The 2026 Lung Cancer Research Foundation Award on Advancing Breakthroughs in ALK-Positive Lung Cancer supports research designed to improve understanding of ALK-driven lung cancer biology, treatment response, resistance, progression, and therapeutic vulnerabilities.
The program prioritizes correlative and translational research that could lead to new treatment strategies and improve survivorship. Proposals may investigate early progression, metastatic patterns, ALK variants, co-mutations, the tumor microenvironment, metabolic vulnerabilities, and novel therapies beyond tyrosine kinase inhibitors.
Eligibility Criteria:
- Applicants may have any level of research experience.
- Researchers from institutions in the United States and other countries are eligible.
- There are no citizenship or residency restrictions.
- Applicants may submit to only one LCRF funding track during the same grant cycle.
- Current LCRF recipients may apply only when their existing award and any approved extension will end before the new grant term begins.
- Final scientific and financial reports for an existing LCRF award must be submitted through ProposalCentral before the new award begins.
- The patient advocate must contribute meaningfully to the design of the research.
Funding Details:
- The maximum award amount is USD 300,000 over two years.
- Funding is provided at up to USD 150,000 per year.
- At least two awards are expected to be issued.
Deadline:
- Request for Letters of Intent opened: June 9, 2026.
- Letter of Intent deadline: July 15, 2026, at 5:00 p.m. U.S. Eastern Time.
- LOI decisions: August–September 2026.
- Invited full proposal deadline: September 29, 2026, at 5:00 p.m. U.S. Eastern Time.
- The official RFP states that all submission deadlines are at 5:00 p.m. U.S. Eastern Time. This should be used instead of the “midnight” deadline stated in the summary text.
Further Information:
- Priority topics include early progression and metastatic patterns, leptomeningeal disease, tumor persistence, ALK variants, co-mutations, tumor microenvironment modulation, metabolic vulnerabilities, and innovative therapies beyond TKIs.
- Proposals are preferably associated with an ongoing or planned clinical trial, but early-phase dose-seeking trials are not eligible; any associated trial must include a basic, correlative, or translational research component.
- Full proposals require scientific and lay summaries, specific aims, a research narrative, budget, timeline, letters of support, a patient-impact summary, and a patient-advocate involvement statement.
- Official program information and application details: Visit the Lung Cancer Research Foundation funding opportunities page for current funding calls, application guidance, and links to available LCRF programs.
- Download the official program document: Download the 2026 LCRF ALK-Positive Lung Cancer Award RFP.