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Specialized Center of Research Program

Blood Cancer United

The Specialized Center of Research (SCOR) 2026-2027 cycle is now open.

Specialized Center of Research (SCOR) grants support teams of researchers from one or several institutions representing different disciplines and engaged in collaborative efforts to discover new approaches to treat patients with blood cancers.

The grants are designed to bring together established investigators with a deep understanding of the complexity of blood cancers and their treatments. These researchers will develop a focused research program, foster new interactions and cooperation, and enhance interdisciplinary research among the participants. The overall goal of this mechanism is to enhance the development of innovative strategies for the treatment, diagnosis or prevention of hematological malignancies. Strategies that move discoveries from the bench to the clinic are of high importance as are integrated translational projects.

How to apply: If you’ve applied with us before, please sign in to your account using this link: Blood Cancer United Research Portal. If this is your first time applying, you can create a new account.

Program Information

Application deadlines

Phase	Date
Call for Proposals	September 18, 2026
Letter of Intent Due	December 8, 2026, 3:00 PM (EST)
Notification of Full Application Invite	January 2027
Full Application Deadline	March 30, 2027, 3:00 PM (EST)
Notification of Awards*	July 2027
Blood Cancer United's receipt of signed Funding Agreement and Milestones and Deliverables	September 1, 2027
Award Start Date	October 1, 2027

Please find all Specialized Center of Research (SCOR) program documents available for download:

SCOR Guidelines and Instructions 2026
SCOR Funding Agreement Template
Policies and Procedures

For the 2026-2027 application and review cycle, Blood Cancer United anticipates awarding 2 SCOR Grants:

1. A grant focused on Myelodysplastic Syndromes (MDS). This grant will be supported and administered by Blood Cancer United in partnership with the Edward P. Evans Foundation. Details specific for this award are described in the Request for Applications in Appendix I.

2. A grant focused on T-Cell Lymphoma, Myeloproliferative Neoplasms, Multiple Myeloma or Pediatric Leukemia. Letters of Intent (LOI’s) focused on other aspects of blood cancer biology and therapy will be considered, but only those proposals judged most innovative, responsive, competitive and compelling will be invited for submission of full applications. Applicants should review the Blood Cancer United SCOR Program portfolio (https://bloodcancerunited.org/research/research-we-fund) as proposals with significant overlap with currently funded SCOR grants will not be awarded.

Program description

A major emphasis in the SCOR grant program is on clinical translation of scientific results. Ideally, a SCOR application will propose a combination of basic and translational laboratory research that will lead to eventual clinical translation. There should be clear and direct “bench to bedside” translational trajectory from one or more of the Projects in the SCOR. It is important to note that the inclusion of a clinical trial in and of itself may not satisfy this requirement. Any clinical translation must be a coherent and integrated extension of other SCOR activities, and there should be substantive interactions and synergy between clinical trials and more basic or early translational Projects in the SCOR.

Each SCOR is comprised of 3-5 scientific Projects, an Administrative Core and (optionally) up to 3 supportive Scientific Cores. There must be objective evidence of interdisciplinary research and the potential for synergism by linking the various Projects and Cores into a SCOR team. The quality and significance of the Projects and Cores and the enhanced productivity that is likely to be achieved by linking investigators are primary determinants of funding decisions.

A SCOR team will be judged as a unit and funding will not be available for otherwise meritorious but non-synergistic parts of an application.

Award

The maximum total award is $5,000,000.00
The maximal total annual award is $1,000,000.00 for each year of the five-year grant.
The maximum annual indirect cost is $150,000.00 (15% of total annual costs). You may claim less than 15% of the indirect costs and apply those costs to the direct costs.
The SCOR Director has the authority to budget these funds among the various Projects and Cores.

AI Based Application Success Predictor

These are ranked across Blood Cancer United's research portfolio. They are evidence-informed predictors based on the published program descriptions and review criteria; the exact weighting differs by grant mechanism.

1

★★★★★

Direct relevance to hematologic malignancies — Critical

Focus on blood cancers such as leukemia, lymphoma, myeloma, myelodysplastic syndromes, or relevant premalignant conditions. The research question should fit the specific program and address an important biological or clinical problem.

Blood Cancer United

2

★★★★★

Scientific significance and unmet need — Critical

Explain why the problem matters, what current evidence cannot resolve, and how the findings could advance understanding, detection, monitoring, prevention or treatment of blood cancer.

3

★★★★★

Innovation and a compelling scientific rationale — Critical

Establish a distinct advance over existing research. For discovery projects, this could mean a novel disease mechanism or therapeutic target; for translational work, a convincing path from existing evidence to clinical application.

4

★★★★★

Methodological rigor and feasibility — Critical

Use appropriate models, controls, endpoints and analysis. Present preliminary evidence where relevant, realistic milestones, available resources, and contingency plans. Clinical trials need a credible recruitment and trial-delivery plan.

5

★★★★☆

Clear route to patient benefit — Very high

For translational and clinical programs, show how the work could improve treatment, diagnosis, prevention or patient outcomes. For discovery grants, a credible mechanistic advance that opens new therapeutic possibilities may be the appropriate impact pathway.

Blood Cancer United

6

★★★★☆

Investigator qualifications and career-stage fit — Very high

Match the applicant's track record to the mechanism. Career Development Program applicants should demonstrate research promise and appropriate mentorship; SCOR and ACT applications require established investigators and suitably experienced teams.

Blood Cancer United

7

★★★★☆

Mentorship, collaboration and research environment — Very high

Show access to complementary expertise, relevant infrastructure, clinical populations, biospecimens or technologies. For multidisciplinary programs, demonstrate why the collaborators are necessary and how their work integrates into a coherent research plan.

8

★★★★☆

Patient involvement and health equity — High, or program-specific requirement

For ACT clinical trials, a Patient Involvement Plan is mandatory and forms part of scientific review. The Equity in Access program prioritizes evidence that can reduce barriers to care through policy or healthcare-practice changes.

Blood Cancer United

9

★★★★☆

Potential for sustained impact and future research — High

Explain how the award will generate important evidence, enable subsequent studies, support further funding, or build a sustainable collaborative research program. This is particularly important for early-career and center-based mechanisms.

10

★★★★☆

Program alignment, budget and application compliance — Essential gate

Choose the correct grant mechanism, meet its eligibility conditions, follow the LOI/full-application process, justify the budget, and submit every required component. Blood Cancer United explicitly evaluates programmatic fit alongside scientific merit and available funds.

Blood Cancer United

Highest-priority research areas

Research area	Strong proposal characteristics
Leukemia and lymphoma	Novel disease biology, treatment response, resistance or therapeutic strategies
Multiple myeloma	New targets, innovative treatment combinations and improved patient outcomes
Myelodysplastic syndromes	Disease progression, molecular mechanisms and new therapeutic approaches
Premalignant blood disorders	Understanding progression toward malignancy and opportunities for prevention
Translational research	A clear pathway from laboratory findings to clinical testing
Academic clinical trials	Investigator-initiated Phase 1/2 trials addressing unmet needs in blood cancer
Blood cancer health equity	Evidence and actionable solutions to barriers in insurance, access, treatment and survivorship
Long-term and late effects	Improved quality of life and management of consequences of cancer and its treatment
Technology and informatics	Improved detection, monitoring, disease classification or discovery of therapeutic targets

These are portfolio-wide areas, not a guarantee that every topic is eligible in every funding cycle. For the 2026–2027 cycle, SCOR has specifically identified MDS and a second competition covering T-cell lymphoma, myeloproliferative neoplasms, multiple myeloma or pediatric leukemia.

Blood Cancer United

What makes an application weak?

A proposal that does not directly address a blood cancer or an eligible premalignant condition.

A research question that is incremental and lacks a clear scientific rationale.

Weak preliminary evidence for a project requiring substantial translational development.

An unrealistic experimental, recruitment or clinical-trial plan.

A poor fit between the project and the funding mechanism.

An insufficiently experienced team or weak mentoring plan.

Missing patient involvement for an ACT application.

An access-to-care project without actionable policy or practice implications.

A budget that does not reflect the proposed work or exceeds program limits.

Missing eligibility documents or failure to follow the LOI and invitation requirements.

Competitive proposal formula

Important blood cancer problem

Novel hypothesis and strong scientific rationale

Rigorous, feasible research plan

Appropriate investigator, mentor and collaborators

Clear clinical, translational or discovery impact

Precise program fit, justified budget and complete application

Classification for your grant database

Field	Classification
Organization	Blood Cancer United
Organization type	Nonprofit blood cancer research and patient-support organization
Primary funding category	Hematologic malignancy research
Main research domains	Leukemia, lymphoma, multiple myeloma, MDS and premalignant blood disorders
Secondary domains	Translational oncology, clinical trials, disease mechanisms, diagnostics, health equity and survivorship
Funding mechanisms	Discovery grants, translational grants, career development, specialized research centers and clinical trials
Career stages	Trainees, early-career investigators and established multidisciplinary teams, depending on program
Geographic scope	International eligibility for several programs, subject to individual rules

Overall success formula: Blood cancer relevance + scientific significance + innovation + rigor + feasibility + investigator/team strength + credible impact + exact program alignment.

Official starting point: Blood Cancer United Research Grants. The best next step is to select the mechanism that matches the proposal's maturity: Discovery Grant Program for foundational science, Translational Research Program for work moving toward clinical application, Career Development Program for eligible early-career researchers, or Academic Clinical Trials for eligible investigator-initiated trials.

Specialties

Cancer

Oncology

Hematology

Eligibility Requirements

Applications are welcomed worldwide from appropriate academic institutions and investigators of any nationality. Applicants and SCOR Key Personnel must hold a PhD, MD, DVM, or equivalent degree and be affiliated with a nonprofit institution when funding begins and throughout the award.

Can multiple institutions participate?

Yes. Projects and Cores may be located at the same institution or at different institutions. Demonstrated or potential synergy among SCOR components is a critical review consideration.

How must a SCOR be structured?

Each SCOR must include:

Three to five scientific Projects.
One required Administrative Core.
Up to three optional Scientific Cores.

Does the SCOR Director need to lead a Project?

Yes. The SCOR Director must be the Project Leader for one proposed Project and cannot lead more than one proposed Project within the SCOR.

Can a Project Leader lead more than one Project?

No. A Project Leader may not lead more than one Project within a single SCOR. A Project Leader may lead a maximum of two Projects on separate SCOR applications submitted in the same cycle.

Can Project Co-Leaders be included?

Yes. Each Project may have one optional Project Co-Leader in addition to the designated Project Leader.

Sponsor Details

Sponsor Institute/Organizations: Blood Cancer United

Sponsor Type: Corporate/Non-Profit

Address: 1201 15th Street N.W., Suite 410, Washington, D.C. 20005 (888) 557-7177

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