The ASTRO–ACS Clinician Scientist Development Grant (CSDG) is a mentored career-development award designed for full-time faculty members who are trained primarily as clinicians, remain involved in clinical care, and want to develop an independent cancer research program. For this special ACS–ASTRO funding opportunity, applicants must work in radiation oncology. (American Cancer Society)
The award provides protected research and training time, mentorship, and financial support for 3 to 5 years, helping clinician-scientists strengthen their research skills while maintaining an active clinical role. The selected recipient must become an ASTRO member before grant activation. (American Cancer Society)
Eligibility Criteria:
- Applicants must be full-time faculty members at an eligible U.S. academic institution or nonprofit organization. ACS grants are generally made to nonprofit institutions physically located in the United States or its territories.
- Applicants must hold a doctoral or terminal degree appropriate to their field, such as an MD, MD/PhD, DO, DDS, DNP, PharmD, PhD, PsyD, or DVM, and have an active clinical license or equivalent certification allowing them to provide clinical care.
- For the ASTRO–ACS award, the applicant must be working in radiation oncology. Board-certified clinical medical physicists are also eligible under this RFA.
Applicants must remain actively involved in clinical care while developing their research career. Non-clinicians and clinicians who are no longer involved in clinical care are not eligible for the CSDG mechanism. - Applicants must have institutional commitment providing at least 50% protected effort for the proposed CSDG research and training program.
- NIH clinical fellows seeking mentored research training toward an independent clinician-scientist career may apply under a special exception, but may request only a 3-year award.
- Individuals from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups and individuals with disabilities are especially encouraged to apply. (American Cancer Society)
- The selected investigator must become an ASTRO member before activation of the grant.
Funding Details:
- Funding: Up to $135,000 per year in direct costs.
- Award duration: 3 to 5 years, depending on the applicant’s research-training needs.
- Maximum direct funding over five years: $675,000.
- ACS additionally permits 8% indirect costs, equivalent to up to $10,800 per year.
- Maximum total allowable support over five years, including the 8% indirect-cost allowance: up to $729,000.
- Grant Amount: Up to $729,000 over 5 years, including allowable indirect costs
Deadline:
- Application deadline: December 1, 2026, at 11:59 PM ET. (American Cancer Society)
- Applications for the December cycle are expected to become available through ProposalCentral in September 2026.
- ACS’s standard Winter-cycle schedule indicates peer review in approximately March 2027, followed by subsequent programmatic review and funding decisions according to the ACS grant-review schedule.
- The Winter 2026 ASTRO–ACS CSDG cycle has been confirmed, with applications due December 1, 2026. ACS states that applications for its December funding cycle become available in September, so as of August 13, 2026, this opportunity should be considered upcoming rather than currently open for submission.
Further Information:
- Official program information and application details: Visit the official ASTRO–ACS Clinician Scientist Development Grant page for the latest eligibility requirements, funding information, deadline, and application guidance.
- Detailed eligibility and funding policies: Review the American Cancer Society General Grant Policies, including the complete CSDG eligibility, mentorship, protected-time, budget, and resubmission requirements.
- Application instructions: Applicants should consult the ACS Grant Application Instructions before preparing their submission.
- Application portal: Applications are submitted through ProposalCentral. Select the Clinician Scientist Development Grant application and identify the ASTRO-CSDG RFA on the cover page.
- Questions and eligibility: General grant questions may be sent to grants@cancer.org, while applicants uncertain about their eligibility may contact grant.eligibility@cancer.org.