Chordoma Foundation


Funding Opportunities

Seed Grants

We offer peer-reviewed seed grants to support investigator-initiated research projects that will advance the development of effective treatments for chordoma. These one to two year grants are intended to enable investigators to start projects, test hypotheses, or generate preliminary data that could help leverage additional funding sources and lead to sustained chordoma research programs. Applications are reviewed by an independent NIH-style peer review committee comprised of subject-matter experts.

2013 Seed Grant Review Cycle

Research Focus

Appropriate areas of investigation for this RFA include, but are not limited to:

  • Identifying and characterizing potential therapeutic targets
  • Developing and characterizing chordoma model systems (e.g. genetically engineered mouse models, zebrafish models, etc.)
  • Developing or testing therapies for chordoma

Mechanism of Support

  • Applicants may request up to $50,000 over a one or two year period
  • Applications that are scored favorably but not funded during the initial awards cycle may be funded as additional money becomes available.
  • Grant funds may not be used to pay for PI salary or indirect costs
  • Proposals involving meaningful collaboration among investigators with complementary capabilities are encouraged; awards can be split among investigators’ institutions as needed.

Eligibility

  • Independent investigators with a doctoral degree (MD, PhD or equivalent) at any stage of their career from not-for-profit research institutions in any country are eligible to apply.

Application Process

  • Interested applicants should submit a letter of intent (LOI) of 2 pages or less describing the project aims and how seed funding from the Chordoma Foundation will benefit the applicant’s long-term chordoma research goals. Email the (i) letter of intent, (ii) principle investigator biosketch(s), and (iii) names and contact information of three recommended reviewers in Microsoft Word format to grants@chordoma.org by Monday, April 15th.
  • Invitations to submit an application will be made within 10 days of receipt of the LOI
  • The application deadline for those invited to submit an application is Monday, June 3rd.
  • Notification of award: August 20th
  • Award start date: September 1st or later

Documentation

Strategic Research Initiatives

We proactively initiate and fund high-impact projects that are identified by our Scientific Advisory Board as major priorities for advancing chordoma research. Examples of such projects include the Chordoma Genome Project, the Drug Repurposing Project, and development of cell lines and animal models. We seek out and partner with labs and companies that are best equipped to carry out these projects, and work closely with them to achieve well-defined research goals.

Cell Line Prize

In order to encourage and reward the development of new chordoma cell lines, we are offering a $10,000 prize for each new chordoma cell line that is selected for inclusion in the Chordoma Foundation Cell Line Panel.

Other Funding Sources

The organizations listed below have grant programs that accept proposals for chordoma research

For questions about any of the funding opportunities listed on this page, contact grants@chordoma.org