The University of Colorado, in partnership with the Boettcher Foundation, has announced the opening of applications for the 2026 Boettcher Webb-Waring Biomedical Research Awards program. The initiative will provide up to five grants, each valued at $250,000 and covering up to three years of research. The awards are intended to support early career investigators by giving them opportunities for independent research.
Award recipients will be recognized as Boettcher Investigators. The program is designed to support biomedical research that seeks to prevent disease and improve human health through both basic and applied studies. Its goal is to fund promising projects that could lead to new discoveries or advance existing findings toward practical applications in healthcare.
According to the announcement, “The intent of the program is to fund meritorious research that has the potential for new discoveries or advances a discovery to the proof of its potential value as an application to improve human health. This research will improve the understanding, treatment and prevention of human disease.”
Since its inception in July 2010, more than $17.6 million has been awarded by the Boettcher Foundation to 75 current Boettcher Investigators at CU.
A pre-submission webinar will be held on December 12 from 2:30-3:30 p.m., where applicants can learn about the award process and participate in a Q&A session with members of the selection panel.
For this cycle, all interested applicants must submit an Intent to Apply form by January 9, 2026. This requirement aims to ensure that reviewers have appropriate expertise for submitted proposals.
Eligible faculty researchers from all four University of Colorado campuses are encouraged to apply. Criteria include being within four years of their initial career-track academic appointment as of January 1, 2026; not having previously received a major independent research award; receiving a terminal degree or completing initial medical residency within ten years prior; and holding U.S. citizenship or permanent residency status at time of application.
More information about eligibility requirements can be found at http://www.cu.edu/bfww/eligibility.
Applicants are instructed not to contact the Boettcher Foundation directly but instead submit materials through their campus grants office according to campus-specific deadlines.
