Oncology Fellows Spotlights Recent Grant and Award Winners

In this new recurring section, Oncology Fellows is proud to shine a spotlight on the hematology/oncology fellows who have recently earned research grants and awards for their work. We also looked at some of the grants coming down the pike, offering information on the nature of the grants and how to apply for those interested.

Recent Grant and Award Winners

NCC Announces 2025-2026 Fellowship Award Winners

In September 2025, the National Cancer Center (NCC) announced that 11 recipients from institutions across the United States received research grants and renewals from the organization for the upcoming year.1 First-time recipients will receive $60,000 each and are eligible for an additional grant of $62,000 if they demonstrate good progress at the end of the first year.

“NCC’s mission identifies and funds promising projects by the best up-and-coming research fellows conducting research in the United States. We are excited by the high quality and promise of this year’s winning projects and remain grateful to all the supporters funding this important work,” Victoria L. Seewaldt, MD, the chair of the NCC’s Scientific Advisory Board, as well as the associate director for Population Sciences, Comprehensive Cancer Center, and the chair of and a professor in the Department of Population Sciences at City of Hope in Duarte, California, stated in a news release.

The 2025 to 2026 new grant recipients are:2

• Shelby Roseman, PhD, of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
  • Roseman is working to discover new roles for the genome’s dark matter in pediatric sarcoma.
• Kaiwen Sun, PhD, of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
  • Sun’s research is focused on developing novel therapeutics for SF3B1 R625C–mutated mucosal melanoma via animal models and organoids.
• Jiali Yu, PhD, of Weill Medical College of Cornell University
  • Yu is studying the role of CHD2 in chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

Conquer Cancer Announces Over $11.5 Million in Awards

In conjunction with the 2025 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting, which was held in Chicago, Illinois, in May and June, Conquer Cancer, The ASCO Foundation presented over 450 grants and awards across various areas of cancer care.3

The awards included the Career Development Award, Young Investigator Award, and Global Oncology Young Investigator Award. Nineteen clinical investigators in the first to fourth year of faculty appointments received the Career Development Award to establish independent cancer research programs. The Young Investigator Award was presented to 97 oncologists during the final years of their training to support their transitions to faculty appointments and to facilitate clinical oncology research. The Global Oncology Young Investigator Award was awarded to 19 individuals and aims to promote quality research in global care.

“We are so very proud of this year’s class of recipients and of the global impact we know they will make through their work,” Howard A. Burris III, MD, FACP, FASCO, the chair of the Conquer Cancer board of directors, stated in a news release. “The expertise and innovation demonstrated in their work reflects Conquer Cancer’s deep-seated commitment to making an impact on every cancer, for every patient, everywhere.”

Upcoming Grants in 2026

American Cancer Society Catalyst Awards

The Catalyst Award is for early-career investigators with high-scoring yet unfunded research projects recently submitted to either the American Cancer Society Research Scholar Grant or the National Cancer Institute R01 grant funding mechanisms.4 Each award is for 1 year and $150,000; indirect costs cannot be claimed.

• Application deadline: January 5, 2026
• Anticipated grant start: May 1, 2026
• Review full details here: bit.ly/47DzIv9

Leukemia Exploration and Prevention Grant Program (LEAP)

The LEAP grant program is open to any full-time independent investigator at any career stage, and the program includes 2 areas.5 The first is focused on furthering the understanding of the mechanisms that cause each leukemogenic step; these projects should include experimental designs that address both cell-autonomous and cell-nonautonomous factors. The second area supports high-risk projects with strong scientific rationale to pursue a cancer interception treatment, including preclinical studies and/or clinical trials designed to test innovative treatment approaches. Team awards are for up to $430,000 per year in direct costs for up to 4 years, as well as 10% allowable indirect costs.

• Application deadline: Anticipated for June 1, 2026
• Anticipated grant start: April 1, 2027
• Review full details here: bit.ly/492SGhh

AACR-Think Forward Foundation Career Development Award

The AACR-Think Forward Foundation Career Development Award is conferred by the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) and supports early-career researchers in pursuing research in precision medicine in the treatment of patients with breast cancer.6 Each grant is for $300,000 over 3 years.

• Application deadline: April 7, 2026
• Anticipated grant start: July 1, 2026
• Review full details here: bit.ly/4qDk9MZ

Breast Cancer Research Foundation-AACR NextGen Grant for Transformative Cancer Research in Honor of Nancy E. Davidson, MD

The Breast Cancer Research Foundation–AACR NextGen Grant for Transformative Cancer Research in Honor of Nancy E. Davidson, MD, is the ACCR’s flagship funding initiative for innovative research from young investigators.7 This grant promotes creative cancer research that may not be funded through conventional channels. It provides $450,000 over 3 years.

• Application deadline: April 7, 2026
• Anticipated grant start: July 1, 2026
• Review full details here: bit.ly/3JHx2Vo

ASTRO-LUNGevity Residents/Fellows in Radiation Oncology Seed Grant

This collaborative seed grant from The LUNGevity Foundation and the American Society for Radiation Oncology aims to support the research of residents and fellows with an interest in radiation oncology-related basic, translational, and/or clinical research for the treatment of patients with lung cancer.8 The award is for $50,000 over 1 year.

• Application deadline: January 26, 2026
• Review full details here: bit.ly/4nzlMID

ASH Research Training Award for Fellows

The American Society of Hematology (ASH) Training Award for Fellows aims to encourage junior researchers in hematology, hematology/oncology, and other hematology-related training programs to pursue careers in academic hematology.9 The award allows MD and MD-PhD researchers in their second to fifth years of fellowship to gain experience and become competitive for other awards; it provides each recipient with $70,000 over 1 year, with additional funding each year for up to 4 recipients to apply for a second year of support.

• Application deadline: January 26, 2026
• Award notification: May 2026
• Review full details here: bit.ly/4i20pih

References

1. National Cancer Center announces recipients of 2025-26 research fellowship awards. News release. National Cancer Center. September 25, 2025. Accessed November 4, 2025. bit.ly/4opyv1W
2. Grants. National Cancer Center. Accessed November 4, 2025. bit.ly/492S3UX
3. Conquer Cancer awards more than $11.5 million to support promising cancer research. May 22, 2025. Accessed November 4, 2025. bit.ly/3JtARh5
4. RFA: American Cancer Society Catalyst Awards. American Cancer Society. Accessed November 4, 2025. bit.ly/47DzIv9
5. RFA: Leukemia Exploration and Prevention Grant Program (LEAP). American Cancer Society. Accessed November 4, 2025. bit.ly/492SGhh
6. AACR-Think Forward Foundation Career Development Award. American Association for Cancer Research. Accessed November 4, 2025. bit.ly/4qDk9MZ
7. Breast Cancer Research Foundation-AACR NextGen Grant for Transformative Cancer Research in Honor of Nancy E. Davidson, MD. Accessed November 4, 2025. bit.ly/3JHx2Vo
8. Provider resources. American Society for Radiation Oncology. Accessed November 4, 2025. bit.ly/4nzlMID
9. ASH Research Training Award for Fellows. American Society of Hematology. Accessed November 4, 2025. bit.ly/4i20pih