What this program funds
The Searle Scholars Program supports the research of exceptional new faculty in the biomedical sciences and chemistry — a small annual cohort (around fifteen scholars in recent cycles) receiving roughly $300,000 over three years. The program funds people at the very start of independence: the science it backs is the first program a new lab builds, and reviewers (themselves working scientists) put weight on originality and on a clear break from the candidate's postdoctoral work. Research relevant to medicine is the center of gravity, but fundamental chemistry and biology fit comfortably.
Eligibility in plain English
- This is a nomination-only program. The program invites a set of U.S. universities and research institutions, and each may put forward only a limited number of candidates (often just one). You cannot apply independently.
- You hold your first tenure-track assistant professor appointment, and it began recently — recent cycles have drawn the line at appointments starting within roughly the previous year or so.
- Your research is in the biomedical sciences or chemistry, broadly construed.
- Start with your research development office: they know whether your institution holds an invitation, how internal selection works, and the exact appointment-date cutoffs for the current cycle.
What you'll need to submit
- A research proposal describing the program your new lab will pursue — concise, and judged on scientific substance rather than grantsmanship polish.
- A CV and key publications.
- Letters of recommendation, typically including your PhD and postdoc advisors plus your department chair.
- Institutional nomination materials handled by your institution.
Tips for this mechanism
- Your window is one, maybe two cycles. The appointment-date cutoff is tight, so map the internal and external deadlines against your start date before your first semester ends — many strong candidates simply age out before they hear of the program.
- Show daylight between you and your postdoc advisor. Reviewers read for independence. If your proposal could be a paragraph in your former lab's next grant, reframe it around the question only your lab will ask.
- Write for scientists, not administrators. The advisory board is made up of practicing researchers who read for ideas. Spend your pages on the science and the logic of the approach, not on boilerplate significance sections.
Related programs
- Pew Scholars Program in the Biomedical Sciences (institution-nominated)
- Beckman Young Investigator Program (chemistry and life sciences)
- Rita Allen Foundation Scholars (early-career biomedical, nominated)
- NIH Director's New Innovator Award, DP2 (open application, high-risk)