Early Investigator Opportunities

This page lists funding opportunities for early career investigators that have been hand-curated by RDS. As with all funding lists and search engines, it is critical to review the primary source to confirm the organization’s definition of "early career", deadlines, and description. To assist with this, the award titles are hyperlinked to the opportunity's home page or guidelines. Find more opportunities using Search Engines, Databases and Tools such as Pivot, which are provided to UA faculty and staff free of cost. In Pivot, select “Individuals: Early Career and Emerging in Field” under “Applicant Type”, or go to the Pivot search results for New Faculty/New Investigator.

Updates occur approximately once-per-quarter, check back regularly for new listings.

Search tips: the table below defaults to the submission deadline, be sure to check the bottom of the table to search for opportunities that are open year round or for opportunities that have passed for the current year that have anticipated release and due dates for the following year. A program is listed as "anticipated" if the program has a multi-year history of funding. Dates for anticipated announcements are best estimates and while we try to keep these posts up-to-date it's always good practice to check the homepage of the opportunity that you are interested in for full details. You can also search by Program Title by clicking on the "Program Title" column heading. To revert back to sorting by submission deadline, click the back arrow on your browser.

Early Investigators Opportunities

 
Program Title Sponsor Research Category Funding Type External Deadline Notes
AFOSR Young Investigator Program (YIP) Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR) Biomedical, Clinical & Life Sciences, Mathematics, Computational, & Data Sciences, Physical Sciences & Engineering 06/01/2025 (Anticipated)
The Air Force Office of Scientific Research YIP supports scientists and engineers who have received Ph.D. or equivalent degrees in the last five years and show exceptional ability and promise for conducting basic research (see…
Early Career Investigator Program in Earth Science (ECIP-ES) National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Physical Sciences & Engineering 07/21/2025 (Anticipated) Visit the link and search for "New (Early Career) Investigator Program in Earth Science". Designed to support outstanding scientific research and career development of scientists and engineers at the early stage of their professional…
Cottrell Scholars Research Corporation for Science Advancement (RCSA) Physical Sciences & Engineering 07/01/2025 (Anticipated) Eligible applicants are tenure-track faculty who hold primary or courtesy appointments in chemistry, physics, or astronomy departments that offer bachelor's and/or graduate degrees in the applicant's discipline. For the 2023 proposal cycle…
Damon Runyon-Rachleff Innovation Award Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation Biomedical, Clinical & Life Sciences 07/06/2025 (Anticipated)
The initial award will be for two years, $200,000 per year ($400,000 total) with the opportunity for up to two additional years of funding (up to four years total for $800,000). Continued support for years three and four will be granted to…
ONR Young Investigator Program (YIP) Office of Naval Research (ONR) Biomedical, Clinical & Life Sciences, Mathematics, Computational, & Data Sciences, Physical Sciences & Engineering 07/01/2025 (Anticipated)
YIP seeks to identify and support academic scientists and engineers who are in their first or second full-time, tenure-track, or tenure-track-equivalent academic appointment and who show exceptional promise for doing creative research…
Career Catalyst Research Grants (CCR) Susan G. Komen Foundation Biomedical, Clinical & Life Sciences 07/14/2025 (Anticipated)
Komen Training and Career Development awards seek to bridge the funding gap faced by recently graduated PhDs and early faculty as they start their careers in breast cancer research. $450,000 combined direct and indirect costs; ($150,…
Faculty Early Career Development Program (CAREER) National Science Foundation (NSF) Biomedical, Clinical & Life Sciences, Mathematics, Computational, & Data Sciences, Physical Sciences & Engineering, Social Science & Law, STEM, Education, Training 07/23/2025
CAREER: The Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Program is a Foundation-wide activity that offers the National Science Foundation's most prestigious awards in support of early-career faculty who who have the potential to…
Beckman Young Investigators (BYI) Program Arnold and Mabel Beckman Foundation Biomedical, Clinical & Life Sciences, Physical Sciences & Engineering 08/01/2025 (Anticipated)
Open to those within the first three years of a tenure-track position, or an equivalent independent research appointment, in an academic or non-profit institution that conducts research in the chemical and life sciences. No individual may…
Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CISE) Research Initiation Initiative (CRII) National Science Foundation (NSF) Mathematics, Computational, & Data Sciences 09/18/2025
With the goal of encouraging research independence immediately upon obtaining one's first academic position after receipt of the PhD, the Directorate for Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CISE) will award grants to…
Greenwall Faculty Scholars Program in Bioethics Greenwall Foundation Biomedical, Clinical & Life Sciences 09/18/2025
The Greenwall Faculty Scholars Program in Bioethics is a career development award to enable junior faculty members to carry out innovative bioethics research. Each year around three Greenwall Faculty Scholars are selected to receive 50…

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(520) 621-8585 

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Tucson, AZ 85719

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