The 2023 early-career grant cycle marks 40 years that the NBF has awarded research funding to early-stage investigators! Since its inception, the NBF has awarded over $11 million to early-career investigators through its Scientific Research Grants Program. Many NBF early-career grant recipients have become leaders in the field. NBF awards grants for investigator-initiated original research in all aspects of blood banking, transfusion medicine, biotherapies and patient blood management. Examples of topics of interest to the NBF are listed below.
Grants applications are evaluated on the basis of their scientific merit, relevance to and impact on transfusion medicine, focus and appropriateness to the scope of funding, and likelihood of yielding meaningful data.
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Alloimmunization, immune modulation, and tolerance
Animal models for the study of graft-vs-host disease
Biology of autoimmune hemolytic anemia
Autologous and allogeneic stem cell transplants
Detection of residual disease following stem cell transplants
Effects of growth factors in vitro and in vivo
Biochemistry of coagulation factors
Blood group serology
Biochemistry of red cell antigens
Molecular genetics of the blood groups
Studies on Lyme disease, West Nile Virus, SARS and babesiosis and other emerging diseases
Effect of allogeneic transfusion in HIV-infected and immunocompromised patients
Improved detection of transfusion - transmitted diseases
Cell separation, cell culture or expansion studies for cell therapy applications
Development of novel cell therapies or assays to measure cell viability or function
Pilot studies in regenerative medicine
Studies on mechanisms or roles of cells in stem cell transplantation
Studies on cytokines or growth factors involved in stem cell differentiation
Treatment of pre-admission anemia and bleeding tendencies; Intraoperative/postoperative blood recovery; Surgical hemostasis; Appropriate indications for transfusion; Changing physician behaviors; Blood utilization review.
Celebrating 40 years the 2023 NBF grant cycle is now open! We are accepting applications through December 1, 2022. Early-stage investigators on a path toward research independence are encouraged to apply for grant funding. Below, please find the application instructions, submission requirements, applicant eligibility, frequently asked questions, and general tips. A link to the online grant portal can accessed via the application instructions.
If you have any questions on this application process, please contact the NBF at nbf@aabb.org or at +1.301.215.6552.
All grant applications will be reviewed by the NBF Grants Review Committee (GRC). This committee meets once a year to select the grant recipients. Outside reviewers may be consulted at the discretion of the committee. The NBF Board of Trustees must approve, and the National Blood Foundation Research and Education Trust (NBFRET) Board of Trustees must accept the GRC’s recommendations before official awards may be made. Grants are announced in June and funds are disbursed in July.
Applications will be judged on the following criteria:
A confidential critique review sheet of the proposed grant project which summarizes the GRC’s comments will be provided. AABB and the NBF reserve the right to list the grant recipients in publications, including the title, principal investigator and amount of funding.
No. No candidate is eligible to receive more than one NBF grant.
Yes. If you still meet the eligibility criteria, you are encouraged to resubmit an application using the reviewers' critique as a guide to modify and strengthen the application. Many previously unfunded applicants receive funding after resubmitting a second application. However, after two submissions for the same project, an application will no longer be accepted.
Yes. An applicant can be a doctor (MD or PhD), medical technologist preferably with an advanced degree, or any transfusion medicine or biotherapies professional working in the U.S. or outside the U.S. Emphasis will be given to first time applicants who meet the eligibility requirements and second time applicants who have also submitted a strong progress report. More experienced researchers who are changing fields to transfusion medicine and biotherapies are also eligible for funding. Priority in awarding grants will be given to innovative, new projects.
Yes. NBF grants are international in scope. Applicants do not have to be a U.S. citizen. All applicants will be considered regardless of age, race, gender, national origin or religion. The application must be completed in English.
Eligible applicants are those working or training in disciplines that impact transfusion medicine, biotherapies or related sciences. Priority in awarding grants will be given to innovative, new projects.
Yes. Applications received in languages other than in English (including all supporting materials) will not be considered.
The project may cover one or two years, starting in July and completion by the next June 30 for one-year terms and ending two years on June 30 for two-year terms. The award amount does not change.
You can update your application via the NBF online grants portal any time prior to submitting it. Once the application is submitted, no further edits can be made. After the deadline, 11:59pm ET December 1, 2022, no changes or additions can be made, and all applicants will receive a notification e-mail. If you do not receive a confirmation email, please email nbf@aabb.org immediately.
All applicants will receive a confirmation notification e-mail containing payment instructions. If you do not receive a confirmation email, please email nbf@aabb.org immediately. You will also be contacted via the online grants portal if there are any questions about your application or items missing. Please make sure that the NBF has your current contact information even if you temporarily move for the summer or go on vacation, etc. If we cannot reach you with questions your application may not be able to be evaluated. The NBF must be notified if you apply for additional funding after your NBF application is submitted.
You will receive notification via the online grants portal indicating whether or not your proposal has been funded. All applicants will receive a letter and a copy of the reviewers’ critique via email. The Grants Review Committee meets in the spring to make its recommendations and the final funding approval is made by the Foundation boards in late May or early June. Grant applicants who will be funded are announced in June and funds are disbursed in early July.
The selection process includes several rounds of review. A committee of eminent scientists (whose names are withheld in anonymity), in transfusion medicine and biotherapies (the Grants Review Committee) reviews each application on its scientific merit and the quality of the proposal. Worthy applications are moved forward to a second review. Reviewers meet via conference call to discuss the results and reviews and move the top proposals forward to the Scientific Grants Review Committee which meets face-to-face to thoroughly discuss the potential of each remaining application as to its science, its capability of achieving the goals and the potential contribution to advancing transfusion medicine and biotherapies. The grants review committee forwards recommendations to the Foundation boards in late May/early June for their approval. Approval is also required of the AABB board of directors before funds are disbursed.
There are a limited number of awards that can be funded by the NBF foundation. Staff cannot engage in individual correspondence or discuss reasons for not receiving a grant. A detailed reviewers’ critique is sent to each applicant.
Applications are typically unsuccessful due to the following reasons:
poor quality; incomplete application; insufficient evidence or data to support the proposal’s aims; flawed science; budgetary overlap with current funding in the laboratory
or overlap mentor funding; junior investigator not judged to be moving to independent investigator track; or level of qualification - the Foundation funds PhD, or MD or persons engaged in transfusion medicine or biotherapies affiliated with
an accredited institution. Lastly, priority in awarding grants will be given to new investigators and innovative, new projects.
Yes, you may apply for a 6-month or 12-month extension for your one- or two-year term by filling out a Request for Grant Change form and sending it to the NBF at nbf@aabb.org. Requests are addressed on a case-by-case basis.
No, funding for each project is limited to a total of $75,000 or the amount requested in the application for the entire period of the project, either one year or two (NOT per year).
Yes, but budgetary overlap must be carefully outlined and documented in the NBF proposal with specific information on source and scope.
No, the NBF has no restrictions on budgetary carry-over.
Yes, you may but you must inform the NBF at nbf@aabb.org that you are changing institutions and give us your new contact information. The existing institution must refund the NBF any unused NBF funding. NBF will disburse the same amount as the unused funds to the new institution.
Yes, one- and two-year grant recipients are required to submit an Interim progress report at the end of six months or the first year. One- and two-year grant recipients must submit a Final Report to the NBF within 60 days of completion of your project. The Final Report must be submitted in this format to be eligible for the NBF Award for Innovative Research.
Recipient is selected by the National Blood Foundation (NBF) Scientific Grants Review Committee with formal approval by the NBF Board of Trustees. This award (formerly known as the David B. Pall Prize for Innovative Research and the Jack Latham Memorial Award for Innovative Research) was established in 2016 to recognize a scientist whose original research resulted in an important contribution to the body of scientific knowledge in transfusion medicine or biotherapies. Recipient receives a $1,000 honorarium.