & Duration
The Distinguished Early Career Program (DECP) is the Department of Energy Office of Nuclear Energy’s (DOE-NE) most prestigious award for faculty members beginning their independent careers. The intent of the program is to provide stable support at a sufficient level and duration to enable awardees to develop careers, not only as outstanding researchers but also as educators demonstrating commitment to teaching, learning, and dissemination of knowledge. $625,000

Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE)

Award Description Award Amount & Duration
The Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE) embodies the high priority placed by the government on maintaining the leadership position of the US in science by producing outstanding scientists and engineers and nurturing their continued development.  TBD

Environmental Protection Agency, Science to Achieve Results (STARS) Program

Award Description Award Amount & Duration
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Science to Achieve Results (STAR) Program aims to stimulate and support scientific and engineering research that advances EPA’s mission to protect human health and the environment. It is a competitive, peer-reviewed, extramural research program that provides access to the nation’s best scientists and engineers in academic and other nonprofit research institutions.  Varies: Multiple grants

NASA: ROSES Heliophysics Early Career Investigator Program (ECIP in Heliophysics)

Award Description Award Amount & Duration
NASA’s Early Career Investigator Program (ECIP) in Heliophysics is designed to support outstanding scientific research and career development of scientists at the early stage of their professional careers. The program aims to encourage innovative research initiatives and cultivate diverse scientific leadership in Heliophysics. $125,000 – $175,000 per year for up to 4 years

NIH Director's Awards

  Award Description Award Amount & Duration
New Innovator Award Program Part of the High-Risk, High-Reward Research program, the award supports exceptionally creative early career investigators who propose innovative, high-impact projects in the biomedical, behavioral or social sciences within the NIH mission. Up to $1.5M in direct costs split into two multi-year segments
Early Independence Award Part of the High-Risk, High-Reward Research program, the award supports outstanding junior scientists with the intellect, scientific creativity, drive, and maturity bypass the traditional postdoctoral training period to launch independent research careers. Up to $250,000/year

NSF Alan T. Waterman Award

Award Description Award Amount & Duration
The annual award recognizes an outstanding young researcher in any field of science or engineering supported by NSF. In addition to a medal, the awardee receives a grant of $1,000,000 over a five year period for scientific research or advanced study in the mathematical, physical, biological, engineering, social, or other sciences at the institution of the recipient’s choice. A medal and $1,000,000 over 5 years

NSF Faculty Early Career Development Program (CAREER)

Award Description Award Amount & Duration
CAREER: 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.  Minimum of $400,000 for the 5-year duration

Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CISE) Research Initiation Initiative (CRII)

Award Description Award Amount & Duration
The NSF Directorate for Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CISE) seeks to award grants intended to support research independence among early-career academicians who specifically lack access to adequate organizational or other resources. Up to $175,000 over 2 years

Non-Federal Opportunities

Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation

Opportunity Award Description Award Amount & Duration

‘A’ Award Grants

 The ‘A’ Award is designed for the early independent career scientist who wants to establish a career in pediatric oncology research. $200,000 per year for 4 years , with  possible 5th year

RunX1 Early Career Investigator Grants

 The RUNX1 Early Career Investigator grant is designed to fund research in strategies leading to the development of therapies to prevent the transition from pre-leukemia to leukemia for patients with RUNX1-FPD. Collaboration and data sharing are a priority for this research program.  $180,000 over 3 years

Young Investigator Grants

 Young Investigator grants are designed to fill the critical need for startup funds for less experienced researchers to pursue promising research ideas. Eligible applicants may apply during their fellowship training or early in their research careers but must not have achieved an appointment higher than Instructor.  Up to $150,000, over 3 years

Alfred P. Sloan Foundation

Opportunity Award Description Award Amount & Duration
Sloan Research Fellowships The Sloan Research Fellowships seek to stimulate fundamental research by early-career scientists and scholars of outstanding promise.
These two-year, $75,000 fellowships are awarded yearly to early career researchers in recognition of distinguished performance and a unique potential to make substantial contributions to their field.		 $75,000

Alzheimer's Association

Opportunity Award Description Award Amount & Duration
International Research Grant Program The Alzheimer’s Association International Research Grant Program (IRGP) funds investigations to advance our understanding of Alzheimer’s disease, identify new treatment strategies, improve care for people with dementia and further our knowledge of brain health and disease prevention.  Award amount varies

American Cancer Society

Opportunity Award Description Award Amount & Duration
Clinician Scientist Development Grants

The Clinician Scientist Development Grant (CSDG) supports junior faculty members in becoming independent investigators as clinician scientists. This grant is designed for people trained primarily as clinicians who want to maintain clinical practice and conduct cancer research.

 Up to $165,000/year, over 4 years
Research Scholar Grants

Research Scholar Grants (RSG) provide support for independent, self-directed researchers and clinician scientists, who are investigators licensed to provide patient care and trained to conduct research. Applicants’ institutions must provide space and other resources customary for independent investigators.

 

 Up to $165,000/year, over 4 years

American Chemical Society Petroleum Research Fund

Opportunity Award Description Award Amount & Duration
Doctoral New Investigator Grants

The goals of the American Chemical Society Petroleum Research Fund are:

To support fundamental research in the petroleum field, and
To develop the next generation of engineers and scientists through support of advanced scientific education. The Doctoral New Investigator grants program aims to promote the careers of young faculty by supporting research of high scientific caliber, and to enhance the career opportunities of their undergraduate/ graduate students, and postdoctoral associates through the research experience.

 $110,000 over 2 years

American Council of Learned Societies

Opportunity Award Description Award Amount & Duration
Fellowships and Grant Programs ACLS is one of the leading private institutions supporting scholars in the humanities and interpretive social sciences at the doctoral and postdoctoral levels. Fellows and grantees in all programs are selected by committees of scholars appointed for this purpose. Multiple. See individual programs

American Diabetes Association

Opportunity Award Description Award Amount & Duration
Accelerator Award (ACE) This award is designed to support exceptional, independent early-career researchers who have distinguished themselves as promising investigators and are in the beginning stages of establishing successful, sustainable diabetes research programs. $325,000/year, up to 5 years

American Federation for Aging

Opportunity Award Description Award Amount & Duration
Research Grants for Junior Faculty The Glenn Foundation for Medical Research (GFMR) and AFAR provide up to $125,000 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. Up to $125,000 for a one- to two-year award

American Foundation for Suicide Prevention

Opportunity Award Description Award Amount & Duration
Early Career Innovation Grants Our research grants support studies that will increase our understanding of suicide or test treatments and other interventions that save lives. Grants awarded to investigators at or below the level of assistant professor. $90,000 over 2 years

American Mathematical Society

Opportunity Award Description Award Amount & Duration
Centennial Fellowship 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. $50,000 for one year

American Society for Mass Spectrometry

Organization Award Description Award Amount & Duration
Research Awards Research awards promote the research of academic scientists within the first four years of joining the tenure track or research faculty of a North American University at the time the award is conferred.  $35,000

American Speech-Language-Hearing Foundation

Opportunity Award Description Award Amount & Duration
New Investigators Research Grant The New Investigators Research Grant is designed to help further new investigators’ research activities by funding one-year, preliminary studies that could launch larger-scale research studies.  $10,000

Arnold and Mabel Beckman Foundation

Opportunity Award Description Award Amount & Duration
Beckman Young Investigator Program The Beckman Young Investigator (BYI) 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. Grants are in the range of $600,000 over the term of the project, contingent upon demonstrated progress after the second year of the award

Brain and Behavior Research Foundation (BBRF)

Opportunity Award Description Award Amount & Duration
BBRF Young Investigator Grants BBRF Young Investigator Grants cover a broad spectrum of mental illnesses and serve as catalysts for additional funding, providing researchers with “proof of concept” for their work. $35,000/year for 2 years totaling $70,000

Camille and Henry Dreyfus Foundation Teacher-Scholar Awards

Opportunity Award Description Award Amount & Duration
Camille Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Awards Program The Camille Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Awards Program supports the research and teaching careers of talented young faculty in the chemical sciences. Based on institutional nominations, the program provides discretionary funding to faculty at an early stage in their careers.  $100,000

Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation

Opportunity Award Description Award Amount & Duration
Career Development Awards Career Development Awards are mentored awards intended to facilitate the development of individuals with research potential to prepare for a career of independent basic research investigation in the area of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Up to $90,000/year, up to 3 years

Damon Runyon-Rachleff Cancer Research Foundation

Opportunity Award Description Award Amount & Duration
Innovation Award 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. $200,000/year, for 2 years, with the option for 2 additional years

Dermatology Foundation

Opportunity Award Description Award Amount & Duration
Career Development Awards The Dermatology Foundation offers nine categories of highly competitive Career Development Awards (CDAs). CDAs may be renewed annually for up to a total of three years of funding.  Up to $55,000/year, up to 3 years

Doris Duke Charitable Foundation

Opportunity Award Description Award Amount & Duration
Clinical Scientist Development Award The Doris Duke Clinical Scientist Development Award provides grants to junior physician scientists to facilitate their transition to independent clinical research careers. $495,000 over 3 years

Klingenstein Philanthropies

Opportunity Award Description Award Amount & Duration
Klingenstein-Simons Neuroscience Fellowship The Klingenstein-Simons Neuroscience Fellowship supports innovative research by early career investigators. The research should have relevance for understanding the mechanisms underlying any of a wide range of neurological and behavioral disorders, and it may lead to improvements in the diagnosis and treatment of these disorders.  $225,000 over 3 years

Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation

Opportunity Award Description Award Amount & Duration
Knowledge Challenge RFP The Knowledge Challenge RFP is intended to support activities that improve our understanding of entrepreneurship and generate practical, actionable, and rigorous evidence to inform decision making and change systems.  $400,000 annually for project teams, up to $200,000 annually for individual researchers

Health Effects Institute

Opportunity Award Description Award Amount & Duration
Walter A. Rosenblith New Investigator Award The purpose of this award is to bring new, creative investigators into active research on the health effects of air pollution. It provides three years of funding for a small project relevant to HEI’s research interests to a new investigator with outstanding promise at the Assistant Professor or equivalent level. Maximum of $500,000 for 3 years

Human Frontier Science Program

Opportunity Award Description Award Amount & Duration
Research Grants- Early Career Research Grants – Early Career (formerly Young Investigator Grants) are for teams of researchers who are all within 5 years of establishing an independent laboratory and within 10 years of obtaining their PhDs.  Up to $500,000/year for a team of 4 or more

Human Vaccines Project

Opportunity Award Description Award Amount & Duration
Michelson Prizes The Michelson Prizes are scientific awards of $150,000 given annually to young investigators who are applying disruptive concepts and inventive processes to advance human immunology, vaccine discovery, and immunotherapy research across major global diseases. $150,000

March of Dimes

Opportunity Award Description Award Amount & Duration
Basil O’Connor Starter Scholar Research Award Basil O’Connor Starter Scholar Research Awards support young physicians/scientists committed to March of Dimes’ mission to fight for the health of all moms and babies. $150,000 for 2 years

McKnight Foundation

Opportunity Award Description Award Amount & Duration
Scholar Awards The McKnight Scholar Awards support neuroscientists in the early stages of their careers.
The Scholar Awards support young scientists who: hold an M.D. and/or Ph.D. degree; have completed formal postdoctoral training; and demonstrate a commitment to neuroscience. 		 $225,000, over 3 years

National Academies of Science

Opportunity Award Description Award Amount & Duration
Award in Molecular Biology The NAS Award in Molecular Biology is supported by Pfizer Inc. and recognizes a recent notable discovery by a young scientist (preferably no older than 45) who is a citizen of the United States. On a case-by-case basis, scientists up to 50 years of age are eligible for consideration.  A medal and a $25,000 prize
Troland Research Awards Two Troland Research Awards are given annually to recognize unusual achievement by early-career researchers (preferably 45 years of age or younger) and to further empirical research within the broad spectrum of experimental psychology.  $75,000

National Ataxia Foundation

Opportunity Award Description Award Amount & Duration
Young Investigator Award The Young Investigator Award was created to encourage young clinical and scientific investigators to pursue a career in the field of Ataxia research.  Up to $50,000 for 1 year

National Hemophilia Foundation

Opportunity Award Description Award Amount & Duration
Career Development Award NHF seeks research grant applications from established investigators, preferably at the assistant professor level or above, who have demonstrated a commitment to bleeding disorders research. We especially encourage innovative projects that promote the development of novel technologies and/or therapies to advance the field of bleeding disorders research. $70,000 annually for a maximum of three years

National Multiple Sclerosis Society

Opportunity Award Description Award Amount & Duration
Biostatistics/ Informatics Junior Faculty Award

As part of our commitment to building a workforce of research leaders to drive pathways to MS cures, the National MS Society established a junior faculty award in biostatistics/ informatics/computational biology, with funding from the Marilyn Hilton MS Research Fund. 

 Three years of partial (25%-50%) salary support or teaching buy-out and up to $20,000 per year for access to datasets

National Scleroderma Foundation

Opportunity Award Description Award Amount & Duration
New Investigator Grant The National Scleroderma Foundation seeks applications from promising 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. Three-year award of $200,000 total

PhRMA Foundation

Opportunity Award Description Award Amount & Duration
Research Starter Grants The PhRMA Foundation Research Starter Grants help promising young scientists advance their research projects. Research Starter Grants offer financial support to individuals beginning independent research careers at the faculty level. $100,000

Research Corporation for Science

Opportunity Award Description Award Amount & Duration
Cottrell Scholar Award The Cottrell Scholar Award honors and helps to develop outstanding teacher-scholars who are recognized by their scientific communities for the quality and innovation of their research programs and their academic leadership skills. The Cottrell Scholar Award provides entry into a national community of outstanding scholar-educators who produce significant research and educational outcomes. $100,000 over three years

Simons Foundation Autism Research Initiative (SFARI)

Opportunity Award Description Award Amount & Duration
Bridge to Independence Award SFARI is invested in supporting the next generation of top autism researchers. The Bridge to Independence Award program engages talented early-career scientists to pursue autism research by facilitating their transition to research independence and providing grant funding at the start of their faculty positions. $495,000, over three years

Smith Richardson Foundation

Opportunity Award Description Award Amount & Duration
Strategy & Policy Fellows Grant The Smith Richardson Foundation sponsors an annual Strategy & 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. $60,000

Society for Conservation Biology

Opportunity Award Description Award Amount & Duration
David H. Smith Conservation Research Fellowship Program The David H. Smith Conservation Research Fellowship Program seeks to develop future world leaders and entrepreneurs who are successful at linking conservation science and application. Smith Fellowships provide two years of postdoctoral support to outstanding early-career scientists.  2-year annual salary of $63,500, research funds totaling $32,000 & $8,000 travel budget.

Society of Neuroscience

Opportunity Award Description Award Amount & Duration
Early Career Awards (multiple) For students, postdoctoral fellows, and scientists in the field for a decade or less who have contributed remarkable research or achievements. Varies ($2,000 – $25,000 per award)

Society of Nuclear Medicine & Molecular Imaging

Opportunity Award Description Award Amount & Duration
Mitzi & William Blahd, MD, Pilot Research Grant 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. $25,000

Susan G. Komen Foundation

Opportunity Award Description Award Amount & Duration
Career Catalyst Research Grants We are accelerating scientific discoveries through new approaches and technologies to acquire new knowledge and advance personalized care for all through Komen’s research priorities $150,000/year, for up to 3 years

The Kinship Foundation (Searle Scholars)

Opportunity Award Description Award Amount & Duration
The Searle Scholars Program The Searle Scholars Program makes grants to selected universities and research centers to support the independent research of exceptional young faculty in the biomedical sciences and chemistry. $300,000 over 3 years

Pew Charitable Trust

Opportunity Award Description Award Amount & Duration
The Pew Scholars Program in the Biomedical Sciences The Pew Scholars Program in the Biomedical Sciences provides funding to young investigators of outstanding promise in science relevant to the advancement of human health. The program makes grants to support the independent research of outstanding individuals who are in their first few years of their appointment at the assistant professor level. $75,000/year for a 4- year period, totaling $300,000

Thrasher Research Fund

Opportunity Award Description Award Amount & Duration
Early Career Awards The Fund recognizes that young investigators may find it difficult to remain in pediatric research because of a lack of funding. The goal is to fund applicants who will go on to be independent investigators.  Up to $25,000