The Conquer Cancer Young Investigator Award in Early Cancer Detection provides mentored research funding to promising physician-investigators transitioning from oncology training or fellowship to an academic faculty appointment.
The award supports clinical, translational, and clinically relevant preclinical research aimed at detecting cancer at its earliest stages, identifying cancer risk sooner, and preventing disease progression. Projects may address liquid biopsies, advanced imaging, molecular recurrence, risk-based screening, artificial intelligence, multi-omic data, and inherited cancer-predisposition syndromes. Applications are accepted from eligible investigators working in the United States and internationally.
Eligibility Criteria:
- Applicants must be physicians holding an MD, DO, or international equivalent.
- Applicants must generally be within 10 years of receiving their medical degree. Exceptions may be considered for certain international medical graduates and fellows in prolonged specialist training pathways.
- Applicants must hold a valid, active medical license in the country where the research will be conducted.
- When the mentor is not an ASCO member, a supporting letter from an ASCO member at the sponsoring institution is required.
- Applicants must commit at least 60% of their overall professional time to research during the award period.
- There are no general citizenship or geographic restrictions, but applicants must have sufficient visa status to complete the project at the sponsoring institution.
- Applicants may apply to both the general YIA and YIA special competitions but may accept only the first formal award offered.
Funding Details:
- The total award amount is USD 50,000 for one year.
- Funding is paid to the sponsoring institution in two installments of USD 25,000.
- One award is expected to be funded through the 2027 competition.
- At least USD 46,000 should support costs directly related to the research project, including salary, personnel, supplies, equipment, and other research expenses.
Deadline:
- Applications opened: July 1, 2026.
- Full application deadline: March 11, 2027, at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time.
- Technical assistance is available only until 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time on the deadline date.
- Award term: July 1, 2027–June 30, 2028.
Further Information:
- Eligible projects may address liquid biopsies, advanced imaging, early molecular recurrence, risk-stratified screening, AI-assisted detection, multi-omic analysis, and inherited cancer-predisposition syndromes.
- Both clinical and preclinical studies are eligible, but preclinical findings must have a clear pathway toward translation into a clinical setting.
- Clinical proposals must be developed with a patient advocate; patient-advocate involvement is strongly encouraged for preclinical projects.
- Applications require a four-page research strategy, one-page biostatistical plan, patient-impact section, budget, timeline, biosketch, mentorship plan, and institutional support letter.
- All materials must be prepared in English and submitted through the ASCO and Conquer Cancer Application Portal: eligibility questions may be sent to grants@conquer.org.