The 2026 LCRF | AstraZeneca Research Award supports research using patient advocacy to improve care, quality of life, survivorship, and health outcomes for people with small cell lung cancer.
Projects should place patient advocacy at the centre of the research strategy and may address patient-centred care, access and equity, survivorship planning, digital health, communication, patient feedback, diagnostic pathways, biomarker testing, and participation in clinical research.
Eligibility Criteria:
- Proposed projects must include studies involving patients with small cell lung cancer.
- Investigators must be affiliated with a U.S.-based academic institution, community institution, clinical practice, or nonprofit organization involved in caring for patients with SCLC.
- Applicants may be at any career stage.
- There are no citizenship or residency restrictions for investigators working at eligible U.S.-based institutions.
- LCRF encourages applicants to compensate patient advocates for their time and expertise and include this expense in the proposed budget.
- Applicants cannot apply while receiving active funding from LCRF.
- Other members of the applicant’s team may participate in or hold separate LCRF awards, provided the individual applicant meets the program restrictions.
Funding Details:
- The program will provide at least one award of USD 250,000 over two years.
- Funding is allocated at USD 125,000 per year.
The LCRF award must serve as the primary source of research support for the proposed project. - Salary support may be requested without a fixed maximum.
Deadline:
- Request for proposals opened: June 9, 2026.
- Letter of Intent deadline: July 15, 2026.
- Applicants notified of LOI decisions: August–September 2026.
- Invited full proposal deadline: October 5, 2026.
Further Information:
- Priority areas include patient-centred care models, survivorship planning, equitable access to care and clinical trials, screening and biomarker testing, digital-health tools, and systems for collecting and applying patient feedback.
- Full proposals require a lay summary, specific aims, research narrative, patient-impact summary, patient-advocate involvement summary, success factors, timeline, future plans, budget, and institutional letters of support.
- LCRF-funded publications must be made publicly available through PubMed Central within 12 months of publication, and applicants must state whether their data, methods, and research materials will be shared.
- Official program information and application details: Visit the LCRF research funding opportunities page for the latest program status, eligibility guidance, application deadlines, ProposalCentral access, and related funding documents.
- Download the official program document: Download the 2026 LCRF | AstraZeneca SCLC Patient Advocacy Award RFP.