LRF Clinical Investigator Career Development Award 2027: $375,000 Over Three Years for Early-Career Lymphoma Physician-Scientists

LRF Clinical Investigator Career Development Award 2027: $375,000 Over Three Years for Early-Career Lymphoma Physician-Scientists

The Lymphoma Research Foundation (LRF) is accepting applications for its 2027 Clinical Investigator Career Development Award (CDA). This is a three-year career-development grant for a licensed physician who is building a clinical research career in lymphoma or chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). The current RFP describes a total award of $375,000: $120,000 in salary support for each year and up to $5,000 per year for incidental costs such as research supplies, tuition, registration fees, and travel that are integral to the Career Development Plan. LRF does not provide institutional overhead through this grant.

The 2027 application deadline is September 3, 2026 at 5:00 PM EST. LRF lists the application release date as June 1, 2026, peer review as September through November 2026, written applicant notification in December 2026, and project start dates from March 1, 2027 through July 1, 2027. The cycle is open, so this page is a current opportunity rather than an archive entry. The official grants page says that early-career programs, including the CDA, do not require a Letter of Intent.

This award is aimed at physician investigators who are ready to take responsibility for clinical research, not at applicants proposing a laboratory-only project or seeking an unrestricted salary supplement. The proposal must show how the applicant will develop as an independent clinical investigator while carrying out a focused, hypothesis-driven lymphoma or CLL project.

Key details

The 2027 RFP sets the current salary and incidental-fund structure for this cycle. Applicants should use the Proposal Central budget fields and the current RFP instructions; the incidental amount is not a general-purpose fund and cannot be converted into institutional overhead.

What the CDA is designed to support

LRF describes the CDA as preparation for physician investigators who will design and administer clinical research studies in lymphoma and assume primary responsibility for clinical research, protocol writing, Institutional Review Board (IRB) submission, and publication. The project must have a meaningful clinical component. LRF’s FAQ explains that acceptable proposals may involve clinical observation of human subjects and the study or development of diagnostic methods, therapies, or outcome measurements directed to patients with lymphoma. Translational aims may be included, but an exclusively laboratory-based proposal is not appropriate and the clinical aim must remain primary.

The research must focus on lymphoma and/or CLL. LRF will not accept a project that combines lymphoma or CLL with another cancer or a hematologic malignancy outside the Foundation’s stated scope, including myeloma and other leukemias. The RFP expects a hypothesis-driven project developed by the applicant and containing at least the framework of a research protocol. A credible plan should connect the clinical question, patient or study group, methods, available resources, and measurable milestones.

The award also buys protected research time. The investigator must spend 35 to 50 percent of working time in lymphoma clinical research, free of major patient-care, teaching, or administrative responsibilities. The application therefore needs more than a promising scientific idea. It must show that the institution and mentor can protect the stated effort and that the project can be completed within the three-year award period.

Who may apply

The 2027 RFP sets several eligibility requirements that should be checked before an applicant invests in a full proposal:

• The applicant must be a licensed physician working at an academic or nonprofit clinical research institution in the United States or Canada for the duration of the award. Applicants based at the NIH or another U.S. government entity are not eligible for the CDA.
• The physician should work in an ACGME-accredited specialty. LRF gives hematology/oncology, pediatrics, pathology, dermatology, and radiation oncology as examples.
• The applicant must be an advanced fellow with at least 24 months of fellowship or postdoctoral training, or a junior faculty member, and must have no more than six years of experience beyond completing fellowship or postdoctoral training as of March 1, 2027. LRF says the six-year limit may be non-sequential in cases such as pregnancy or illness.
• The applicant must demonstrate broad knowledge of lymphoma biology and treatment and a clear desire to develop and evaluate new treatments. People with non-traditional career tracks are encouraged to apply when they have participated in developing new lymphoma therapeutics or diagnostic tools.
• The proposed research must be clinical and focused on lymphoma or CLL. At least one clinical research aim must be the primary focus.
• The investigator must spend 35 to 50 percent of time on the research, without major patient-care, teaching, or administrative duties consuming that protected effort.
• During the award period, the applicant must take primary responsibility for design, protocol writing, IRB submission, conduct, analysis, and publication of one or more clinical trials.
• A primary mentor at the applicant’s home institution is required. The mentor must be able to oversee the applicant’s research training and sign the relevant application materials.

Citizenship or permanent residency is not required for general CDA eligibility under the RFP, although the applicant must work at an eligible U.S. or Canadian institution. The special Health Equity Initiative has an additional citizenship or permanent-residency condition for an applicant seeking that initiative’s funding. LRF states that at least one 2027 CDA will support a project focused on underrepresented patient populations and/or an applicant who is a member of an underrepresented group. Applicants relying on that initiative should read its full terms in the RFP.

The RFP also prohibits a CDA recipient from holding another career development award during the LRF grant period. Examples include NIH K-series awards, the American Cancer Society Clinician Scientist Development Grant, ASH Scholar Awards, Leukemia and Lymphoma Society career-development grants, and other awards that are principally career-development support or PI salary. Other support must be disclosed, and the proposed clinical research costs should be covered by institutional funds or a non-career-development grant where necessary.

Application steps for the 2027 cycle

1. Read the current RFP and policy materials. Start at LRF’s Current Grant Opportunities page and use the 2027 Clinical Investigator Career Development Award RFP. Check the policy, terms, and conditions with the institution’s grants office. LRF can change forms, rules, and deadlines, so the current documents control.
2. Set up Proposal Central early. Register or update a professional profile, confirm that the institution and signing officials are registered, and make sure the primary mentor has an account. The application is submitted online through Proposal Central.
3. Choose a focused clinical question. Build a lymphoma or CLL project with a clear hypothesis, at least one clinical research aim, a feasible patient or study group, and a protocol framework. Explain the applicant’s own role and distinguish work that will be done by collaborators.
4. Prepare the research proposal. Use the Proposal Central template. The RFP asks for the scientific and technical abstracts, specific aims, background and applicant role, preliminary studies, experimental design and methods, quantitative milestones and feasibility, relevance to lymphoma treatment, and references. Sections 1-7 are limited to 13 pages; a resubmission response may add one page when applicable.
5. Write the Career Development Plan. The plan is limited to two pages and should show how the applicant will gain the skills needed to become a clinical investigator during the three-year award. Include relevant courses, seminars, research meetings, and a strategy for writing and publishing substantial scholarly work in lymphoma research and treatment.
6. Secure mentor support. Identify a primary mentor at the home institution and describe the mentor’s role, training activities, supervision, and progress evaluations. Up to four associate mentors may provide specialized help, including biostatistics or methods support. Each listed mentor needs the applicable biosketch and support documentation.
7. Arrange the required letters. The primary mentor submits a letter on institutional letterhead describing supervision, training, and the applicant’s independent contribution to the project. Three senior researchers or clinicians must provide blinded letters through Proposal Central. Those letters must be fully submitted before the deadline or the system will prevent submission.
8. Complete the remaining application records. Enter key personnel, current and pending research support, level of effort, keywords, budget, and organizational assurances. If the project involves human subjects, samples, or other regulated work, identify whether approval is complete or pending and provide the documentation requested by the RFP. List collaborative partners and include support letters when the application requires them.
9. Build the budget accurately. Enter $120,000 in salary support for each year and outline eligible incidental expenses up to $5,000 per year. Do not budget institutional overhead, visa costs, or salary for non-PI personnel. Year 1 must start no earlier than March 1, 2027 and no later than July 1, 2027.
10. Finish signatures and submit before the cutoff. The PI, primary mentor, and institutional signing official or authorized grants officer must complete the electronic signature process. The LRF waiver is part of the Proposal Central signatures process. ORCID linking is strongly encouraged. Submit the complete application by September 3, 2026 at 5:00 PM EST, including all required letters and attachments.

LRF says late applications will not be reviewed. A practical schedule should therefore leave time for mentor revisions, institutional approvals, letter writers’ Proposal Central accounts, and any IRB or assurance documentation. Because there is no LOI for the early-career programs, the first formal submission is the full application; that makes early project and mentor coordination especially important.

What a strong submission should make clear

The panel should be able to see the applicant’s path from current clinical experience to independent lymphoma clinical research. The research proposal should be focused enough to complete within three years and detailed enough to show how participants, samples, data, or clinical-trial enrollment will be obtained. Quantitative milestones should include the timing of approvals, accrual, data or sample collection, analysis, and publication where those items apply.

The Career Development Plan and research proposal should reinforce one another. If the project requires trial design, biostatistics, outcomes analysis, or a particular clinical method, name the training and mentor support that will provide those skills. If collaborators contribute samples, data, therapies, or analysis, state what they provide and what remains the applicant’s responsibility. The RFP specifically asks applicants to explain their independent contribution to project development, so a proposal that reads as entirely designed by the mentor will be a poor fit for the mechanism.

Protected time also needs evidence. The statement of level of effort should match the institutional commitment and the proposed work plan. A nominal 35 percent allocation with a full clinical schedule is not persuasive. Explain which clinical, teaching, and administrative duties will be reduced and how the mentor and institution will review progress during the award.

Common avoidable problems

• Using figures from an earlier cycle instead of the 2027 RFP’s $375,000 total and $120,000 annual salary support.
• Treating the CDA as a laboratory fellowship when the program requires clinical research with primary responsibility for clinical study work.
• Describing a project that combines lymphoma with another cancer or an excluded hematologic malignancy.
• Leaving the six-year training window, 24-month minimum training requirement, or 35-50 percent research commitment unverified.
• Naming a mentor who is not based at the home institution or who is already the primary mentor for another CDA applicant in the same cycle.
• Waiting to request the three blinded letters. Proposal Central must receive them before the application can be submitted.
• Budgeting institutional overhead, visa costs, or non-PI salary even though the RFP says those costs are not allowable.
• Assuming that a draft is submitted because the narrative is complete. Electronic signatures, the waiver, assurances, current support, and required letters all belong to the final submission.

Frequently asked questions

What is the 2027 deadline? The full application is due September 3, 2026 at 5:00 PM EST. LRF lists no Letter of Intent requirement for this early-career program.

How much does the award provide? The CDA provides $375,000 over three years: $120,000 in salary support per year and up to $5,000 per year for eligible incidental expenses. Institutional overhead is not allowed.

Can a postdoctoral researcher apply? The CDA is for licensed clinical physicians. The applicant may be an advanced fellow with at least 24 months of fellowship or postdoctoral training, or a junior faculty member, subject to the six-year limit beyond completion of training.

Does the project have to include clinical research? Yes. LRF says exclusively laboratory-based proposals are not appropriate. Translational aims may be included when the clinical research aim remains primary.

When can an awarded project begin? The RFP permits a Year 1 start no earlier than March 1, 2027 and no later than July 1, 2027. Applicants who need a later start should apply in a later cycle.

Is there a special initiative? Yes. LRF says at least one 2027 CDA will support a project focused on underrepresented patient populations and/or an applicant who is a member of an underrepresented group. The RFP sets additional conditions for that initiative.

Official source and next steps

Use the Lymphoma Research Foundation’s Current Grant Opportunities page for the current application link, the 2027 CDA RFP, the policy materials, and the Proposal Central route. Before submitting, read the RFP in full, confirm the institution’s eligibility, identify a home-institution primary mentor, and start the three blinded-letter process early enough for every letter to arrive before the deadline.

The central test for fit is straightforward: can a licensed physician at an eligible U.S. or Canadian research institution devote 35 to 50 percent of time to a focused lymphoma or CLL clinical research program, take primary responsibility for clinical-study work, and use the mentor and Career Development Plan to progress toward independence? If yes, the 2027 CDA is an appropriate program to investigate. If the proposed work is laboratory-only, the applicant is outside the clinical-physician career stage, or another career development award will overlap, the CDA is not the right mechanism under the current RFP.