Find Funding
Securing seed funding is a huge boost when it comes to getting a research project off the ground.
For ideas of where to start your search, Science magazine links to similar databases that you can browse for funding opportunities. The magazine has a full series on tips for grant writing.
Physician Scientist Fellowship
The Doris Duke Physician Scientist Fellowship program provides grants to physician scientists at the subspecialty fellowship level who are seeking to conduct additional years of research beyond their subspecialty requirement. The goal is to aid in the transition into a research faculty appointment.
The 2023 Physician Scientist Fellowship is currently open and accepting proposals. The deadline to submit applications is Jan. 13, 2023, at 3 p.m. ET. See the Request for Applications for information on how to apply.
University Grant Listings
Bookmark the NITRO Competitions site for the most up-to-date listing of internal grant competitions. It's constantly being updated, so check back monthly.
You can sign up for the weekly email list from the Feinberg research office for the latest information and deadlines for relevant grants. Likewise, the Office of Research Development updates its list of federal funding opportunities on a weekly basis.
Visit Pivot for more curated opportunities, which you can search by keyword.
NIH Grants
NRSA Institutional Predoctoral Training Grants (T32) are the most likely to be relevant to early-career scientists.
For examples of projects funded by the NIH, see The Graduate School of Northwestern University's list of research training grants that are currently active at Northwestern University.
Certain fellowship programs also allow you to apply for NRSA Individual Fellowship Grants (F32), which may help you offset some of your individual costs.
Most NIH Grants require you to submit a biosketch at the time of application. For help, attend a Galter Health Sciences Library course on how to write a biosketch.
NUCATS Voucher & Pilot Programs
The Northwestern University Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute (NUCATS) offers voucher (tier 1: $2,500) and pilot (tier 2: $10,000 programs), which are designed to accelerate research by providing rapid, targeted funding to address small but critical gaps in research. Faculty members will be the principal investigators on these projects, but they may be driven by fellows.
Foundation Awards
Do some research into the foundations that support your field of medicine. They often offer grants to support research for new treatments and cures. Start by visiting Foundation Center, a database of 140,000 foundations and donors worldwide.