Seed Grant Program

Since 2005, the Foundation Seed Grant program has been extremely successful in providing research support to basic and clinical scientists and investigators. The Seed Grant program funds research in the following areas: treatment/therapy, patient care, early diagnosis, detection, cancer biology, basic science, prevention/metabolism and research core facilities. The goals of the Seed Grant Program are:

  • To provide start-up funding for basic scientists and clinicians who intend to test innovative ideas for improving diagnosis and to develop new treatment modalities for pancreatic cancer.
  • To obtain preliminary data required for additional funding from other agencies for pancreatic cancer research.
  • To impact on the understanding of pancreatic cancer cell biology, biochemistry, physiology, morphology and response to therapy.
  • To establish collaborations within the field for mutual projects that can be considered for further funding.

Seed Grant Application Information

Award Information

  • Submission deadline: August 30, 2024
  • Notification of award decision: October 15, 2024
  • Earliest award start date: November 15, 2024
  • Duration of award: 1 year. No-cost extension (1 year) may be requested.
  • Amount of award: $75,000. No indirect costs are provided. Salary support for mentors cannot be requested.

Eligibility

Applications are invited from US academic institutions and research organizations. The funding opportunity is available to all academic researchers, including research-track and clinical-track faculty, staff scientists, and post-doctoral trainees. Applicants with no independent research programs need to enlist the support and participation of a senior mentor with a track record in pancreatic cancer research.

Application Requirements

For your application, please use 11 point Arial font, single spaced text, and at least 0.5″ margins. Compile all documents into a single pdf file, and upload on the submission website. Include the following documents.

  1. Application Cover Page with the applicant’s and institution’s information and signatures.
  2. Title and abstract (300 words or less).
  3. Research plan (3 pages) should include background and significance, hypothesis, specific aims, and approach with preliminary results (optional). Figures are included in the 3-page limit.
  4. References cited (1 page).
  5. Vertebrate animals (if applicable, 1 page).
  6. Protection of human subjects (if applicable, 1 page).
  7. Investigator’s and mentor’s NIH biosketch (5 pages or less).
  8. Investigator’s and mentor’s other support (No page limit).
  9. Mentor’s support letter (1 page).
  10. Budget justification is required (1 page).

Download Application Cover Page

Award selection process

Applications will be reviewed and scored by a panel of experts including members of the Hirshberg Foundation Scientific Advisory Board and outside reviewers as needed. Applications will be ranked based on their scientific merit scores and the programmatic priorities of the Foundation. Formal reviews or feedback will not be provided to the applicants.

Reporting requirement

Award recipients will be required to submit a final report within 3 months of the completion of the grant.

Travel support for conference presentations

Award recipients may apply for additional travel support (up to $1000) after they attended a US or international meeting where they presented their work directly related to the Hirshberg research award.

Please refer to our FAQ page. If you do not see your question there, email us at [email protected] for further assistance.