Early-Career Scientific Research Grants Program Accepting Applications

The AABB Foundation Early-Career Scientific Research Grant Program supports investigator-initiated original research across all aspects of blood banking, transfusion medicine and biotherapies. These grants have been instrumental in advancing the Foundation's mission of making transfusion medicine and biotherapies safe, available and effective on a global scale.

Grant applications are assessed based on scientific merit, relevance to and impact on the field, appropriateness to the funding scope and the potential to yield meaningful data. Throughout the years, numerous grant recipients have become leaders in the field, with their innovative research resulting in scientific and medical advances that save lives and improve the health of millions of patients and donors globally.

Investigators on a trajectory toward research independence are strongly encouraged to apply for these grants to advance their scientific pursuits. Applications for the 2026 cycle will be accepted until Dec. 1, 2025.

To learn more about the grant application process, see the information on frequently asked questions below and consider submitting your application for the 2026 cycle.

I’m Interested! What is the Selection Process?

All grant applications will be reviewed by the AABB Foundation Scientific Research Grants Review Committee (GRC). This committee meets once a year to select grant recipients. Outside reviewers may be consulted at the discretion of the committee. The AABB Foundation Board of Directors must approve the GRC’s recommendations before official awards may be made. Grants are announced in June and funds are disbursed in July.

A confidential critique review sheet of the proposed grant project that summarizes the GRC’s comments is provided to all applicants. AABB and the Foundation reserve the right to list the grant recipients in publications, including the title, principal investigator and amount of funding.

Who Can Apply?

An applicant must be a doctor (MD or PhD), medical technologist, transfusion medicine or biotherapies professional. All applicants will be considered regardless of age, race, gender, national origin or religion.

The Foundation accepts early-career applicants worldwide. Early-career is defined as follows:

1. An early-career investigator is an investigator who has completed a terminal research degree or medical residency – whichever date is later – within the past 10 years of the grant application deadline and has not yet been awarded a substantial research grant (i.e. NIH R01). Of note, there is a 13-month period during which an investigator can resubmit a revised application and retain early-stage investigator status.
2. Clinical fellowship training in a medical specialty or subspecialty training in the years that follow the internship/residency period is not considered a part of the residency. Often the clinical fellowship period will consist of a mixture of clinical and research training. The time spent in research training will be considered as applicable toward the 10 years of research and research training.
3. If you have competed successfully for a substantial research grant (i.e. NIH R01) at any time in your career, you are NOT considered early-career and are, therefore ineligible for an AABB Foundation early-career Scientific Research Grant.

The AABB Foundation’s intention is to fund researchers on a path toward research independence. No candidate is eligible to receive more than one AABB Foundation early-career Scientific Research Grant in the course of their career.

What are the Submission Criteria?

• Applications for research into innovative and new projects are a priority.
• No particular project can be funded more than once.
• An application for the same project may be submitted twice if not already funded by the AABB Foundation.
• Awards will not be made to increase the funding available for currently funded research projects. AABB Foundation early-career grants are intended to provide “seed” funding that allows the principal investigator to enhance preliminary data. This data may then be useful in applying for larger grants.

General Application Tips!

• Make sure you meet the eligibility requirements and submit your application by the deadline.
• Plan ahead! Producing a strong application takes time and final selection is based, in part, on the quality of your application and accompanying material.
• Have a clear strategy. Make sure all parts of your application form an integrated whole and make sense for your objectives.
• Read and follow the instructions carefully. The instructions are your guide to creating a complete and competitive application.
• Submit information regarding available funding from other sources (fellowships, scholarships, sponsorships, etc.).

Individuals with questions on the application process are invited to contact the AABB Foundation at foundation@aabb.org. For more information, visit aabb.org/grants.

Many AABB Foundation early-career grant recipients have become leaders in their field and are recognized in the Foundation’s Hall of Fame. Below, just a few provide their thoughts on how receiving a Foundation grant helped their career.

2025 Inductee

Moritz Stolla, MD, PhD

Director, Platelet Transfusion Research Associate Member, Bloodworks NW Research Institute Associate Medical Director, Bloodworks NW, Blood Transfusion Service Associate Professor, Div. of Hematology, Dept. of Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine

“The funding from the AABB Foundation was an incredible help when I started my independent lab. The AABB foundation award was the first external one I received, a critical step for every junior investigator. Soon, other awards followed, but the AABB award was essential to get launched.”

2024 Inductee

Chance John Luckey, MD, PhD

Associate Professor of Pathology
Medical Director of Cell Therapy Collections and Processing
University of Virginia School of Medicine

"AABB Foundation funding provided invaluable opportunities for me to interact with like-minded clinicians and scientists in the field. The connections I made through the AABB Foundation have not only led to a host of fruitful scientific collaborations supported by the NIH, but more importantly provided some of my closest friends."

2023 Inductee

Brian R. Smith, MD

Deputy Dean for Clinical and Translational Research
Co-Director, Yale Center for Clinical Investigation
Professor and Chair of Laboratory Medicine
Professor of Biomedical Engineering, Int Medicine, Pediatrics
Yale University School of Medicine

"The AABB Foundation was instrumental in moving my research focus to translational projects designed to positively impact ameliorating the complications of transfusion and improve cellular therapy. Very importantly, it also provided key opportunities to co-mingle clinician-scientists, clinicians, and non-clinician investigators that encouraged cross-disciplinary collaborations critical to moving Transfusion Medicine forward."

2021 Inductee

Cheryl Lobo, PhD

Head, Blood-Borne Parasites
Lindsley Kimball Research Institute
New York Blood Center

“Being recognized as an AABB Foundation awardee supported my laboratory both financially and professionally. Not only did the grant monies focus my work on parasite biology in a translational research direction but also allowed me to forge strong connections with a collaborative network of transfusion medicine researchers.”