Applications due June 15
These instructions are for VU investigators. VUMC investigators should visit the OOR funding opportunity site.
Vanderbilt University may submit one nominee for the Susan G. Komen Career Transition Award opportunity.
Overview
This grant mechanism aims to help outstanding postdoctoral fellows and clinical fellows, working under the guidance of a mentor, launch their competitive, independent breast cancer research careers. Career Transition Awards provide up to five years of funding in two phases: Phase 1 supports the final years of mentored, postdoctoral training; and Phase 2 supports the independent research of the early career, tenure-track investigators.
Applicants my request up to five years of funding totaling up to $650,000 over the two phases of the award. Up to $100,000.00 per year (direct costs only) for up to two years may be requested for the first phase of the Career Transition Award to support the postdoctoral work. For the second phase of the Career Transition Award, the applicant/PI may request up to $150,000.00 per year (direct and indirect costs) for up to three years to support independent research.
Strongest applicants will provide a vision statement encompassing the five-year grant term, including a well-conceived research project plan for one to two years of substantive mentored research, the plan to build upon this research in Phase 2, and career development activities that will help them become competitive candidates for tenure-track faculty positions (preferably at another institution from their mentored phase training) and prepare them to launch robust, independent breast cancer research labs.
Research projects must be hypothesis-driven, breast cancer-focused studies. They may be considered basic, translational, clinical and/or population science in nature and should align with Komen’s research priorities and/or mission to save lives from breast cancer. Komen’s research priorities are conquering metastatic and aggressive breast cancers, advancing personalized breast cancer care throughout the continuum of care, and improving health outcomes for everyone impacted by breast cancer.
- Metastatic breast cancer-focused studies may include, but are not limited to, the development of novel treatment strategies for existing metastatic disease, strategies to prevent or arrest metastasis and late recurrence, and innovative approaches to detect new or recurrent metastatic breast cancer.
- Precision medicine-focused studies aim to identify the most effective and appropriate strategies to treat, detect, diagnose, and prevent disease based on genomic, biological, environmental, economic, lifestyle and social characteristics.
- Applications focused on improving health outcomes may expand our understanding of the biological, behavioral, social, and systems contributors to disparities in breast cancer care and outcomes and lead to new ways to treat breast cancer and/or novel approaches to improve access and utilization of timely, high quality breast cancer care.
- Applications that leverage data science (includes artificial intelligence and other analytical methods applied to data aggregated from multiple sources, such as electronic health records, other clinical data, administrative databases, large data repositories, genomics and other -omics data, etc.) are also encouraged.
Eligibility
- Individuals pursuing independent breast cancer research careers who are in mentored postdoctoral research training positions with no more than five years of total postdoctoral research experience at the time of letter of intent submission (July 24, 2025). For this application clinical fellows are considered eligible and equal to the postdoctoral rank.
- Applicant must complete 12 months in the mentored Phase 1 to be considered for Phase 2.
- Must have a doctoral degree, including M.D., Ph.D., Dr.P.H., D.O., or equivalent.
- May not hold any appointment designated as faculty (e.g., assistant professor, clinical assistant professor, faculty-level instructor, or equivalent). Clinical fellows with the title instructor are allowed as long as they are no more than 5 years into their training similar to above bullet concerning postdoctoral training.
- Must be able to devote at least 75 percent of full-time effort to breast cancer research and activities, i.e., protected research time.
- Must conduct proposed breast cancer research and training at the lead mentor’s U.S.-based institution and must be designated as a member/employee of the lead mentor’s laboratory by date of letter of intent submission.
- Applicant/PI may not hold another career transition award, training award (K-type awards) or R-type award at time of notification of intent to fund (on or around April 15, 2026). If applicant previously held an R-type award at any point, they are not eligible to apply for this award.
- If the applicant is a current Komen grantee, they must ensure that all past and current Komen-funded grants are up to date and in compliance with all Komen requirements, e.g., progress report submissions, IRB approvals, etc. by the letter of intent due date.
- Applicant is not required to be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident.
See the program announcement and funding opportunities website for more information.
Internal Application Instructions
Interested faculty should visit https://vanderbilt.infoready4.com/#freeformCompetitionDetail/1983480 to submit an application for the internal LSO competition and to find additional information about the opportunity. The deadline for the internal competition is June 15, 2025.
Any questions about this opportunity or the LSO process may be directed to [email protected].
