Program Overview
The CRI IGNITE Award — Inspiring Growth and Nurturing Independence Through Excellence — supports the transition of outstanding postdoctoral researchers into independent tenure-track investigators. The program offers two sequential phases of funding:
- Phase 1: Foundation Phase – Up to 2 years of postdoctoral support
- Phase 2: Independence Phase – Up to 3 years of faculty support
IGNITE provides more than funding — it delivers a structured pathway to independence at a time when such opportunities are shrinking.
Focus and Scope
Success in early-career research depends on both individual talent and institution commitment. IGNITE therefore requires a formal co-investment from the hiring institution during the Independence Phase. This commitment includes essential resources–such as lab space, protected research time, and mentorship.
By aligning CRI’s support with institutional responsibility, IGNITE maximizes the potential of long-term career success. Early-stage funding is a proven catalyst, enabling new faculty to establish a research program, generate the preliminary data required for subsequent competitive awards, and build the momentum necessary for career sustainability.
Studies show that investigators who secure early support are significantly more likely to attain tenure and maintain long-term research productivity. The IGNITE Award is designed to provide precisely this kind of catalytic funding — targeted, timely, and transformational.
Through IGNITE, CRI affirms its longstanding commitment to advancing cancer immunotherapy through investment in people — not just projects. IGNITE fills a critical gap in the scientific ecosystem, complementing CRI’s existing career development awards and ensuring that the most promising scientists are not lost at the very moment their careers — and their ideas — are ready to take flight.