Melanoma Research Alliance
/OVERVIEW: The Melanoma Research Alliance (MRA) brings together other foundations, academic institutions, and biopharmaceutical companies to leverage funding for research.
IP TAKE: The Melanoma Resarch Alliance, according to MRA, has become the “largest non-profit funder of melanoma research worldwide.” It views itself as a “catalyzer” of “transformative” work, so your work should fit into this view. The alliance runs several targeted grant programs and accepts applications from researchers at the assistant professor level or higher. Some grant initiatives provide support for “high-risk, high reward” research. In addition to its regular grantmaking, MRA also offers grants for evolving special opportunities on the RFP page.
MRA research funding is awarded through a competitive, peer reviewed process. Each summer, MRA announces its Request for Proposals (RFP) soliciting translational research grant applications from scientists and clinicians around the world. Grants are, however, accessible and transparent, so long as funded grantees help MRA achieve its mission.
PROFILE: Founded in 2007 by Broadway producer Debra Black and her husband Leon, CEO of Apollo Management, the Melanoma Research Alliance devotes itself to “barrier busting” melanoma therapy research. As the Blacks personally provide full support for the foundation’s operating cost, it boasts that “100% of every donation to MRA goes directly to melanoma research.” To date, MRA has given away over $100 million to its cause and “leveraged an additional $417 million in collaborative and follow-on funding towards its mission.”
Grants for Diseases and Science Research
MRA makes grants to science research focused on melanoma through its MRA Grant Mechanisms program. Previous grantees of the various initiatives within this program may be viewed here. These grants include:
Young Investigator Awards, which offer support for three years for early career scientists. Young Investigators are scientists within five years of their first academic faculty appointment. A mentorship commitment from a senior investigator is required.
Established Investigator Awards for senior investigators with an established record of scientific productivity and accomplishment.
Pilot Awards provide support for two years potentially “transformative ideas that do not have extensive preliminary data but articulate a clear hypothesis and translational goals. Resources for such “high-risk, high-reward” projects are important to establish proof-of-concept.”
Partnership Awards support in-kind from an industry partner.
Team Science Award, which are the “centerpiece of the MRA research funding portfolio,” works to “foster a collaborative research process” and intend to “promote transformational melanoma research” that has the potential for rapid clinical translation.
Dermatology Career Development Fellowship Awards support the work of post-doctoral researchers and medical residents in the areas of awareness, prevention, diagnosis and early intervention of melanoma.
Another main grantmaking vehicle, the Next Steps program, works to advance “translation of discoveries into the clinic by supporting: 1) needed preclinical resources and tools for the research community to identify and begin to develop new therapies and 2) infrastructure to analyze and build large datasets to identify better diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers leading to hypothesis-driven research proposals for submission to MRA and other funding agencies.”
Important Grant Details:
Awards and grants range from $25,000 to over $125,000.
All grant awards are selected by MRA’s Grant Review Committee through a diligent peer review process and are confirmed by its Board of Directors.
All MRA grantees must hold a faculty appointment at an academic research institution at the level of assistant professor or higher.
MRA puts out one request for proposals annually with details about guidelines and deadlines for available awards.
Contact Dr. Joan Levy, MRA Chief Science Officer at jlevy@curemelanoma.org with questions.
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