Bladder Cancer Grants and Research Awards

Listed below are Bladder Cancer Advocacy Network (BCAN) research grants along with descriptions of each, deadlines, eligibility and more. For more information about these grants, please contact [email protected]. Please visit our Grants and Research page for more information about each award.

You can also peruse a database of past and current BCAN research awards.

	Research Innovation Award	Career Development Award	Young Investigator Award (YIA)	John Quale Travel Fellowship	Patient Centered Clinical Research Award
Open Application Date	LOI: December 2026 Invited Application: February 2027	August 2026	January 2027	February 2027	September 2026
Application Deadline	LOI: January 2027 Invited Application: April 2027	October 2026	February 2027	March 2027	December 2026
Purpose	Supports exceptionally novel and creative projects with great potential to produce breakthroughs in our understanding of bladder cancer Projects must be high-risk, high-reward vs. incremental in nature	Supports junior investigators who have received their initial full time faculty appointment to establish an independent bladder cancer research program and successful career path	Supports the development of research scientists and clinical cancer research investigators who have demonstrated a commitment to improving the understanding and treatment of bladder cancer	The Travel Fellowship Program seeks to engage more early-career individuals with bladder cancer research interests including basic/translational scientists, urologists, medical and radiation oncologists, radiologists, pathologists, etc.	Supports junior-level to senior-level full-time faculty investigators who have demonstrated a commitment to improving the understanding, treatment and experience of bladder cancer patients and are launching careers in patient centered clinical research. This award is intended to advance new patient centered clinical research initiatives and to provide an opportunity to increase competitiveness for subsequent funding applications in this space.
Research Focus	Must have direct applicability and relevance to bladder cancer and/or upper tract urothelial carcinoma and include innovative approaches and new ideas (e.g., novel theoretical concepts, methodologies, instrumentation, interventions, etc.) Basic, translational, clinical, or epidemiologic research is acceptable	Must have direct applicability and relevance to bladder cancer and/or upper tract urothelial carcinoma and must demonstrate the likelihood of translating new concepts into clinical practice Translational, clinical, or epidemiological research is acceptable	Must be specific to bladder cancer and/or upper tract urothelial carcinoma Basic, translational, clinical, epidemiologic, bioengineering or any other field of research is acceptable. Applicants may also be investigating studies of patient-centered clinical research including shared decision making, access to care, quality of care, quality of life, health disparities, comparative effectiveness research, patient-centered outcomes research, and survivorship	The travel fellowship seeks to engage early career investigators with interests related to bladder cancer, including basic scientists, urologists, oncologists, and pathologists	Patient centered clinical research (e.g. studies of shared decision making, access to care, quality of care, quality of life, health disparities, comparative effectiveness research, patient-centered outcomes research, and survivorship).
Eligibility	Full-time, independent investigators Investigators with relevant expertise outside of bladder cancer seeking to apply approaches to bladder cancer are encouraged	Applicant must be within the initial 7 years of their first full-time faculty appointment Applicant may not hold the title of Associate or Full Professor Applicant may not have previously secured major independent research funding (NIH R01 or equivalent)	The applicant must be within six years of completion of a professional degree or clinical training such as residency, fellowship, or post-doctoral fellowship. The applicant may hold the title of Senior Postdoctoral Fellow, Instructor, Research Associate, Assistant Professor, or equivalent. Applicants holding the title of Associate Professor or higher at the start of grant funding are not eligible to apply.	MDs and PhDs within the first 1-3 years of their first full-time faculty appointment at the time of application submission OR MD applicants in a research/scholar residency or fellowship program OR PhD applicants in a postdoctoral fellowship	Investigators who have experience in other areas of cancer or biomedical/health science research with promising ideas and approaches that can be applied to bladder cancer research. Applicant must have a full-time faculty appointment as at least the level of an assistant professor, research assistant professor, or equivalent. Applicant must have a primary Co-Investigator, with patient-centered clinical research expertise, within or approved by the sponsoring institution. Applicant may not have currently, or previously secured major independent patient centered clinical research funding (NIH R01 or equivalent).
Required Degree	Applicant must have a medical and/or doctoral degree. If the applicant’s primary area of expertise is outside of bladder cancer, including a Co-Primary Investigator with expertise in bladder cancer research is acceptable and recommended	Medical and/or doctoral degree in the biomedical sciences or a field applicable to health science research	Medical and/or doctoral degree in the biomedical sciences or a field applicable to health science research	MD or PhD (see eligibility criteria)	At the time of submission, the applicant must have a doctoral degree (e.g., MD, DO, DDS, Ph.D., DNP, DSW, PharmD, PsyD, DVM, or equivalent) in the biomedical sciences or a field applicable to health science research and may not currently be a candidate for a further doctoral degree.
Award Period	2 years	3 years	2 years	Bladder Cancer Think Tank Meeting 2026: July 29 – July 31	3 years
Total Funding Indirect Costs	$300,000 ($150,000 per year) A maximum of 10% of total direct costs may be used for indirect costs	$250,000 over 3 years Up to 7% per year may be applied to indirect costs	$100,000 Not allowable	$2,000 N/A	$250,000 over 3 years. Up to 7% per year may be applied as indirect costs.
Mentored Award?	No	No	Applicant must have a mentor within or approved by the sponsoring institution	N/A	No

Bladder Cancer Grants and Research Awards

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