Typical Predoctoral Grants
These grants are typically available on a reliable, annual basis. In the past they regularly fund predoctoral trainees. Any PhD or MD-PhD trainee is considered to be predoctoral.
- NIH Fellowship - F series (U.S. citizens and permanent residents)
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PhD/MD-PhD students and Postdocs are elibigle to apply for an NIH fellowship.
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For more information on the NIH F-series grant writing workshop offered at Downstate, scroll to the bottom of the NIH fellowship information page on the Downstate website.
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- NSF GRFP (U.S. citizens and permanent residents)
- The purpose of the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) is to help ensure the quality, vitality, and strength of the scientific and engineering workforce of the United States
- The five-year Fellowship provides three years of financial support, including an annual stipend of $37,000.
- American Heart Association (INTERNATIONAL and U.S. trainees)
- This fellowship funds very broad science. You do not necessarily have to be working on something heart-specific
- Applicants are not required to reside in the United States for any period before applying for American Heart Association funding.
- Boehringer Ingelheim Fonds (European citizenship required)
- cyclical deadline must be within 6months of PhD thesis start
- basic monthly stipend amounts to 1,650 euros
- differences in living costs, country-related premiums USA 1,700 euros
- unmarried fellow working in the USA and Switzerland 3,500 euros
- a spouse allowance of 200 euros,
- a child allowance of 200 euros per child, and/or childcare allowance of up to 500 euros may be added depending on the personal situation.
- Strong fellowship community with regular conferences
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The Boehringer Ingelheim Fonds (BIF) awards PhD fellowships to European citizens working in Europe or overseas and to non-European citizens pursuing their PhD projects in Europe. For exceptions regarding Europeans having completed their secondary education outside Europe, please see FAQs.
The PhD projects must be experimental, in the field of basic biomedical research, and aimed at elucidating basic biological phenomena of human life and acquiring new scientific knowledge.
U.S. CITIZENS
Department of Energy (DoE) Computational Science Graduate Fellowship
- Applicant must be a US citizen or US national.
- Open to 1st year PhD students.
- Eligible applicant must use math or computer science to conduct doctoral research in specific research field such as chemical engineering and life sciences.
- Award provides stipend, tuition, and academic allowance.
- Recipient is required to conduct a 12-week research practicum at a DOE laboratory and attend yearly conferences.
- Deadline: January
National Research Service Awards (NRSA) for Individual Pre-Doctoral Fellowships (F31)
- Applicant must be a US citizen or permanent resident.
- Eligible students should have chosen their major sponsors and passed the ACE.
- Award provides stipend, tuition and institutional allowance for up to five years.
- Deadlines: April 8, August 8, December 8
National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program (NSF GRFP)
- Applicant must be a US citizen or permanent resident.
- Funds basic science research in several areas.
- Open to first and second year students who have not completed a Master’s Degree (some exceptions apply for Dual BS/MS programs).
- Award provides stipend and tuition support for three years.
- Deadlines: October
The Hertz Foundation Graduate Fellowship
- Applicant must be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident.
- Open to the students in the fields of physical and biological sciences, mathematics, engineering and computer science.
- Applicant must be in the first year of graduate study.
- Award provides stipend, full tuition, and fees for up to five years.
- Deadline: October
Department of Defense (DoD) National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate Fellowship (NDSEG)
- Applicant must be a US citizen or US national.
- Applicant must have completed less than two years of graduate study in the discipline in which they are applying.
- Award provides stipend, tuition, and travel support for three years.
- Deadline: November
- Applicant must be a US citizen, permanent resident, or have DACA status
- Applicant should be in their 2nd or 3rd year
- Award provides up to 3 years of support for stipend, tuition/fees, and an advisor diversity and inclusion activities allowance
- Deadline: December
Individual Predoctoral to Postdoctoral Fellow Transition award (F99/K00)
- Applicant may be a citizen or a noncitizen national of the United States.
- A limit on the number of applications submitted from a University may apply.
- Applicant should be in his/her 3rd or 4th year.
- Award provides up to 2 years of predoctoral support and up to 4 years of postdoctoral support.
- Deadline: Varies between institute
INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS
Boehringer Ingelheim Fonds PhD Fellowship
- Applicant must be a European citizen working abroad or in Europe, other exclusions apply please see the program announcement.
- Proposal should be focused in the field of basic biomedical research.
- At the deadline, the applicant should not have been working on his/her thesis project for more than six months.
- Award provides for stipend and travel support for up to 2 years.
- Deadline: February 1, June 1, and October 1
Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR)/ Doctoral Foreign Study Award (DFSA)
- This opportunity is only open to Canadian citizens or Permanent Residents of Canada studying abroad.
- Timing
- have completed no more than 36 months of full-time study in their doctoral program by December 31 of the calendar year of application if enrolled directly from a Bachelor to a PhD (not previously enrolled in a graduate program)
- have completed no more than 36 months of full-time study in their joint program by December 31 of the calendar year of application if enrolled in a joint program, such as, MD/PhD, MA/PhD
- have completed no more than 24 months of full-time study in their doctoral program by December 31 of the calendar year of application if previously enrolled in a graduate program
- The award provides stipend support for up to 3 years.
- Deadline: October
To be considered eligible for support, as of the application deadline date, you must:
- Applicant must be a Canadian citizen or a permanent resident of Canada.
- Applicant must be enrolled in full-time graduate studies and research at the doctoral level.
- Proposal should be focused on the natural sciences or engineering.
- Award provides stipend support for up to 3 years.
- Deadline: October
American Association of University Women (AAUW) International Pre-Doctoral Fellowship
- Open to international women students.
- Award provides stipend support for one year.
- Deadline: November
Canadian Federation of University Women (CFUW) Margaret McWilliams Pre-Doctoral Fellowship
- Open to Canadian women.
- Applicant must have completed at least one year of doctoral study.
- Provides stipend support.
- Deadline: December
Domestic and International Students
American Epilepsy Society (AES) Predoctoral Research Fellowship
- Applicant must be PhD student with qualified mentor(s) with expertise on the specific aspects of epilepsy related research targeted in the proposal
- NO citizenship requirements. All research must take place in the United States
- Award provides 1 year of stipend support
- Deadline: January
The International Foundation For Ethical Research (IFER) Graduate Fellowship Program
- Applicant must be enrolled in a PhD program in the sciences (preferred), other disciplines may apply.
- Proposals should have the potential to reduce, refine or replace the use of animals in research, testing, and/or education
- The award provides stipend and supply support for up to 3 years.
- Deadline: April
Autism Speaks Predoctoral Fellowship Program
- Prior to application, predoctoral candidates must have an identified mentor for their fellowship and have 2 or more years remaining in their training
- International applicants are encouraged. There are no geographic or citizenship requirements.
- The award provides 2 years of stipend and research support
- Deadline: May
PhRMA Foundation Predoctoral Fellowship in Drug Discovery Targets and Pathways
- Applicants must be enrolled in a US university
- Applicants must have passed ACE and expect to complete PhD requirements in 2 years or less from the funding start date
- Only one appliant per lab can apply
- The award provides up to 2 years of stipend support
- Deadline: Letter of Intent, May. Full application, September
PhRMA Foundation Predoctoral Fellowship in Drug Delivery
- Applicants must be enrolled in a US university
- Applicants must have passed ACE and expect to complete PhD requirements in 2 years or less from the funding start date
- Only one appliant per lab can apply
- The award provides up to 2 years of stipend support
- Deadline: Letter of Intent, May. Full application, September
American Heart Association (AHA) Predoctoral Fellowship
- Funds cardiovascular, cerebrovascular or brain health research
- Applicant may be a US citizen or student visa holder.
- Applicant must have a joined a thesis lab and passed ACE at the time of award activation.
- Award provides up to 2 years support for tuition, health insurance, and materials.
- Deadline: September
National Cancer Institute (NCI) Predoctoral to Postdoctoral Fellow Transition Award (F99/K00)
- Weill Cornell Medicine can only nominate one (1) student per year
- No citizenship requirement
- Applicants for the F99 should be 3rd - or 4th-year graduate students
- An internal competition will be held in advance of the NIH deadline to select our institution's nominee.
- Deadline: Internal competition August, NIH deadline November
Autism Science Foundation Predoctoral Fellowship
- Award provides 1 year of stipend support
- Deadline: December