Biomedical Sciences Blog

The Damon Runyon Fellowship identifies the nation’s top postdoctoral fellows and provides funding that enables them to complete their training under the mentorship of a leading senior scientist and encourages them to follow their own bold ideas. At the end of the Fellowship, there are often a select few who have greatly exceeded the Foundation’s highest expectations. These spectacular young scientists are the most likely to make paradigm-shifting breakthroughs that transform the way we prevent, diagnose and treat cancer. To catapult their research careers—and their impact on cancer—the Foundation will make an additional investment in these exceptional individuals by selecting them as recipients of the Dale F. Frey Award for Breakthrough Scientists.

In doing so, the Foundation will:

• provide additional financial support to enable these scientists to continue the pursuit of bold and innovative ideas
• accelerate the path to independence
• encourage a continued career in cancer research

Selection Criteria

• Exceptional productivity and significant accomplishments during the Damon Runyon Fellowship
• Potential of the applicant to become a leader in the field of cancer research
• Potential of the research to impact the prevention, diagnosis or treatment of one or more forms of cancer

All Dale F. Frey Awards are approved by the Board of Directors of the Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation acting upon the recommendation of the Fellowship Award Committee (FAC).

This award was created in 2010 to honor Dale F. Frey, retiring Chairman of the Damon Runyon Board of Directors. This tribute is in recognition of Mr. Frey’s visionary leadership over the past sixteen years.

Eligibility

Damon Runyon Fellows are eligible to apply in the third year of their Fellowship. Currently, Damon Runyon Fellows selected in November 2008 and May 2009 (DRG-108-09 and DRG-2000-09 to DRG-2034-09) are eligible to apply.
› Fellows who have terminated their awards early to accept an independent academic faculty position or other funding are eligible.
› Fellows who have moved to a position at a for-profit organization are not eligible.

Fellows may only apply once, at the deadline date that correlates with their award selection date.

Deadline Date	Award Selection Dates	DRGs
July 15, 2011	November 2008 and May 2009	DRG-108-09 and DRG 2000-09 to DRG-2034-09
July 16, 2012	November 2009 and May 2010	DRG-109-10 and DRG-2035-10 to DRG-2066-10

Funding

• The award is $100,000 paid over one year and must be expended within two years of the initial award date.
• All awards will be made to the host institution for the support of the designated investigator.
• The funds are intended to be flexible and can be used for a variety of scientific needs including the awardee’s salary, salaries for professional and technical personnel, equipment, supplies, and other miscellaneous items required to conduct the research. Funds may also be used to defray the cost of the recipient’s healthcare benefits.
• Should the awardee move to an independent position at another institution during the award period, the funds may be transferred to the new institution.
• The award cannot be used for indirect costs or institutional overhead.

Application Guidelines

Important Dates

Application deadline: July 15, 2011
Selection meeting: November 11, 2011
* The award will begin immediately following the term of the original Fellowship. For those whose Fellowships have already ended, the award will begin on January 1, 2012.

Deadlines

(Please note: completed applications and CDs or DVDs must be in our office by 4:30 pm (ET) on the deadline—NOT simply postmarked by the due date.)
Applications are due on or before July 15, 2011.

Damon Runyon Fellows selected in November 2008 and May 2009 (DRG-108-09 and DRG-2000-09 to DRG-2034-09) are eligible to apply.

Application Materials

1. Application cover sheet with all required signatures
2. A brief a) summary of research progress and accomplishments under the Damon Runyon Fellowship, b) description of research vision and its potential impact on cancer, and c) description and projected timeline (next 5-10 years) of career goals (parts a, b and c not to exceed 2 pages in total of single-spaced, 12-point type with at least 0.5 inch margins)
3. Updated curriculum vitae, including full bibliography, a list of conferences and seminars attended and presentations given over the course of the award, and other honors or awards received

Application Submission Instructions

The above application materials should be submitted to the Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation for arrival at our offices on or before July 15. Along with the original application (hard copy), applicants must submit a CD or DVD of all the required materials IN PDF FORMAT.

Please number your pdf files to correspond to the required materials listing below. To ensure proper organization of the files, please name all your files as:

Fellow’s last name, file #

REQUIRED MATERIALS
1. Application cover sheet
2. Two-page research description
3. Curriculum vitae

AND two reference letters using the Foundation’s form (sent directly to the Foundation by referees)

ON THE CD or DVD (NOT THE CASE), PLEASE CLEARLY LABEL THE FELLOW’S NAME.

Send Complete Application and CD or DVD to:

Award Programs
Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation
One Exchange Plaza
55 Broadway, Suite 302
New York, NY 10006

FAXED OR E-MAILED APPLICATIONS WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED