2025 Award Guidelines

Overview: Since its launch in 2020, the annual Inspiration Award has attracted a competitive field of excellent investigators and institutions across the United States and internationally in pancreatic, ovarian, and pediatric cancers. Winners are profiled, along with their research summary, on our Awards Winners page. The Hopper-Belmont Foundation (“HBF”) Inspiration Award aims to motivate young investigators to make a difference early in their career by providing a personal award recognizing concepts and/or projects in one of the following areas:

• Innovation: Recognition of an innovative idea in need of proof of concept/data before applying for larger grants from NIH or other funding resources

• Aspiration: Providing resources to begin or further research in a designated HBF focus area

• $5,000 Award which can be used for personal or research purposes

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Focus: Pancreatic or Pediatric Brain Cancer with an emphasis on innovative approaches addressing either 

• Early Detection Techniques 

• Early Intervention

• Novel Therapies

 

Who Qualifies: Post-doctoral (PhD, MD/PhD), Physicians-in-training (MD, MD/PhD), or junior faculty members who are in the first two years of a faculty appointment at the time of application submission. Individual and team submissions are allowed.

 

Guidelines: Submit a concept summary (3 pages maximum) using the following format:  

• To appease all reviewers, this should be in layman’s language to the extent possible

• Situation/Background Inspiration Idea

• Proof of concept approach (if applicable) 

• Overall benefits to the patient community  

• Other potential concept applications (e.g, impact on other cancers) 

• Career aspirations the award may support 

• Concept Timeline (if applicable)     

• Closing remarks 

• Appendix to include: 

  • NIH style bio sketch 

  • A minimum of one letter of support from current advisors, department heads, or other relevant individuals 

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Award Winner Requirements: Award recipients are expected to share their award status with their institution via website posts, social media, etc., share with HBF ongoing updates of future awards, promotions, publications, etc., and provide HBF with a short written bio for HBF website as well as a short video summary of their award winning project. 

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Apply by emailing: hopperbelmontfoundation@gmail.com

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Application Deadline: Monday June 23, 2025