American Diabetes Association (ADA)

American Diabetes Association (ADA): 2025 Pathway to Stop Diabetes - Initiator Award (INI) & Accelerator Award (ACE)

Apply to Internal Competition // Limit: 2* // Tickets Available: 2

Basic through Pre-clinical Research Studies // Limit: 1 // Tickets Available: 1

Clinical through Public Health Research // Limit: 1 // Tickets Available: 1 

ADA will accept up to two (2) nominations per institution with one (1) nomination spanning basic through preclinical research and one (1) nomination spanning clinical through public health research.

Nominations are welcomed from all areas of diabetes and span prevention, management, and cure of all diabetes types (i.e. type 1, type 2 and gestational), diabetes-related disease states (obesity, prediabetes, and other insulin resistant states) and complications. The program intends to attract a broad range of expertise to the field of diabetes from various fields of science and technology, including medicine, biology, chemistry, engineering, mathematics, and physics.

Examples of basic through preclinical research studies (for nomination #1) include:

  • Innovative mechanistic studies on fundamental or new aspects of biology
  • Novel insights derived from data science using AI/Machine Learning
  • Development of new technologies, devices, and/or experimental approaches
  • Identification and validation of novel and unique therapeutic targets 


Examples of clinical through public health research (for nomination #2) include:

  • Clinical experimental medicine studies
  • Identification and validation of novel biomarkers
  • Health services research
  • Behavioral research
  • Population epidemiology
  • Health economics research
  • Patient preference / Quality of Life
  • Dissemination and implementation science
  • Health Care system-based interventions

     

Eligibility

Accelerator Award Eligibility

  • Applicants must hold independent faculty positions and have demonstrated independent productivity in diabetes research. Applicants may currently hold independent NIH funding (K or R awards, including an initial NIH R01) but must not have applied for, or received, an NIH R01 renewal or a second R01 award.
  • Applicants must hold a MD, PhD, DMD, DO, PharmD, DVM or an equivalent health- or science-related degree.
  • Candidate’s must hold a full-time appointment at their sponsoring institution. Rare exceptions to full- time positions may be granted on a case-by-case basis and must be pre-approved by ADA Research Programs staff prior to application submission.
  • Applications are open to individuals with current research positions at university-affiliated institutions or other non-profit research institutions within the United States and U.S. possessions.
  • To assure continued excellence and diversity among applicants and awardees, the Association welcomes applications from all qualified individuals and strongly encourages applications from persons with diverse backgrounds, including minority groups that are underrepresented in biomedical research.
  • Individuals must have permission to work within the U.S., either as U.S. citizens or permanent residents, or with appropriate work visas/permits. Institutional confirmation of permission to work within the U.S. will be required at the time of application submission.

Initiator Award Eligibility

  • Applicants must currently be in research training positions (i.e. post-doctoral fellowships, research fellowships) and can have no more than seven (7) years of training since their doctoral degree.
  • Initiator award recipients cannot concurrently hold an NIH K99/R00 grant. All other Career Development awards are allowable (unless holding of concurrent awards is prohibited by the other granting agency).
  • Candidate’s must hold a full-time appointment at their sponsoring institution. Rare exceptions to full- time positions may be granted on a case-by-case basis and must be pre-approved by ADA Research Programs staff prior to application submission.
  • Applicants must hold a MD, PhD, DMD, DO, PharmD, DVM or an equivalent health- or science-related degree.
  • Applicant fellowship positions must be at university-affiliated institutions or other non-profit research institutions within the United States and U.S. possessions.
  • To assure continued excellence and diversity among applicants and awardees, the Association welcomes applications from all qualified individuals and strongly encourages applications from persons with diverse backgrounds, including minority groups that are underrepresented in biomedical research.
  • Individuals must have permission to work within the U.S., either as U.S. citizens or permanent residents, or with appropriate work visas/permits. Institutional confirmation of permission to work within the U.S. will be required at the time of application submission
Funding Type
Internal Deadline
External Deadline
7/23/2025
Solicitation Type

American Diabetes Association (ADA): 2024 Pathway to Stop Diabetes - Initiator Award (INI) & Accelerator Award (ACE)

No Applicants // Limit: 2* // Tickets Available: 2

 

Starting in 2024, ADA will accept up to two (2) nominations per institution with one (1) nomination spanning basic through preclinical research and one (1) nomination spanning clinical through public health research. 

Pathway to Stop Diabetes has a simple, yet revolutionary goal: to find scientists at the peak of their creativity and provide them with the flexibility and resources they need on the road to breakthrough discoveries. We attract and retain brilliant scientists in diabetes. Our three areas of focus—awarding research grants, providing access to scientific and career mentoring from leading diabetes researchers, and creating a diabetes think tank—are each key components of a unique formula to cultivate the next generation of leaders, whose discoveries will stop diabetes and all of its burdens once and for all.

 

Initiator Award (INI)

  • Award Term: Up to 7 years
  • Applicant: Postdoctoral Fellow
  • Maximum Funding: Up to $100,000/year in Phase 1, Up to $325,000/year in Phase 2
  • Support: Project support & PI salary
  • Indirect Support: Up to 10% of directs in Phase 1, Up to 30% of directs in Phase 2
  • Project % Effort Required: 75-100% effort in Phase 1, 50-75% effort in Phase 2
  • Citizenship: Authorized to work in U.S. or U.S. possessions
  • Description: This two-phased award is designed to support the transition of scientists from mentored training to independent research faculty.
  • Eligibility: Eligible applicants must currently be in research training positions (post-doctoral fellow, research fellowship) and have no more than seven years of research training following terminal doctoral degree. Applicants cannot concurrently hold an NIH K99/R00 grant. Candidates must be identified through institutional nomination; applications will be accepted only from individuals with the appropriate institution support.
  • Support: Awards provide two distinct phases of research support: Phase 1 provides up to two years of support for mentored training at a maximum of $100,000 per year (including 10% indirect costs), Phase 2 provides up to five years of support for independent research at a maximum of $325,000 per year (including 30% indirect costs). Maximum combined support for Phase 1 and Phase 2 is $1,625,000.

 

 

Accelerator Award (ACE)
 

  • Award Term: Up to 5 years
  • Applicant: Early Career Faculty
  • Maximum Funding: $325,000/year
  • Support: Project support & PI salary
  • Indirect Support: Up to 30% of directs
  • Project % Effort Required: 25-50% effort
  • Citizenship: Authorized to work in U.S. or U.S. possessions
  • Description: This award is designed to support exceptional, independent early-career researchers who have distinguished themselves as promising investigators and are in the beginning stages of establishing successful, sustainable diabetes research programs.
  • Eligibility: Awards are available to early-career diabetes investigators proposing innovative and ambitious diabetes-related research programs. Applicants must hold faculty positions and have demonstrated independent productivity in diabetes research. Applicants may currently hold independent NIH funding (K, U or R awards, including an initial R01/U01) but must not have applied for (regardless of outcome), or received, an R01/U01 renewal or a second R01/U01 award. Candidates must be identified through institutional nomination; applications will be accepted only from individuals with the appropriate institution support.
  • Support: Awards provide five years of research support at a maximum of $325,000 per year (including 30% indirect costs), for a total of $1,625,000.
Funding Type
Internal Deadline
External Deadline
07/17/2024 (Required Letter of Intent)