Drug Discovery Predoctoral Fellowship Grant

Funder: Pharmaceutical Research And Manufacturers Of America Fnd Inc (PhRMA)

The Drug Discovery Predoctoral Fellowship by the PhRMA Foundation supports PhD candidates engaged in thesis research in drug discovery. This fellowship offers $30,000 annually for 12 to 24 months, encouraging innovative research that integrates multiple scientific disciplines. Applicants must be full-time, in-residence students at accredited U.S. universities and have completed significant coursework. The funding is conditional upon continued enrollment and is intended for stipend support, with some funds allowable for research-related incidentals.

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.
The PhRMA Foundation Predoctoral Fellowship in Drug Discovery Targets and Pathways provides support for promising students (U.S. and non-U.S. citizens) in advanced stages of training and thesis research in drug discovery research.
Program Goals
Successful drug discovery involves the innovative application and integration of multiple scientific disciplines to create efficacious, safe, and differentiated treatment options for patients. The PhRMA Foundation seeks to fund novel early-stage, exploratory drug discovery research with the potential for translation to humans, including biological validation of potential drug targets, signaling pathways, or mechanisms of disease.
Research topics could include, but are not limited to:
Cellular and Molecular BiologyDesign and Generation of Pharmacological ToolsIn Vitro and/or In Vivo PharmacologyProtein BiochemistryMolecular ModellingStructural BiologyCell ImagingSingle Cell AnalysisArtificial Intelligence and Computational Approaches
Projects that focus exclusively on single aspects such as identification of and development of assays for single targets, chemical probes, biomarkers, chemical library screening, or diagnostics will not be considered for review. Project aims should have a high likelihood of completion in the award timeframe.
Funding
Funding is conditional upon the awardee’s continued enrollment with the university, which will be assessed on a quarterly basis prior to payment. The awardee is required to notify the PhRMA Foundation if they leave the university or if they defend early. Payments will be made directly to the university on behalf of the awardee, with the understanding that the university will administer the funds.
This award is intended solely as a stipend; however, within the yearly award amount of $30,000, up to $1,000 (maximum) per year may be used for incidentals directly associated with thesis research preparation or travel to a scientific conference in the United States.

Eligibility

Applicants (U.S. and non-U.S. citizens) must attend an accredited U.S. university as full-time, in-residence students.
Applicants must have completed most of their pre-thesis requirements (at least two years of coursework) and be engaged in thesis research as PhD candidates by the time the award is activated. Award activation can begin as early as January 1, 2026, or as late as August 1, 2026.Applicants should expect to complete their PhD requirements in two years or less from the time funding begins.The thesis advisor’s letter of support must verify the applicant’s doctoral candidacy.
Applicants enrolled in MD/PhD programs should not be engaged in required clinical coursework or clerkships while the fellowship is active. Fellows are expected to devote full time (including summers) to their research.Predoctoral fellowships should not be seen as a way to fund the principal investigator’s currently funded research project.
Only one predoctoral applicant per lab may apply for this award. If multiple applicants apply, they will automatically be ineligible. Potential applicants and their thesis advisors and/or lab managers should decide who should apply.

Ineligibility

Individuals just beginning graduate school should not apply. PhRMA Foundation funds may not be used for tuition, fringe benefits, or indirect costs to the university.An individual may not simultaneously hold another funding mechanism providing stipend support while the PhRMA Foundation predoctoral fellowship is active, unless it helps to supplement the award to a level that is consistent with other predoctoral fellowships the university offers. If necessary, the university may supplement the award to a level that is consistent with other predoctoral fellowships it currently offers.The Foundation will not consider multiple applications for similar efforts on the same project. For instance, if a predoc, postdoc, and faculty member from the same lab are all submitting applications for proposed efforts on the same project, the efforts must be separate activities and not duplicative.Applicants who expect to complete their PhD before December 31, 2026, are not eligible.