Funding Opportunities

ASTRO, alone and in partnership with others, funds research for junior faculty, residents, fellows and postdoctoral fellows in support of radiation oncology researchers’ careers. We recommend frequently checking this page for updates on open opportunities. For questions, please contact the Department of Scientific Affairs.

Prepare for Successful Research Programs with ROCKS Webinars

ASTRO's Science Council organizes Research-Oriented Career Knowledge and Support (ROCKS) webinars to share information from successful grant recipients to advance your research career. Hear firsthand experiences, tips and strategies on navigating the grant application process, building collaborations and aligning your research goals with funding opportunities. These sessions are packed with valuable insights for early-career researchers, residents, fellows and junior faculty in radiation oncology and medical physics. Don’t miss this opportunity to discover how ASTRO grants can help you take the next step in your career! All sessions are available in the ASTRO Academy for three years after each live session.

View the ROCKS webinars in the ASTRO Academy

Active Research Funding Opportunities

ASTRO-BCRF Emerging Investigator Award – EXTENDED DEADLINE
Application Deadline: June 1, 2025, 11:59 p.m. Eastern time
Award Amount:$100,000 over one year

This is a joint effort with the Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF) to support one Emerging Investigator Award (EIA) to Build a Diverse Scientific Workforce. The goal of the ASTRO-BCRF EIA is to foster and develop talented early career breast radiation oncology researchers. Multiple PIs are not allowed. The award may be for one year with $100,000 total for direct costs (no indirect cost is allowed). View the Program Announcement to learn more. Apply today through ProposalCentral.

Optimizing the Experience of Patients with Bladder Cancer through Multi-Disciplinary Care
Application Deadline: July 23, 2025; 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time
Award Amount: Up to $250,000 over two years
ASTRO is collaborating with Pfizer and Conquer Cancer, the ASCO Foundation to offer a Quality Improvement grant funding opportunity to optimize the patient experience in bladder cancer care, specifically focusing on the multi-disciplinary management of care. This grant program will support innovative projects to improve the quality of bladder cancer care in diverse clinical settings in the United States. The scientific focus of the program is guided by bladder cancer experts representing patients, urologists, medical, surgical, and radiation oncologists to expressly meet the needs of patients with bladder cancer. Conquer Cancer is the lead organization for the review and evaluation of applications. Grant funding will be provided directly from Pfizer, and $1.5 million is collectively available to fund approximately six research projects. Learn more and apply online.

Past Research Funding Opportunities

2025 ASTRO-AstraZeneca SCLC Therapy Challenge
Application Deadline: April 30, 2025; 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time
Award Amount: $175,000 to $375,000 over three years
The purpose of this grant is to advance collaborative research in the treatment of limited-stage small cell lung cancer (LS-SCLC), fostering leadership in radiation oncology through multimodality combination therapies, with a special focus on integrating immunotherapy and innovative radiation techniques. Open to doctoral degree holders (MD, PhD, or equivalent) with independent positions. Trainees can be included as Co-Principal Investigators. Submit your research proposal addressing the question: How can treatment and outcomes for LS-SCLC be improved through the combination of immunotherapy (IO) and advanced radiation therapies? View more details here.

ASTRO-AAPM Physics Residents/Postdoctoral Fellows Seed Grant
Application Deadline: March 20, 2025; 11:59 p.m. Eastern time
Award Amount: $50,000 over one year
This is a joint effort with the American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM) to support the research of medical physics residents and postdoctoral fellows and advance their careers. The proposed project must be focused on physics-related research in radiation oncology. Applicants (PhD or equivalent) must be a postdoctoral fellow or medical physics resident and be a member of ASTRO and AAPM or have applied for the respective memberships at the time of application. Up to two awards are anticipated. To apply and view the detailed eligibility criteria, visit the AAPM website.

ASTRO-LUNGevity Residents/Fellows in Radiation Oncology Seed Grant
Application Deadline: March 10, 2025; 11:59 p.m. Eastern time
Award Amount: $50,000 over one year

This program will foster and develop the research careers of residents and fellows interested in radiation oncology-related basic, translational and/or clinical research to benefit patients with lung cancer. Applicants must be enrolled in a U.S. residency or fellowship at the time of application.

ASTRO Residents/Fellows in Radiation Oncology Seed Grant
Application Deadline February 7, 2025; 11:59 p.m. Eastern time
Award Amount: $50,000 over one year

These grants will support trainees developing any area of research that has the potential to advance the radiation oncology field. The biology-focused seed grant supports trainees advancing biological research in radiation oncology and/or cancer focused sciences. Applicants must be enrolled in a U.S. residency or fellowship at the time of application.

ASTRO-AstraZeneca Radiation Oncology Research Training Fellowships
Application Deadline: January 10, 2025, 11:59 p.m. Eastern time

Two fellowships are designed to provide U.S.-based residents or other trainees with real-world training experience in the development, administration and application of sponsored clinical research and real-world studies from a pharmaceutical company perspective. Opportunities within AstraZeneca (AZ) programs focused on immuno-oncology and targeted therapies as treatment strategies for non-small cell and small cell lung cancer are included. Check out this previous webinar session we had on AstraZeneca on the ASTRO Academy.

NRG Health Care Access Fellows
Application Deadline: Fall TBD 2025
Award Amount: $50,000 over two years

ASTRO co-funds one of the NRG Health Care Access Fellows with a goal of training the next generation of researchers and physicians who have the support base required to confidently conduct inclusive research.

ASTRO-ACS Clinician Scientist Development Grant (CSDG)
Application Deadline: October 15, 2024
Award Amount: $135,000 for three to five years

The Clinician Scientist Development Grant (CSDG) supports full-time faculty members in becoming independent investigators as clinician scientists. This grant is designed for people trained primarily as clinicians who want to maintain clinical practice and conduct cancer research. Specifically, for this RFA in partnership with ASTRO, the applicant must be in the radiation oncology field.

ASTRO-MRA Young Investigator Award
Application Deadline: November 4, 2024
Award Amount: $255,000 over three years

ASTRO partners with the Melanoma Research Alliance to offer a Young Investigator Award to offer a special opportunity to support research in radiation oncology to improve treatment options for melanoma patients. Early career radiation oncology, radiation or cancer biology, or physicist investigators are encouraged to submit radiation oncology research proposals that include at least 50% effort on melanoma.