USA Scholarships
Research Award Guides
Research Awards
Guides for prestigious research awards that fund large-scale, multi-year projects. These awards target established researchers and provide significant funding for innovative work.
PhRMA Informatics Research Starter Grant 2027
The PhRMA Foundation Informatics Research Starter Grant historically supported early faculty who applied computational and database methods to drug discovery and genomics when they lacked substantial external funding. PhRMA now organizes faculty seed support through $100,000 one-year Faculty Starter Grants in drug discovery, drug delivery, translational medicine, and value assessment, with informatics and genomics work typically fitting the Drug Discovery track. Eligibility when programmes are open requires promotion-eligible research faculty at accredited US universities, at least three first-author publications, faculty appointments after January 1, 2025, and no major NIH R or K awards as principal investigator. Expect a letter of intent followed by a full ProposalCentral application; verify open cycles on phrmafoundation.org.
PDF Student Travel Award 2027 - Up to $1,000
The PDF Student Travel Award, originally run by the Parkinson''s Disease Foundation and now folded into the Parkinson''s Foundation early-career portfolio, helps students present Parkinson''s disease research at scientific meetings. Historical standalone applications offered up to $1,000 for conference registration, transportation, and lodging when graduate or medical students, or undergraduates who completed a PDF Summer Student Fellowship, submitted budgets through the Foundation grant portal. Today the same travel support is described for Summer Student Fellowship awardees and Visiting Scholars, who may request up to $1,000 after their funded project to attend a related conference and present data from the award. Applicants justify expenses, submit receipts afterward, and file a short conference report. International students at US institutions may qualify when they meet programme rules and visa requirements.
MIT THINK Scholars 2027 - $1K STEM Projects
The MIT THINK Scholars Program, run by MIT undergraduates through TechX, funds high school students who propose original STEM research they have not yet been able to run. Up to six finalists receive up to $1,000 in project funding, weekly mentorship from MIT students, and usually an all-expenses-paid campus visit. You must be a full-time high school student in grades 9-12 with permanent U.S. residency during the school year; citizenship is not required. For the 2026-27 cycle, applications opened 1 November 2025 and closed 1 January 2026; expect a similar November-to-January window for the next round leading into spring 2027 project work.
ALA Biomedical Research Grants 2027 - Innovation
The American Lung Association Research Institute funds biomedical lung research through ProposalCentral, including the Innovation Award for independent investigators who held an NIH K- or R-type grant within the past five years. The Innovation Award pays $75,000 per year for up to two years for basic, behavioral, clinical, or translational projects at US nonprofit institutions. The 2027-2028 cycle opened August 5, 2026; LOIs are due September 18, 2026 and full applications December 1, 2026, with research starting July 1, 2027.
AASLD AILD Pilot Research Award 2027 - $20,000
The AASLD Foundation Autoimmune Liver Diseases Exploratory Research Award (often searched as the AILD pilot research award) provides $20,000 for one year of pilot basic, translational, or clinical research on autoimmune hepatitis, primary sclerosing cholangitis, primary biliary cholangitis, and related conditions. Graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and junior faculty within five years of their first faculty appointment may apply if they are AASLD members with a mentor who is also a member, devote at least 20% research effort, and hold sponsorship from an accredited nonprofit institution in the United States, Canada, or Mexico. Projects must be new exploratory work, not already funded. Expect the next request for applications around August 2026 with a deadline near December 8, 2026 and funding from July 1, 2027 through June 30, 2028.
AISLS Language Instruction Grants 2027 - $400
AISLS Language Instruction Grants help US graduate students, faculty, and scholar-members build Sinhala, Tamil, or Pali for research on Sri Lanka. Awards up to $400 cover in-country tutoring or virtual lessons with tutors based in Sri Lanka, funded through the US Department of Education. Proposals are reviewed on a rolling basis by email to the AISLS US director.
PhRMA Health Outcomes Starter Grant 2027
The PhRMA Foundation Health Outcomes Research Starter Grant, formally the Value Assessment and Health Outcomes Research Faculty Starter Grant, provides $100,000 for one year of independent faculty research on how healthcare interventions perform in real populations. Early promotion-eligible investigators at accredited US universities apply when the Faculty Starter portfolio is open, typically through ProposalCentral after a letter of intent. Eligibility mirrors other PhRMA faculty starters: at least three first-author publications, a faculty appointment after January 1, 2025, a terminal degree on or after January 1, 2017, and no substantial NIH R or K awards as principal investigator. The Foundation requires patient engagement in value assessment proposals and pays research costs to the university rather than salary for the PI. New Faculty Starter Grant applications were on a temporary hiatus while the portfolio was restructured; verify phrmafoundation.org before you prepare an LOI.
Feeding Hope Clinical Research Grant 2026 - NEDA
The Feeding Hope Fund for Clinical Research from the National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA) backs human-participant pilot studies on eating disorders that can reach clinical care or early intervention within one to five years. Two tracks run in each cycle: the Feeding Hope Award up to $100,000 over two years for established investigators, and the Early Career Investigator grant up to $50,000 for assistant professors and below, including postdoctoral and predoctoral researchers. US citizens or lawful permanent residents at US institutions apply first with a Letter of Intent, then finalists submit full proposals. Basic science-only projects are out of scope; underserved communities and access-to-care equity are priorities. The 2025 cycle used an August 25 LOI deadline; expect a similar late-summer 2026 window on nationaleatingdisorders.org.
MGFA Nursing Research Fellowship 2027 - Up to $5,000
The Myasthenia Gravis Foundation of America Nursing Research Fellowship supports nurses and nursing students studying problems faced by patients with myasthenia gravis or related neuromuscular conditions. Published program materials describe a stipend of up to $5,000, an October 15 application deadline, and a focus on human-subjects or clinical nursing research tied to MG care. MGFA's current grant portal emphasizes registry, pilot, and postdoctoral awards, so confirm the nursing cycle with the research team before you prepare a packet.
Oceanic Research Group Scholarship 2027 - $1,000
The Oceanic Research Group Undergraduate Marine Conservation Scholarship pays $1,000 toward independent research or fieldwork for students in accredited marine-conservation or related undergraduate programs. Oceanic Research Group partners with the Women Divers Hall of Fame to administer the award. Applications open 1 October 2026 and close 30 November 2026 at 5:00 p.m. New York time through the WDHOF portal. Funds arrive in spring 2027 and must be used within 18 months.
SNRS Sigma Research Grant 2027 - Up to $5,000
The Sigma and Southern Nursing Research Society collaborative grant, often searched as SNRS/STTI research funding, awards up to $5,000 for pilot or development nursing research. Licensed RNs who are members in good standing of both Sigma (formerly Sigma Theta Tau International) and SNRS, hold at least a master's degree or equivalent, and are enrolled in a doctoral program may apply through Sigma's online system. Research cannot double as a degree requirement. The April 1 deadline pattern funds projects starting August 1. The 2026 cycle is closed; plan for the April 1, 2027 submission window.
PhRMA Pharmacology Toxicology Starter Grant 2027
The PhRMA Foundation Pharmacology/Toxicology Research Starter Grant historically offered $100,000 for one year of independent faculty research in pharmacology, drug toxicology, or related pharmaceutical sciences when applicants lacked other substantial funding. Current Faculty Starter Grants use the same $100,000 one-year project support model for early promotion-eligible faculty at US universities, though the Foundation has temporarily paused new Faculty Starter Grant applications while it restructures its portfolio. Eligibility when programmes reopen typically requires three first-author publications, faculty appointments after January 1, 2025, terminal degrees conferred on or after January 1, 2017, and no major NIH R or K awards as principal investigator.