The Burroughs Wellcome Fund is committed to fostering the development of the next generation of biomedical scientists and is committed to supporting degree-granting institutions to achieve this goal. The career development of young scientists has been a major funding theme at BWF and various programs have provided major support to promising young scientists to help them make the transition from late postdoctoral training to early faculty service.
The Career Awards for Medical Scientists (CAMS) was introduced in 2007 to specifically address the declining participation of physicians engaged in academic biomedical research. The CAMS award provides support to facilitate the transition from mentored position to independence for the early career physician scientist. The program is ideal for the physician scientist considering an academic career.
CAMS is a highly competitive program that provides $700,000 in support over five years for physician scientists (MD, DO, DVM, DDS), who are committed to an academic career, to bridge postdoctoral/fellowship training and the early years of faculty service.
Proposals must be in the area of basic biomedical, disease-oriented, or translational research. Proposals in health services research or involving large-scale clinical trials are not eligible. BWF anticipates making up to 14 awards including up to two awards to clinically trained psychiatrists who focus their research at the interface between psychiatry and neuroscience.
Eligibility
Competitive candidates for the CAMS award will have at least two years of research experience, be two years away from becoming an independent investigator, be a first author on at least one publication in a high impact top-tier journal, and have a significant publication record. Applications must be approved and signed by an official responsible for sponsored programs (generally from the grants office, office of research, or office of sponsored programs) at the degree-granting institution. Candidates should contact one of these offices for an authorized signature before submitting the grant application. The following eligibility requirements must be adhered to and will be strictly enforced:
- Candidates must hold an MD, DDS, DVM, or DO degree.
- Candidates must not be more than 13 years past their clinical doctorate degree. To meet this requirement, applicants must have received their clinical doctorate degree on or after January 1, 2005.
- Candidates may hold a junior faculty appointment (Lecturer, Instructor, Assistant Professor-non-tenure track, etc.). However, candidates with tenure track appointments are not eligible.
- Candidates that have non-tenure track faculty appointments with institutional start-up funds or hold an NIH R01 are not eligible.
- Candidates must submit proposals through accredited, degree-granting institutions in the US or Canada. Candidates must obtain approval and signature by an authorized official at the degree-granting university in the US or Canada.
- An authorized official at the degree-granting institution must verify candidate’s immigration status as part of the application.
- The primary mentor or faculty sponsor of a candidate must hold an appointment at the same accredited, degree-granting institution in the US or Canada as the applicant.
- Citizens and non-citizen permanent and temporary residents of the US and Canada who are legally
qualified to work in the US or Canada are eligible. - Candidates who are temporary US residents must hold a valid US visa (J-1, H1B, F-1 or O-1 visas).
- Temporary Canadian residents must hold a valid Canadian visa (Study Permit, C-43, C-44, C-10, or
C-20 work permits/visas). - As a candidate, your visa status must allow you to remain in the US or Canada during the award period of the CAMS grant. If a grant is awarded and your visa does not allow for such a stay, BWF may terminate the grant. BWF will not intercede on behalf of non-citizens whose stay in the US or Canada falls out of visa compliance.
- Proposals must be in the area of basic biomedical, disease-oriented, or translational research. Proposals in health services research or involving large-scale clinical trials will not be considered.
- Candidates with a clinical degree not awarded in the US or Canada must be fully licensed to practice in the US or Canada or have completed a residency in the US or Canada.
- Candidates must be committed to a full-time career in research as an independent investigator at a North American degree-granting institution.
- Award recipients are required to devote at least 75% of their time to research-related activities.
- Applicants are allowed to hold a National Institutes of Health K-series award (except K99/R00) or other career development awards as long as there is no conflict with meeting the terms of BWF’s award.
Deadline: October 1, 2018 (4:00 pm) for a September 1, 2019 award start
URLs:
- Program site – https://www.bwfund.org/grant-programs/biomedical-sciences/career-awards-medical-scientists
- CAMS RFP – https://www.bwfund.org/sites/default/files/media/files/grant-programs/BWF_CAMS_final.pdf
Filed Under: Funding Opportunities