The Mark Foundation for Cancer Research Announces Global Expansion and $1M Funding Boost for Flagship Emerging Leader Award

Commitment to early-career scientists grows to $1 million per award with new global eligibility; expansion announced during annual Scientific Symposium.

NEW YORK, March 25, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- The Mark Foundation for Cancer Research today announced a major evolution of its flagship Emerging Leader Award (ELA) program, significantly increasing its financial commitment to early-career scientists and opening the competition to investigators worldwide.

The announcement was shared today with an audience of over 200 world-leading scientists gathered in New York for the Foundation's annual Scientific Symposium. Starting with the 2026 application cycle, the total award for each recipient will increase to $1 million over four years. This expansion represents a substantial increase in both the size of individual grants and the duration of support for investigators pursuing high-risk, high-reward cancer research. For the first time since the program's inception in 2018, the call for proposals is also open to applicants from academic institutions outside of the United States and Canada. The total number of awards given is expected to increase as well.

"Early-career scientists are the engine of oncology innovation, yet they face a funding landscape that is increasingly unpredictable due to rising costs and federal grant uncertainty," said Ryan Schoenfeld, PhD, CEO of The Mark Foundation. "By doubling down on our support—increasing the award amount, extending the runway for deep discovery, and expanding our search globally—we are ensuring that the brightest minds in cancer research have the freedom to follow their most ambitious ideas."

Symposium Highlights Cancer Research Advances

The announcement came on the first day of The Mark Foundation's Scientific Symposium, which showcases the immediate impact of the Foundation's funding across several critical domains. Throughout the event, attendees—including past and current Emerging Leader Award recipients—are sharing breakthroughs in areas including brain cancer detection, novel cancer therapies, and the unique intersection of aging and cancer risk. A highlight of the symposium was Tuesday's keynote address by Nobel Laureate William Kaelin Jr., MD, who shared critical insights into how cancer genetics can be used to develop more effective cancer therapies.

Building on a Legacy of Impact

The ELA program is open to scientists who have been in independent faculty positions for three to eight years and whose work demonstrates the potential to fundamentally transform cancer prevention, diagnosis, or treatment.

Since 2018, the program has awarded more than $40 million to 49 investigators. Past recipients have made breakthroughs in areas ranging from the role of sex-linked chromosomes in leukemia development to the evolution of glioblastoma tumors. In the eight years since the program was launched, recipients' work has already led to high-impact papers, clinical trials, and innovative biotechnology companies.

For more information about the program, eligibility requirements, and application instructions, visit www.themarkfoundation.org.

About The Mark Foundation for Cancer Research

The Mark Foundation for Cancer Research, a charitable organization based in New York City, actively partners with scientists worldwide to accelerate research that will transform cancer prevention, diagnosis, and treatment. Since 2017, The Mark Foundation has awarded over $300 million in grants to investigators at more than 120 academic institutions across 18 countries, with research programs focusing on early career support, team science collaboration, new technology innovation, and therapeutics discovery. Additionally, The Mark Foundation maintains a growing portfolio of investments in early-stage cancer diagnostics and therapeutics companies, including several that have transitioned from grantee projects into commercial development. To learn more, please visit www.themarkfoundation.org.

Media
Rachel Hastings
[email protected]

SOURCE The Mark Foundation for Cancer Research