2024 Award Guidelines

Overview: 

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 prior to applying for larger grants from NIH or other funding resources
• Aspiration: Providing resources to begin, or further, research in a designated HBF focus area 

This is a $5,000 award that can be used at the discretion of the winner, e.g.  personal or research.   

2024 Inspiration Award:

Focus: Pancreatic and/or Ovarian Cancer with an emphasis on innovative approaches addressing either a) Early DetectionTechniques and/or b) 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 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 

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.

Applications are now closed! Thanks to all of the exceptional applicants for this year's Inspiration Award. We hope to announce the winners very soon.                       

Apply by emailing: hopperbelmontfoundation@hopperbelmont.org