(1) Chromophobe RCC Focus Award - $75,000
In partnership with The Chromophobe and Oncocytic Tumor Alliance (COA) and Katie Coleman

Required Focus: distinguishing biological hallmarks in ChRCC
 

(3)   Trailblazer Awards - $75,000
Any focus in kidney cancer accepted

For the Trailblazer Awards:

• Applicants must have a doctoral degree (MD, DO, PhD) or equivalent from a recognized US or non-US institution.
• Young postdoctoral fellows who have completed their first doctoral degree within the past seven (7) years and who do not hold a faculty position, should consider collaboration with a mentor who has a well-established career in the field.

For the Special Focus Award in Chromophobe RCC - we made some updates to the eligibility criteria for this award. Please refer to the chRCC award guidelines doc.

• A postdoctoral fellow (MD, Ph.D., or equivalent) with no more than 4 years past completion of their first doctoral degree (MD, Ph.D., or equivalent)

• If an applicant is not yet available, a laboratory senior researcher (sponsor) can still apply and submit all required documents on behalf of a potential candidate. In the Cover Letter the sponsor must commit to find and hire a postdoc within 6 months. If a candidate is not identified within 6 months, the award will be considered void.

• For more details refer to the chRCC award guidelines.

No citizenship requirement. Applications are welcome from all qualified individuals worldwide.

KCA requires all applicants to have a personal ORCID ID (https://orcid.org/) as an extra layer of unique identification of researchers and information on their career and accomplishments. We recommend keeping your ORCID record up to date with affiliation, publications, and grants received.

An independent panel of recognized field experts will conduct an initial review of all submissions followed by a final review and selection by the KCA’s Medical Steering Committee. Patient advocates are included in the preliminary review deliberations. Reviewers with a conflict of interest on any given application will recuse themselves from the deliberation.

See the specific Award Guidelines for more details.

• Yes. Recipients of past or current KCA grants can plan to submit a new proposal or request an extension of their current study only for a max of 2 consecutive cycles.
• New submission from current or past grantees are welcome at every KCA grant cycle. Current grantees can request a maximum 1-year extension of their grant following the same guidelines. Existing grants timelines cannot overlap with new grant request timelines. Grant extensions submissions will be reviewed, scored, and recommended for funding together with all the other submissions for that cycle.

• Recipients are expected to submit research supported by this grant to at least one accredited conference (i.e. IKCS, ASCO, etc.) during or upon completion of the grant cycle. 
• Recipients must acknowledge and notify the KCA upon publication and/or presentation of research supported by this grant in any forum.

Recipients will be notified by July 1, 2024 and will be publicly announced by August 1, 2024.

Initial funds will be disbursed not later than September 1, 2024.

Pattern.org, an online consent and patient-engagement platform, enables cancer patients, regardless of their treating institution, to donate tissue to research projects across the nation. Pattern was initiated by the Rare Cancer Research Foundation (RCRF) to empower rare cancer patients to direct their de-identified tumor and germline samples and associated clinical data to research labs across the country who were in need of this rare and valuable resource. Although Pattern is known for their success in collecting and delivering fresh living tissues within 24 hours of a surgical procedure, they are also able to collect stored tissue samples.

RCRF works across the cancer ecosystem by partnering with patients, advocacy foundations (such as the KCA) and researchers in a collaborative approach to ensure samples are directed to innovative projects that will share generated results broadly through placement in public repositories.

The Pattern.org platform utilizes an IRB-approved standard collection protocol for tissue and clinical data collection. Each collection includes tumor tissue and normal tissue and/or blood with saliva collection as a potential germline option if necessary. Key clinical data is also provided at time of sample delivery with additional clinical data provided post-pathology review.

If you or one of your research colleagues are interested in partnering with RCRF, please send an email to info@rarecancer.org for more information.

The Rare Cancer Research Foundation (RCRF) is a 501(c)3 non-profit dedicated to curing rare cancers through strategic investments and innovative collaborations that facilitate effective research and accelerate deployment of promising therapies. Pattern.org, an initiative of RCRF, empowers cancer patients to take an active role in advancing research for their disease.

We will accept submission until April 15, 2024 at 11.59pm ET.

In the preparation of grant proposals, the use of Language Model (LM) and AI-assisted writing tools is permitted as a supplementary aid. However, applicants must ensure that the core ideas, data, and primary content of the proposal are their original work and accurately represent their research intentions. Any use of such technologies should be transparently declared in the application. Applicants are responsible for the verification of all AI-generated content to confirm its accuracy, relevance, and alignment with ethical research standards. The final submission should reflect the applicant's unique perspective and contribution to their field, with AI serving only in an ancillary capacity to enhance the clarity and coherence of the written material. We advise applicants to engage with these tools judiciously, upholding the integrity of the scientific inquiry and maintaining the highest level of scholarship in their proposals.