Cancer biology grants

Thesis prize recognizing outstanding doctoral research in oncology, awarded by Fondation ARC.

The AIRC SIS grants will foster the creation of new research units in Southern or Insular Italy. They will be led by talented scientists with a strong commitment to cancer research, seeking an opportunity of developing their independent careers and establishing a network of collaborations with resea

Funds basic research and credentialing-phase research into the biological or psychosocial mechanisms of cancer onset, growth, spread and impact. Two-stage process via pre-proposal and full proposal submitted through KWF-GMS; registered participating institutes required 6 weeks before closing.

Fully funded 4-year PhD studentship for people who self-identify as being from a Black heritage background, run through Cancer Research UK's PhD training centres in the UK. Open to non-clinical PhD candidates meeting general entry requirements; international fee shortfalls must be covered by the host institution, not the student.

Seed funding for early-stage, pre-development technology concepts in cancer immunotherapy; applicants must hold a tenure-track position at a not-for-profit research center or institution. Does not support clinical trials or refinement of existing technologies.

New cancer-immunotherapy technologies at the pre-development concept stage. Routine application or refinement of existing technologies is generally non-responsive; clinical trials are excluded. Applicants need a tenure-track position at a nonprofit institution; co-PIs may apply.

Support for scientific events (conferences, symposia) in oncology research, open to French research teams.

Supports clinically relevant research that bridges laboratory and clinical discovery to advance immunotherapies for chordoma.

Supports pioneering immunotherapy clinical trials designed and led by academic researchers.

Team research on immune prevention or interception of primary cancer and recurrence. Clinical trials are excluded. Tenure-track assistant professor or higher by award activation; applicants without the appointment must supply institutional confirmation with the LOI. Nonprofit research institutions worldwide.

Supports pioneering immunotherapy clinical trials designed and led by academic researchers. Requires a clinical trial focus; applicants must be academic investigators leading immunotherapy trials.

Supports innovative investigations at the intersection of laboratory discovery and clinical application in cancer immunology, accelerating translation of immunological discoveries into cancer therapies.

Modular scheme (Clinical Trial, Experimental Medicine, Sample Collection modules) for investigator-led clinical research at UK universities, medical schools, hospitals, UKCRC-registered clinical trials units or research institutions. Requires a UKCRC registered clinical trials unit to coordinate the trial/study; industry-sponsored trials not eligible.

Funds exceptional science from discovery through translational research to improve early detection and diagnosis of cancer/pre-cancer. Applicants must be based at a UK university, medical school, hospital or research institute; open to all career stages, with mentorship encouraged for early-career lead applicants.

Supports translational research on biological mechanisms of cancer prevention; applicant must be postdoctoral-level scientist/clinician based at UK university, medical school, hospital or research institute, mostly fully funded by host institution. Co-funding partnerships available with US (ACS) and Canadian (CCS) teams.

For scientists, clinicians or healthcare workers based at a UK university, medical school, hospital or research institute with postdoctoral experience. Funds hypothesis-driven primary prevention and population research, including prevention interventional studies; interventional trials require a prior expression of interest.

14th call of the Translational Oncology priority programme. Applicants must submit a Letter of Intent before a project outline and full application; see guidelines for required pre-application steps.

Feasibility studies for commercial application of innovative knowledge from Dutch universities, UMCs, KNAW/NWO institutes, Netherlands Cancer Institute, Max Planck Institute Nijmegen, NCB Naturalis, ARCNL, or Princess Máxima Center. Applicants must be researchers at these institutions. Covers product, process, care, or service innovation across all scientific fields.

Open to researchers at Dutch universities, university medical centers, KNAW/NWO institutes, Netherlands Cancer Institute, Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics (Nijmegen), NCB Naturalis, ARCNL, and Princess Máxima Center. Funds feasibility studies for commercial application of innovative knowledge. Submitted via ISAAC. All scientific fields eligible.

Supports moving promising research results forward towards patient benefit, commercialisation or implementation in healthcare.

Funds hypothesis-driven, innovative research projects addressing major challenges in DIPG/DMG research with potential for groundbreaking discoveries. Application via Proposal Central; opens 16 October 2026.

Supports newly independent DIPG/DMG researchers establishing labs, or established researchers new to DIPG/DMG research. Application via Proposal Central; opens 16 October 2026.

Supports newly independent DIPG/DMG researchers establishing labs, or established researchers new to DIPG/DMG research. Submitted via Proposal Central.

Funds hypothesis-driven, innovative research projects aiming for groundbreaking discoveries in DIPG/DMG. Submitted via Proposal Central.

For mid-career scientists (tenure-track assistant professors with ≥3 years in role or associate professors with ≤3 years) holding an MD, PhD, or MD/PhD, committing ≥80% time to research. No citizenship restrictions; research may be conducted at non-profit medical schools/research centers in the US or abroad, but not at for-profit institutions.

Main funding round for project support within biological, clinical and translational cancer research under the Danish Cancer Society's research programme.

Main funding round for project support within humanistic, social science, public health and epidemiological cancer research.

Thematic funding call under the Knæk Cancer research initiative targeting specific priority cancer research themes.

Supports independent scientists at Swiss research institutions for industry-independent cancer research projects with clear relevance to cancer, across basic, clinical, epidemiological, psychosocial and health services research. Maximum one ongoing project per main applicant permitted.

Fellowships for early-career clinicians with a medical degree and prior cancer research or treatment experience to gain research experience abroad. Requires two support letters and proof of sponsorship from an eligible host organization; applications submitted online via the Grant Application Portal.

Applicants must be mentored postdoctoral researchers when applying. Applicants must never have held an independent faculty or equivalent position. Cancer immunotherapy research; at most five postdoctoral years unless CRI approves an exception; at least twelve mentored months before transition.

Funds cancer target identification or validation using novel model systems, antibody or small molecule approaches for adult cancers. Open to academic researchers worldwide with their own lab; projects run collaboratively with Cancer Research Horizons' drug discovery scientists.

Funds hit identification, druggability assessment, and further development of early therapeutic projects for adult cancers using antibody or small molecule approaches. Open to academic researchers worldwide with their own lab; run collaboratively with Cancer Research Horizons.

For postdoctoral researchers in immunology or cancer immunology, conducted under a sponsor holding assistant professor rank or higher at a non-profit institution; applicant must have <5 years mentored research experience post-PhD. Can be performed in the US or abroad; no citizenship restrictions.

Supports early-career scientists with mentorship, training, and resources to launch independent research in immunology and cancer immunology.

Supports postdocs with a doctoral degree pursuing hypothesis-driven cancer immunology research integrated with computational biology/data science, conducted under a sponsor (assistant professor or higher) at a non-profit host institution; no citizenship restrictions. Applicants must have fewer than 5 years of mentored research experience (exceptions for MDs).

Nomination-based award recognizing talented early-career cancer researchers in Denmark.

Nomination-based award recognizing research talent in cancer research; nomination deadline for the research talent prize.

Open to scientists, clinicians or healthcare workers based at a UK university, medical school, hospital or research institution. Supports high-risk pilot studies in early detection/diagnosis, requiring line-of-sight to clinical or population impact. Spotlight call on reducing inequalities in cancer early detection also fundable through this award.

Supports newly independent DIPG/DMG researchers establishing a lab, or established researchers new to DIPG/DMG research. Focused on DIPG/DMG (diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma / diffuse midline glioma). Applications submitted via Proposal Central.

Funds hypothesis-driven, innovative research projects addressing major challenges in DIPG/DMG with potential for groundbreaking discoveries. Focused on DIPG/DMG (diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma / diffuse midline glioma). Applications submitted via Proposal Central.

Combined call covering young talented cancer researchers, scholar stipends, research stays abroad and professorships.

For young independent cancer researchers who obtained their PhD within the last 8 years and have demonstrated high-level international research ability; applicants must already have secured own-salary funding, with possibility to apply for 50% clinical work exemption.

For early-career researchers with a PhD (or equivalent) not yet in permanent employment, for an independent cancer research project in Denmark or abroad; applicant must be no more than 4 years post-PhD. Postdoc abroad is for Danish researchers not employed by a Danish hospital, university or company during the stay.

Awarded to pre-doctoral and post-doctoral fellows under a mentor's guidance to develop next-generation leaders in DIPG/DMG research.

Call for clinical and translational research proposals addressing unmet needs in pancreatic, liver, oesophageal and gastric cancer, including biomarker identification, treatment combinations, trial design and patient selection strategies. Open to all study types within CRC remit; funded via CRUK's clinical research funding scheme covering clinical trials, sample collection and experimental medicine awards.

Supports preclinical development through early phase (Phase 1/early Phase 2) clinical trials of novel cancer agents; not external grant funding but scientific, clinical and trial management resources provided by CRUK's Centre for Drug Development. Open to academic institutions and pharma/biotech companies (UK or international); requires prior confidential discussion and eligibility check.

Funds development of dynamic multiscale Virtual Human Twin (VHT) models integrating AI and multi-omics/imaging data to understand cancer onset, progression and personalise treatment, contributing to the EU Cancer Mission. Successful projects join the Cancer Mission 'Understanding' project cluster; multidisciplinary consortia including clinicians, patients, AI experts and SMEs expected; data must be made FAIR and shared via UNCAN.eu and the Advanced VHT Platform.

Supports cancer professionals' travel for meetings and training relevant to cancer; grant size varies by destination (Europe vs. rest of world) and is paid against supporting documents.

Develops dynamic multiscale Virtual Human Twins integrating AI and multi-omics, imaging and real-world data to model cancer onset and progression, validated with longitudinal patient data and shared via UNCAN.eu and the Advanced VHT Platform. Requires multidisciplinary consortium including clinicians and patient representatives; clinical studies require a dedicated annex.

Develops dynamic, multiscale Virtual Human Twins integrating AI and FAIR multimodal data (multi-omics, imaging, real-world data) for cancer onset/progression modelling and personalised treatment, with mandatory data sharing via UNCAN.eu and the Advanced VHT Platform. Requires multidisciplinary consortium incl. healthcare professionals and patients; successful projects must join the Cancer Mission 'Understanding' cluster.

Funds early drug discovery/translational research for novel therapeutics in childhood and young people's cancers, run collaboratively with Cancer Research Horizons' Therapeutic Innovation team. Open to academic researchers worldwide with their own lab; excludes basic/discovery research and full hit-finding/clinical development activities.

Supports clinical, epidemiological, psychosocial and basic cancer research conducted in Finland. Grants are paid to the host research organisation, not directly to individual researchers, and cannot go to projects with recent tobacco industry funding.

Supports clinical, epidemiological and psychosocial cancer research in Finland as well as basic cancer research; grants are paid to the host organisation, not directly to individual researchers. Applicants must have no ongoing or recent tobacco industry funding.

AECC 2026 call funding innovative, near-market translational cancer research projects in Spain.

Travel grants for cancer professionals for meetings and training travel, paid against supporting documents; size varies by destination (Europe vs. rest of world).

NCU provides funding to support and encourage collaboration in cancer research between the Nordic countries.

Funds a lecture by a specially qualified foreign expert at a Norwegian cancer research seminar, to be announced as the Tannlege Olaf Aase og frues memorial lecture. Open to legal persons and researchers affiliated with Norwegian research institutions.

Project grants for time-limited innovative research in clinic-related basic oncology or clinical cancer research. Open to early-career and established researchers holding at least a doctorate; applications must be written in English; companies with purely commercial interest are excluded; multi-group collaborative/consortium projects are not eligible under this standard procedure.

Swedish national call for early detection of primary cancer (not metastatic/recurrent disease). Category A: new diagnostic methods; Category B: validation of methods at TRL≥4. Applicant must be employed (≥20% FTE) at a Swedish university or healthcare institution and hold a PhD since ≤31 Dec 2021 (i.e. experienced researcher). Application must be in English.

Supports humanistic, social science, public health and epidemiological cancer research, including patient perspectives, behavioural research, rehabilitation, palliative care, ethics and health system research. Open to cancer researchers at Danish institutions and Danish researchers working abroad intending to bring results back to Denmark.

Additional bench fee for FWO postdoctoral fellows (junior or senior) active in cancer research, funded by the King Baudouin Foundation-managed Fund Suzanne Duchesne. Candidates apply via the Med4 Cancer Research expert panel by adding a justification paragraph to the Bench Fee section of their FWO postdoctoral fellowship application; only the two best-ranked candidates receive €25,000 each.

Supports high-risk, high-reward cancer research projects worldwide spanning basic research, therapeutic discovery/translational science, innovative technologies, and clinical research; principal investigators must be independent researchers at their institutions.

Funding programme for German Comprehensive Cancer Centers (Onkologische Spitzenzentren); entry letter-of-intent deadline has passed, making this call closed to new applicants.

Priority Programme for translational oncology research; the mandatory Letter of Intent deadline of 9 December 2025 has passed, closing this call to new applicants.

For Dutch academic groups and (spin-off) companies developing novel oncology drug candidates in late-stage preclinical development or approaching first-in-human studies, co-funded with Cancer Research UK's Centre for Drug Development. Applicants must hold or be able to secure IP rights and freedom to operate; non-Dutch initiators and repurposing of registered drugs are out of scope.