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Office of Research and Grant Development

Program Details

Searle Scholars Program

Sponsor: Kinship Foundation
Internal Deadline: 08/01/2024
Institutional Submission Limit: 1
Sponsor Deadline: 09/30/2024
Program Website

This foundation supports research of outstanding early-career scientists, recently appointed as assistant professors on a tenure-track appointment, with significant potential of innovative and high-impact contributions to research over an extended period of time. Applicants are expected to be pursuing independent research careers in biochemistry, cell biology, genetics, immunology, neuroscience, pharmacology, and related areas in chemistry, medicine, and the biological sciences. Applicants should have begun their appointment as an independent investigator at the assistant professor level on or after May 1, 2023. The appointment must be their first tenure-track position (or its nearest equivalent).

Grants are $300,000 for a three-year term with $100,000 payable each year of the grant, subject to the receipt of acceptable progress reports. Generally, the program makes 15 new grants annually with awards activated on July 1, 2025.

The Searle Scholars Program does not ordinarily support purely clinical research but has supported research programs that include both clinical and basic components. Potential applicants who are unsure if their research is appropriate are encouraged to examine the research interests of present and former Searle Scholars: https://searlescholars.org/current-scholars/.

USC may only submit one application to this program announcement.


Once the internal selection process has taken place and an applicant has been selected, the applicant will receive the complete application package with instructions via an email from the Searle Foundation. This application must be completed and submitted through the Searle competition website by September 30, 2024.

Submission Process

Limited submissions MUST be coordinated with the Office of the Vice President for Research.

If interested in applying for this opportunity, submit a two-page project abstract, include at top the project title and PI name, with a 2-3 page CV/biosketch for the PI (SCiENcv preferred) combined into a single PDF document by 5pm on the INTERNAL DEADLINE above to Julie Morris at jmorris@sc.edu.

Office of Research and Grant Development


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