Call for Applications: 2026 Faculty Innovation Fund Awards
research@BSPH is now accepting applications for the Faculty Innovation Fund awards, which support the research of full-time, early-stage faculty with a primary appointment in the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. The deadline for the 2026 round of Faculty Innovation Fund applications is March 27, 2026 at 11:59 p.m.
The goal of these awards is to stimulate innovative research projects that will generate preliminary data and strengthen the faculty member’s research trajectory and support future funding applications.
What are the Faculty Innovation Fund awards?
Pilot, formative, and developmental studies that can be leveraged into competitive grant applications are the focus of these awards. Generally, two to six applications are awarded annually.
Eligibility:
Assistant professors and assistant research professors who are the primary investigators on their projects are eligible.
As these are research-focused awards, assistant professors in the practice or teaching tracks and assistant scientists must articulate their current level of support and how this award will impact their individual research career trajectory.
Applications for collaborative projects are permitted if both PI’s fulfill eligibility criteria.
Funding:
Awards are for one year of support at a funding level of up to $35,000. Please only apply for the amount your project needs – recognizing our goal to provide support to as many investigators as possible.
Awards can be used to purchase equipment or supplies, pay student or staff salaries, and support other research needs. Salary support for the PI is limited to 10% effort. Additional salary support for other early-stage faculty must be strongly justified. Effort for senior faculty members at the associate or professorial rank is not allowed.
Individuals can receive only one Faculty Innovation Fund award per career. Applicants for a Faculty Innovation Fund award cannot receive overlapping funding from other internal awards focused on similar projects (e.g., Center for Global Health, Bloomberg American Health Initiative).
All areas of scientific inquiry are eligible for this award. However, two sources of funding are specific to cancer research; please specify if you would like your application to be considered for either of these:
Ho-Ching Yang Memorial Faculty Award. Supports projects involved in cancer research that have particular importance to improving the health of populations.
The Richard L. Gelb Cancer Prevention Fund. Supports research efforts in cancer prevention that assist in translating those findings into practical strategies and programs.
The Gustave Martin Award for Faculty Innovation in HIV Research is provided annually through a BSPH endowment. However, this award is administered through the Center for AIDS Research (CFAR) as a Faculty Development Award, with funding of up to $50,000 and due dates annually in August. While HIV-focused research will still be considered in this current call for applications, investigators should briefly indicate the rationale for applying for this award as opposed to CFAR’s award.
How do I apply?
Please email a .pdf with your name as the file name with all materials compiled into a single document, to BSPH.research@jhu.edu by Friday, March 27, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. EST.
What is the application format?
Application body: can be no longer than five single-spaced pages (11-point Arial font with narrow 0.5-inch margins).
Include the following sections: abstract, introduction (with relevant preliminary data, if available), specific aims, methods, and impact.
Impact section: Please include both research and career impact paragraphs. Describe how this work is novel and will serve to move your field forward. Describe how this award will support your career development as an independent investigator and its relevance to supporting your research trajectory and future grant submissions.
Other components (not included in the limit of five pages):
Tables / figures (two-page limit)
Limited references as appropriate
NIH-format biographical sketch
Brief proposed budget
Other support page (including pending applications)
Letter of support from the department chair.
The letter should indicate how the department supports the faculty member’s research career and how this award would facilitate their trajectory as an independently funded PI.
Additional guidance
If you are submitting a revised application from a prior round, please clearly indicate how the application was modified.
If the proposal is part of a larger, separately funded grant, there should be a clear explanation of the larger grant, it’s funding status, and how this proposal fits into the larger project.
In writing your application, don’t try to collapse the description of an R01 into five pages. Avoid jargon.
Target your application to a broader audience than your specific field so that reviewers, who span the breadth of expertise in the School, can understand what you plan to do and why.
How are awardees selected?
Applications will be reviewed by a committee of senior faculty members. Notably, reviewers come from diverse disciplines and will review all applications together. Award recipients and non-selected applicants will be contacted shortly after the review meeting anticipated to occur in May. Funded awards can begin as early as July 1, 2026.
Please email BSPH.research@jhu.edu with any additional questions.