Apply to the Translational Research Program (TRP)
The goal of translational research is to reduce the time between laboratory findings and actual treatment.
The submission period for TRP is now open. Please submit your Letters of Intent.
The Translational Research Program (TRP) was formed to enhance the transfer of basic research findings to clinical usefulness.
We are looking for applications that propose novel approaches to the prevention, diagnosis, or treatment of hematological malignancies and related pre-malignant conditions. Proposals should be based on molecular, cellular, or integrated systems findings and be conceptually innovative and with a clear plan for the eventual clinical translation of the studies proposed and the results expected.
Click here to see our active TRP portfolio.
Please find all TRP program documents available for download here:
We have some special RFPs this year!
Scroll down to see all RFPs or click each category to jump to the appropriate section:
LLS-FLF United To Cure FL (Curative Research To Eliminate Follicular Lymphoma) Award Request For Proposals
- LLS is partnering with The Follicular Lymphoma Foundation (FLF) to advance our common mission to find cures for follicular lymphoma and improve the quality of life of patients and their families.
- LLS and FLF will jointly fund up to three meritorious TRP applications focused on Follicular Lymphoma with an emphasis on late stage pre-clinical or clinical investigations aimed toward driving cures.
- Applications must be submitted to the LLS TRP program and will be evaluated within the general pool of TRP applications. Applications will be jointly reviewed by LLS and FLF for co-funding decisions.
- LLS will administer the grant program.
- Details to be found in “Cure FL Appendix” at the end of the Guidelines and Instructions document available for download on this page.
Snowdome Foundation – Leukaemia Foundation Translational Research Program
- The Snowdome Foundation and Leukaemia Foundation are Australian-based not- for-profit organizations with whom LLS is partnering to enhance our common goal to accelerate cures and better treatments for blood cancer patients.
- LLS, Snowdome Foundation and Leukaemia Foundation will jointly fund up to one meritorious TRP application focused on blood cancer research from investigators working in Australia, Australian investigators working in other countries, or to Australian and non-Australian researchers jointly applying as co-PIs.
- Applications must be submitted to the LLS TRP program and will be evaluated within the general pool of TRP applications. In addition, applications will be jointly reviewed by all three foundations to ensure they meet the funding objectives of the organizations, and scientific progress of each awarded TRP will be evaluated by the organizations on an annual basis.
- LLS will administer the grant program.
The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society - The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society of Canada Translational Research Program
- LLS is partnering with The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society of Canada (LLSC) to advance our common mission to find cures for blood cancers and improve the quality of life of patients and their families.
- LLS and LLSC will jointly fund up to three meritorious TRP applications focused on blood cancer research from investigators working in Canada.
- Applications must be submitted to the LLS TRP program and will be evaluated within the general pool of TRP applications. Applications will be jointly reviewed by LLS and LLSC and scientific progress of each awarded TRP will be evaluated by both organizations on an annual basis.
- LLS will administer the grant program.
Mantle Cell Lymphoma
LLS invites innovative and ambitious proposals that can lead to better treatments and cures for MCL. In particular, the goals of MCL are to better understand and develop therapeutic approaches for relapsed MCL. However, novel work focused on early disease intervention or improved risk stratification is of interest. LLS calls for the submission of creative proposals with the potential for high impact in MCL. Applications should address both transformative issues in MCL biology and promising new directions in MCL therapy.
Key Topics of Interest:
- Understanding of the MCL tumor microenvironment and the properties of lymphoma cells responsible for disease relapse
- Identifying the best treatment combinations based on solid preclinical rationale and data
- Understanding and developing novel immunotherapies for MCL that have the potential to cure cancer
- Identification and validation of novel targets in relapsed disease
- Developing treatment approaches that replace cytotoxics with targeted therapies or immunotherapies that retain efficacy while reducing toxicity
- Understanding the basis of resistance to existing and newly emerging therapies
- Developing novel therapeutics, especially to targets that are unique to MCL and have previously been difficult to drug (e.g., transcription factors)
- Developing additional, accurate animal models of the disease for critical testing of drugs
- Developing predictive biomarkers of disease that can be used for early detection, prediction of treatment response, and to identify patients most likely to respond well to different treatments
Recent changes to the TRP grant program:
- No more Renewal applications! Last year we created a brand-new grants program called ACT that renewal-type requests may very well qualify for. ACT is not open for applications at this moment (coming soon) and the terms and rules of the program will be different from last year's. Please follow this link to learn more.
- We raised the annual award amount!
- Maximum Annual Direct Costs to $225,000
- Maximum Total of up to $750,000.00 for 3 Years
Topics of interest include:
- Personalized medicine approach for cancer treatment. Advances in cancer care have significantly improved lives of patients with hematologic diseases such as CLL, CML, Hodgkin Lymphomas, MM, and ALL. LLS believes that, with time, cures can be achieved for certain diseases or subtypes of diseases. Therefore, LLS will continue to support research that may revolutionize cancer care for any hematologic disease including the use of state-of-the-art technologies for molecular profiling, novel target identification, prognostic/predictive biomarkers that can be associated with patient selection and development of liquid biopsy technology.
- Development of novel therapies and/or novel therapeutic strategies including those that target mutational and epigenetic events both in the tumor cells and within the microenvironment. Such therapies can be applicable to any hematologic malignancies, but emphasis is warranted in the following areas:
a) Aggressive subtypes of Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma including but not limited to DLBCL, tFL, MCL, PTCL, and ALCL
b) Indolent lymphoma, including but not limited to: CLL, FL, WM (therapies with the potential to provide significant extension of lives of patients or total disease control in defined subtypes)
c) Myeloid disorders including MPN/MDS/AML as well as lymphoid disorders such as ALL
d) Multiple Myeloma and pre-emergent conditions and
e) LLS is especially interested in novel immunotherapy approaches and understanding novel immune synapses relevant to blood cancers. - Improvements in the safety and efficacy of stem cell transplantation
- Long-term outcome assessment following therapies
- Pediatric research. LLS recognizes that new, precision medicine and immunotherapies are needed to improve outcomes for pediatric blood cancers. The goal is to develop curative therapies that have reduced long-term complications compared to current cytotoxic therapies. Research may focus on pediatric leukemias, lymphomas, as well as other pediatric blood cancers such as Langerhans Cell Histiocytosis. We encourage research applications attempting to justify and explore novel therapies for pediatric blood cancers, especially those that uniquely target mutations found in pediatric cancers.
- Cancer Cell/Microenvironment: Progress in understanding neoplastic stem cell growth and differentiation as well as cancer cell/microenvironment interactions especially with translation to novel therapies.
How to apply
- Please refer to the Guidelines & Instructions document above
- Is this your first time applying for an LLS Research grant? You can get started by requesting a new account in the LLS Research Portal by clicking here.
- See the table below for all the key dates and deadlines:
2023-2024 Application Key Dates
| Phase | Date |
|---|---|
| Call for Proposals | August 21, 2023 |
| Letter of Intent Due | October 20, 2023, 3:00 PM ET |
| Full Application Due | January 19, 2024, 3:00 PM ET |
| Panel Review Meetings | March 2024 |
| Award Notification* | May 2024 |
| Award Start Date | July 1, 2024 |
*LLS' non-negotiable funding agreement terms & conditions are available for download above
Frequently Asked Questions
Where can I find the Policies and Procedures?
The Policies and Procedures are available to download from the TRP webpage or from the LLS Research Portal program information pages.
Are corporate entities allowed to apply?
No. Only academic institutions are eligible to receive funds from LLS Research Grants. Applicants from the National Institutes of Health or other government agencies are also not eligible. Corporations conducting blood cancer research may, however, be eligible to apply for Therapy Acceleration Program (TAP) funding.
Independence is defined as an academic appointment or similar non-corporate position that has sole responsibility for directing research and funding the work. Usually this means a professor, associate or assistant professor or an equivalent appointment. Post-doctoral and similar appointments are not considered independent positions.
May I submit more than one application?
No. Applicants may only serve as the PI for one new TRP application per cycle.
If I have an existing TRP award, can I apply for a second?
Yes, an investigator may apply for a new TRP if they currently hold an active TRP from a prior year. The proposed work may be a new research objective or may be related to the active TRP but should not directly overlap with the aims of the existing TRP.
Can I apply as a PI on one application and a Co-PI on another application?
No. Applicants may not serve as PI or Co-PI on more than one application within the same cycle. Applicants may, however, serve as Collaborator on more than one application.
Should Collaborators and Co-PIs conduct their research at the same institution as the PI?
Not necessarily. A Co-PI or Collaborator may work at a different institution – or even in a different country – from the PI.
Should my proposal be responsive to the request for proposals (RFP) topics?
Not necessarily. The LLS seeks proposals that are responsive to the RFP but will consider other exceptional proposals with the near-term potential of clinical translation.
Permissible Direct Costs include salary, wage, or stipend with fringe benefits, supplies & materials, equipment, travel, and patient care costs. Permissible Indirect Costs include those incurred for common or joint objectives that cannot be readily identified with a particular project (general maintenance, utilities, library, etc.), as defined in Office of Management and Budget Circular A-21. Impermissible Costs include membership dues, tuition, books, journals, and publication costs.
Yes. The signing institution (i.e. the Sponsoring Institution) is responsible for academic and CRO subcontracts. LLS will only sign a contract with and dispense payments to the Sponsoring Institution and does not facilitate subcontracts.
Could this grant cover any subcontract costs?
Yes. While LLS does not facilitate subcontracts, subcontract costs may be claimed as part of the Sponsoring Institution’s direct costs. Indirect costs may only be claimed by one institution (usually the Sponsoring Institution).
Why is my administrative officer’s name missing from the online application dropdown menu?
In order for personnel to be selected from dropdown menus on the application, each individual must have an account in the LLS Research Portal (FLUXX) that is linked to the Sponsoring Institution of the application. Please contact researchprograms@lls.org to request new accounts.
Why can't I delete a document I upload?
In order to avoid accidental deletions, applicants are not granted access to delete uploaded documents. We recommend that all application documents be thoroughly reviewed before they are uploaded. Applicants wishing to correct an uploaded document should contact researchprograms@lls.org to have the document replaced with a corrected version. Please note that the correction will be apparent to reviewers.
Can I adjust the margins and font on the Project Description template?
No. Applications that are submitted with altered templates will be triaged.
Do character limits include spaces?
Yes. Character limits include spaces throughout all LLS grant applications.
Assurances pending approval should be noted on your application, and approval letters should be uploaded as soon as they are received. Approval letters received after the deadline should be sent to researchprograms@lls.org as soon as they are received and will be added to your application by LLS administrative staff.
Yes. Applicants should alert LLS Research Administration of a potential move as soon as possible. The new Sponsoring Institution will be subject to LLS approval.
More Questions?
Please refer to the downloadable Guidelines and Instructions document above for answers and for contact information.