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Scholar Awards

Scholar awards provide funding for early-career faculty to help jumpstart independent research careers. The Research Development Office (RDO) strives to identify early-career opportunities that will be of interest to NC State faculty.

Limited Submission Scholar Awards

These programs are often limited-submission in nature, and may require nominations by a candidate’s Department Head and/or the University. If necessary, an internal competition to select the most competitive candidate will be implemented inline with our standard limited submission process. A selection of those opportunities of interest to NC State faculty is presented in the table below.

Please visit this page, as well as the Limited Submission Opportunities page, for instructions on how to submit your name for consideration for scholar awards that are limited-submission in nature. If you are aware of any other awards of this type, please email research-development@ncsu.edu so that the award(s) can be advertised and listed here.

ProgramSubject AreaEligibility CriteriaLimitDeadline
NIH Director's Early Independence Award

Internal deadline has passed. Please contact Limited-submission@ncsu.edu
Behavioral, social, biomedical, applied, and formal sciences and topics that may involve basic, translational, or clinical research. Applicants must complete their doctoral degree or clinical training between June 1, 2022, and September 30, 20242 per institutionInternal NOI due: May 22, 2023

Letter of Intent Due: August 4, 2023

Application Deadline: Sept 6, 2023
WiSTEM2D Scholars Award Program

Click here to submit an NOI: Internal NOI.
Science, Technology, Engineering, Math, Manufacturing and DesignThe awards will fund early to mid-career women working within a STEM2D university departmentOne nomination per discipline:
Science, Technology, Engineering, Math, Manufacturing and Design
Internal NOI deadline: June 22, 2023
Application Deadline: Sept. 30, 2023
Moore Inventor FellowsScientific research, environmental conservation, and patient care.Candidates must be faculty, research scientists, postdocs or other full-time staff at eligible institutions.2 per institutionNext cycle anticipated in Fall 2023
Blavatnik Awards for Young Scientists (National Award)Three categories: Life Sciences / Physical Sciences & Engineering / Chemistry.Faculty who serves as a primary PI in one of the subject areas1 in each categoryNext cycle anticipated in Fall 2023
Camille Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Awards ProgramsChemical Sciences, including biochemistry, materials chemistry, and chemical engineering.Nominees must hold a full-time tenure-track academic appointment, and are normally expected to have been appointed no earlier than mid-year 2010.1 per institutionNext nomination period anticipated early 2024
Microsoft Research Faculty FellowshipHigh-impact research in computer science or a related field.Full-time faculty who received their terminal degree in May 2016 or later and are currently conducting research, advising graduate students, and teaching in the classroom. Proposed research must closely align with the general research areas of Microsoft.3 nominations per universityNext cycle anticipated early 2023.
Pew Biomedical Scholars

Science relevant to the advancement of human healthCandidates must hold a doctorate in biomedical sciences, medicine, or a related field, including engineering or the physical sciences. As of Sept. 7, 2023, candidates must hold a full-time appointment at the rank of assistant professor. (Appointments such as research assistant professor, adjunct assistant professor, assistant professor research track, visiting professor, or instructor are not eligible). See the program website for all eligibility criteria1 nominee per institutionInternal NOI deadline: 3/22/2023
Nomination deadline:5/17/2023
Application Deadline: 9/7/2023


Beckman Young Investigator AwardChemical and Life Sciences.Candidate must be within the first three years of a tenure track position. U.S. citizens or permanent residents only.No limit for the LOI stageNext cycle anticipated in Summer 2023.
Sloan Research FellowshipsChemistry, computer science, economics, mathematics, molecular biology, neuroscience, ocean sciences, physics, or a related field.Candidates must hold a tenure-track position with a regular teaching obligation.3 per departmentNext cycle anticipated in Summer 2023.
Searle Scholars ProgramBiochemistry, cell biology, genetics, immunology, neuroscience, pharmacology, and related areas in chemistry, medicine, and the biological sciencesBiochemistry, cell biology, genetics, immunology, neuroscience, pharmacology, and related areas in chemistry, medicine, and the biological sciences1 nominee per institutionNext cycle anticipated in June 2023.
Greenwall Faculty Scholars ProgramBioethics research that helps resolve pressing ethical issues in clinical care, biomedical research, and public policy.Junior faculty members holding at least a 60% tenure track appointment (or its equivalent).1 per institutionNext cycle anticipated in Summer 2023.
Mallinckrodt Foundation GrantsBiomedical researchApplicants should be in the first to fourth year of their tenure track faculty position and not have current R01 funding. 1 nominee per institutionNext cycle anticipated in Summer 2023.

Non-limited Submission Scholar Awards

Scholar award opportunities that are not limited-submission in nature are listed below. These types of opportunities will be added to this page as RDO identifies them.

The Early Career Investigator Program (ECIP) in Heliophysics is designed to support outstanding scientific research and career development of scientists at the early stage of their professional careers. The program aims to encourage innovative research initiatives and cultivate diverse scientific leadership in Heliophysics. This program is designed to foster the empowerment, inspiration, and education of the next generation of space researchers, as part of the DRIVE (Diversify, Realize, Integrate, Venture, Educate) initiative put forward as a high priority recommendation of the 2013 Solar and Space Physics Decadal Survey.  An ECIP proposal PI (or Science PI) and any early career Co-Is must have a Ph.D. conferral date on or after January 1, 2012.

Step 1 proposal deadline: 7/28/2022
Step 2 proposal deadline (invite only): 10/18/2022

The NIH Director’s New Innovator Award Program supports early stage investigators of exceptional creativity who propose highly innovative research projects with the potential to produce a major impact on broad, important areas relevant to the mission of NIH.  Individuals from diverse backgrounds, including those from underrepresented groups and from the full spectrum of eligible institutions in all geographic locations are strongly encouraged to apply to this Funding Opportunity Announcement. In addition, applications in all topics relevant to the broad mission of NIH are welcome, including, but not limited to, topics in the behavioral, social, biomedical, applied, and formal sciences and topics that may involve basic, translational, or clinical research. 

Application due date: 8/19/2022