Deadlines  |  Application Materials  |  Application Submission Instructions  |  Reference Letters

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Deadlines

(Please note: completed applications and CDs or DVDs must be in our office by 4:30 pm (ET) on the deadline—NOT simply postmarked by the due date.)

*Include a copy of the diploma to confirm date of conferral.

Application Materials

The pages should be in the following sequence and numbered consecutively:
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1. Application cover sheet with all required original signatures.  DO NOT SCAN SIGNATURES FOR PDF COPY OF COVER SHEET
   [If applying under the mentorship of two Sponsors, please have your second Sponsor fill out the co-Sponsor cover sheet.]
2. The Sponsor’s biographical sketch in NIH format and a list of current funding. Please limit the Sponsor’s bibliography to five (5) publications that are most relevant to the proposed research.  Please do not include the Sponsor’s full bibliography.
   [If applying under the mentorship of two Sponsors, the co-Sponsor must also submit a biosketch.]
3. Sponsor’s letter including:
           a) description of training plan for the candidate
           b) track record of mentorship with list of graduate and postdoctoral fellows trained
           c) percentage (__%) of proposal written by the candidate.  (Please give a numerical percentage.)
   [If applying under the mentorship of two Sponsors, the training plan for the candidate must be written jointly and each co-Sponsor must submit his/her individual track record of mentorship with list of graduate and postdoctoral fellows trained.]
4. The applicant’s curriculum vitae, including a bibliography of all published works.
5. A letter from the applicant describing his or her previous research and teaching experience- the letter must state that the applicant is committed to a career in cancer research.
6. The research proposal, which shall not exceed five pages of single-spaced 12-point type with at least 0.5 inch margins.  In the proposal, the applicant should:

a) provide a summary of the research proposed (this is in addition to the required summary sheet form)

b) provide a brief background to the proposed research

c) state specific research objectives/aims

d) describe concisely the method of approach for the proposed research

e) explain the significance of the proposed research to the Foundation’s goals: understanding the causes and mechanisms of cancer and developing more effective cancer therapies and prevention

f) demonstrate the relevance of his or her own background and the background and previous work of the Sponsor and any other investigators to the proposed research

g) include a written statement testifying that adequate safety precautions will apply for projects that involve any biohazards (e.g., recombinant DNA, chemical carcinogens, etc.) and that the research project has been (or will be) approved by the appropriate Institutional Review Board, Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee, and/or Biohazards Committee

h) list references including the full title of each work cited- the references are not included in the five page limit

i) figures or tables may be appended or incorporated into the text (not to exceed two extra pages)

7. A copy of the applicant’s degree certificate
8. The Summary of Research Form, not to exceed one page- no attachments.  (Please do not staple it to the application.)
9. If available, include PDFs only (NO HARD COPIES) of up to three different reprints of the applicant’s publications - no submitted papers, published papers only.

Application Submission Instructions

The above application materials should be submitted to the Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation for arrival at our offices on or before the deadline. Along with the original application (hard copy), applicants must submit a CD or DVD of all the required materials.

Download application checklist.

ALL FILES MUST BE IN PDF FORMAT.

Please number your PDF files to correspond to the listing below. To ensure proper organization of the files, please name all your files as:

Sponsor’s last name-Applicant’s last name, file #

Example: If the sponsor’s name is Jane Doe and the applicant’s name is John Smith, this is how the files should be named:

Doe-Smith, 1.pdf
Doe-Smith, 2.pdf
Doe-Smith, 3.pdf
and so on…

REQUIRED MATERIALS

1. Application cover sheet
2. Sponsor’s biographical sketch and list of current funding
3. Sponsor’s letter
4. Applicant’s CV
5. Applicant’s letter
6. Research proposal
7. Applicant’s degree certificate
8. Summary of research form
9. 9a,b,c. Up to three different reprints of the applicant’s publications (PDF only)

AND Three reference letters using the Foundation's form (sent directly to the Foundation by referees)

ON THE CD or DVD (NOT THE CASE), PLEASE CLEARLY LABEL THE SPONSOR’S AND APPLICANT’S NAMES.

Send Complete Application and CD or DVD to:

Award Programs
Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation
One Exchange Plaza
55 Broadway, Suite 302
New York, NY  10006

FAXED OR E-MAILED APPLICATIONS WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED

Reference Letters

Referees must submit their letters using our reference letter form on or before the application deadline. Please download and send the form to your referees or direct them to our website (www.damonrunyon.org).

THREE (3) LETTERS OF REFERENCE ARE REQUIRED from qualified individuals, other than the candidate’s Sponsor, who can evaluate the candidate's qualifications for the proposed research project and assess the candidate's potential for successful independent cancer research.  Referees are also asked to rank the applicant's intellectual capacity and research potential in comparison with others at a comparable career stage, indicating the comparison group and citing specific examples for their assesment.  For candidates with a PhD, one of the reference letters must come from the candidate's thesis advisor.

Referees must use the reference letter form and e-mail (.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)) OR fax (917.591.4780) their letters to the Foundation as PDFs on or before the application deadline.  Do not follow-up with a hard copy.  For referees who are writing letters on behalf of more than one candidate, please submit each letter separately.

Note: Please notify the Foundation immediately of any changes to your contact information provided in the application.

Contact Information:
Award Programs | 212.455.0520 | .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)