Greetings,
We are excited to share this limited submission opportunity from the Kinship Foundation. The Searle Scholars Program supports the independent research of outstanding early career scientists in the biomedical sciences and chemistry. Harvard may put forward three nominations for this funding opportunity. More information about the award and the internal selection process can be found in the synopsis and links below. For a full list of currently open opportunities that have been announced through our office, please visit our new Current Opportunities web page. As a reminder, our Research Development team is available to provide proposal development support to FAS ladder faculty.
- Harvard Pre-Proposal Deadline: July 19, 2026 at 11:59 PM ET
- OSP Deadline, if selected: September 23, 2026 at 9:00 AM ET
Departments or areas may require additional time for proposal review and submission. Please discuss a timeline with your departmental or FORA grants administrator.
- Sponsor Deadline, if selected: September 30, 2026
- Award Amount: $450,000 over three years ($150,000 pear year)
The Searle Scholars Program does not allow indirect costs. This rate falls short of the 15% overhead required by FAS/SEAS policy; because these are early career awards, FAS/SEAS recognizes this indirect cost limit and does not require further action, such as a waiver or direct charge of other costs.
Program Overview
The Searle Scholars Program aims to support the independent research of early career scientists who have recently been appointed as tenure-track assistant professors. The program is interested in high risk, high reward research across a broad range of scientific disciplines. Approximately 15 new awards are made annually.
Priority Areas
- 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.
- Although purely clinical research is not ordinarily supported, the program may consider research programs that include both clinical and basic components.
- Potential applicants who are unsure if their research is appropriate for this Program are encouraged to examine the research interests of present and former Scholars.
- 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.
Eligibility Criteria
- Submissions are restricted to nominated candidates from participating institutions only.
- Applicants should have begun their appointment as an independent investigator at the assistant professor level on or after May 1, 2025. The appointment must be their first tenure-track position (or its nearest equivalent).
- The Program does consider extenuating circumstances and may make exceptions to the appointment start-date on a case by case basis. Favorable considerations include a start date very close to the stated date, an unusually short period of post doctoral training, and parental leave.
- Applicants need not be U.S. citizens but awardees must be legally employed at a United States degree granting or research institution.
- 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.
- The Searle Scholars Program does not place any restrictions on funding from other sources of support. The Searle Scholars award is meant to supplement other funding received by an investigator.
Pre-Proposal Materials
- Proposal title
- Grant administrator's name and email address
- Single paragraph summary of proposal in lay terms (200 words maximum)
- A proposal of not more than two (2) pages, 10 point font minimum. Related graphics and/or references may be placed on consecutive blank pages after the written proposal
- A current CV in NIH Biosketch format (five pages) including current and pending funding
- Letter of recommendation from a Department Chair or Center Director
Limited Submission Details
This is a limited submission opportunity and Harvard may only nominate three candidates. The Office of the Vice Provost for Research is facilitating an internal application process for eligible applicants from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, schools located on Harvard's Cambridge campus, and the Wyss Institute. To be considered for a Harvard nomination, applicants with those affiliations must submit an internal pre-proposal by 11:59 PM on July 19, 2026, via the link above. Applicants from HMS Quad, HSDM, and affiliated institutions should apply through the process facilitated by HMS Foundation Funds, which nominates separately to this opportunity.
Additional Information and Resources
Visit the Searle Scholars Program website for more information, including FAQs, details on the 2027 award cycle dates and current and previous Scholars. Applicants will be notified of their status in April 2027 and the award term for the 2027 class of Scholars will begin on July 1, 2027. Searle Scholars are expected to attend the Annual Searle Scholars Meeting, normally held in Chicago in April.
Recent awardees from FAS and SEAS include: Carolyn Elya (MCB, 2025), Caroline Albertin (OEB, 2024), Kara McKinley (SCRB, 2022), Nicholas Bellono (MCB, 2019), and Doeke Hekstra (MCB & SEAS, 2018).
Questions from FAS or SEAS faculty about this opportunity may be directed to research_development@fas.harvard.edu.
Requests for support related to the application portal may be directed to vpr@harvard.edu. |
