CRI Lloyd J. Old STAR Program Grant

CRI Lloyd J. Old STAR Program Grant

Status: ACTIVE
Funder: Cancer Research Institute Inc
Amount: Up to US $1,250,000
Last Updated: November 30, 2025

Summary

The CRI Lloyd J. Old STAR Program provides up to $1.25 million in funding over five years to mid-career scientists pursuing high-risk, high-reward research in cancer immunotherapy. This program supports tenure-track assistant and associate professors, allowing them to explore innovative lines of investigation. Recipients are expected to be future leaders in the field, using their expertise to address significant immunological questions and develop new immune-based therapies that can benefit more cancer patients.

Overview

The CRI Lloyd J. Old STAR Program—Scientists TAking Risks—provides long-term funding to mid-career scientists, giving them the freedom and flexibility to pursue high-risk, high-reward research at the forefront of discovery and innovation in cancer immunotherapy. Rooted in CRI’s exceptional track record of identifying and supporting people who have had a major impact in immunotherapy, these grants are not tied to a specific research project, but rather support outstanding researchers based on the quality and promise of their overall work. The Lloyd J. Old STAR program provides up to $1.25 million over a five-year period to tenure-track assistant professors (minimum 3 years) and associate professors (maximum 3 years). Candidates selected for this award are expected to be the future leaders in the field of cancer immunotherapy, and this sustained funding will enable them to carry out transformational research. Because the funds are not restricted to a particular project, the award allows the recipients to follow new and promising lines of investigation, which often lead to unanticipated scientific breakthroughs. This long-term funding provides a degree of flexibility and freedom to explore outside-the-box and disruptive avenues of research. The profile of a recipient investigator would be a scientist who takes risks with the expectation of high rewards, even in the face of potential failure. They will use their expertise, scientific acumen, and visionary curiosity to ask important, significant, and often non-obvious immunological questions. They will be the rare researcher who connects disparate pieces of discoveries, often from multiple disciplines, to develop and test new hypotheses that lead to step changes in our understanding and innovation to the field of cancer immunotherapy. It is expected that their discoveries in basic or translational research will ultimately influence the development of new immune-based therapies that will be effective for more cancer patients. CRI Lloyd J. Old STARs will be at the forefront of discovery and innovation and will be viewed as the leaders in scientific thought and invention. Financial Information Lloyd J. Old STAR Program grants provide up to $250,000 per year for five years. Awarded funds are intended to be flexible and may be used for salary, technical assistance, supplies, capital equipment, or scientific travel. CRI does not provide funds for indirect costs. Payments are made quarterly in U.S. currency to the host institution.

Eligibility

You can learn more about this opportunity by visiting the funder's website. The applicant must have an M.D., Ph.D., or M.D./Ph.D. (or equivalent)Applicants must belong to one of the following categories as of July 1 (following the deadline):Tenure-track assistant professor with a minimum of 3 years in this position (for Jan. 2026 deadline, candidate must be appointed on or before July 1, 2023) Tenure-track associate professor with a maximum of 3 years in this position (for Jan. 2026 deadline, candidate must be appointed on or after July 1, 2023)Applicants are expected to commit a minimum of 80% of their time to conducting research.CRI has no citizenship restrictions, and research supported by the award may be conducted at medical schools and research centers in the United States or abroad.

Ineligibility

Adjunct or acting positions are not eligible.Please note that the Cancer Research Institute does not support research at for-profit institutions.