Early-Stage Investigator Enrichment Program (MSTS ESI EP)
MSTS Mentoring Group: Regis O’Keefe, Eric Henderson, Kurt Weiss, Kevin Jones, Christopher Collier, Julia Visgauss, Steven Thorpe, Francis Lee, Nicholas Bernthal
Program Release Date: April 1, 2026
Application Deadline: July 15, 2026
Interview Dates: Aug 15 - Sept 15, 2026
Notice of Award: October 1, 2026
Purpose of Award:
To enrich MSTS Early-Stage Investigators (ESIs) with a longitudinal commitment to facilitate their development into independently funded primary investigators conducting high-impact clinical/translational research in the field of musculoskeletal tumors including—but not limited to—sarcomas, benign tumors, and skeletal metastases.
Award Amount:
$25,000 per award, to be spent over 3 years.
Note: This MSTS ESI EP may be combined with the Howard Hatcher Fellowship for the integrated training in precision oncology & pathology. In this case, a candidate should apply for the Howard Hatcher Fellowship ($5,000 - $8,500/Award) separately. If the applicant applies for both MSTS ESI Enrichment Program and the Howard Hatcher Fellowship, it should be stated in the Application Package and Personal Statement.
Number of Awards:
For the 2026 fiscal year, at least one award will be provided. The Program Announcement will recur in 2027, 2028. With additional funding, we aim to provide this award in 2029, and 2030 as well.
Definition of ESIs:
ESIs are defined within the first 6 years of the first faculty appointment at the time of application. A 2-year minimum of continued effort to develop into an Independent MSTS Principal Investigator is required. The MSTS ESI Award winner will leverage the data and infrastructure resulting from this grant to apply for NIH (or other federal funding) that considers ESI status within the first 10 years. MSTS ESIs should submit the proof of the initial (A0) and first amended (A1) applications for the grants administered by NIH/PCORI/DOD/VA/Industry Drug & Implant Trials by the end of this award and at least two years prior to the end of their ESI status.
Eligibility:
The PI must be an MSTS Candidate or Active Member at the time of application.
Previous recipients of NIH K08/K23/R01 (or equivalent) awards are not eligible. Recipients of other smaller scale grants are eligible.
Selection Process:
The MSTS Research Committee and Mentoring Group will review the applications, and interviews of the applicants may take place before the selection of the final awardee.
Background & Purpose:
The primary purpose of the MSTS Early-Stage Investigator Enrichment Program is to prepare early-stage MSTS members with the mentorship and pilot data to become independent investigators and conduct impactful research on musculoskeletal tumors, including sarcoma and non-sarcoma research. This program represents the commitment of the MSTS to support ESIs in having an intensive, mentored research career development experience. The musculoskeletal oncology field is changing rapidly by adopting molecular oncology, AI/Robotic procedures, and drug therapies for TSGCT, fibromatosis, chondrosarcomas, and many others. To this end, the ESI Enrichment Award recipients will have unprecedented training opportunities for mechanistic translational research or cancer drug clinical trial training. The MSTS Early-Stage Investigator Enrichment Programpackage was prepared in response to the MSTS Open Mic Session on Research at the MSTS Board Meeting on Jan 21, 2026. The MSTS Board has approved the Program Announcement on Feb 25, 2026. It is envisioned that the MSTS ESI Enrichment Program is not an individual award but is an award to the MSTS mentor-mentee program that will incite iterative and meaningful interactions among investigators and collaborators within and outside the MSTS. This award mechanism is designed to position awardees to be ready for implant- or cancer drug trial research, technology-driven research, or mechanistic translational research by the conclusion of the training period. The fund may be spent over the 3-year period.
Structure of the Award and Expectations:
The award recipient is expected to engage in a mentored research and career development program that consists of monthly meetings with MSTS and external mentors who have proven track records in high-impact publications and sustained federal research funding. Structured mentoring courses may include but not limited to in-person visits with mentors, ORS/AAOS/CSCDP Program (https://www.ors.org/cscdp/), ORS Grant Writing Course (https://www.ors.org/learnors-grant-writing), AACR Molecular Oncology/Pathology Course for New Investigators (https://www.aacr.org/meeting/molecular-biology-in-clinical-oncology-workshop-2026/ ), AACR Clinical Cancer Research Course for New Investigators https://www.aacr.org/meeting/aacr-asco-methods-in-clinical-cancer-research-workshop-2026/ ), Gordon Research Conference (https://www.grc.org )and Pilot Data Generation.
During the award period, the candidate will learn a programmatic and strategic focus project that will be continued over the next 5-10 years. Usually, impactful research is related to mechanistic research, rigorous modern cancer drug trials, or the development of new technologies with scientific evidence instead of doing descriptive or illustrative studies. Grant applications will be prepared for submission to VA/DOD/MTF/OREF/NIH/Implant Industry/Drug Industry and other Extramural Agencies. Publication of preliminary work is encouraged
Application Format and Page Limit (NIH Format: Arial font Size 11; 0.5-inch margin top, bottom, right, left)
- New NIH 5-page biosketches for the PI and other Key Personnel (instructions and forms are available at Biographical Sketch Common Form | Grants & Funding
- One-Page Specific Aims
- Up to 5-page Research Plan including figures (Significance, Innovation, Approach including Preliminary Data)
- Up to 3-page Career Development Plan (mentoring plan, coursework, grant writing)
- Literature Cited; Other forms (Not included in the page limit)
- Letter of support from primary project mentor and relevant faculty advisors
- Letter of support from the department chair guaranteeing protected time and facilities for the proposed work.
- An itemized budget must be included. The Award cannot be used as salary support.
- Institutional indirect costs are not allowed.
Review Criteria: https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PA-24-182.html
Sample NIH K08/K23 Awards:
https://www.niaid.nih.gov/grants-contracts/new-r01-sample-applications
https://www.niaid.nih.gov/grants-contracts/sample-applications#k23
Inquiries: Bang Hoang, MD, Research Committee Chair ([email protected])
