By Tyler Beck, PhD, ASTRO Scientific Program Officer
For many years, ASTRO has been a reliable source of funding for radiation oncology researchers in their early years of research independence, offering both smaller Seed Grants and larger Junior Faculty Awards to our early-career investigators. This year, ASTRO actively sought ways to stretch its research dollars to give more opportunities to investigators in radiation oncology and radiation-related research, and to that end established new collaborations with organizations with influence in the cancer research space.
This year, in place of the Junior Faculty Award, ASTRO is now offering two new career development awards, thanks to new partnerships with the Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF) and the Prostate Cancer Foundation (PCF). The ASTRO-BCRF Career Development Award to End Breast Cancer will award one early-career investigator $100,000 per year for two years, to be used for research relevant to the understanding or treatment of breast cancer involving radiation oncology. The ASTRO-PCF Career Development Award to End Prostate Cancer will similarly award one early-career investigator $75,000 per year for three years, to be used for research related to prostate cancer and radiation oncology.
“At ASTRO, one of our core values is to seek improved outcomes for cancer patients. By teaming up with organizations such as the BCRF and the PCF, we will be able to increase our support for researchers who aim to do just that,” says Laura I. Thevenot, ASTRO chief executive officer.
ASTRO is also working with the American Association of Physics in Medicine (AAPM) to create a new funding opportunity for trainees in physics. In addition to the Resident Seed grants ASTRO has traditionally awarded, the ASTRO-AAPM Physics Resident/Post-Doctoral Fellow Seed Grant (or Physics Seed, for short) will be available to physics residents and post-doctoral fellows working on research related to radiation physics and other radiation oncology topics. The recipient will receive $25,000 for a one-year research period.
“As advances are made in radiation oncology technology and medical imaging, there is a greater need for research in these rapidly changing areas,” says Bruce Thomadsen, President of AAPM. “Since AAPM and ASTRO share the goal of improving patient safety and overall outcomes with radiation therapy treatment, this new partnership should be a fruitful collaboration to help groom the next generation of medical physicists and radiation oncologists.”
Applications for all three of these new grant opportunities, in addition to the Residents/Fellows in Radiation Oncology Research Seed Grant, opened on January 15, and all applications must be received by April 8 at 11:59 p.m. Eastern time. All applications must be submitted through ProposalCentral. For more information on any of these grants, please contact ASTRO’s Scientific Affairs.
For many years, ASTRO has been a reliable source of funding for radiation oncology researchers in their early years of research independence, offering both smaller Seed Grants and larger Junior Faculty Awards to our early-career investigators. This year, ASTRO actively sought ways to stretch its research dollars to give more opportunities to investigators in radiation oncology and radiation-related research, and to that end established new collaborations with organizations with influence in the cancer research space.
This year, in place of the Junior Faculty Award, ASTRO is now offering two new career development awards, thanks to new partnerships with the Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF) and the Prostate Cancer Foundation (PCF). The ASTRO-BCRF Career Development Award to End Breast Cancer will award one early-career investigator $100,000 per year for two years, to be used for research relevant to the understanding or treatment of breast cancer involving radiation oncology. The ASTRO-PCF Career Development Award to End Prostate Cancer will similarly award one early-career investigator $75,000 per year for three years, to be used for research related to prostate cancer and radiation oncology.
“At ASTRO, one of our core values is to seek improved outcomes for cancer patients. By teaming up with organizations such as the BCRF and the PCF, we will be able to increase our support for researchers who aim to do just that,” says Laura I. Thevenot, ASTRO chief executive officer.
ASTRO is also working with the American Association of Physics in Medicine (AAPM) to create a new funding opportunity for trainees in physics. In addition to the Resident Seed grants ASTRO has traditionally awarded, the ASTRO-AAPM Physics Resident/Post-Doctoral Fellow Seed Grant (or Physics Seed, for short) will be available to physics residents and post-doctoral fellows working on research related to radiation physics and other radiation oncology topics. The recipient will receive $25,000 for a one-year research period.
“As advances are made in radiation oncology technology and medical imaging, there is a greater need for research in these rapidly changing areas,” says Bruce Thomadsen, President of AAPM. “Since AAPM and ASTRO share the goal of improving patient safety and overall outcomes with radiation therapy treatment, this new partnership should be a fruitful collaboration to help groom the next generation of medical physicists and radiation oncologists.”
Applications for all three of these new grant opportunities, in addition to the Residents/Fellows in Radiation Oncology Research Seed Grant, opened on January 15, and all applications must be received by April 8 at 11:59 p.m. Eastern time. All applications must be submitted through ProposalCentral. For more information on any of these grants, please contact ASTRO’s Scientific Affairs.