Blavatnik National Awards for Young Scientists Grant

Blavatnik National Awards for Young Scientists Grant

Status: ACTIVE
Funder: Blavatnik Family Foundation
Amount: US $250,000
Last Updated: December 18, 2025

Summary

The Blavatnik National Awards for Young Scientists honor exceptional faculty-rank scientists and engineers in the U.S. Recognizing achievements in Life Sciences, Physical Sciences & Engineering, and Chemical Sciences, each Laureate receives $250,000 in unrestricted funds. Nominations come from a select group of institutions and previous Laureates, emphasizing innovation and impact. The awards celebrate the future potential of young researchers, fostering diversity in STEM fields. The ceremony takes place annually in New York City.

Overview

NOTE: The list of invited institutions is composed of approximately 300 US-based institutions. They include degree-granting universities, private research institutes, academic medical centers, and national government laboratories. If your institution is not listed and would like to nominate, please send a brief statement of interest to the Program representative.1) Letter of Inquiry Deadline represents eligibility requests for age-limit exceptions and Returning Finalist re-nominations.2) The Pre-Proposal Deadline represents the end of the nomination period. Institutional nominations must be submitted by the institution’s official nominator—the institution's President, Provost, Director, or equivalent (or their official designee). 3) The Full Proposal Deadline represents when the Letters of Support are due. Blavatnik National Awards for Young Scientists The Blavatnik National Awards honor America’s most innovative young faculty-rank scientists and engineers. These awards celebrate the past accomplishments and future potential of young faculty members working in the three disciplinary categories of Life Sciences, Physical Sciences & Engineering, and Chemical Sciences. Every year, one Blavatnik National Awards Laureate in each disciplinary category will receive $250,000 in unrestricted funds, and additional nominees will be recognized as Finalists. Nominations are accepted from an invited group of research universities, independent research institutions, academic medical centers, and government laboratories from around the United States, as well as from the Awards’ own Scientific Advisory Council, composed of renowned science and technology leaders. Past Laureates of the Blavatnik National Awards are also invited to submit nominations. The program expands on an awards program, started in 2007, for young scientists in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut. Members of the Jury responsible for selecting the Blavatnik National Awards honorees are some of the nation’s most distinguished scientists. Both the Blavatnik National Awards Scientific Advisory Council and Jury include Nobel Laureates, National Medal of Science recipients, and National Academy of Sciences members. The Blavatnik National Awards are conferred at a formal ceremony in New York City each fall. Evaluation Criteria Nominees and their work as independent investigators will be evaluated according to the following criteria: Quality: The extent to which the work is reliable, valid, credible, and scientifically rigorous. Impact: The extent to which the work addresses an important problem, advances scientific progress, and is influential in the nominee’s field, related fields, or beyond, and/or has the potential to benefit society. Novelty: The extent to which the work challenges existing paradigms, establishes a new field or considerably expands on an existing field, employs original methodologies or concepts, and/or pursues an original question. Promise: The nominee has potential for further significant contributions to science, and the research program will generate further impactful and novel discoveries.

Eligibility

You can learn more about this opportunity by visiting the funder's website. Nominations are accepted from an invited group of research universities, independent research institutions, academic medical centers, and government laboratories from around the United StatesThe nominee must:Have been born in or after 1983.We strongly encourage institutions considering nominating candidates born prior to 1982 to contact us as early as possible during the nomination period - November 8th is the latest it can be discussed with us.Hold a doctorate degree (PhD, DPhil, MD, DDS, DVM, etc.). Currently hold a tenured or tenure-track academic faculty position, or equivalent, at an invited institution in the United States. Currently conduct research as a principal investigator in one of the disciplinary categories in Life Sciences, Physical Sciences & Engineering, or Chemical Sciences.There are no residency or citizenship requirements to be nominated for the Blavatnik National Awards.For nominees holding a dual or joint appointment at more than one institution, the nominee must be employed by the nominating institution at least 50% full-time effort.Non-winning nominees from prior Blavatnik Awards nomination cycles are eligible to be re-nominated by their institutions as one of their three nominees, provided they still meet all eligibility requirements.Nominees previously recognized as Finalists of the Blavatnik National Awards are eligible for re-nomination by their institution for the Blavatnik National Awards, provided they meet the following requirements:Returning Finalists must still meet the eligibility requirements for the Blavatnik National Awards.Nomination of Returning Finalists must be pre-approved by the New York Academy of Sciences. Each institution may submit up to three nominations, one in each disciplinary category of Life Sciences, Physical Sciences & Engineering, and Chemical Sciences

Ineligibility

Self-nominations are not allowed.