Drug Delivery Faculty Starter Grant

Drug Delivery Faculty Starter Grant

Status: ACTIVE
Funder: Pharmaceutical Research And Manufacturers Of America Fnd Inc (PhRMA)
Amount: US $100,000
Last Updated: March 03, 2026

Summary

The Drug Delivery Faculty Starter Grant from the PhRMA Foundation supports early-career researchers in drug delivery, providing $100,000 for one year. Eligible applicants include full-time faculty at accredited U.S. universities within their first five years of independent status. The grant emphasizes innovative research that enhances drug transport and dosage forms. Recipients must notify the Foundation of any external funding exceeding $250,000. This initiative aims to foster scientific independence and collaboration in biopharmaceutical innovation.

Overview

Mission The PhRMA Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that fosters biopharmaceutical innovation and value-driven health care by investing in the frontiers of research. The Foundation catalyzes the careers of promising researchers through competitive, peer-reviewed grants and fellowships in the fields of drug delivery, drug discovery, translational medicine, and value assessment and health outcomes research. Vision A healthier world where all people have access to innovative, life-changing medicines. Values Integrity: We strive to be scientifically independent and evidence-based in our decision-making.Innovation: We invest in cutting-edge research and ideas that will improve patient health.Collaboration: We support collaborative research efforts that are diverse and inclusive. Drug Delivery Faculty Starter Grant The PhRMA Foundation Faculty Starter Grant in Drug Delivery offers financial support to individuals beginning independent careers at the faculty level at an accredited U.S. university in drug delivery research, including basic pharmaceutics, biopharmaceutics, pharmaceutical technology, pharmaceutical biotechnology, or biomedical engineering. Applicants must be within the first five years of their independent status. Program Goals formulation composition and delivery modalities/technologies that enable more favorable transport (absorption, targeting, elimination) of drugs; and/ordrug dosage forms that can be manufactured to achieve higher quality, lower cost, and greater stability or flexibility. Today’s drugs include biologics, small molecules, and cell and gene therapy. Delivering increasingly complex drugs demands thorough understanding of technologies and formulation approaches. Funding The PhRMA Foundation Faculty Starter Grant in Drug Delivery provides funding of $100,000 for one year. Funding is conditional upon the awardee’s continued employment with the university, which will be assessed on a quarterly basis prior to payment. Awardees are required to notify the PhRMA Foundation if they leave the university. Payments will be made directly to the university on behalf of the awardee, with the understanding the university will administer the funds. If you are offered a PhRMA Foundation award, the Foundation will reconfirm your external grant support. Should you receive additional funding in excess of $250,000 in annual direct costs, the PhRMA Foundation award will be withdrawn.

Eligibility

You can learn more about this opportunity by visiting the funder's website. Applicants (U.S. and non-U.S. citizens) must be full-time, promotion-eligible, research-intensive faculty at a PhD and/or MS degree-granting accredited U.S. university by the time of award activation. Awards may be activated between January 1, 2025, and August 1, 2025.Applicants must be within the first five years of independent status.Applicants must be eligible to apply for independent external research funding by their university.Applicants should not have other substantial sources of research funding. Individuals receiving only intramural funding or start-up funding from their university are eligible to apply.Applicants who have taken leave from their career (e.g., parenting of a child, childbirth, long-term care of a parent/spouse/child/dependent, personal health issues) that puts them outside of the eligibility time frame can reach out to PhRMA Foundation staff ahead of their LOI submission to determine their eligibility. The Foundation aims to be flexible and adjust these time frames if appropriate.Applicants should not have other substantial sources of research funding. For example, applicants are ineligible if they are the principal investigator of an R01 from the National Institutes of Health, a career award from the National Science Foundation, or other significant financial award from any grant-making institution.Individuals receiving only intramural funding or start-up funding from their university are eligible to apply. Use of FundsFunds must be used to conduct the proposed research.Funds may be budgeted to include the support of a technician, graduate student, or postdoctoral fellow at an hourly rate.Up to $1,500 may be used for travel by the awardee to professional meetings in the United States.Funds may be used to purchase equipment and/or data to support the research efforts.

Ineligibility

Applicants are ineligible if they are the principal investigator of an R01 from the National Institutes of Health or a career award from the National Science Foundation.The Foundation will not consider multiple applications for the same or similar efforts on the same project. If multiple applicants are submitting proposed efforts on the same project, the efforts must be separate activities and not duplicative. Funds may not be used for salary support of the awardee, fringe benefits, or indirect costs.The funds may not be used to provide tuition, fringe benefits, or indirect costs for technician, graduate student, or postdoctoral fellow. Said personnel may not be an active award recipient of the PhRMA Foundation. You are not eligible if your faculty status began before January 1, 2022.