What this program funds
The Pew Scholars Program in the Biomedical Sciences funds early-career investigators exploring foundational questions relevant to human health — in recent cycles about $300,000 over four years to a cohort of roughly two dozen scholars. Pew explicitly rewards creativity and risk-taking over incremental work, and the award is more than money: scholars join an active community with annual meetings that many alumni describe as the program's most valuable feature. Basic research with eventual health relevance is the sweet spot; the program is not a clinical-trials funder.
Eligibility in plain English
- This is a nomination-only program. Pew invites a set of U.S. institutions, and each invited institution may nominate a single candidate. You cannot apply on your own.
- You are a junior faculty member — typically an assistant professor whose first independent appointment began within roughly the past three years.
- Your research addresses biomedical science broadly, from molecular mechanisms to systems with clear relevance to human health.
- Because your institution chooses its one nominee, the real competition starts internally — ask your research development office how and when their selection runs, and confirm the current appointment-date rules.
What you'll need to submit
- A research proposal laying out the questions your lab will pursue and why the approach is distinctive.
- A CV and representative publications.
- Letters of recommendation speaking to your independence and promise.
- Institutional nomination and endorsement materials coordinated by your institution.
Tips for this mechanism
- Being the institutional nominee is the hard part. With one slot per invited institution, internal selection is where most candidacies end. Find out who chooses the nominee at your institution and make sure they know your work well before the cycle opens.
- Propose the risky aim you left out of your R01. Pew's reviewers ask what this funding makes possible that conventional funding would not. A de-risked, preliminary-data-heavy proposal misses the point of the mechanism.
- Take the community seriously — in the application too. Scholars are expected to participate in annual meetings, and the program values people who will engage across fields. Signal genuine breadth, not just a deep subfield record.
Related programs
- Searle Scholars Program (institution-nominated, first-year faculty)
- Sloan Research Fellowships (nominated, includes neuroscience)
- Pew-Stewart Scholars for Cancer Research (parallel Pew program)
- NIH Director's New Innovator Award, DP2 (open application, high-risk)