LUNGevity Issues RFA for New Mid-Career "Bridge to Breathe" Research Award

Foundation is now accepting applications

WASHINGTON, Jan. 13, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- LUNGevity Foundation, the nation's leading lung cancer-focused nonprofit organization, is pleased to announce its inaugural Mid-Career "Bridge to Breathe" Research Awards.

Data looking at the history of research grants being issued through the National Institutes of Health (the largest funder of health-related research in the US) showed that mid-career researchers were not being adequately retained in the field. Deeper analysis revealed that six years after receiving their first major research grant, 45% of cancer researchers could not get the next round of funding to continue their work.¹

This situation drastically reduces the number of seasoned lung cancer researchers in the field, which means we are also losing their knowledge and skills.

"This new award is part of LUNGevity's ongoing commitment to workforce development and is intended to retain leaders in thoracic oncology who have the potential to move the dial for people living with lung cancer," says Amy Moore, PhD, Vice President of Global Engagement and Research Partnerships.

The LUNGevity Foundation 2025 Mid-Career "Bridge to Breathe" Research Award was created to meet the evolving needs of the research community by supporting mid-career researchers who are within 5 to 15 years of their first faculty appointment. The research projects are expected to provide a clear conceptual or experimental foundation for the future development of methods for early detection and/or individualized treatment for lung cancer. High-risk, high-return proposals will receive equal consideration.

This award is for a maximum of $150,000 over two years. 

There is a two-step application process. Applicants must first submit a letter of intent (LOI) due February 14, 2025. Only a subset of applicants will be invited to submit a full application after the LOIs are reviewed; these applications will be due May 12, 2025.

Award recipients are expected to be announced in late summer 2025.

For more information about this award, including full application details, visit the LUNGevity website at www.lungevity.org/RFAs and the proposalCENTRAL website at proposalcentral.com.

1. Changes in the National Cancer Institute's R01 workforce: growth, aging, retention and policy implications.  J Clin Invest. 2021;131(7):e146925. https://doi.org/10.1172/JCI146925.

About LUNGevity Foundation

LUNGevity, the nation's leading lung cancer organization, is transforming what it means to be diagnosed and live with lung cancer. LUNGevity seeks to make an immediate impact on quality of life and survivorship for everyone touched by the disease—while promoting health equity by addressing disparities throughout the care continuum.

• Through research, we use an innovative and holistic approach to finding lung cancer earlier when it is most treatable; advance research into new treatments so people may live longer and better; and ensure a diverse, vital pipeline of investigators for the future of the lung cancer field.
• Through advocacy, we foster groundbreaking collaborations to ensure all people have access to screening, biomarker testing, and treatment breakthroughs.
• Through community, we educate, support, and connect people affected by lung cancer so that they can get the best healthcare and live longer and better lives.

Comprehensive resources include a medically vetted and patient-centric website, Patient Gateways for specific types of lung cancer, a toll-free HELPLine for personalized support, international survivor conferences, and tools to find a clinical trial. All these programs are designed to help us achieve our vision—a world where no one dies of lung cancer. LUNGevity Foundation is proud to be a four-star Charity Navigator organization.

Please visit www.LUNGevity.org to learn more. 

About Lung Cancer in the US

• About 1 in 18 Americans will be diagnosed with lung cancer in their lifetime.
• More than 234,000 people in the US will be diagnosed with lung cancer this year, with a new diagnosis every 2.2 minutes.
• It is estimated that close to 65% of all new lung cancer diagnoses are among people with no tobacco exposure or only past tobacco exposure.
• More lives are lost to lung cancer than to the next two deadliest cancers (colorectal and pancreatic) combined.
• Only 27% of all people diagnosed with lung cancer will survive 5 years or more, but if it's caught before it spreads, the chance of 5-year survival improves to 64%.

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SOURCE LUNGevity Foundation