IGNITE Award

The CRI IGNITE Award, short for Inspiring Growth and Nurturing Independence Through Excellence, is a career development award from the Cancer Research Institute designed to support outstanding postdoctoral researchers as they transition into independent tenure-track investigators. The program advances CRI's commitment to cancer immunotherapy by investing in researchers at a critical point in their careers. IGNITE combines research funding, mentorship, protected research time, career development, and institutional support to help promising investigators establish independent research programs and sustain productive careers in cancer immunology. The award consists of two sequential phases providing up to five years of support. Phase 1, the IGNITE Foundation Phase, provides up to two years of postdoctoral support at $150,000 per year. This consists of $90,000 per year in salary support and $60,000 per year to fund independent work. Phase 1 is intended to provide protected time, mentorship, research support, and professional development necessary to prepare the candidate for independence. Phase 2, the IGNITE Independence Phase, provides up to three years of faculty support at $250,000 per year and supports early faculty members as they establish laboratories and pursue high-impact research in cancer immunology. Funding in Phase 2 is contingent upon an adequate institutional start-up package. The institution may not use IGNITE funds to offset its typical start-up package or usual salary commitment to a tenure-track or equivalent assistant professor. At the initial application stage, candidates must be in a mentored postdoctoral position and generally have no more than five years of postdoctoral experience, although candidates with more than five years may contact CRI regarding an exception. Candidates must commit to at least 12 months of mentored research before transitioning to independence. Applicants cannot currently or previously have held an independent research faculty or tenure-track faculty position, or its equivalent, in academia, industry, or elsewhere. The program is open to U.S. and international researchers, has no citizenship requirement, and permits research to be conducted in the United States or abroad. To proceed to Phase 2, a recipient must have received an IGNITE Foundation Phase award, accepted a full-time tenure-track assistant professor position or equivalent, and normally completed at least 12 months of Phase 1. The Phase 1 application requires extensive candidate, mentor, and research documentation. Candidate materials include a CV and bibliography, descriptions of background and accomplishments, publication history covering one to three notable publications, career goals and objectives, and a career development plan. The specified candidate narrative items have a maximum of 500 words each. Mentor materials include letters of support from the primary mentor and any co-mentors, mentor and co-mentor biosketches, a list of their current research support, and two recommendation letters from individuals other than the mentor. The research section requires a detailed budget for years 1-2, project title, lay summary, technical summary, specific aims, and a two-to-three-page research plan spanning both phases. The plan must address the significance, innovation, approach, rationale, experimental strategy, and expected or alternative outcomes and explain how the mentored work will enable an independent research program. Phase 2 requires additional evidence of both scientific progress and institutional commitment. Applicants are advised to contact CRI regarding the process for securing an invitation to apply. Required materials include a detailed budget for years 3-5, applicant biosketch, description of facilities and resources at the new institution, final Phase 1 progress report, mentor support letter, and an updated specific aims and research plan of no more than two pages. The department or division chair must document the appointment, institutional career-development commitment, start-up package, office and laboratory space, facilities, resources, and other support. Throughout the Independence Phase, the institution must provide enough protected time for at least 65 percent research effort, including the CRI-funded project. The applicant must also provide an official offer for a tenure-track assistant professor position or equivalent; the offer cannot be contingent on continuation of the IGNITE Award, and a signed copy is required before final award activation. The Phase 1 application deadline is January 11, 2027, at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time. The source provides an Apply Now mechanism and states that the application process requires access to CRI's Application Portal for institutional signatures and certification. No separate Phase 1 letter of intent, concept paper, pre-proposal, or other pre-application gating deadline is stated. Applicants are expected to be notified of committee decisions approximately 10-12 weeks after the application deadline. The supplied information does not identify a named program contact, program email, telephone number, number of awards, total program funding, or an explicit recurring annual application schedule. The supplied PDF links concern invention disclosure, annual invention updates, and revenue sharing rather than the IGNITE solicitation or application guidelines.

Clearly demonstrate how prior research and training lead to the proposed Phase 1 mentored activities and Phase 2 independent research; explain why additional mentored development is necessary; provide a credible plan for scientific separation from the mentor; tailor career development to the candidate's needs and address skills such as grant writing, communication, leadership, and lab management; ensure the research plan spans both phases and addresses significance, innovation, approach, rationale, expected outcomes, and alternative outcomes; for Phase 2, secure an adequate institutional start-up package and at least 65% protected research effort without using IGNITE funds to offset normal institutional commitments