Finding Funding
Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Research Fellowship Awards
https://globalprograms.hms.harvard.edu/prince-alwaleed-bin-talal-research-fellowship-awards
Enabled by a generous gift from Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal, the Alwaleed Fellowship Program is establishing an enduring legacy of high-impact research that alleviates suffering and improves health and wellbeing for all, with emphasis on diseases endemic to the Middle East. The Research Fellowship award is granted for a maximum of three (3) years.
Eligibility
The Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Research Fellowship award is open to individuals from the Middle East and North Africa region with an MD, PhD, or MD/PhD degree in medical or biomedical sciences, or in a health-related field. The fellowship awards offer postdoctoral researchers the opportunity to work with a faculty mentor and research group based at Harvard Medical School, the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, or one of the Harvard Medical School-affiliated hospitals or research institutes. Award recipients will be expected to relocate to Harvard or an affiliated institution for the majority or entirety of the funded period.
Areas of Research
Proposed research activities may draw on recent advances in the basic, translational, clinical, and epidemiological sciences – including such fields as biochemistry, cell biology, genetics, immunology, molecular biology, pharmacology, clinical epidemiology, health outcomes research, and population studies – that provide new opportunities for alleviating human disease.
Bristol Myers Squibb Fellowships
https://therapeutics.hms.harvard.edu/bristol-myers-squibb-collaborative-research-fellowship-program
Harvard Medical School is accepting postdoctoral fellowship applications from candidates who wish to perform research in Harvard Medical School laboratories in collaboration with senior scientists at Bristol Myers Squibb. Selected fellows will be awarded a fellowship of up to three (3) years.
Eligibility
The program welcomes fellowship applications from individuals who meet the following criteria:
• Plan to conduct lab or computational research at an HMS “Quadrangle” basic science department (Departments of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Biomedical Informatics, Cell Biology, Genetics, Immunology, Microbiology, Neurobiology, Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology, or Systems Biology)
• Apply together with a mentor who is an Assistant Professor, Associate Professor, or Professor who holds a primary appointment at HMS and has a laboratory on the HMS Quad or, for SCRB faculty only, on the Faculty of Arts & Sciences campus
• Applicants can be either current or incoming postdoctoral fellows at HMS. Incoming fellows must have accepted a position, signed Harvard’s standard Participation Agreement, and begun their appointment in the sponsoring lab no later than February 1, 2027 to be eligible for the fellowship
Area of Research
The Bristol Myers Squibb Collaborative Research Fellowship Program is designed to support postdoctoral fellows conducting cutting edge research that creates new avenues for the discovery and development of future medicines. The program aims to advance the novel science, ranging from basic inquiry through early translation, that fuels medical breakthroughs while fostering meaningful collaboration with industry. A short-term path to therapeutic translation is not required. The fellowships support laboratory based and computational research across all basic science disciplines at HMS. Projects will be conducted as a collaboration involving the postdoctoral fellow, their HMS mentor, and a senior scientist(s) at BMS.
Northpond Ventures Fellowships
https://therapeutics.hms.harvard.edu/northpond-ventures-postdoctoral-fellowship-awards
Made possible by a generous gift from Northpond Ventures, the Northpond Ventures Fellowship Award will support one postdoctoral fellow at Harvard Medical School (HMS) for a period of two (2) years, with preference given to candidates focused on translational research.
Eligibility
- Plan to conduct research at an HMS Quadrangle laboratory (Departments of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Biomedical Informatics, Cell Biology, Genetics, Immunology, Microbiology, Neurobiology, Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology, or Systems Biology)
- Research must be conducted in the laboratory of an assistant professor, associate professor, or professor who holds a primary appointment at HMS and has a lab on the HMS Quadrangle
- Applicants can be current or prospective postdoctoral fellows who will have begun their research at HMS before initiation of the award
- Must be no more than 5 years past receiving the terminal advanced degree in their field (PhD, or MD; received on or after 2021)
Area of Research
The purpose of the Northpond Ventures fellowship is to support the fellow in conducting research with a translational endpoint in mind. Scientific areas of inquiry can include any areas of technology development with the intention of moving the research toward commercialization through company creation or licensure. Examples include drug discovery, device or diagnostics, tools to support any stage of drug discovery from target identification and other technologies intended to improve human health.
Harvard Catalyst Grant Writing On-Demand Course
This online course is designed to provide an overview of the requisite skills and comprehensive considerations needed to give participants an in-depth introduction to the grant writing process. Participants in this course will learn grant writing strategies firsthand from researchers who have successfully applied for funding from a variety of sources.
Policy on PI Eligibilty and Responsibilities (HERE)
- Postdocs: Individuals who are trainees may serve as PI on fellowships and career development awards for which holding PI status is a requirement with approval from their faculty mentor and Department Chair or designee.
Postdoc Funding Opportunities
HMS Foundation Funds
- The HMS Foundation Funds Program administers the nomination process for HMS/HSDM faculty and postdocs for funding opportunities from private foundations that are limited submission and require candidates to be nominated by either Harvard Medical School or Harvard University. Each year, several foundations invite HMS/HSDM junior faculty members and postdocs to apply for their fellowships and grants, which serve as critical funding at the early stages of a research career. Interested investigators must first apply internally through the HMS Foundation Funds, and a committee will select the final candidates who will then submit applications to the foundations.
Harvard University Funding Portal (HUFP)
- The Harvard University Funding Portal contains information on all active limited submission opportunity competitions throughout Harvard. Researchers interested in applying for limited competitions will submit applications through this portal.
Harvard Office of the Vice Provost for Research (OVPR) Funding Overview
- The Office of the Vice Provost for Research seeks to create an environment that fosters the success of Harvard’s researchers.
Office of Technology Development Accelerators
- Accelerator programs combine funding strategies, technical support, and business expertise to help promising innovations make the leap from the lab to the commercial sphere.
Q-FASTR
- The Quadrangle Fund for Advancing and Seeding Translational Research (Q-FASTR) at HMS, identifies, supports, and expedites early-stage research with eventual commercialization potential.
HMS Research Administration
- The Office of Research Administration is comprised of distinct teams, with its core operations separated into functional areas: pre-award, post-award, operations, research finance, reporting and analytics, and communications.
Harvard FAS Research Administration Services
- The FAS Research Development team has developed resources and information to facilitate a funding search. They are also available to work directly with Harvard faculty and administrators to conduct customized funding searches based on specific funding needs and priorities.
Harvard Catalyst
- Harvard Catalyst offers pilot grants to Harvard investigators who need seed funds for early stage research anywhere along the translational spectrum, from basic/preclinical investigation to practice- or population-based research.
K99/R00 Sample Applications - NIH via National Institute on Aging
An NIA Investigator has graciously agreed to share their exceptional applications and summary statements as samples to help the research community. The resources below represent the initial submission and subsequent resubmission of a K99/R00 application from a single applicant, who received an excellent score and was funded upon resubmission. This is only one example of a successful K99/R00 application and is not meant to be a template for future applicants. Please make sure that your application is tailored to your specific research and career development plan, and seek individual advice from mentors and peers as you prepare your application. Read more about K99/R00 funding opportunities at NIA.
Postdoc Office Funding Resources
Office of Postdoctoral Fellows Lending Library
- The OPF Lending Library has a number of books about funding funding and grant writing on loan in the Postdoc Lending Library. Click on the link above for a complete list.
NRSA Sample Proposals
- The OPF has a sample of previously funded NRSA proposals, some of which include reviewer comments and scores. The proposals are only available to view in the Postdoc Office. Please email postdoc_office@hms.harvard.edu to set-up a time to visit the office. (Please note: this resource is only available to HMS quad-based postdocs.)
Searchable Databases for Funding Opportunities
Pivot
- This database contains information about government, non-profit, industry and international funding opportunities in all fields. Pivot allows users to create their own profiles and receive customized funding alerts. Log-in to COS Pivot using your Harvard Key.
PDF Guide
Foundation Directory Online (FDO)
- This database contains information on private foundations and the grants they support, as well as funding opportunities available through corporate sponsors.
Access requires a subscription. Anyone associated with Harvard should be able to access the Foundation Directory Online by going to https://library.harvard.edu/; Click on the "My HOLLIS" link, then select "Databases” and then searching by keyword for “Foundation.”. Click on the "ONLINE ACCESS" link to open databse (Harvard Key required)
Grants.gov
- This database includes all current funding opportunities from 26 agencies of the United States government, including the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation, the Department of Energy, and many others.
Additional Links to Funding Opportunities & Resources
Johns Hopkins Postdoc Funding Opportunities
A curated and regularly-updated list of funding opportunities for postdocs (not specific to JHU)
NIH Funding | NIH Awards by Career Stage | NIAID Sample Proposals
NIH Fogarty International Center - Non-NIH Funding Opportunities - Grants and Fellowships
Harvard Catalyst: Writing and Communication Center - Grant Writing Tips
Obtaining and maintaining funding is critical to sustaining your research career. Whether that support comes from a foundation or philanthropy, the National Institutes of Health (NIH), or another government agency, the resources at Harvard Catalyst provide training and advice to help you to navigate the grant application process.
NIH Loan Repayment Programs (LRPs)
- Established by Congress designed to recruit and retain highly qualified health professionals into biomedical or biobehavioral research careers. The NIH LRPs pay up to $35,000 annually of qualified educational debt in return for a commitment to engage in NIH mission-relevant research. Applicants must hold an M.D., Ph.D., Psy.D., Pharm.D., D.O., D.D.S., D.M.D., D.P.M., D.C., N.D., O.D., D.V.M., or equivalent doctoral-level degree. More information about eligibility requirements can be found here: https://www.lrp.nih.gov/eligibility-programs
K99/R00 Sample Applications - NIH via National Institute on Aging
An NIA Investigator has graciously agreed to share their exceptional applications and summary statements as samples to help the research community. The resources below represent the initial submission and subsequent resubmission of a K99/R00 application from a single applicant, who received an excellent score and was funded upon resubmission. This is only one example of a successful K99/R00 application and is not meant to be a template for future applicants. Please make sure that your application is tailored to your specific research and career development plan, and seek individual advice from mentors and peers as you prepare your application. Read more about K99/R00 funding opportunities at NIA.
Center for Disease Control Funding
Non-NIH Funding Opportunites - compiled by the Fogarty International Center
Environmental Protection Agency Funding
"Grant Proposals Guide" - created by The Writing Center, UNC-Chapel Hill
Career Development Funding for Biomedical Research
Research & Funding Timeline | Federal Research Funding Agencies | Non-Federal Research Funding Agencies