Funding Opportunities
Internal and external funding opportunities collected by the CTSI.
CTSI PilotsThe Translational Pilot Program will solicit, review and award pilot grants designed to produce and test novel tools and methods to bridge translational gaps. |
Ignition FundsProviding ignition funding to accelerate progress for clinical and translational research projects. |
K12 FundingProviding 2-3 years of support for early-career research faculty from Wake Forest. |
Community Partnered Research AwardCommunity Engagement provides funding to support community and academic researchers via the Community Partnered Research Award. |
Voucher AwardStudies that identify a financial need can request funds from the voucher program to help overcome barriers related to transportation, child care, etc. |
Team Grant AcceleratorSupporting planning, pre-award, and post-award stages to incentivize investigators to pursue new large awards. |
Recurring Funding Opportunities
The CTSI is proud to offer these funding mechanisms:
- Ignition Funding
Deadline: 12/1/2026
- Early Career Salary Support
Deadline: 1/1/2027
- Research Salary Bridge Funding
Deadline: 1/1/2027
School of Medicine and Advocate Health 2026 Requests For Proposals
The Wake Forest University Program for Leadership and Character invites proposals from any Wake Forest University School of Medicine or AHWFB or Advocate Health System employee with ideas for character development programs for current and/or future clinicians (i.e. students) and/or care team members.
Character in Medicine Grant 2026: The Character in Medicine Grant exists to empower employees of the Wake Forest University and Advocate Health System to design, implement, and/or more rigorously assess educational programs that promote participants’ character development.
This grant will fund proposals to launch pilot projects, revise existing programs, and/or implement research and/or assessment on programs to better understand their character growth impacts.
The Character in Medicine Grant is hosted by Wake Forest University’s Program for Leadership and Character, which “inspires, educates, and empowers leaders of character to serve humanity.” Toward this end, the Program develops and disseminates evidence-based educational programming that supports professionals’ growth as leaders of character. The Kern Family Foundation funds the work of the Program for Leadership and Character in medical education.
Funding amount will vary from $1,000 to $30,000. Any project over $7,500 will require assessment; see more info in the Application Questions section.
Any employee of the Wake Forest University School of Medicine and/or Advocate Health System whose job responsibilities include designing, delivering, and/or assessing educational programming may apply for a Character in Medicine grant. Award recipients must be connected to an office (or resources) that will be able to carry out all of the program spending, reimbursements and budget tracking.
The Program is currently accepting applications for projects that will:
- Have a start date at least 2 months out from application submission in order to allow time for review. Review periods can take between two to six weeks.
Download Character in Medicine Grant Application.
Contact Suzanne Danhauer, PhD, Senior Associate Dean for Faculty Well-being at the Wake Forest School of Medicine, or Lauren Iley-Spear, Program for Leadership and Character in the Professional Schools, with questions.
Fall Deadlines
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Wake Forest Innovations Commercial Pathway Award Request for Projects
The mission of Wake Forest Innovations is to translate research into beneficial products and services. The Commercial Pathway Award furthers this mission by supporting members of the Wake Forest community by awarding financial support for milestone-driven commercially relevant projects in which the institution has a proprietary position. Projects should be designed to advance the listenability and commercial potential of technologies and intellectual property.
Examples of suitable projects include advanced proof-of-concept and feasibility studies, studies that enable go/no-go commercialization decisions, and studies designed to exceed commercially relevant value inflection points. Successful projects will receive up to $40,000 in direct costs, to be spent within a one-year project period.
Applications should fall into one of the following areas:
- Therapeutic/drug/biologic
- Diagnostic/Medical device
- Digital health
- Other (please describe)
These awards are open to investigators in the Advocate Health enterprise with a primary faculty appointment at Wake Forest University School of Medicine. Wake Forest University faculty are also encouraged to apply. Additional details are available in the RFP. To apply, click here.
Deadlines:
Application Deadline: November 30, 2026, 11:00 PM ET
Project Start Date: January 15, 2027
Enterprise Research Pilot Program
Researchers across Wake Forest University School of Medicine and Advocate Health are invited to apply for the Enterprise Research Pilot Program, which provides funding for innovative, investigator-initiated research with potential to advance discovery and secure future extramural funding. Projects across all scientific disciplines and the translational spectrum are encouraged.
Funding: $15,000–$75,000 in one-year institutional support. The competitive, two-stage process begins with a required Letter of Intent (LOI). Projects should generate preliminary data, test novel concepts, assess feasibility, or advance promising research aligned with enterprise priorities, including clinical trials, implementation science, learning health systems, health system science, and community impact.
Investigators are encouraged to engage CTSI resources, research centers, and institutional experts early to strengthen proposals and identify collaborators.
Key Dates:
- LOI deadline: December 4, 2026 at 11:59PM ET
- Full application deadline (by invitation): February 5, 2027
- Award announcements: Week of March 15, 2027
- Earliest project start: April 1, 2027
Review the complete RFA for eligibility, funding guidelines, and application instructions.
Explore the Enterprise Research Pilot Program: Get an at-a-glance look at the proposed 2027 program model, including how pilot funding will be structured, reviewed, awarded, and supported across the enterprise. View the Executive Overview.
2027 Merkin Prize
The Richard N. Merkin Prize in Biomedical Technology recognizes pathbreaking technologies that are demonstrably improving human health and the key individuals who contributed to their development. The prize illuminates the important work taking place across multiple disciplines, and in doing so supports and inspires continued innovation.
The Merkin Prize has an intentional focus on real-world impact, and a goal of shining a light on novel technologies and how these advances are transforming health care. It is administered by the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard. The prize annually celebrates a novel technology and recognizes the key contributors, including individuals and teams, from anywhere in the world with a cash award of $400,000.
Eligibility
Eligibility for the Merkin Prize extends to important, novel technologies that have had demonstrable real-world impact on human health, such as prevention, diagnosis, or treatment of disease, and the individuals and/or teams who were key contributors to their development.
Nominators may submit no more than two nominations per cycle. A nominator must be one or more individuals, not an institution or an organization. Submissions from nominators in any discipline and residing in any part of the world will be considered. For the full list of eligibility, please visit the Merkin Prize Eligibility Page.
More information including nomination instructions can be found on the Merkin Prize website.
Nomination Deadline:
December 4, 2026 at 11:59PM ET
Mathers Grant Awards Program
The G. Harold & Leila Y. Mathers Foundation is dedicated to advancing knowledge in the life sciences by funding bold, basic scientific research with the potential to transform human health. The Mathers Foundation Grants Program is a limited competition, where eligible organizations may submit up to three (3) applications per grant cycle. The typical project budget cannot exceed $600,000-700,000 over three years, inclusive of 10% indirect costs.
Eligibility
Principal Investigators with their own fully equipped labs are eligible. Applicants of all levels of professorship are encouraged to apply (Assistant, Associate, and Full Professor).
Research areas that are supported include: Immunology, Microbiome, Structural Biology, Cellular Physiology, Cancer Biology, Genetics, Genomics, Microbiology & Infectious Diseases, Stem Cell Biology, and Neuroscience.
Interested applicants located in the Winston-Salem market should submit pre-proposals following the Limited Submission Pre-Proposal Instructions electronically to the application system by Friday, December 11, 2026, at 11:59PM ET. Questions should be directed to Katelyn Still.
If you are interested in this opportunity and are based in the Charlotte market, please contact Sarah Bailey.
Deadlines:
Internal Deadline: Friday, December 11, 2026, at 11:59 PM ET
Selection of Applicants: Monday, January 11, 2027
External Deadline: January 27, 2027
Research Centers
An Institutionally-Supported Research Center is an interdepartmental unit focused predominantly on translational, clinical and/or basic science research which facilitates development of a common, focused research agenda aligned with strategic priorities, coordinating contributions from multiple disciplines (other centers, divisions/departments, and programs). We are pleased to announce the following opportunities are now available:
Research Centers – The purpose of this RFA is to invite applications to develop an Institutionally-Supported Advocate Health/Wake Forest University School of Medicine Research Center. This document also provides the framework for a renewal application of an existing center. Research Centers support mature areas of research that reflect depth in translational, clinical and/or basic science research. View the full RFA for Research Centers here.
Emerging Research Centers - The purpose of this RFA is to invite applications to develop an Institutionally-Supported Advocate Health/Wake Forest University School of Medicine Emerging Research Center. This document also provides the framework for a renewal application of an existing center. Emerging Research Centers support new ideas in need of investment for growth. The investment is intended to catalyze the formation of a team for the specific purpose of developing a strategic vision in order to grow a critical base of extramurally funded research. This research can be established in translational, clinical and/or basic science research. View the full RFA for Emerging Research Centers here.
Direct questions and applications to Lynne Wagenknecht, Vice Dean for Population Health Research, and/or Lindsay Trost, CTSI Administrative Director.
Foundation Funding Opportunities
Interested applicants may contact the Foundation Relations Team.
| Emergency Medicine | Emergency Medicine Foundation | Pilot Research Grant |
$100,000 | 12/10/2026 |
| Neurology | American Brian Foundation | Susan S. Spencer, MD Next Generation Research Grant in Epilepsy | $150,000 | 1/7/2027 |
| Cancer, Women's Health | Pershing Square Foundation | Lotus Award for Ovarian Cancer Research LOI | $750,000 | 2/1/2027 |
View More Foundation Funding Opportunities
The Duke Endowment
The Duke Endowment has a long history of supporting our health system across the Carolinas. In accordance with the Endowment's request, all inquiries from the health system will be routed through the designated Philanthropy/Foundation representatives in each market. If you are based in the Charlotte market, please reach out to Rachel Ellis. Those in the Winston market, please contact Chad Daniel.
The Duke Endowment will not accept or review any applications submitted directly by faculty who have not coordinated with the Philanthropy/Foundation representative in their market. This ensures all submissions are properly managed and align with the Endowment's expectations and current funding priorities.
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Other
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NeuroNEXT Grant
The NeuroNEXT Network is designed to efficiently conduct Phase II Clinical Trials. NeuroNEXT Network is now accepting proposals. Applications for exploratory clinical trials of investigational agents (drugs, biologics, surgical therapies or devices) that may contribute to the justification for and provide the data required for designing a future trial, for biomarker validation studies, or for proof of mechanism clinical studies are encouraged. Successful applicants will be given access to the NeuroNEXT infrastructure to support the efficient implementation of the proposed study at multiple sites and statistical and data management.
If you are interested, please schedule a meeting to discuss your proposal with the NeuroNEXT Study Team. This opportunity is ongoing until 2028.
- Benefits of Partnering with NeuroNEXT
- Applying for a NeuroNEXT Grant
- Contact: Mysha Sissine, Program Manager
NIH
Professional Associations and Societies
Please refer to the individual Program or Funding Opportunity Announcement for deadline information.
- American Cancer Society
- The Triological Society
- American Heart Association
- American Gastroenterological Association
- American Federation for Aging Research
- Alzheimer's Association
- ALS Association
- American Diabetes Association
- Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation
- Thoracic Surgery Foundation for Research and Education
- Society for Pediatric Dermatology
Additional Resources
Listed below are some quick ways to find external funding opportunities through search mechanisms and announcement listservs.
Additional Resources
- For detailed information on funding opportunities, search www.grants.gov with keywords related to your research interests.
- National Institutes of Health (NIH)
- NIH Career Development Awards (K-Series)
- Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI)
- Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA)
- National Science Foundation (NSF)
- North Carolina Biotechnology Center
- Sponsored Programs Information Network (SPIN)