Introduction: CLL Society is pleased to announce a funding opportunity for exceptional physician researchers who have already established themselves in the field of CLL/SLL. This Award is designed to support the research efforts of an advanced physician scientist who is engaged in independent clinical research and has demonstrated exceptional leadership, scholarship, and academic success.
Award Amount: CLL Society’s 2026 Clinical Scholar Award is $300,000 which will be distributed in three annual payments of $100,000. The first $100,000 will be paid within 30 days of the effective date, the second $100,000 will be paid within 30 days after CLL Society’s approval of the first submitted annual Scientific Progress Report and Financial Report. The final $100,000 will be paid within 30 days after CLL Society’s approval of the second annual Scientific Progress Report and Financial Report.
Goal: The Clinical Scholar Award is intended to advance the development of treatment and/or preventative options that lead to a higher quality of life for those living with CLL and SLL, while continuing to support the careers of established physician scientists.
Budget: Funding should be used to support the Awardee’s time through salary support, with a maximum allowable institutional overhead of 10%. Major equipment is not allowed, and no overhead will be provided for outside institutions. Funding is intended to cover the research rather than administrative costs. We encourage applicants to work with their institutions to reduce administrative costs so that the maximum amount of the award can be used for the research project. Travel expenses are allowed for no more than one hematology/oncology meeting per year up to $2,500. The estimated funding period is July 1st, 2026, to June 30th, 2029.
The #1 predictor of success is a proposal that directly and exclusively addresses CLL or SLL.
Top-aligned topics include:
New therapeutic targets or combination strategies
Resistance mechanisms (e.g., to BTKi, venetoclax)
Immunotherapy (CAR-T, NK cells, immune evasion)
Minimal residual disease (MRD) detection technologies
Biomarkers for prognosis or response
Real-world outcomes or toxicity management
Treatment sequencing in the BTKi/venetoclax era
❗ If the proposal is not clearly and explicitly CLL-focused, it is unlikely to be funded.
CLL Society offers grants such as:
🔹 Research Grants (1–2 years)
Focused on innovative scientific advances.
Require preliminary data showing feasibility.
🔹 Young Investigator Awards
Target early-career leukemia/CLL researchers.
Strong mentorship and training plan essential.
🔹 Quality-of-Life / Supportive Care Grants
Focus on patient-centered needs: symptom burden, mental health, survivorship, financial toxicity, access to care.
🔹 Collaborative or Data Sharing Projects
Multi-site collaborations strongly favored.
Use of large datasets or real-world evidence encouraged.
Predictor: Match your career stage, project scope, and objectives to the correct program.
The CLL Society strongly values proposals that will change patient outcomes, not incremental science.
Strong predictors:
Novel mechanism-of-action therapeutics
AI/ML for prognosis or MRD tracking
First-in-field biomarker strategies
Rapid translation toward clinical trial feasibility
Interventions that improve patient quality of life or reduce disparities
Predictor: "How will this improve the lives of CLL patients?" must be clearly answered.
Even for early-career grants, successful proposals typically include:
Pilot data supporting the hypothesis
Proof-of-concept for a new method or assay
Feasibility evidence (cell lines, patient samples, computational models)
Predictor: Show that the project is ready to run, not exploratory speculation.
CLL Society values clinically anchored research:
Primary CLL samples
CLL mouse models or PDX systems
MRD monitoring platforms
Real-world datasets
CLL patient registries
Predictor: Human relevance = stronger impact score.
Winning applicants often have:
A mentor with a track record in CLL or hematologic malignancies
A formal training plan
Institutional commitment (protected time, access to biobanks, cores, sequencing, etc.)
Predictor: A supportive environment increases reviewer confidence.
CLL is a rare blood cancer, so collaborative research is highly valued.
Competitive proposals often include:
Multi-institutional teams
Clinical + basic + computational science integration
Partnerships with patient advocacy or community oncology sites
Predictor: Multi-PI, multi-center frameworks score higher.
CLL Society funding is usually 1–2 years.
Projects must be:
Clearly scoped
Milestone-driven
Feasible within the timeframe
Logically structured (Aim 1 → Aim 2 → translational step)
Predictor: Feasibility is a major review criterion.
Quality-of-life proposals should target:
Fatigue, anxiety, depression
Infections and immune dysfunction
Financial toxicity
Caregiver burden
Racial/ethnic disparities
Decision-making and health literacy
Predictor: Show real-world relevance and rapid benefit to the CLL patient community.
High-scoring proposals:
Clearly state the problem, gap, and solution
Use figures for preliminary data
Provide a compelling rationale
Are easy for both clinicians and basic scientists to follow
Predictor: Good storytelling and clarity significantly improve reviewer enthusiasm.
| Predictor | Why It Matters |
|---|---|
| CLL/SLL-specific focus | CLL Society funds ONLY CLL-targeted work |
| Mechanism alignment | Ensures reviewer expectations match project & career stage |
| Innovation + impact | CLL Society wants transformative advances |
| Preliminary data | Demonstrates feasibility |
| Human-relevant models | Strengthens translational value |
| Mentorship & environment | Critical for early investigators |
| Collaboration | Preferred for rare-disease research |
| Feasible, focused aims | Increases deliverability |
| Patient-centered framework | Key for QoL and survivorship proposals |
| Strong writing | Improves review scores |
Applicants must review CLL Society’s general eligibility criteria which are located on the website here. This grant does allow for concurrently held research awards from other non-profit organizations or government institutions on a case-by-case basis. Applicants must provide documentation of current and pending support within the application. Eligible applicants must currently be practicing at an accredited academic clinical research institution located within the United States and perform their research at that institution for the duration of the award. US citizenship is not required, but the research itself must be conducted in the United States.
Cancer center directors should not apply for the Clinical Scholar Award and contact Principal Investigators on P-series grants (i.e., P01, P02, P30, P50) are ineligible.
In addition to CLL Society’s general eligibility criteria, Clinical Scholar Award applicants must:
• Be an MD, DO, or the equivalent.
• Be an independent clinician investigator who is mid-stage in their career with a strong focus on CLL research and/or treatment. Mid-stage independent clinician investigators are defined by CLL Society’s Research Program as being someone who is either an associate professor, or within five years or less from acquiring full professorship as of the funding date of July 1st, 2026.
• Be an established career physician researcher in the field of CLL as evidenced by having received some prior funding (examples may include R01 funding or mid-career awards from LLS or the DOD) and they must possess a broad knowledge of the disease.
• Currently spend 30% or more of their time on basic, translational, or clinical research efforts in their current position, but still have direct patient contact and clinical responsibilities in their role.
Sponsor Institute/Organizations: CLL Society
Sponsor Type: Corporate/Non-Profit
Address: 450 Rev Kelly M Smith Way Nashville, TN 37203
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Jan 30, 2026
Jan 30, 2026
$300,000
Affiliation: CLL Society
Address: 450 Rev Kelly M Smith Way Nashville, TN 37203
Website URL: https://cllsociety.org/docs/CLL-Society-CSA-RFP-2026.pdf
Disclaimer:It is mandatory that all applicants carry workplace liability insurance, e.g., https://www.protrip-world-liability.com (Erasmus students use this package and typically costs around 5 € per month - please check) in addition to health insurance when you join any of the onsite Trialect partnered fellowships.