Emerging Respiratory Pathogen Award

The American Lung Association operates a nationwide research program built on more than 120 years of work supporting research intended to improve the lives of people living with lung disease. The Emerging Respiratory Pathogen Award was created to improve understanding of the pathobiology and both immediate and long-term implications of respiratory infections, including emerging problems involving known organisms as well as new and emerging pathogens. The program supports clinical, basic, translational, and population health research. Areas of interest include the basic biology of respiratory viruses and implications for treatment and prevention, host factors that alter responses to infection, individual and community factors affecting viral spread, case tracking and epidemiology, long-term sequelae of respiratory viral infections including COVID-19, and lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic. Proposals involving gain of function research are not being accepted. The award provides $100,000 per year for up to two years and is intended for independent investigators with a strong record of accomplishment and the potential to advance knowledge and understanding of novel respiratory viruses with epidemic potential. Grants are awarded in one-year increments and are subject to annual review. Second-year support is 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 other personnel. Up to $2,500 annually 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 or periodicals, or secretarial support. No cost-share or matching requirement is stated. At the time of the Letter of Intent, applicants must hold a doctoral degree, have completed a training fellowship, and hold a full-time faculty or professional appointment at an academic institution or an equivalent appointment at a research institution not formally associated with a university. Applicants may be at any level of research experience but must be independent, self-directed researchers whose institutions provide the space and resources customary for independent investigators. Applicants must certify authorization to work in the United States, and the institutional Signing Official must certify that the applicant's employment is expected to continue throughout the grant period. The research institution must be nonprofit, located in the United States, and owned and operated exclusively for scientific and educational purposes. Eligible institutions include nonprofit colleges and universities and domestic nonprofit scientific and research institutions. Applicants may submit only one American Lung Association Award and Grant application and LOI per annual cycle, and an applicant may receive this grant only once. A Letter of Intent is mandatory and must be submitted through ProposalCentral. The LOI must include a one-page letter describing the rationale and significance of the project, specific aims and hypotheses, and the overall experimental approach, together with the applicant's biographical sketch and proposed budget. Full applications are by invitation only, and applicants whose LOIs are approved will be notified by email. Invited applicants submit through ProposalCentral and complete the required title page, applicant and institutional information, personnel, application questions, project summaries, scientific and research categories, resources, detailed budget and justification, other support, assurances, publications, research plan, and supporting documents. Required materials include biographical sketches for key personnel and a Department Head Statement. Recommendation letters are not required. Application attachments must be uploaded as PDF files and applications must be validated before electronic submission. The full research plan includes a Specific Aims section of no more than one page and a Research Strategy of no more than six pages organized around Significance, Innovation, and Approach. References may not exceed five pages and do not count toward the seven-page research-plan limit. Applications must also address applicable human subjects, animal use, and biohazard requirements. Other Support must be entered completely, because the American Lung Association will not fund budgetary duplication of work supported elsewhere. Peer review considers scientific rigor and feasibility, study design, methods and analysis, relevance to the American Lung Association mission, significance and innovation, the applicant's education and experience, evidence of faculty or permanent research status, institutional commitment, expected impact on lung health, and the applicant's likelihood of making significant contributions to the field. LOIs are accepted beginning August 5, 2026, with a mandatory LOI deadline of September 18, 2026 at 11:59 PM ET. LOI notifications are scheduled for October 23, 2026. Invited full applications are due December 1, 2026 at 11:59 PM ET. Peer review takes place from January through April, and outcome notifications are scheduled for June 2027. The research term begins July 1, 2027, and the stated award period is July 1, 2027 through June 30, 2029, subject to the second-year continuation conditions. The guidelines refer to one application and LOI per annual cycle, supporting treatment of the opportunity as recurring annually; using the current August opening month, the next expected cycle is August 2027. Questions concerning the electronic application process may be directed to pcsupport@altum.com, and ProposalCentral customer service is available at 1-800-875-2562.

Prioritize scientific rigor and feasibility, strong study design and analysis, significance to lung health, innovation, mission relevance, institutional commitment and evidence of investigator productivity; do not submit gain of function research; ensure the Department Head Statement explicitly confirms required status and institutional commitment; fully disclose Other Support and avoid budgetary overlap; follow page, font, margin and PDF requirements; validate the application before electronic submission