Clinical Immunology Society

I-CIS Innovation Grant - Sobi Award

 

Applications for the I-CIS Innovation Grant - Sobi Award are now open!

 

 

I-CIS Innovation Grants – Award Description and Criteria 

 

The Clinical Immunology Society (CIS) and Sobi, Inc. are pleased to announce the I-CIS Innovation Grant – Sobi Early Career Award! This award is offered to an early-career faculty investigator – defined as an individual with a faculty appointment equivalent to instructor or Assistant Professor at non-profit universities in the United States and Canada -– whose research focuses on inborn errors of immunity (IEI). The Early Career Award will provide one individual with a one-year grant in the amount of $100,000. 

  

The objective of this grant is to support the development of early-career investigators in academic clinical immunology who have demonstrated commitment to the study of IEIs as a career path in the United States and Canada. Funding is provided to support the education and/or research endeavors of this individual. This award is made possible by a generous unrestricted grant from Sobi, Inc. 

 

The deadline for the award application is October 30th, 2026.
 
For more information, please contact Madeleine Hanan, CIS Executive Director, mhanan@clinimmsoc.org, 414-224-8095.

 

 

AWARD APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS

 

Applications must be received on or before October 30th, 2026. 

 

ELIGIBILITY AND GUIDELINES:

 

  • Applicants must hold an MD, DO, PhD, or MD/PhD degree, have completed fellowship, and be in the first five (5) years of your faculty appointment and pursuing a career in IEI-related research.

  • Applicants must be early career immunologists at the start of funding, defined as an individual with a faculty appointment equivalent to instructor or Assistant Professor within the first 5 years after training, at non-profit universities/hospital/research institutes in the United States and Canada. 

  • Applicants must be a member of CIS. 

  • Clinical applicants must be enrolled in one of the recognized specialty boards in the US or the Canadian-equivalent (i.e. allergy, immunology, hematology, infectious diseases, rheumatology, etc.). 

  • Prior CIS Innovation Grant award winners are not eligible for this award. 

 

CONDITIONS OF THE AWARD:

 

  • The award is $100,000 for one year. 

  • Award begins upon issuance and ends at the completion of one year. 

  • Funds may be used for any combination of salary and/or laboratory support (including research supplies, reagents, small equipment (<$10K), conference travel, publication costs). 

  • Award may only be used for salary support and direct costs. Institutional indirect or general overhead costs cannot be covered. 

  • At the start of this award, the recipient may not have >$100,000 in direct cost funding or notice of award funding for NIH R awards, mentored K awards or equivalent. 

  • During the period of this award, if the recipient accepts other grants or external funds of >$50,000 that provide stipend or salary support for the same work outlined in the application (excluding faculty startup packages), the funds must be re-budgeted and approved by CIS within 30 days of receipt of the competing award.  

  • Recipient must make proper acknowledgements in presentations and publications resulting from the research sponsored by the award. Awardee will also notify the Grant Committee of any publications resulting from the work supported by the Clinical Immunology Society I-CIS Innovation Grant - Sobi Early Career Award. 

  • The institution is responsible for documenting its role in supporting the awardee’s education and research efforts, as well as providing adequate research capacity, including space and equipment, for the award recipient. 

  • The recipient must submit a final written progress report to the CIS at the conclusion of the award period. The recipient is also expected to present the final results of their research at a future CIS Meeting. 

  • The awardee’s institution is required to submit a financial progress report at the conclusion of the award period. 

  • The awardee’s institution is responsible for ensuring that all appropriate protocols, including human subjects, animal studies, institutional biosafety, and/or other applicable approvals are in place to conduct the proposed research.  

  • The CIS may discontinue an award if it is documented that the purpose or the terms of the award are not being fulfilled. In this event, the recipient will be notified in writing of this determination, the reason, and the effective date. 

REVIEW PROCESS:

 

  • Applications will be reviewed by Investigators of CIS (I-CIS) steering committee members, including individuals with specialized knowledge in the proposal topic area. Committee members will recuse themselves from reviewing any applications which could represent a conflict of interest. 

  • The I-CIS Innovation Grants Committee will score the applications according to a standard rubric. The scores will be compiled and the applications discussed on a conference call. 

  • Application review decisions are final. 

 

 

REVIEW CRITERIA:

 

  • Scientific merit of project 

  • Commitment to the field of inborn errors of immunity 

  • Research environment 

  • Prior training/experience 

  • Career plan (potential impact on the care of IEI patients) 

 

ONLINE SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS:

Award applications must be submitted online. Incomplete applications will not be accepted. All application components will follow NIH format guidelines, including font size 11 points or larger, single space, and at least ½” margins. 

  

The online short-form application will include: 

  

  1. Applicant Biographical Sketch (NIH Format)       

    1. Must include a full disclosure of all grants or awards currently received or pending.       

  2. Personal Statement and Career Development Plan (one page)        

    1. Summarize your training to date.        

    2. Comment on your specific clinical and research interests.        

    3. Describe the percentage of time allocated for your responsibilities (including research, teaching, clinical and administrative duties).        

    4. Describe current and future plans for overall career development including training and research goals. Include specifics of how this award will contribute to your career development.        

  3. Specific Aims Page       

    1. Succinctly outline the overall goals and aims of the proposed research        

  4. Research Plan (NIH format; not to exceed three pages including all figures; References are separate)        

  5. References Cited (NIH format)       

  6. Institutional approvals: Agreement, if applicable, that upon receipt of the funds that the proposed research will be approved by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC), human subjects Institutional Review Board (IRB), Institutional Biosafety Committee, and/or other relevant oversight bodies at the grantee’s institution.        

  7. Budget: Description of Budget and Budget Justification (NIH format)        

  8. Financial Conflict of Interest Statement(s)        

    1. For each investigator, list real or potential financial conflicts of interest with the proposed studies. Financial conflicts of interest would include direct payments from corporate entities related to the proposed studies and/or investments that would benefit the investigator or the investigator’s family as a result of the proposed studies.        

  9. Institutional Letter of Support (not to exceed two pages). A letter of support from Division Chief, Department Chair, or equivalent.        

    1. Details on the Institution’s commitment to the applicant;        

    2. Applicant’s qualifications for an academic career and availability of funding for applicant’s academic cost sharing expenses;        

    3. Applicant’s career development plan (specify skills to be acquired)        

    4. Any additional letters of collaboration relevant to the proposed research (not to exceed one page each).  

 

Grant Timeline:

  • Award applications are due no later than October 30, 2026

  • Award selection will take place by December 2026

  • Public Grantee announcement will be made following grantee notification, no later than January 2027

 

Applicants should direct questions to Madeleine Hanan at the CIS National Office:

mhanan@clinimmsoc.org

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