American Lung Association Innovation Award

The American Lung Association Innovation Award is part of the American Lung Association nationwide research program, which builds on more than 120 years of work supporting research intended to improve the lives of people living with lung disease. The Innovation Award supports 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 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 the American Lung Association award. The Innovation Award provides $75,000 per year for up to two years. Awards are made in one-year increments, and second-year support is contingent upon satisfactory progress and the availability of American Lung Association funding. No more than 75 percent of the requested budget may be used for 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 also support salary and fringe benefit costs 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. Indirect costs are not allowed. Award funds may not be used for furniture, computers, construction or renovation of facilities, 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. At the time of application, an applicant must hold a doctoral degree and have a full-time faculty or equivalent professional appointment with demonstrated institutional commitment, including salary support and research space evidenced by a Department Chair or equivalent letter. The applicant must be authorized to work in the United States, and the institutional Signing Official must certify that employment is expected to continue throughout the grant period. Applicants must have held a K or R level grant during the five years preceding application. Individuals who have served as Principal Investigator on three or more large federal research grants during their careers are not eligible, although service as a Co-Investigator does not count toward this restriction. 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 may submit only one American Lung Association Awards and Grant application per annual cycle and may receive the Innovation Award only once. A Letter of Intent is mandatory and must be submitted through ProposalCentral. LOIs are accepted beginning August 5, 2026 and must be submitted by September 18, 2026 at 11:59 PM ET. The LOI requires a one-page description covering the rationale and significance, specific aims and hypotheses, and overall experimental approach, together with the applicant's biographical sketch and proposed budget. LOI notifications are scheduled for October 23, 2026. Only applicants invited following LOI review may submit a full proposal. Invited applications must be submitted electronically through ProposalCentral by December 1, 2026 at 11:59 PM ET. ProposalCentral electronic application questions may be directed to pcsupport@altum.com, and ProposalCentral customer service is also available at 1-800-875-2562. The full application includes applicant and institutional information, key personnel information and biographical sketches, mission significance, general and technical project summaries, scientific and research categories, facilities and resources, a detailed budget and justification, Other Support, assurances, publications, and a Research Plan. The Research Plan includes a standalone Specific Aims section of no more than one page and a Research Strategy of no more than six pages organized under Significance, Innovation, and Approach. A Department Head Statement on institutional letterhead is required. Recommendation letters are not required, although letters of support may be included in the appendix. References may not exceed five pages and belong in the appendix. Applications must follow specified formatting requirements, including English language, Arial 11 point font unless otherwise specified, margins of at least one-half inch, and PDF format for uploaded attachments. Applicants must also disclose the use and purpose of AI tools used for application assistance. Eligible applications undergo external peer review. Review factors include the scientific rigor and feasibility of the approach, study design, methods and analysis plan, likelihood of completing the work during the project period, relevance to the American Lung Association mission, significance to lung health research, innovation, the applicant's education and experience, faculty or permanent research status, institutional commitment, and the anticipated impact of the research on lung health and the applicant's potential contributions to the field. Research involving human subjects, animals, or biohazards must comply with applicable federal and institutional requirements. IRB and IACUC submissions are recommended at or before application, with required approvals provided before the award begins. Applications involving animals are ineligible if the institution lacks an IACUC or AAALAC accreditation. The current cycle opens for LOI submission on August 5, 2026, with the required LOI due September 18, 2026. LOI notifications are scheduled for October 23, 2026, and invited full applications are due December 1, 2026. Peer review occurs from January through April, outcome notifications are expected in June 2027, and the research term begins July 1, 2027. The stated award period is July 1, 2027 through June 30, 2029, subject to the annual renewal conditions. Because the guidelines describe a one-application-per-annual-cycle limitation, the opportunity is treated as recurring annually for data-entry purposes, with the next cycle anticipated around August 2027 based on the August 2026 opening date.

Emphasize scientific rigor and feasibility, mission relevance, significance to lung health, innovation, institutional commitment, and potential impact on lung health. Ensure the project can be completed within the award period, comply strictly with formatting and page limits, fully disclose Other Support, avoid budgetary overlap, validate all required information and files before submission, and disclose material use of AI tools.