Hastings Innovation Award for Interstitial Lung Disease Award

The American Lung Association administers a nationwide research program that builds on more than 120 years of work supporting lung health research. Through the Hastings Innovation Award for Interstitial Lung Disease Award, the Association seeks to support highly promising investigators with strong records of accomplishment who have the potential to advance lung disease science. Successful applicants are expected to demonstrate prior excellence and productivity while still being in the early stages of their careers. Applicants must have held a K or R type award within the five years preceding their application for this American Lung Association award. The proposed research should be relevant to the American Lung Association mission to save lives by improving lung health and preventing lung disease. The award provides $75,000 per year for up to two years. Awards are made in one-year increments, with second-year support contingent upon satisfactory progress and the availability of American Lung Association funding. Indirect costs are not allowed. No more than 75 percent of the requested budget may support the awardee's salary and fringe benefits, and no more than 30 percent of the total award budget may be used for permanent equipment. Grant funds may support salary and fringe benefits for personnel other than the applicant. Up to $2,500 per year may be used for travel or publication costs directly related to the funded project. Funds may not be used for furniture, computers, construction or renovation, honoraria, membership dues, tuition, textbooks, periodicals, or secretarial support. The institutional salary limitation for the applicant is $212,000, and salary support for intramural NIH-funded scientists is not permitted. The guide does not state a cost-sharing or matching requirement. At the time of application, the applicant must hold a doctoral degree and have a full-time faculty or equivalent professional appointment with demonstrated institutional commitment at a recognized academic or other nonprofit research institution. The applicant's publication record should demonstrate significant scientific contributions. Individuals who have served as PI on three or more large federal research grants during their careers are ineligible; examples include R01, U01, P01, and VA Merit awards, while service as a Co-Investigator does not count toward this restriction. The applicant must certify authorization to work in the United States, and the institutional Signing Official must certify that employment is expected to continue throughout the grant period. The research institution must be nonprofit, located in the United States, and operated exclusively for scientific and educational purposes. Eligible institutions include nonprofit colleges or universities and domestic nonprofit scientific and research institutions. Applicants are limited to one American Lung Association Awards and Grant application per annual cycle and may receive this grant only once. Applications must be submitted electronically through proposalCENTRAL at https://proposalcentral.altum.com. The application includes applicant and institutional information, personnel information, mission significance and resubmission questions where applicable, general and technical project summaries, scientific and research categories, facilities and resources information, a detailed budget and justification, Other Support, assurances, publications, an applicant Biographical Sketch, and the Research Plan. Key Personnel require Biographical Sketches of no more than five pages. The Research Plan includes a standalone Specific Aims section limited to one page and a Research Strategy limited to six pages covering Significance, Innovation, and Approach. References may be up to five pages and are included as part of the appendix. A Department Head Statement on institutional letterhead is required. Recommendation letters are not required, although letters of support may be included in the appendix. Required attachments must be uploaded as PDF files, and applications must be validated before electronic submission and completion of required e-signature certifications. Eligible applications proceed to external peer review. Review considers the scientific rigor and feasibility of the approach, including study design, methods, analysis plan, and the likelihood that the work can be completed during the project period. Reviewers also consider relevance to the American Lung Association mission, the significance and importance of the research to lung health, innovative concepts, approaches or methodologies, the applicant's education and experience, faculty or permanent research appointment and institutional commitment, and the potential impact on lung health and the applicant's likelihood of making significant contributions to the field. Research involving human subjects, animals, or biohazards must meet applicable federal and institutional requirements. Where applicable, required IRB and IACUC approvals must be supplied before the award begins. Applicants must also disclose use of AI tools in preparing the application when such tools were used. Applications are accepted beginning August 5, 2026, and the submission deadline is December 1, 2026 at 11:59 PM ET. Peer review is scheduled for January through April, outcome notifications are expected in June 2027, and the research term begins July 1, 2027. The fixed American Lung Association award period is July 1, 2027 through June 30, 2029, subject to the annual renewal provisions. The reference to one application per annual cycle supports treating the opportunity as recurring annually; using the current August 2026 opening month, the next anticipated cycle is August 2027. No separate LOI, concept paper, pre-proposal, or other pre-application gating requirement is stated. Questions concerning the electronic application process may be directed to pcsupport@altum.com, and proposalCENTRAL customer service is also identified at 1-800-875-2562.

Prioritize scientific rigor and feasibility, mission relevance, significance to lung health, innovation, strong study design and analysis, institutional commitment, and potential impact. Keep Specific Aims within one page and Research Strategy within six pages. Enter Other Support manually and completely because an uploaded CV or Biosketch does not satisfy the requirement. Follow formatting and PDF attachment requirements, avoid budget overlap, obtain applicable approvals before the award begins, review uploaded files, validate all required information, and complete required certifications before submission.