The intent of the Extramural Discovery Science (EDS) Accelerator Award is to support the commercialization of an ongoing cancer research project and to validate and de-risk technologies. Proposals should address key experiment(s) required to move findings toward commercialization that do not easily fit into traditional grant funding mechanisms. This mechanism is not designed to initiate new projects or develop new directions for an ongoing project. The proposal should be commercially driven with the PI having a plan to license the technology, either to an established company or a start-up if the experiment(s) are successful. Examples of research that align with the focus of this funding initiative include but are not limited to:
- Dosing, toxicity and/or efficacy testing
- Testing of biopsies or other patient samples to correlate clinical outcome
- Technologies for healthcare delivery
Accelerator awardees will become part of an entrepreneurial collaborative learning community focused on technology commercialization. Grantees will have access to both educational programming developed by the ACS BrightEdge team and the team itself.
Eligibility
Applicants must:
- Be a current or former ACS grantee (includes IRG pilot grant awardees) or a former ACS postdoctoral fellow.
- Have a full-time faculty appointment, at an eligible US institution. Applicants may be at any career stage.
- Be motivated to commercialize their technology.
Grant Budget and Term
Budgets can be up to $75,000 total costs for a one-year term. Indirect costs are not allowed.
Application and Review Process
Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis during the year (i.e., no set deadline).
Timeline:
- Applications submitted by April 30, 2024, will be reviewed in May 2024. Applications submitted May 1 to August 31, 2024, will be reviewed in September 2024.
- Grants start in August 2024 (May review) or March 2025 (September review).
Application materials are available on ProposalCentral. Applicants will have 1 month from starting the application to submit it in ProposalCentral. Please see the application instructions for detailed guidelines.
Program Contact: Doug Hurst, PhD at doug.hurst@cancer.org
