Verified

Research Grant

Robert L. Fine Cancer Research Foundation

About the Grant

The Robert L. Fine Cancer Research Foundation will distribute 2 awards every other year to outstanding young scientists dedicated to basic and translational pancreatic cancer research. The grant is intended to support research projects that can be carried out in a short period of time with limited resources. The topic of the requested grant applications will be for innovative translational pancreatic cancer research that focuses on bench to bedside advances. The grant mechanism supports different types of basic and translational projects including pilot and feasibility studies, self-contained research projects, development of new research methodology and development of new research technology. This grant does not support solely clinical research.

Grant Mechanism

Monetary awards will be granted to research projects written in response to a once yearly Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA). The grant amount will be $250,000 to cover direct costs only. The length of the grant will be for two years payable in yearly installments. Pre-award costs are allowable, up to 30 days prior to the grant initiation date; however the incurrence of pre-award costs imposes no obligation on the foundation to grant the award. Funding for awardees will start January 1, 2027.

Costs covered by the award

A budget will be required for each application. Eligible expenses include direct costs such as salary (with fringe), equipment and services including core facility costs. No indirect costs are covered by the grant. Investigator salaries will be subject to the NCI salary cap.

AI Based Application Success Predictor

1. Direct focus on pancreatic cancer (Highest Predictor ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐)

This is the single most important success factor.

Competitive proposals should focus specifically on:

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC)
Pancreatic cancer biology
Tumor microenvironment
Pancreatic cancer immunology
Biomarkers
Early detection
Therapeutic resistance
Precision oncology
Metastasis
Translational pancreatic cancer research

Projects outside pancreatic cancer are generally not eligible.

2. Innovative translational research ("bench-to-bedside") (Highest Predictor ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐)

A defining feature of RLFCRF funding is its emphasis on innovative translational research.

Competitive projects should demonstrate a pathway from laboratory discoveries toward clinical application, such as:

Novel therapeutic targets
Biomarker development
Immunotherapy strategies
Precision medicine
New diagnostic approaches
Translational technologies

The Foundation explicitly states that funded projects should focus on bench-to-bedside advances.

3. Innovation and originality (Very High Predictor ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐)

The Foundation seeks bold projects, including:

Pilot studies
Feasibility studies
Development of new research methodologies
Development of new technologies
Novel biological mechanisms
Creative therapeutic approaches

Incremental research is less competitive than projects that open new directions in pancreatic cancer research.

4. Strong scientific merit and rigorous methodology (Very High Predictor ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐)

Competitive proposals should include:

Clear hypotheses
Strong biological rationale
Robust experimental design
Appropriate statistical methods
Feasible milestones
Well-defined outcome measures

Applications follow a format similar to NIH research proposals, reflecting the expectation of high scientific quality.

5. Early-career investigator potential (Very High Predictor ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐)

A distinctive feature of the program is its focus on young investigators.

Eligible principal investigators:

Hold the rank of Assistant or Associate Professor
Have received no more than one NIH R01 (or equivalent)

Reviewers look for applicants with strong potential to become future leaders in pancreatic cancer research.

6. Feasible project with limited resources (Very High Predictor ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆)

The Foundation explicitly states that projects should be:

Achievable within 2 years
Appropriate for $250,000 direct costs
Focused in scope
Realistic in timeline
Technically feasible

Well-designed pilot and proof-of-concept studies are particularly well suited to this mechanism.

7. Potential to generate future breakthroughs (High Predictor ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆)

The Foundation views its awards as seed funding capable of launching larger discoveries.

Competitive projects demonstrate potential to:

Generate preliminary data
Support future NIH grants
Enable clinical translation
Produce high-impact publications
Advance new therapeutic strategies

Past awardees have published in leading journals such as Nature Immunology, Cell, and the Journal of Clinical Investigation.

8. Multidisciplinary collaboration (High Predictor ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆)

The Foundation encourages:

Multiple Principal Investigators (up to two)
Cross-disciplinary collaborations
Integration of complementary expertise

Competitive teams may include:

Cancer biologists
Immunologists
Clinician-scientists
Computational biologists
Bioengineers
Pathologists

Interdisciplinary collaboration is explicitly encouraged.

9. Strong institutional support (High Predictor ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆)

Applications require:

Institutional Letter of Support
Department Chair endorsement
Appropriate research infrastructure

Strong institutional commitment increases confidence that the project can be successfully completed.

10. Basic and translational—not solely clinical—research (Essential Program-Fit Predictor)

The Foundation explicitly states that the Research Grant does not support solely clinical research.

Competitive projects should include:

Laboratory-based research
Translational studies
Mechanistic investigations
Technology development
Preclinical validation

Pure clinical trials or exclusively clinical observational studies are generally outside the program's scope.

Specialties

Cancer

Pancreatology

Oncology

Eligibility Requirements

Public or private institutions, such as universities, colleges, hospitals and laboratories as well as other non-profit organizations

Eligible Investigators

Principal investigators must hold the rank of either Assistant or Associate Professor. Eligible PI’s will have been awarded no more than one RO1 or RO1 equivalent, including competitive renewals. Up to two principal investigators are allowable. We encourage applications with the inclusion of cross or multi-disciplinary PI’s and investigators. Investigators are allowed to submit more than one application as long as each application does not scientifically overlap with each other. Only one award is allowable for a principal investigator however he or she may be a co-investigator on other subsequent awards.

Sponsor Details

Sponsor Institute/Organizations: Robert L. Fine Cancer Research Foundation

Sponsor Type: Corporate/Non-Profit

Address: 907 Stuart Avenue Mamaroneck, NY 10543

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