Slots: University of Southern California is invited to nominate 1 individual to apply
Deadlines
Internal Deadline: Friday, July 12th, 2024, 5pm PT A nominee has been chosen.
LOI: N/A
External Deadline: September 30, 2024, 5pm CDT.
Award Information
Type: Grant
Estimated Number of Awards: Generally, fifteen new awards are granted annually and are activated on July 1 of the year of the competition.
Anticipated Amount: Grants are set at $300,000 for a three-year period with $100,000 payable in the first year and equal sums payable in the second and third years and are subject to the receipt of acceptable progress reports.
The awards are made to tax-exempt institutions described in section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code and are designated for the support of the research described in the application.
Link: https://searlescholars.org/competition/award-information/
Who May Serve as PI: The Searle Scholars Scientific Advisory Board is primarily interested in the potential of applicants to make innovative and high-impact contributions to research over an extended period of time.
Applicants for the 2025 competition (awards which will be activated on July 1, 2025) 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).
Institutions which do not have tenure-track appointments should consult with the Scientific Director of the Program regarding eligibility of selected applicants PRIOR to nominating such individuals.
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 for our Program are encouraged to examine the research interests of present and former Searle Scholars on this website.
Applicants who were nominated for awards in the previous competition year but were not awarded may still meet the eligibility criteria for the current competition. Institutions should consult with the Scientific Director of the Program regarding renomination of such individuals.
Process for Limited Submissions
PIs must submit their application as a Limited Submission through the Research Initiatives and Infrastructure (RII) Application Portal: https://rii.usc.edu/oor-portal/. Use the template provided here: RII Limited Submission Applicant Template
Materials to submit include:
- (1) Two-Page Proposal Summary (1” margins; single-spaced; standard font type, e.g. Arial, Helvetica, Times New Roman, or Georgia typeface; font size: 11 pt). Page limit includes references and illustrations. Pages that exceed the 2-page limit will be excluded from review. You must use the template linked above.
- (2) CV – (5 pages maximum)
Note: The portal requires information about the PIs in addition to department and contact information, including the 10-digit USC ID#, Gender, and Ethnicity. Please have this material prepared before beginning this application.
Purpose
The Searle Scholars Program is a limited submission award program that makes grants to selected academic and research institutions to support the independent research of outstanding early-career scientists who have recently been appointed as assistant professors on a tenure-track appointment. The Searle Scholars Program supports high risk, high reward research across a broad range of scientific disciplines.
Visit our Institutionally Limited Submission webpage for more updates and other announcements.