Beckman Young Investigator Grant Program

The Beckman Young Investigator (BYI) Program supports promising young faculty in the chemical and life sciences. It encourages innovative, high-risk projects that foster new research methods and materials. Grants, typically $600,000 over four years, are awarded to those within four years of tenure-track positions at U.S. institutions. Eligibility includes citizenship or permanent residency requirements. The program prioritizes proposals that cross disciplinary boundaries, aiming to drive significant advances in scientific research.

The Beckman Young Investigator (BYI) Program provides research support to the most promising young faculty members in the early stages of their academic careers in the chemical and life sciences, particularly to foster the invention of methods, instruments and materials that will open up new avenues of research in science.
Projects proposed for the BYI program should be truly innovative, high-risk, and show promise for contributing to significant advances in chemistry and the life sciences. They should represent a departure from current research directions rather than an extension or expansion of existing programs. Proposed research that cuts across traditional boundaries of scientific disciplines is encouraged. Proposals that open new avenues of research in chemistry and life sciences by fostering the invention of methods, instruments and materials will be given additional consideration.
Projects are normally funded for a period of four years. Grants are in the range of $600,000 ($150,000 annually) over the term of the project, contingent upon demonstrated progress after the second year of the award.

Eligibility

The BYI program is open to those within the first four years of a tenure-track position, or an equivalent independent research appointment, at a United States academic or non-profit institution that conducts research in chemical and life sciences.Tenure-Track dates for the 2026 program must start after 1/1/2021, and on or before 8/1/2025.Persons who have applied for permanent residency but have not received their government documentation are eligible to apply; Applicants must be citizens or permanent residents of the United States prior to the BYI Interview (late March/ early April) to remain eligible. Applicants with conditional permanent residency who have received Form I-797 are eligible to apply. See the application for more information.Applicants can have no more than $225,000 in direct, annualized external funding grants during any BYI Program Year (Aug-July) at time of application. Start-up funds, department-wide instrumentation grants, and "Transition" grants received as a postdoc (such as NIH K99/R00) are not counted toward this total.Applicants must have no more than 10 years post-terminal degree; and no more than 5 years experience in a non-tenure track (not including postdoc position) or industry position. For example, post-terminal degrees received in any month of 2014 are eligible to apply in August 2024 for the 2025 program; similarly, for non-tenure track or industry positions that occurred in 2019, they are eligible to apply in August 2024 for the 2025 program.No individual may apply for a Beckman Young Investigator award more than two times (including submitting a Letter of Intent).Institutions with a currently funded BYI are eligible for award consideration.

Ineligibility

The Foundation does not support clinical research, clinical trials, or single-target drug discovery projects. Individuals with strictly clinical appointments are not eligible to apply.Applicants must have no more than 10 years post terminal degree; and no more than 5 years experience in a non-tenure track (not including postdoc position) or industry position.Government laboratories, such as NIH or federally funded national laboratories are not eligible institutions.The Foundation does not provide for overhead or for indirect costs.