CORE Funding: AHNS/AAO-HNSF Translational Innovator Award Grant

CORE Funding: AHNS/AAO-HNSF Translational Innovator Award Grant

Status: ACTIVE
Funder: American Academy of Otolaryngology - Head & Neck Surgery Foundation
Amount: Up to US $100,000
Last Updated: November 30, 2025

Summary

The CORE Funding: AHNS/AAO-HNSF Translational Innovator Award supports innovative research in head and neck neoplastic diseases with a grant of $100,000 over two years. Eligible applicants include full-time academic head and neck surgeons, who must demonstrate a commitment to developing independent research careers. The award encourages interdisciplinary collaboration and aims to yield significant findings within the funding period, fostering long-term research potential and attracting further funding opportunities.

Overview

AHNS/AAO-HNSF Translational Innovator Award $100,000, two years. One available. Purpose The purpose of this award is to support contemporary basic or clinical research focused on neoplastic disease by full time academic head and neck surgeons; to promote novel translational research preferably with biomarker ideas. Conditions Research supported by this award should be specifically directed toward the pathogenesis, pathophysiology, diagnosis, prevention, or treatment of head and neck neoplastic disease, and may be either basic or clinical/translational in approach. While not specifically required, proposals which aim to introduce new knowledge and methodology from other disciplines to research in head and neck disease, or which demonstrate collaborative effort with members of other related disciplines are encouraged. Projects must be designed so as to yield useful information within the period of award, but priority will be given to projects that are also innovative with promise to develop into new long-range or expanded research programs capable of attracting funding from other sources. The applicant institution must demonstrate in the application a firm commitment to the development of the candidate as a productive, independent investigator in head and neck surgical oncology research and to the pursuit of the research career development plan described in the application. The candidate must describe a career development program that will maximize the use of relevant research and educational resources available in the sponsoring institution. Candidates are expected to devote at least 25% effort per year (based on a 40-hour work week) to the research supported by this award. This can be done as 25% of the effort in each of the two years or 20% in one year and 30% in the next. The application must be accompanied by a letter of support from the Chair of the candidate’s academic department verifying that the applicant will be permitted to devote the required amount of time to the conduct and timely completion of the proposed research project, and that reasonable departmental resources will be made available to facilitate the work. Use of Funds A detailed budget and budget justification constitute part of the application and will be evaluated as part of the review process. Allowable expenses include Principal Investigator salary and benefits, consultant fees (e.g. statistician); salary support for research assistants or other technical personnel; computer software or hardware; purchase and maintenance of experimental animals; laboratory supplies and services; and expenses related to publication of results directly related to the supported project, exclusive of reprint costs. Equipment and supplies purchased with this Award become the property of the recipient institution. Salary and benefits for secretarial or administrative assistants may not be supported by this award. The AHNS and the AAO-HNS Foundation prefer not to pay institutional (indirect) costs for this very modest award; if the institution is unwilling to waive such costs, however, they are limited to no more than 10% of the Total Direct Costs (sum of amounts requested for personnel, consultant costs, equipment, supplies, patient care costs, and other expenses).

Eligibility

You can learn more about this opportunity by visiting the funder's website. Applicants for this award must be:Otolaryngologist—Head and Neck surgeons, who are active members of the AAO HNS. OR Surgeons who are in head and neck fellowships or have completed a head and neck surgery fellowship and are active or candidate members of the AHNS. Citizens of the United States, noncitizen nationals, or have been lawfully admitted for permanent residency at the time of application;Full-time academic surgeons in faculty positions at the rank of instructor or assistant professorHold a Doctor of Medicine (MD) degree or equivalent (DO, MBBS) from an accredited institution;Have demonstrated the capacity or potential for a highly productive independent research career with an emphasis in head and neck surgical oncology;Are members or candidate members of the American Academy of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery and the American Head and Neck Society; andHave completed residency or fellowship training no longer than seven (7) years prior to submitting an application.The AHNS/AAO-HNSF Translational Innovator Award is legally awarded to the institution with which the Principal Investigator is affiliated, not to the investigator or his/her Division or Department. Former AHNS or Foundation research grant recipients are eligible to compete for this grant. You must be a member of this organization to apply for this award - become a member. Applicants must be members or candidate members of the AHNS and AAO-HNS. AHNS candidate members must be sponsored by an AHNS Fellow in good standing, who must submit a letter of support as well.

Ineligibility

Medical oncologists and radiation oncologists are not eligible to apply for this award.Candidates who have served or are currently serving as Principal Investigators on NIH research grants or who have successfully applied for another research career development award (NIH K Award or other >$100,000 direct cost award) are ineligible.Candidates may not hold research grants from NIH, AAO-HNSF, or the American College of Surgeons (ACS) concurrently with this award.