Damon Runyon Fellowship Award

The Damon Runyon-Dale F. Frey Award for Breakthrough Scientists is a prestigious award offered by the Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation. It is exclusively available to select alumni of the Damon Runyon Fellowship and Quantitative Biology Fellowship programs. The goal of this award is to recognize and further support exceptional postdoctoral scientists who have demonstrated significant potential to become leaders in independent cancer research. The award provides critical transitional support as recipients prepare for or begin independent research roles. Applicants eligible for this award include Damon Runyon Fellows selected in November 2021 and May 2022 (DRG-2454-22 to DRG-2482-22), and Damon Runyon Quantitative Biology Fellows selected in February 2023 (DRQ-16-23 to DRQ-18-23). Applications must be submitted through Proposal Central by 4:00 PM Eastern Time on July 15, 2025. The review process includes finalist notifications in October 2025 and interviews scheduled for November 6, 2025. For fellows whose awards have ended, funding may begin on January 1, 2026, or immediately following the end of their Fellowship. The application requires several components. Candidates must submit a completed cover sheet, a two-page combined document including a summary of research achievements during the Fellowship, a forward-looking vision statement on the impact of their research, and a career trajectory plan. Additional materials include an up-to-date NIH biosketch, a full bibliography with hyperlinks (including anticipated timelines for works in preparation), a list of professional presentations, and a summary of ongoing funding support. Two reference letters must be uploaded to Proposal Central by the application deadline. One must come from the applicant’s Damon Runyon Fellowship Sponsor (only one if there are two sponsors), and the second from a professional outside the applicant’s current institution who has not collaborated or mentored the applicant. These letters are critical to the review process and must speak directly to the applicant’s potential and research impact. Finalists will be interviewed by the Fellowship Award Committee, which is comprised of distinguished scientists from renowned institutions such as Stanford, Yale, University of Chicago, and Memorial Sloan Kettering. These interviews provide an opportunity to further evaluate the candidate’s vision, communication skills, and readiness for an independent research career. Questions about the program can be directed to the Damon Runyon Award Programs team at awards@damonrunyon.org or by phone at 1.877.7CANCER. All applicants must promptly inform the Foundation of any updates to their contact details after submission.

Applicants must also provide two reference letters. One letter must be from the current Damon Runyon Fellowship Sponsor, and the other from a qualified individual external to the institution where the applicant is completing their postdoctoral research. This second referee should not be a collaborator, coauthor, or current/former mentor. Reference letters must be submitted by the application deadline, and applications cannot be submitted without them.