Max and Minnie Tomerlin Voelcker Fund Grants

Supports basic and translational research addressing cancer, arthritis, heart disease, muscular dystrophy, retinitis and/or macular degeneration. Awards provide up to $450,000 over three years to enable investigators to innovate and develop data that may generate follow-up funding. Up to three awards may be made in 2027. Eligible applicants: Applicants must be investigators at the assistant professorial level or an equivalent position at University Texas Health, San Antonio, Texas; University of Texas, San Antonio, Texas; Texas Biomedical Research Institute; San Antonio Children’s Hospital; University of Texas Rio Grande Valley; Trinity University; St. Mary’s University; University of Incarnate Word; or the Retina Foundation of the Southwest.; Candidates should hold a tenure-track or equivalent position at the time of application.; Candidates should have a PhD, MD, MD PhD, or equivalent degree.; Candidates should be United States citizens or permanent residents at the time of application.; Candidates should have received their undergraduate degree within twenty-five years of applying for the Voelcker Fund Young Investigator Award.; Candidates should be able to allocate at least 50% of their time to research.; Candidates should have a mentor.; The sponsoring institution must demonstrate that it can provide the environment necessary for successful research and appropriate mentors.; The pre-proposal must include a cover sheet; a standard NIH bio including publications, beginning with the most recent; the candidate’s current and pending research support; a one-to-two-page research description organized into project aims, rationale and background, and experimental approach; and a mentor’s letter of support.; Only the top-ranked pre-proposal candidates will be invited to submit a full proposal.; Full proposals are evaluated primarily on research quality and originality, methodology and research plan, potential to advance knowledge or clinical care in the specified disease areas, the candidate’s track record and ability to conduct the research, mentor support, and the sponsoring institution’s scientific environment.. Geography served: San Antonio, Texas. Deadline: December 4, 2026 Pre-Proposals due.