BETHESDA, Md--The National Cancer Institute has announced a new program to give outstanding new scientists their first crack at independent research, and to do so for up to four years in NCI labs.
Investigators selected for the NCI Scholars Program will receive up to $600,000 for salary, space, equipment, and staff during their NCI tour. They will then be eligible for another two years of noncompetitive funding of up to $125,000 annually at an academic institution.
The NCI said that it expects to select about 10 participants the first year. Scientists with no more than five years of postdoctoral research in basic, clinical, or population-based research on cancer are eligible. Years spent in clinical training do not count against the five-year limit.
A key goal is to increase the NCI's ability to attract highly talented young scientists and to help academic institutions spot potential new investigators.
Harold Varmus, MD, director of the National Institutes of Health, noted that NIH traditionally has trained scientists who have left to assume leadership roles elsewhere. "This program continues that tradition," he said.
A Spectrum of Research Fields
NCI will consider scientists from a spectrum of research fields. Some examples include cell biology, gene regulation, environmental determinants of cancer, signal transduction, pharmacoepidemiology, methodologic and statistical research, molecular biology of angiogenesis, and the translation of basic findings to clinical settings.
For additional information, potential candidates can contact Vincent J. Cairoli, PhD, chief, Cancer Training Branch, Executive Plaza North, Room 520, Rockville, MD 20892-7390. Telephone: 301-496-8580. Fax: 301-402-4472. E-mail: vc14z@nih.gov.
