• • Application Submission and Deadline: Applications must use the ACS Pilot Project Application template and must be submitted as a single PDF file on the application portal by Monday, May 12, 2025, by 5:00 PM PT 
  • FAQ Sessions:  
  • Tuesday, April 8, 2025, 10 am – Register here 
  • Wednesday, April 9, 2025, 12 pm – Register here 
  • Thursday, April 10, 2025 3 pm – Register here 
  • Review Timeline: 6–8 weeks 
  • Anticipated Start Date of Funding: Tuesday, July 1, 2025. 

1. 1. Junior Faculty Status: Applicants must be junior faculty at USC, within the first six years of independent research or faculty appointment by July 1, 2024.
   2. National Research Grants: Applicants must not have an active or prior competitive national research grant (e.g., NIH K99/R00, R03, R01, R21, DoD, etc.). Recipients of career development (K) awards intended for salary are eligible.
   3. Citizenship: U.S. citizenship is not required. Non-U.S. citizens must hold a valid visa allowing them to remain in the U.S. for the project duration.
   4. Required Approvals: IRB and/or IACUC approvals (if applicable) must be obtained before funding release. 

• • Template: All applications must utilize the official ACS Pilot Project Application template. 
  • Length: Follow individual page instructions. Use single-spacing throughout. 
  • Font: Use Arial, minimum 11-point font. 9-point can be used for figures, legends, tables. 
  • Margins: At least ½ inch on all sides. 
  • Page Numbers: Consecutively numbered in the upper-right corner. 

Applicants are required to complete all sections of the ACS Pilot Project Application template. If a specific section is not applicable to your project, please indicate this clearly within the template. Details and notes on each section are below. 

1. Face Page – Biographical Information 

Make sure to include your Chair’s Signature for the “Verification of Applicant Eligibility by Department Chair.” 

2. Abstract 

Provide a 300–500 word summary of the research, addressing: 

• • Background 
  • Objective/Hypothesis 
  • Specific Aims 
  • Study Design 
  • Cancer Relevance 

The final sentence should summarize the focus and cancer relevance of the project in non-scientific terms. 

3. Description of Proposed Research 

This section is limited to 5 single-spaced pages (including tables, figures, and graphs) and should be organized under the following headings: 

• • Specific Aims 
  • Methodology 
  • Significance and Relevance to Cancer 
  • Future Directions and Funding Prospects 

References (up to 2 pages) are not included in the 5-page limit. Appendices are not permitted. 

4. Budget/Budget Justification 

Provide a detailed budget and justification. Allocations are restricted to a maximum of $40,000 direct costs for one year only. In the budget, include: 

• • Percentage effort for all project personnel (even if no funding is requested) 
  • Cost-sharing information (If it will be provided from other funding sources to complete the project; provide source of funding and amount. 

One additional page for budget justification is allowed. 

Indirect costs are not allowable. 

See below ACS guidelines for allowable and non-allowable expenses: 

ACS Allowable Expenses 

• • Research supplies and animal maintenance 
  • Technical assistance 
  • Domestic travel when necessary to carry out the proposed research program 
  • Publication costs, including reprints 
  • Costs of computer time 
  • Special fees (e.g., pathology, photography) 
  • Graduate/postdoctoral stipends (if their role is to promote and sustain the project) 
  • Equipment costing less than $2,000. (For equipment > $2,000, include a special justification) 
  • Registration fees for scientific meetings 

ACS Non-Allowable Expenses 

• • Principal investigator salary (IRG Chair or pilot project recipient) 
  • Visiting lecturer expenses (honoraria, travel expenses) 
  • Administrative/secreterial salaries 
  • Student tuition and fees including graduate and undergraduate. Note: Tuition is allowable expense for the principal investigator of a Mentored Research Scholar Grant 
  • Foreign travel (special consideration for attendance of scientific meeting held in Canada) 
  • Books and periodicals except for required texts for coursework in the approved training plan for Clinician Scientists Development Grants 
  • Membership dues 
  • Office and laboratory furniture 
  • Office equipment and supplies  
  • Rental of office or laboratory space 
  • Recruiting and relocation expenses 
  • Non-medical services to patients (travel to a clinical site or patient incentives are allowable expenses) 
  • Construction, renovation, or maintenance of buildings/laboratories 

5. Additional Information 

Complete all sections: 

• • Underrepresented Minority status 
  • Mentorship 
  • Narrative 

After completing all sections of the ACS Pilot Project Application template, save the document as a single PDF. Then, upload the PDF to the application portal. 

Revisions/Resubmissions 

Applicants are eligible for one revision/resubmission of their original proposal. Applicants must submit a letter detailing changes made in the newly submitted proposal and responses to critiques. Changes to the research plan should produce a significant change in direction and approach to the research project. A new application would include substantial changes in all sections of the Description of Research Proposed, particularly:  

• • Specific Aims 
  • Methodology 
  • Future Directions 

Competitive Renewals 

Applicants funded in FY25 may apply for a second year of funding. In your submission, include: 

• • A 1-page progress report on initial specific aims and project outcomes of the original submitted proposal 
  • Budget projections for funds expended/unexpended by the end of year 1 of the project. 

These requests for a second year of funding will be competitively reviewed. 

New, unrelated projects to the first year of funding are not eligible for competitive renewal, per ACS grant terms and conditions.