Rhode Island Foundation Medical Research Grants is sponsored by Rhode Island Foundation. The Rhode Island Foundation awards grants to medical research projects, including those focused on AI-driven cancer detection.

RI Foundation | Medical Research Grants The application for this program is currently closed To provide support to new investigators as seed money or for pilot projects; To provide support to improve already highly rated NIH research proposals for re-submission; To provide support to redirect or expand the focus of research for investigators impacted by changes in federal research priorities The Foundation encourages researchers throughout Rhode Island to apply for grant support for laboratory, clinical and population-based research.

In addition to limited funding for general medical research, areas of interest with designated funding include infectious diseases, cardiac research, coronary artery disease, cerebral accidents, cancer, heart disease, multiple sclerosis, arthritis, spinal cord, diabetes, allergies, and performance enhancing substances. Seed Grants are provided to Assistant and Associate Professors at Rhode Island academic or hospital institutions.

Grants are generally targeted to faculty who have received faculty level appointments within the past five years and are one-time awards. Only under unusual circumstances will a proposal for second-year funding be considered. Funding may be used for supplies, research animals, support personnel, and other operating costs.

The Foundation generally does not provide funds for permanent equipment, equipment maintenance, travel, or printing unless it is part of the research itself. In most cases, this program does not provide funds for salary support of the principal investigator. Due to the limited funds available, the Foundation does not cover charges for overhead by the applicant hospitals and universities.

The proposed grant period for a Seed Grant is 18 months from the time funds are disbursed. Resubmission Grants are provided to help bridge research and help improve already highly rated NIH research proposals for re-submission. The applicant must have already applied for an NIH grant within the last 24 months that was discussed by the relevant study section, scored in the top 50th percentile, but was not funded.

Applicants cannot have an active RO1 grant that extends beyond 12 months from the time of application. Strong preference for Resubmission Grants will be given to more junior faculty at Rhode Island academic or hospital institutions.

Grants are limited to individuals with faculty level appointments and are not awarded to individuals holding training positions, such as clinical specialty fellows or postdoctoral fellows, at the time of initiation of the proposed research.

Funding may support activities including data gathering, travel, equipment time, purchase of supplies or other activities that are expected to improve the competitiveness of a planned resubmitted research proposal. In most cases, this program does not provide funds for salary support of the principal investigator.

Due to the limited funds available, the Foundation does not cover charges for overhead by the applicant hospitals and universities. The proposed grant period for a Resubmission Grant is 12 months from the time funds are disbursed.

Redirection grants are provided to help investigators, whose research has been impacted by changes in federal research priorities, redirect and/or expand the focus of their research to improve the competitiveness of future grant submissions. While preference will be given to more junior faculty, this opportunity is available to any faculty at Rhode Island academic or hospital institutions.

Grants are limited to individuals with faculty level appointments and are not awarded to individuals holding training positions, such as clinical specialty fellows or postdoctoral fellows, at the time of initiation of the proposed research. Funding may support activities including data gathering, equipment time, purchase of supplies, support personnel, and other operating costs.

In most cases, this program does not provide funds for salary support of the principal investigator. Due to the limited funds available, the Foundation does not cover charges for overhead by the applicant hospitals and universities. The proposed grant period for Redirection Grants is 12 months from the time funds are disbursed.

A review panel made up of scientists and physicians assists the Foundation in its review of Medical Research proposals.

Criteria used to evaluate proposals include: Significance of the research Soundness of the methodology Feasibility of the research project Demonstration of independent research program If an applicant identifies as a member of an underrepresented population, using a categorization previously developed by the NIH, please see the next tab below for more information.

For Seed Grants only: Likelihood of the project transitioning to external funding (e.g. NIH RO1 funds) For Resubmission Grants only: Likelihood that the project will receive funding after resubmission for NIH funding For Redirection Grants only: Likelihood of applicant successfully pursuing future awards Awards are contingent on IRB/IACUC written approval.

If IRB/IACUC approval is not required, an institutional letter of exception is required.

Underrepresented populations Individuals from racial and ethnic groups that have been shown to be underrepresented in health-related sciences on a national basis Individuals with disabilities, who are defined as those with a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities Individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds, defined as those who meet two or more of the following criteria: Were or currently are homeless Were or currently are in the foster care system Were eligible for the Federal Free and Reduced Lunch Program for two or more years Have/had no parents or legal guardians who completed a bachelor’s degree Were or currently are eligible for Federal Pell grant Received support from the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) as a parent or child Grew up in one of the following areas: a) a U.S. rural area, as designated by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Rural Health Grants Eligibility Analyzer , or b) a Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services-designated Low-Income and Health Professional Shortage Areas Applications must be received by October 24, 2025 at 3:00 p.

m. The grant review committee will meet in February 2026, after which awards will be available, subject to receipt of all documents (i.e. IRB/IACUC approval, if required). When applying, please create or use an account affiliated with your sponsoring institution.

A complete application package (all submitted through our online system) includes: Completed application form ; A curriculum vitae "biosketch" of the Principal Investigator ; Letter of support from the investigator's division director or department chair*; Letter of support from significant collaborators*; Letter from the office of research administration of the sponsoring agency*; IRB or IACUC Approval Letter.

If you do not have your approval letter, please upload a letter of exception or a statement detailing the status of your approval letter in its place. * For Resubmission Grants only: the relevant NIH summary statement; For Resubmission Grants only: Rough estimate of the total budget for resubmission: direct and indirect costs for each budget year of the project and the total for full project period.

*Letters must be in Word, Excel, PDF, or JPG formats and must be submitted through our online system.